In my search for value, I’ve found it useful to develop a watchlist of stocks that I can check on a regular basis. That means that I often recycle stocks that I’ve previously used to make useful investments in, but don’t currently have a position in. That’s useful, because the familiarity that comes with the […]
Read MoreMarkets are naturally cyclical – they swing from high to low and back again on a consistent, if unpredictable basis over a range of time frames. The different time periods associated with any given cycle, or sometimes even the depth of a certain cycle’s direction, can shade the casual investor’s perception about a stock’s opportunity. […]
Read MoreOne of the most successful in the entire history of the U.S. stock market, and arguably the most famous of our era is Warren Buffett. His annual reports for Berkshire Hathaway have long been considered required reading for any serious fundamental or value-oriented investor because of the way he outlines his views of current conditions […]
Read MoreTwo surprising areas of strength in the economy for more than a year have come from the Homebuilders and Construction industries. Against the backdrop of economic pressures from the pandemic, it’s natural to think that economically sensitive industries like Homebuilders, Construction, and others would see decreases in demand. The shift of corporate America to work-from-home […]
Read MoreAs a value-focused investor, I’ve read a lot of books and studied the methods of a lot of well-known money managers who have found success using the same reliance on finding bargains in any market. One of the most successful in the entire history of the U.S. stock market, and arguably the most famous of […]
Read MoreOne of the sectors that I like to pay attention to as a barometer for the underlying relative health of the economy is the Materials sector, because the companies that comprise it produce or mine many of the raw materials that make up the building blocks used to create most of the finished goods we […]
Read MoreOne of the surprising areas of strength in the economy over the last year are the Homebuilders and Construction industries. Against the backdrop of economic pressures from the pandemic, it’s natural to think that the economically sensitive industries like Homebuilders, Construction, and others would see decreases in demand. The shift of corporate America to work-from-home […]
Read MoreOver the last year, one of the best sectors of the stock market’s rally back to, and even above pre-pandemic levels has been the Materials sector. From last year to a fresh high this week, the sector had increased in value by almost 70%, as measured by the S&P 500 Materials Sector SPDR (XLB). This […]
Read MoreOne of the remarkable aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the fact that the economic downturn associated with immediate shutdowns and shelter-in-place restrictions didn’t have a stronger on real estate prices. More than a year later, we’re starting to talk about actual economic recovery on the heels of increasing vaccinations, and an employment trend that […]
Read MoreThe longer a bull market lasts, the more extended price valuations become. The longer that condition continues, the harder it becomes for value-oriented investors to justify long-term investments in most of the stocks, industries and sectors that everybody else is talking about. I think this is a pretty good description of current market conditions, as […]
Read MoreAs a value-focused investor, I’ve read a lot of books and studied the methods of a lot of well-known money managers who have found success using the same reliance on finding bargains in any market. One of the most successful in the entire history of the U.S. stock market, and arguably the most famous of […]
Read MoreOne of the classic benchmarks of the economy’s health and strength is the housing market. Stocks of retail companies like Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW) often serve as proxies of to guide the market’s perception of the housing market, but it also isn’t uncommon to see experts and analysts referring to homebuilders like D.R. […]
Read MoreOne of the surprising areas of strength in the economy in 2020 are the Homebuilders and Construction industries. With historically high unemployment numbers since the outset of the pandemic, it’s natural to think that the economically sensitive industries like Homebuilders, Construction, and others would see decreases in demand; but it has been interesting to see […]
Read MoreLooking for value in extended bull markets often means gravitating to industries and sectors that have fallen out of favor with the broad market. In a COVID-19 world, it has seemed a bit ironic to see the market not only reclaim its losses from its early year plunge to bear market lows, but then to […]
Read MorePandemic conditions have put a lot of pressure on sectors across the economy, but at the same time there have been pockets of the economy that have performed remarkably well. Most of the attention throughout the year has naturally been focused on sectors tied to the health crisis, or to the shift to work-from-home models. […]
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