As a conservative-minded, value and fundamental-driven investor, my natural tendency is to shy away from stocks that market experts and popular market media analysts tend to talk to the most about. That means that my investments rarely look very sexy – but I’m far less interested in being sexy than I am in being able […]
Read MoreThe Food Products industry in the Consumer Staples sector is an area of the market that doesn’t get much buzz from market media types because it isn’t very sexy. Despite that fact, it is one of very few segments of the market that saw consumer-driven improvements in demand during the pandemic in a trend that […]
Read MoreInvestors are always looking for the “next big thing” in the stock market to give them something to talk about with their friends. That is part of the reason that market media outlets tend to drive so much of the investing public’s focus on the fastest-growing industries. Along the way, stocks in other industries tend […]
Read MoreAfter about two months of mostly range-bound activity, the market appears to have broken out of that range and looks set to extend its longer-term, upward trend yet again. Much of the push seems to be on the heels of economic data, including this week’s most recent jobs report, that economists seem to be taking […]
Read MoreI have written quite a bit about how I like to pay attention to stocks in the Food Products industry when market conditions become more uncertain and broad volatility starts to increase. That’s because while the industry itself can hardly be described as disruptive – in fact, I’ve seen analysts throughout the year dismiss the […]
Read MoreShort-term trading to take advantage of swings between very near-term highs and lows, or long-term investing with an eye on how much a stock should be worth? it’s a question that anybody that wants to use the stock market to put their money to work for them has to figure out for themselves. Short-term trading […]
Read MoreOne of the primary fundamental metrics I have learned to use over the years to filter through the tens of thousands of publicly traded companies in the stock market is to look for a history of dividend payout. Dividends are one of the simplest ways for a company’s management to express confidence in its long-term […]
Read MoreThe “herd mentality” can be a funny thing to think about in societal terms – but it’s a real thing in the stock market. The sheer number of publicly traded stocks on U.S. exchanges alone creates a wave of market data that no single person can handle alone, and that’s a big reason why it […]
Read MoreOver the last couple of weeks, the market has been largely range-bound, with an increasing level of volatility that has been making stocks pretty choppy. I think the shift in the uncertainty of which that volatility is a reflection is interesting; the ongoing health crisis remains a part of it, but most of the commentary […]
Read MoreI’ve written quite a bit in this space about my opinion that the Consumer Staples sector – and more specifically, stocks in the Food Products and Food and Staples Retail industries – are smart places to find good values in today’s market. That’s because most of the stocks in these industries are benefitting from the […]
Read MoreBeing a value-oriented investor means that seeing stocks trading at or near all-time highs is actually a demotivating factor; that’s because value-based analysis compares the value of the company’s book of business against the stock’s current price. Since the market tend to inflate stock values, upward trends typically outpace the growth in profitability. That means […]
Read MorePlus, United Airlines shares are down after the carrier reported its fifth consecutive quarterly loss, Canadian National Railway issued a competing bid for Kansas City Southern, and Gap is expanding its Athleta brand to Canada.
Read MoreOne of the things about value investing that I think makes it hard for most investors to embrace is the fact that value-based principles tend to be counter-intuitive to the mindset that most often gets presented about the market. The first, most basic principle of value investing fits well with rule #1 of investing in […]
Read MoreThis week I’ve turned my focus primarily back on the Food Products industry in the Consumer Staples sector. It’s an area of the market that doesn’t get much buzz from market media types because it isn’t very sexy – but it is one of very few segments of the market that has seen consumer-driven improvements […]
Read MoreUncertain economic conditions are often a good time to think about stocks that most people tend to overlook because they’re “boring.” These are stocks that also tend to operate in counter-cyclical fashion. They often make up segments of the economy that you and I rely on every day, but that don’t generate the same kind […]
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