Markets 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 ironies of the stock market right now is that if you look at the major market indices, it’s easy to say that, right or wrong, investors are anticipating a V-shaped recovery in the U.S. economy. That’s the hope that, while the impact of COVID-19 on virtually every sector in the economy has […]
Read MoreIndustrial stocks were among some of the big movers as the broad market rallied from its March, bear-market low point. A lot of that momentum seemed to be driven by hope that COVID-19 induced shutdowns would not only be temporary, but also that their net impact would also be short-lived. The market still seems to […]
Read MoreThe tech sector has been a bright spot during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are multiple factors that I think are contributing to that reality. Those include signs of increasing recovery and economic activity in China, where a major portion of manufacturing activity for semiconductor companies takes place, and the ability of a large number of […]
Read MoreIt’s a bit interesting to me to see that while Healthcare stocks in general have performed well during the COVID-19 crisis, the gains don’t extend to every single stock in that sector. That’s isn’t altogether unusual; after all, no matter what direction the trend of a given sector may be, there are always outliers that […]
Read MoreIn the early stages of the arrival and spread of COVID-19 in the United States, I wrote in this space about my belief that one of the best places a smart investor should focus their attention is on healthcare stocks, including companies in the pharmacy space. News media, economists and medical professionals have all turned […]
Read MoreAs more and more states in the United States, and indeed other countries across the globe begin to acknowledged the reality that COVID-19 is here to stay, they are also making moves to reopen local, state and national economies to get business activity underway again. That means trying to strike a balance between the broader […]
Read MoreEven before COVID-19 put a stranglehold on business activity, travel, and consumer demand in just about every respect (except healthcare, basic supplies and food storage), global auto sales were under pressure. The industry was hampered through most of the past two years by trade tensions between the U.S. and its largest trading partners, which included […]
Read MoreEven before the coronavirus pandemic started to take down entire sectors of the economy beginning in February, the Auto industry was experiencing quite a bit of bearish pressure. Sales were down globally, reflecting economic slowing in various parts of the world as well as the effects of an extended trade war between the U.S. and […]
Read MoreWhen it comes to identifying stocks that might make useful investments, there are as many strategies as there are people. You can break these strategies into any different number of categories. I like to differentiate between strategies by thinking first about the amount of time I might actually plan to hold the stock in question; […]
Read MoreAs economies throughout the world begin to reopen on a gradual basis, economic reports are starting to come in reflecting the very real, and very dramatic impact that COVID-19 and global shutdowns have had on corporate operations. While that impact is very surprising at all, I do think that as investors look for constructive places […]
Read MoreHaving a contrarian temperament generally means doing the opposite of what most people would do. It’s a mindset that I’ve found very useful as an investor, because while most people tend to flock to stocks that are at or near all-time highs, I’m able to find excellent long-term opportunities at much lower, bargain-level prices. It’s […]
Read MoreOver the last month and a half, the market has rebounded pretty strongly off of its bear market lows. Just as the slide that started in February as nations across the globe began imposing economic shutdowns and shelter-in-place orders to slow the COVID-19 infection rate affected just about every sector of the economy, so to […]
Read More2020 has been a rough year for energy stocks. Even before COVID-19 became a global health crisis, the sector was rocked by an all-out price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. At the beginning of the year, Brent crude – the benchmark for oil exported from OPEC and OPEC+ countries – was around $70 per […]
Read MoreAs North America, and most of the world starts to move from broadly implemented lockdown and shelter-in-place mandates to gradually easing restrictions, I think it’s pretty normal to see corporate managers, market analysts, and talking heads commonly talking about the need for a COVID-19 vaccine to really understand the point where things can actually begin […]
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