With persistently high inflation that has kept interest rates rising throughout the year, economically sensitive industries have been the most vulnerable. The Consumer Discretionary sector is a perfect example. As reflected by the S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary Sector SPDR (XLY), the sector has followed the broad indices into its own bear market. This is a […]
Read MoreOne of the primary criteria I’ve learned to use to filter through the thousands of publicly traded companies in the stock market is the payment of dividends. it’s a useful, relatively quick-reference approach to finding stocks with superior fundamentals than what most average investors pay attention to. Among many fundamental, value-driven investors, dividends are ore […]
Read MoreIf you pay attention to the stock market, you inevitably become familiar with some of the personalities that take up space on market media to talk about it. On CNBC, for example, Jim Cramer is an ever-present commentator. Not only does he host his own “Mad Money” show in the afternoons on the network, you’ll […]
Read MoreLike most investors, I’ve always looked at the market, at least partially, through the lens of my own personal and professional experience. As a self-described nerd with a lot of experience and education in software and technology, it’s pretty natural for me to gravitate to stocks in tech-driven industries. The Technology sector has been a […]
Read MoreOne of the core principles about technical analysis that was drilled into my head early in my investing career is that “the market is always right.” That idea is designed to disconnect a person’s bias about a company from the investing decision and instead learn to rely on the stock’s price action to drive a […]
Read MoreOver the course of my investing career, I have learned to rely on a lot of fundamental data to paint a picture about the underlying strength of any stock I might consider using for a value-based investment. I’ve also learned to go beyond easy-to-reference, quick-glance data like earnings per share and price-to-earnings ratios, and to […]
Read MoreFor the last few years, the Auto industry has been an interesting pocket of the stock market to pay attention. Geopolitical, social, and global economic shifts have been clearly seen in this traditionally cyclical industry. Trade tensions between the U.S. and its largest trading partners from tariffs imposed by the U.S. kept a lot of […]
Read MorePeriods of economic uncertainty breed fear into the markets, which usually translates to increasing volatility and bearish price movements. Bearish market conditions mean that finding conservative, defensively-positioned investment opportunities can get harder to do. Defensive stocks generally mean looking for industries where revenues aren’t closely correlated with the ebb and flow of economic progress. That […]
Read MoreComing to the close of 2022, there are multiple threads you can use to tell the story of the U.S. economy, and therefore the financial markets for the year. For me, one of the most interesting threads is the pace of energy prices. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, which acts as the benchmark for oil […]
Read MoreSince before 2020, I’ve been writing about the wisdom in being very selective about the investments you make. That includes taking a defensive approach by looking for industries and businesses whose operations aren’t as sensitive to the and ebb and flow of economic growth. Prepackaged food stocks like Hormel Foods Corp (HRL), CPB, and KHC […]
Read MoreFor retail stocks, one of the things that a lot of investors look forward to is the typical, “Santa Claus Rally” leading up to Christmas. It makes sense, since holiday shopping is at its peak. That hasn’t really been the way things have turned out this year. After surging from a bear market low in […]
Read MoreFor investors, the holiday season generally marks a time when consumer activity should be healthy and demand for consumer goods will be high. That’s a big reason that in the latter part of the year, as the colder months set in across the country, that retail stocks often start to see healthy increases in prices. […]
Read MoreDuring the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the sectors of market that experienced major shifts in its business models was the Healthcare sector. The entire system – local clinics, hospitals, and more – has been forced for most of the last three years to shift its focus from regular operations, and even […]
Read MoreFor a sizable portion of this entire year, the Basic Materials sector has offered some of the most interesting cases for value-based investing. That case included a number of stocks that diverged from the uncertain, bearish conditions of the rest of the market until the beginning of summer. While a number of those stocks have […]
Read MoreCurrent market conditions can make it hard for even the most patient, disciplined bargain hunter to find useful investing opportunities. The trick is being able to identify pockets of the economy where current conditions create opportunity or where companies may have been able to buck broader industry and market trends to create their own success. […]
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