A primary economic theme for 2022, no matter whether you start the conversation by talking about the long-term impact of the pandemic, labor shortages, monetary policy, or the devastating conflict in Ukraine really boils down to inflation. Economic metrics were clearly starting show that inflation was picking up steam in late 2021, and this year […]
Read MoreWhen I see stocks trading at or near historical highs I almost always assume that the stock is overvalued. That’s even more true if the stock is near to an all-time high and has been following an upward trend of more than a year. A similar, opposite logic applies to stocks in a downward trend; […]
Read MoreMarket uncertainty can be a scary thing to do deal with, and if you haven’t been investing for a very long time, it might seem even more mysterious and dangerous. One of the thing that does to a lot of investors is to make them more hesitant about taking on new positions. I think that’s […]
Read MoreFor most of the last three months, we’ve seen a pretty significant shift in market attention and commentary away from the pandemic-driven questions that have defined the last two years. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its resulting economic and political isolation from the rest of the world have been a primary focus, since the conflict […]
Read MoreDuring the last two years, one of the most interesting sectors of the market to pay attention to has been the Consumer Discretionary sector. This is a sector that is driven by consumer spending, which is generally highest when the economy is healthy. The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered all kinds of economic activity through much of […]
Read MoreSometimes, answering the question of whether a stock represents a legitimate, attractive value opportunity can be hard to do. A company could be struggling not only to grow its business, but may be forced to restructure its business in a way that makes most of the traditional measurables investors like to use look very unfavorable. […]
Read MoreAs an analyst, one of the things that facilitates my ability to screen the market is the way that sectors and industries are organized. That’s because it makes it easier to think about the different pockets of the economy that might fit current conditions at any given time. It also makes it easier to put […]
Read MoreThe Energy sector has been a point of focus for just about everybody in one form or another for most of the past two years, and certainly for value-driven investors. 2020 was a rough period, owing to shutdown and shelter-in-place orders that cratered demand for crude oil. The next year, the sector was a reflection, […]
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 MoreIn 2021, one of the common themes that helped buoy the stock market in general, and a lot of consumer-focused industries specifically was the reopening of business and social activity and the expected surge in consumer spending that would accompany it. While COVID didn’t abate as some hoped, and the “return to normal” was more […]
Read MoreOver the years of my investing career, I have learned that thinking of myself as a lifelong learner has been a good way to stay open not only to investing opportunities that fit my preferred investing style, but also to finding new ways to adapt as the market continues its never-ending process of evolution. Even […]
Read MoreThere are practically as many methods to analyze the stock market and opinions about the best way to invest your hard-earned dollars as there are investors. As a value-oriented investor, I often find myself on the opposite side of the table with growth-focused investors. Growth investing leans heavily on the principle that “a stock tends […]
Read MoreAs 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 more interested in being able to keep my money working for […]
Read MoreThe Consumer Discretionary sector includes stocks that cover a wide variety of the Retail industry. Because there are so many retail companies that offer different products to consumers, it’s hard to pinpoint any kind of specific niche. In the sporting goods category, declining revenues in traditional brick-and-mortar stores were already a theme before 2020, in […]
Read MoreAny experienced investor, no matter what their investment philosophy is, will undoubtedly tell you that one of the most useful ways they keep track of new opportunities as they come up is by maintaining a watchlist of stocks that they can check on a regular basis. A good, diversified list of stocks in a variety […]
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