Value-oriented, contrarian-minded investors like me tend to think a little differently than the average investor, which means we like to look for opportunities in the areas of the market everybody else tends to ignore. The Food Products industry is a good example. While this is pocket of the economy that I think makes sense to […]
Read MoreEvery year, threads emerge that can be used to tell the story of the U.S. economy, and therefore the financial markets. For me, one of the most interesting and consistent threads is the movement and pace of energy prices. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, which acts as the benchmark for oil produced throughout North America […]
Read MoreFor several years now, I’ve been writing about the wisdom in taking a defensive approach to your investing portfolio. There are lot of ways you can get defensive. Pulling cash out of the market when you have opportunities to do so, and keeping it on the sidelines for the time being is one approach. Another […]
Read MoreOver the last three years, one of the sectors of market that experienced major shifts in its business models was the Healthcare sector. Every facet of the entire system, it seems, from local clinics, to hospitals, and more was forced to shift its focus through practically all of 2020 and 2021 from regular operations, and […]
Read MoreSometimes, answering the question of whether a stock represents a legitimate, attractive value opportunity is more art than science. Strict, quantitative value and fundamental analysis would dictate that you stick to the numbers, and to distrust anything but what the numbers tell you. As often as not, however, I find it necessary to look beyond […]
Read MoreNo matter what the market’s current direction may be, the hunt for useful opportunities never really ends for a bargain hunter. One of the pockets of the market that has been interesting this year is the Energy sector. Healthy demand has kept oil prices well above their 2021 levels, and that’s been a positive things […]
Read MoreThe market appears to be picking up some new, bullish momentum, with the S&P 500 pushing to a new, 52-week high point that could be a catalyst for more upside to come. An extension of the overall bullish trend in the S&P 500 that dates back to October of last year is a generally positive […]
Read MoreUncertain market conditions can make it hard for even the most patient, disciplined bargain hunter to find useful investing opportunities. The trick to effective investing in a difficult market 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 […]
Read MoreNo matter what your approach to the stock market may be, there are a myriad number of issues that come at you and demand attention. Some of those elements can be anticipated, if not predicted; for example, if a company is getting set for a new quarterly earnings report, it’s pretty normal to see a […]
Read MoreOne of the challenges for any investor, no matter what method they prefer to use, is how to find new, useful opportunities to put their money to work for them. In that effort, one area that I think most investors don’t think about is investing in the companies that make access to the markets possible. […]
Read MoreCisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) is one of the most recognizable and established companies in the Technology sector. With a market cap of more than $200 billion, and a clear position as a leader in the Technology sector, companies like CSCO are, without question, the standard against which all other business in their respective industries are […]
Read MoreIn many way, 2023 has been an extension of fears and uncertainty that plagued the market for most of 2022. The last year and a half has shifted the narrative away from COVID and onto the reality of inflation, rising interest rates, and all of its normal effects. Issues that existed prior to the pandemic, […]
Read MoreOne of my favorite methods to quickly filter through the thousands of companies in the stock market is to focus on stocks that pay a consistent dividend. There are a couple of primary methods companies have to return the value of their business to shareholders. If you pay much attention to market media, you’ve probably […]
Read MoreValue analysis, or growth-focused, momentum-based trading? Most investors tend to think of these two approaches as incompatible, polar opposite investing methods. Looking for stocks at the low side of their historical ranges is a no-brainer approach for a value-oriented investor, because that price action generally increases the odds that the stock will represent a good […]
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