Given the way the market – and let’s face it, just about all of us – have been focusing all year long on pandemic-related news, including the prospects for practical vaccines, it’s safe to say that this week could see some uncertainty coming back into play. Positive news about clinical trials for a couple of […]
Read MoreOne of the hardest-hit sectors of the market this year is the Energy sector. While COVID-19 has dominated headlines throughout the year, and indeed has contributed to a massive decline in demand for petroleum products all over the globe as shelter-in-place orders have forced a massive shift for most corporations to remote work, the fact […]
Read MoreI like to keep a pretty broad watchlist of stocks that I can check up on every day. That watchlist feeds most of the investments I end up making; that also means that many of those stocks have become “good, old friends” that I’ve used on multiple occasions. Another advantage of keeping a watchlist of […]
Read MoreI hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I’ve written a lot in this space about my belief in defensive sectors and industries for more than a year now. The market is showing a lot of bullish momentum right now, but I think the initial relief that I attribute mostly to decreasing political uncertainty is […]
Read MoreFor many investors, value investing is a useful to analyze potential investment opportunities because of the way that it naturally gravitates to stocks that are generally already at or near historical low prices. That sounds counter-intuitive to most of us, because the overwhelming majority of analysts and talking heads always talk more about stocks that […]
Read MoreUncertain economic conditions have proven to be 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. It’s been interesting – but not surprising – to see a bit of a resurgence in stocks in the Food Products […]
Read MoreBlack Friday means that the market’s attention, along with most consumers is squarely focused on the retail segment. It is interesting to observe the way that retailers have adjusted their Black Friday operations around the limitations and uncertainty attached to the coronavirus pandemic. Those measures have not surprisingly pushed some of the conversation back in […]
Read MoreIn the world of COVID-19, it’s been interesting to see not only how corporations have evolved to survive and get by, but also how consumer behaviors and trends have adjusted as well. Broad-based shutdowns that shuttered businesses all over the U.S. at the beginning of the pandemic sent people home for an indefinite period of […]
Read MorePandemic conditions have put a lot of pressure on sectors across the economy, but at the same time there have been pockets of the economy that have performed remarkably well. Most of the attention throughout the year has naturally been focused on sectors tied to the health crisis, or to the shift to work-from-home models. […]
Read MoreOne of the really remarkable stories about 2020 in the stock market is the way that the Tech sector has led the way after a pandemic-induced drop to bear market levels back to new highs. The biggest winner over the last eight months has been the Tech sector, where a number of stocks not only […]
Read MoreOne of the most straightforward and useful ways for average investors like you and me to maintain an active investing approach without drowning in the massive volumes of news reports, analyst opinions and buzz around the thousands of publicly traded stocks is to work with our own watchlists. These are lists of stocks that you […]
Read MorePost-election, a lot of the focus for the markets has, not surprisingly shifted back to COVID and the pandemic that just won’t stop. Concern is increasing that the colder months of the year will make things even worse, and that a health care system that is already being strained as infections and hospitalizations are pushing […]
Read MoreDeveloping a system of analysis that provides the right balance of fundamental strength, attractive value, and useful price patterns is something that takes a fair amount of time, study and experimentation. Even if you copy somebody else’s system, you won’t know if it really works for you the way you want it to until you […]
Read MoreAs a value-focused investor, I’ve read a lot of books and studied the methods of a lot of well-known money managers who have found success using the same reliance on finding bargains in any market. One of the most successful in the entire history of the U.S. stock market, and arguably the most famous of […]
Read MoreThis year’s pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the operations of just about every type of business in America. One of the business segments that has experienced an especially conspicuous decline is the Auto industry, where stay-at-home, self isolation orders at the beginning of the outbreak cratered demand for petroleum products of every type. […]
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