A recent report by Accenture highlights an amazing statistic. Its research shows that just 15 public, digital-ecosystem companies have a market capitalization totaling nearly $3 trillion. That’s an average size of roughly $200 billion each.  Even more amazing is the idea that the industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 18% between now and 2026. That makes this a trend every investor should get behind.  So, what is a digital ecosystem? Gartner Research defines a digital ecosystem as “an interdependent group of enterprises… that… Read More

A recent report by Accenture highlights an amazing statistic. Its research shows that just 15 public, digital-ecosystem companies have a market capitalization totaling nearly $3 trillion. That’s an average size of roughly $200 billion each.  Even more amazing is the idea that the industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 18% between now and 2026. That makes this a trend every investor should get behind.  So, what is a digital ecosystem? Gartner Research defines a digital ecosystem as “an interdependent group of enterprises… that share standardized digital platforms for a mutually beneficial purpose.” In English, it means some companies have built digital platforms that customers don’t want to leave. And the longer a person stays on a particular ecosystem, the more revenue that platform generates. #-ad_banner-#That’s how companies like Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOG), Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), Tencent (OTC: TCEHY), and Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) have grown so big. More importantly, it’s the reason Yahoo! died and Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) is running out of time.  You see, Yahoo failed to learn the lessons of Facebook and Google. The company proved unable to create an ecosystem that would… Read More

In my September issue, I talked about how Ray Dalio started his fledgling company — Bridgewater Associates — out of his apartment in 1975 and went on to grow it into the largest hedge fund in the world. His accolades include consistently outperforming his peers (which is why his company is the world’s largest hedge fund) to sounding the alarm on the looming financial crisis in 2008. It was during the financial crisis — when few listened to him — that he really made his mark. While most of his peers were losing money or going belly-up, he turned a… Read More

In my September issue, I talked about how Ray Dalio started his fledgling company — Bridgewater Associates — out of his apartment in 1975 and went on to grow it into the largest hedge fund in the world. His accolades include consistently outperforming his peers (which is why his company is the world’s largest hedge fund) to sounding the alarm on the looming financial crisis in 2008. It was during the financial crisis — when few listened to him — that he really made his mark. While most of his peers were losing money or going belly-up, he turned a profit.  —Sponsored Link— New FCC Approval; Say Goodbye To Power Cords The FCC recently green lighted a stunning breakthrough device that will revolutionize electricity and get rid of the need for any plugs or cords. The Washington Times says that this technology “will change the world on a scale hardly seen in human history.” Even famed scientist Stephen Hawking agrees that “it’s about to change your life.” And this technology is set to pour $37.2 billion into this sector. But only one small company is at the center of this massive shift. Read More

Investors are creatures of habit. They do the same thing over and over again without a thought of approaching the market differently. Whether they invest in stocks, bonds, commodities or even currencies, everyone has their own entrenched way of choosing investments.  However, the best investors think outside of the box… Read More

Google parent Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOG) has struggled with problems around its advertising in recent years. First it was complaints by advertisers of placements on racist and inflammatory videos. Then some of its most popular YouTube stars were caught posting potentially racist or violent content.  YouTube cracked down last year, but the same problems have persisted. Major brands including AT&T, Verizon, Pepsi, and Walmart pulled millions of dollars from the video sharing platform until YouTube could provide assurance to the quality of the videos on which ads were being shown. In response, YouTube shocked its creator community in April by requiring… Read More

Google parent Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOG) has struggled with problems around its advertising in recent years. First it was complaints by advertisers of placements on racist and inflammatory videos. Then some of its most popular YouTube stars were caught posting potentially racist or violent content.  YouTube cracked down last year, but the same problems have persisted. Major brands including AT&T, Verizon, Pepsi, and Walmart pulled millions of dollars from the video sharing platform until YouTube could provide assurance to the quality of the videos on which ads were being shown. In response, YouTube shocked its creator community in April by requiring channels to have at least 10,000 views before videos could be monetized with ads. Some video creators reported as much as an 80% drop in ad revenue after the change. #-ad_banner-#YouTube again changed its revenue sharing model earlier this month in a move that could shut out many more publishers.  The policy change could have unintended consequences. Investors have yet to react to the news, but could be in for a rude awakening over the rest of the year.  The New YouTube Policy Hits Google Where It Hurts The Most YouTube is again raising the bar on its revenue-sharing… Read More

As I’ve said before, it’s best to approach ultra-high yields above 10% with a healthy amount of skepticism. More often than not, the lofty rate stems from a plunging share price, not from a rising distribution. And stocks seldom get cut in half without a reason — particularly when the major averages are setting new highs almost daily.  I found 170 candidates in this month’s screen offering rich payouts of 10% to 15%. Frankly, most of these obscure businesses aren’t worth your time or money. Many are irreparably damaged and in terminal decline. But if you dig through enough rubble,… Read More

As I’ve said before, it’s best to approach ultra-high yields above 10% with a healthy amount of skepticism. More often than not, the lofty rate stems from a plunging share price, not from a rising distribution. And stocks seldom get cut in half without a reason — particularly when the major averages are setting new highs almost daily.  I found 170 candidates in this month’s screen offering rich payouts of 10% to 15%. Frankly, most of these obscure businesses aren’t worth your time or money. Many are irreparably damaged and in terminal decline. But if you dig through enough rubble, you sometimes get rewarded with a diamond in the rough. —Sponsored Link— Your Financial Planner Will NEVER Tell You This Income Trick… But those that know stand to make as much as $1,400 per week. That’s why nearly 65,000 Americans use this every day. But still, MILLIONS more could do this, yet don’t take advantage of it… DO NOT miss out on this opportunity… Click here for the full details. Occasionally, I run across solid businesses facing threats that are real, but over-exaggerated and surmountable. They might have temporarily drifted off… Read More

We are in the midst of the most magnificent speculative frenzy of our lifetimes. The media has been on fire with articles and chatter about the monster gains in cryptocurrency.  Small investors, some starting with under $1,000, have become millionaires over the last year. Larger investors, such as the Winklevoss twins (formerly of Facebook fame), have earned billions by risking significantly more.  Now with Bitcoin hovering around $11,000, investors are hungry to find the next millionaire-making cryptocurrency. With over 900 active choices and hundreds (If not thousands) more initial coin offerings (ICOs) in the works, choosing winning investments has become… Read More

We are in the midst of the most magnificent speculative frenzy of our lifetimes. The media has been on fire with articles and chatter about the monster gains in cryptocurrency.  Small investors, some starting with under $1,000, have become millionaires over the last year. Larger investors, such as the Winklevoss twins (formerly of Facebook fame), have earned billions by risking significantly more.  Now with Bitcoin hovering around $11,000, investors are hungry to find the next millionaire-making cryptocurrency. With over 900 active choices and hundreds (If not thousands) more initial coin offerings (ICOs) in the works, choosing winning investments has become very difficult.  As an active cryptocurrency investor, I have discovered five ways to increase your odds of finding the next bitcoin.  #-ad_banner-#​1. Monthly Volume Trading volume is a crucial method of identifying winning cryptocurrencies. Think of choosing profitable coins and tokens as a popularity contest. The more excitement and potential of a coin, the more investors it attracts. Volume often begets volume, and speculation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, pushing the price higher.  I use CoinMarketCap to identify the top monthly volume rankings. Look at the top 25 highest-ranked cryptos to start your search for a… Read More

My most profitable years as a trader were when markets were behaving oddly: The dot-com rally in the 1990s… its subsequent crash in 2000… the housing and energy bubble of the mid-2000s… its subsequent crash in 2008… etc. —Sponsored Link— Yours Free: 7 Best Stocks For The Next 30 Days Each of these seven stocks has just been rated a #1 “Strong Buy” by Zacks Investment Research and each one is poised to breakout immediately. Zacks’ Strong Buys have beaten the S&P 500 two to one over the last 25 years!… Read More

My most profitable years as a trader were when markets were behaving oddly: The dot-com rally in the 1990s… its subsequent crash in 2000… the housing and energy bubble of the mid-2000s… its subsequent crash in 2008… etc. —Sponsored Link— Yours Free: 7 Best Stocks For The Next 30 Days Each of these seven stocks has just been rated a #1 “Strong Buy” by Zacks Investment Research and each one is poised to breakout immediately. Zacks’ Strong Buys have beaten the S&P 500 two to one over the last 25 years! Get the list, free, today only. But it wasn’t just my profits that increased; the cost to lease a seat at the exchange I traded at was also at record highs during the late 2000s, when trading volume was near record territory.  If you’ve played this market long enough, you know how most of these euphoric bubbles end up. For those in the know, options, futures and specialized financial products are used as protection and speculation for both the rally and the fall. #-ad_banner-#​CME Group (Nasdaq: CME) is the world’s largest and most diverse futures exchange group, operating in four… Read More