While the S&P 500 and Dow have rallied to five-year highs, the technology sector has lagged, and is currently sitting about 4% below the fall peak. The PowerShares QQQ Trust (Nasdaq: QQQ), an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the Nasdaq 100, could provide a diversified way for investors to profit while this out-of-favor sector plays catch up. One reason I like this fund is the exposure it offers to Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), which accounts for a whopping 15% of the… Read More

While the S&P 500 and Dow have rallied to five-year highs, the technology sector has lagged, and is currently sitting about 4% below the fall peak. The PowerShares QQQ Trust (Nasdaq: QQQ), an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the Nasdaq 100, could provide a diversified way for investors to profit while this out-of-favor sector plays catch up. One reason I like this fund is the exposure it offers to Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), which accounts for a whopping 15% of the index weight. AAPL is more than 35% off its September highs, but when the stock stabilizes and snaps back, QQQ will rise with it.  QQQ’s recent month-long range between $68 and $66 targets $71 on a breakout, which would be a new 52-week high for the ETF. A full “V” recovery rally projects a much higher target of $78. The $64 level is an important year-long pivot point,… Read More

The most epic and motivational U.S. corporate success story may have just ended. Not only is Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) share price in the process of being decimated, its fall from grace is likely to adversely affect its major suppliers.   But as you’ll see later in this article, one of Apple’s… Read More

Across the country, many corporate boards are faced with the same conundrum: Cash is piling up quite fast, but clear uses of that cash are lacking. Few companies want to make major acquisitions in these still-uncertain times, and though… Read More

My wife used to make fun of my fondness for fantasy sports — until the day that changed her mind. Before I had a kid, I played in every type of league you can imagine — even a NASCAR league, despite the fact that I am neither a fan of… Read More

Around the StreetAuthority office, we like to call them “Retirement Savings Stocks.” That’s because they can hand you a second income to supplement what you are already earning. And by… Read More

At the end of World War II, G.Is. had a little time to linger in Europe before heading home, so they embarked on the all-American pastime: shopping. The U.S. dollar was so strong, these soldiers could buy small items like boxes of chocolate — and big items like British motorcycles… Read More

The most epic and motivational U.S. corporate success story may have just ended. Not only is Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) share price in the process of being decimated, its fall from grace is likely to adversely affect its major suppliers.   But as you’ll see later in this article, one of Apple’s major suppliers has been able to dodge the bullet.  Before I get to the stock, here’s why Apple’s demise has opened this incredible buying opportunity… After launching successful product after successful product the world embraced, the stock… Read More

The most epic and motivational U.S. corporate success story may have just ended. Not only is Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) share price in the process of being decimated, its fall from grace is likely to adversely affect its major suppliers.   But as you’ll see later in this article, one of Apple’s major suppliers has been able to dodge the bullet.  Before I get to the stock, here’s why Apple’s demise has opened this incredible buying opportunity… After launching successful product after successful product the world embraced, the stock shot from under $100 at the start of 2009 to $700 in August 2012.  Take a closer look… Now, the rug under investors has been pulled out. The stock has plunged all the way down to the current mid $400s. In fact, with a $413.89 billion market cap, the company has just lost its title as the world’s most valuable company to No. 2 , giving the title back to oil giant Exxon (NYSE: XOM), which boasts a market cap of $416.50 billion.  And it’s… Read More

Across the country, many corporate boards are faced with the same conundrum: Cash is piling up quite fast, but clear uses of that cash are lacking. Few companies want to make major acquisitions in these still-uncertain times, and though dividend hikes are a logical option, they still don’t have a meaningful effect on cash balances.   That’s why you still hear about many companies issuing seemingly robust stock buyback programs.  Though the number of… Read More

Across the country, many corporate boards are faced with the same conundrum: Cash is piling up quite fast, but clear uses of that cash are lacking. Few companies want to make major acquisitions in these still-uncertain times, and though dividend hikes are a logical option, they still don’t have a meaningful effect on cash balances.   That’s why you still hear about many companies issuing seemingly robust stock buyback programs.  Though the number of buyback announcements (and the dollar value of them) slipped about 10-12% in 2012 compared with the record year of 2011, they still remain near peak levels. And January 2013 has brought more of the same. In the past four weeks, these four companies announced plans to initiate or extend stock buyback programs worth almost $10 billion on a collective basis.  Frankly, they shouldn’t bother. The size of the buybacks won’t make a meaningful dent in the share count, these stocks already trade near multi-year highs. Besides,… Read More

My wife used to make fun of my fondness for fantasy sports — until the day that changed her mind. Before I had a kid, I played in every type of league you can imagine — even a NASCAR league, despite the fact that I am neither a fan of nor knowledgeable about NASCAR. Many of these leagues were just for fun, but some had money involved — not a ton, maybe $20 or $25 for each league. In March 2000, my wife and I moved to the San Francisco Bay area. We didn’t… Read More

My wife used to make fun of my fondness for fantasy sports — until the day that changed her mind. Before I had a kid, I played in every type of league you can imagine — even a NASCAR league, despite the fact that I am neither a fan of nor knowledgeable about NASCAR. Many of these leagues were just for fun, but some had money involved — not a ton, maybe $20 or $25 for each league. In March 2000, my wife and I moved to the San Francisco Bay area. We didn’t know anyone there, so I decided to see if I could find a local fantasy baseball league to join — just to meet people. After perusing websites and message boards, I found one. It had a $50 buy-in, the largest I’d ever paid, but I did it. #-ad_banner-#Fast forward to late summer, and I was in the title chase. My team was clicking. My moves kept working. All was well. So I went to my wife.  “I think I’ve got a chance to win this thing,” I said.  “How much would you win?” she asked.  “Like $600.” That changed everything. Read More

Around the StreetAuthority office, we like to call them “Retirement Savings Stocks.” That’s because they can hand you a second income to supplement what you are already earning. And by investing in companies like these, you put yourself above other investors when it comes to beating the market. Just consider this… From 1972 through 2011, U.S.-based dividend stocks in the S&P… Read More

Around the StreetAuthority office, we like to call them “Retirement Savings Stocks.” That’s because they can hand you a second income to supplement what you are already earning. And by investing in companies like these, you put yourself above other investors when it comes to beating the market. Just consider this… From 1972 through 2011, U.S.-based dividend stocks in the S&P 500 returned 7.1% annually, far exceeding the 1.5% return for nondividend payers. When picking stocks to add to my High-Yield Investing portfolio, these are some of the criteria I look at when evaluating an income investment: 1. Long track record of paying consistent and rising dividends 2. Matching history of improving earnings 3. Strong cash flow sufficient to pay dividends and then some 4. High projected growth that can lead to dividend increases 5. Zero or little debt, because debt-free companies have more… Read More