From humble beginnings as an online book retailer, few companies have had more of an effect on the retail sector — indeed, the daily lives of all of us — than Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN). Today, it’s a $438 billion behemoth, selling just about any product imaginable. That’s the cover story. But Amazon is much more than an online retailer. #-ad_banner-#We’re talking about a company with the analytical capabilities to know what its customers likely want even before they begin searching its website. We’re talking about warehouses strategically placed across the country, carefully stocked with inventory based on its vast databases… Read More

From humble beginnings as an online book retailer, few companies have had more of an effect on the retail sector — indeed, the daily lives of all of us — than Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN). Today, it’s a $438 billion behemoth, selling just about any product imaginable. That’s the cover story. But Amazon is much more than an online retailer. #-ad_banner-#We’re talking about a company with the analytical capabilities to know what its customers likely want even before they begin searching its website. We’re talking about warehouses strategically placed across the country, carefully stocked with inventory based on its vast databases — with workers increasingly replaced by more efficient robots — to ensure rapid fulfilment. (Soon, drones may replace delivery drivers.) Its innovations in logistics alone are enough to fill a doctoral thesis. And that’s just half the story. Amazon is also a game-changer in the media business… The advertising business… The cloud business… The list goes on and on. It’s for this reason I call Amazon one of the “World’s Greatest Businesses.” There’s just one problem. For years, Amazon has defied traditional investing logic. Think about it… It’s one of the few “internet” companies that survived the dot-com crash relatively… Read More

There’s a growing concern percolating beneath the surface of the stock market. And, no, I’m not talking about a looming correction or anything like that. It’s a problem that’s making it even tougher for individual investors to find market-beating stocks. It’s a problem that will require investors to have a system, like Maximum Profit, to have any hope… This predicament became even more glaring on April 19 when the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) reported quarterly earnings. #-ad_banner-#BlackRock’s report included an astonishing achievement, even by its own standards. The company’s assets under management (AUM) reached… Read More

There’s a growing concern percolating beneath the surface of the stock market. And, no, I’m not talking about a looming correction or anything like that. It’s a problem that’s making it even tougher for individual investors to find market-beating stocks. It’s a problem that will require investors to have a system, like Maximum Profit, to have any hope… This predicament became even more glaring on April 19 when the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) reported quarterly earnings. #-ad_banner-#BlackRock’s report included an astonishing achievement, even by its own standards. The company’s assets under management (AUM) reached an all-time record of $5.4 trillion. That’s bigger than JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) combined. They accomplished this impressive feat, in large part, by leading a trend that’s radically changing the investment world. You see, fewer and fewer investors are picking individual stocks. Instead, they are opting for index funds, and BlackRock has become a leader in low-cost index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as opposed to actively managed funds. Now, index funds can play a vital role in portfolio management, and I like the fact that they allow investors easy… Read More

The car business is in trouble. But it could actually help one of my holdings in Top Stock Advisor. Let me explain… On April 3, Autodata released March sales numbers and they revealed that vehicle sales fell to the lowest level in more than two years. Auto sales have risen every year since the financial crisis and hit a record 17.6 million vehicles last year. But since the turn of the New Year sales have begun to fade. And the situation is likely only to get worse. #-ad_banner-#You see, used-car prices are beginning to fall. According to the National Automobile… Read More

The car business is in trouble. But it could actually help one of my holdings in Top Stock Advisor. Let me explain… On April 3, Autodata released March sales numbers and they revealed that vehicle sales fell to the lowest level in more than two years. Auto sales have risen every year since the financial crisis and hit a record 17.6 million vehicles last year. But since the turn of the New Year sales have begun to fade. And the situation is likely only to get worse. #-ad_banner-#You see, used-car prices are beginning to fall. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, used car prices fell roughly 4% in February and are likely to continue heading that direction as a plethora of previously leased vehicles hit the market. The weakness in used-car prices puts pressure on new car sales. Think about it this way. If the price of a used car isn’t that much different from a brand spanking new one… why not get a new vehicle? But as used car prices fall, then the disparity in price makes it easier for consumers to choose used. But the real problem looming in the auto industry — one hardly anyone is… Read More

Many investors spend their time trying to find a dark horse stock that will come out of nowhere to provide monster gains. While this can yield spectacular results for a lucky few, the majority of investors fail most of the time. I take the exact opposite approach to investing. In my premium newsletter, Maximum Profit, I look for stocks that have already proven themselves to be winners, waiting till they have a big lead before placing my bet. To most investors, especially those considered value investors, this probably sounds ludicrous. We have all been taught we need to… Read More

Many investors spend their time trying to find a dark horse stock that will come out of nowhere to provide monster gains. While this can yield spectacular results for a lucky few, the majority of investors fail most of the time. I take the exact opposite approach to investing. In my premium newsletter, Maximum Profit, I look for stocks that have already proven themselves to be winners, waiting till they have a big lead before placing my bet. To most investors, especially those considered value investors, this probably sounds ludicrous. We have all been taught we need to “buy low, sell high.” So how can buying “high” possibly make for a sound investing strategy? #-ad_banner-#Well, I’ve never been a big gambler, but I do know a thing or two about odds. And I’d like to explain my strategy using a horse racing analogy.  Imagine you’re at a horse race, and while everyone else is placing their bets before the race, you get to bet after the race has already begun. In fact, you get to place your bet when there’s already a clear leader who looks likely to win the race. After all, experienced bettors know horses that… Read More