The casual dining sector has fallen on hard times. Hit by a triple whammy of consumer burnout, lack of innovation, and improving value and quality at fast food outlets, this once-thriving sector is in need of life support. #-ad_banner-#Despite a bustling economy, casual dining sales are forecasted to climb only… Read More

Dow 20,000 is all anyone can talk about lately even though most people follow the S&P 500 more closely as a market proxy. And the milestone seems to be drawing closer; the market gave back some gains in the last few days of 2016 but investor enthusiasm for stocks is… Read More

Can Nvidia Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) stock, which could do no wrong last year, be trusted in 2017? And by “trust” I mean can the company live up to all of the hype investors have created? Notice that I didn’t say Nvidia itself has created the hype. Living Inside The Nvidia Bubble While the company’s entry into the realm of virtual and augmented reality, data centers, self-driving cars, and other growth markets were well-timed moves, the shares have approached bubble territory. And some investors still believe the stock — even after more than 200% returns — has room to run… Read More

Can Nvidia Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) stock, which could do no wrong last year, be trusted in 2017? And by “trust” I mean can the company live up to all of the hype investors have created? Notice that I didn’t say Nvidia itself has created the hype. Living Inside The Nvidia Bubble While the company’s entry into the realm of virtual and augmented reality, data centers, self-driving cars, and other growth markets were well-timed moves, the shares have approached bubble territory. And some investors still believe the stock — even after more than 200% returns — has room to run while ignoring the attractive short thesis the Nvidia story has created. #-ad_banner-#After crushing the Nasdaq 100 Index (NDX) with some 222% returns in 2016, the semiconductor company has a tough act to follow. That, however, hasn’t stopped retail investors from wanting to chase the returns they feel they’ve missed out on last year. Notably, on the heels of the stock soaring almost 35% in one month, analysts at Goldman Sachs added Nvidia to the Conviction Buy list. Who’s Left To Buy The Stock? But here’s the question Goldman — or any other long investor — must ask: Who’s left… Read More

As we enter 2017, between the incoming rate hikes and improved growth expectations, it looks as if new opportunities are developing among Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs. These stocks offer a simple way to invest in real estate for income as well as growth. REITs are designed to benefit from the attractive fundamentals of real estate, without saddling smaller investors with the high capital requirements and low liquidity of actual houses or other physical assets. Through various REITs, an investor can simultaneously become a landlord in an apartment complex 500 miles away, an owner of a high-end shopping center,… Read More

As we enter 2017, between the incoming rate hikes and improved growth expectations, it looks as if new opportunities are developing among Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs. These stocks offer a simple way to invest in real estate for income as well as growth. REITs are designed to benefit from the attractive fundamentals of real estate, without saddling smaller investors with the high capital requirements and low liquidity of actual houses or other physical assets. Through various REITs, an investor can simultaneously become a landlord in an apartment complex 500 miles away, an owner of a high-end shopping center, or a self-storage entrepreneur, without the hassle of actually running these businesses. A REIT structure allows investors to not only benefit from the long-term value appreciation of all these assets, but it also enables them to get their share of income. The high returns offered by some REITs fit perfectly with the goal of my premium newsletter, The Daily Paycheck: to provide my readers with fat monthly dividend checks. —Sponsored Link— Top 6 Ways To Invest in 2017 — No. 4 Will Surprise You Interested in gold stocks but unsure where the price is headed? … Read More

My wife grew up in a largish Catholic family. It’s no surprise that most of her childhood was spent in the back of their Oldsmobile station wagon shuttling to different local grocery stores (this was pre-wholesale club) to take advantage of various sale items advertised in newspaper ads and circulars. For consumer staples, price ALWAYS matters. The same holds true when buying the stocks of packaged goods companies. At the bottom of the 2008 financial crisis, shell-shocked investors tiptoed back into equities via consumer staples stocks. The defensive nature of this sector and its dependable dividend streams made sense in… Read More

My wife grew up in a largish Catholic family. It’s no surprise that most of her childhood was spent in the back of their Oldsmobile station wagon shuttling to different local grocery stores (this was pre-wholesale club) to take advantage of various sale items advertised in newspaper ads and circulars. For consumer staples, price ALWAYS matters. The same holds true when buying the stocks of packaged goods companies. At the bottom of the 2008 financial crisis, shell-shocked investors tiptoed back into equities via consumer staples stocks. The defensive nature of this sector and its dependable dividend streams made sense in uncertain times. But, like with all investor trends, the sector became crowded and expensive. Until now. From its mid-year high, the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSE: XLP), dropped nearly 10% before beginning a recovery in December. While the exchange traded fund basket approach is not a bad idea, especially with a discounted price and an attractive 2.5% dividend yield, there are better bargains available in individual names. Consumer staple titan General Mills (NYSE: GIS) has pulled back nearly 15% from its recent high, pushing the dividend yield to near 3%, a 20% pickup in yield over… Read More

The old saying that every dog has its day is particularly applicable on Wall Street. In this case, the dogs are reliable companies that have underperformed over a one-year period that then outperform over the next year. In many instances, the opposite is also true; outperformers one year can be… Read More

The consumer is back with multi-year-high confidence and strong spending numbers. Amazon is reporting its best holiday season ever and the National Retail Federation says total holiday spending could far exceed its initial estimate of $655 billion. #-ad_banner-#Expectations for 2017 have also grown, taking stocks along for the ride. Consumer confidence in November rose to its highest point since 2007 and sentiment among households earning $100,000 and more is at a 10-year high.   Keep in mind that this rising tide may not lift all boats equally. Recent government data supports this, showing uneven spending trends across categories. Read More

The consumer is back with multi-year-high confidence and strong spending numbers. Amazon is reporting its best holiday season ever and the National Retail Federation says total holiday spending could far exceed its initial estimate of $655 billion. #-ad_banner-#Expectations for 2017 have also grown, taking stocks along for the ride. Consumer confidence in November rose to its highest point since 2007 and sentiment among households earning $100,000 and more is at a 10-year high.   Keep in mind that this rising tide may not lift all boats equally. Recent government data supports this, showing uneven spending trends across categories. Finding the best investments in retail, then, may depend on following the money in consumer trends while avoiding sectors facing a weaker outlook. Not All Consumer Stocks Are Created Equal Investors have high expectations for 2017 and recent economic data points to a stronger consumer next year. The labor market is approaching full employment with unemployment at just 4.6% and fiscal stimulus next year could mean even more hiring. Consumer spending has bounced this year on higher wage growth. A survey by Deloitte estimates holiday spending could be as much as 4% higher compared to last year. Despite the… Read More

Back in September, I wrote an essay detailing my reasons for adding Twitter (Nasdaq: TWTR) to the portfolio of my premium newsletter, Game-Changing Stocks. If you’re familiar with my newsletter at all, then you probably know that we normally focus on lesser-known, smaller companies because these are usually most likely to be the stocks that have triple-digit return potential. My reasoning for adding the company was simple. While still a “game-changer,” Wall Street had soured on Twitter as the company continued to struggle to turn a profit more than three years after its initial public offering in 2013. —Sponsored Link—… Read More

Back in September, I wrote an essay detailing my reasons for adding Twitter (Nasdaq: TWTR) to the portfolio of my premium newsletter, Game-Changing Stocks. If you’re familiar with my newsletter at all, then you probably know that we normally focus on lesser-known, smaller companies because these are usually most likely to be the stocks that have triple-digit return potential. My reasoning for adding the company was simple. While still a “game-changer,” Wall Street had soured on Twitter as the company continued to struggle to turn a profit more than three years after its initial public offering in 2013. —Sponsored Link— Former Google Exec Quits Dream Job To Launch Marijuana Empire Last year, Alan Gertner was in charge of a $100 million Asia-Pacific division for this internet titan. But he gave it all up. And soon he could become wealthier than he ever imagined from the United States’ “green” gold rush. $200 billion could be at stake. And you could get a big piece of it. Full story… But I’m optimistic in a turnaround. For one, as I discussed previously, Twitter is actively taking steps to monetize its huge user base through… Read More

Investors are gearing up for an exciting 2017. The new White House has exciting and lucrative plans for our nation. Stocks have already performed extremely enthusiastically to the pending changes. #-ad_banner-#Many investors are particularly excited about the ramp-up in infrastructure spending about to be released on America’s aging bridges, roads, and waterways. There is little question that the pending increase in spending will create a plethora of jobs and greatly benefit the population across the board. At the same time, there is a quiet revolution taking place in the infrastructure space. I am not talking about traditional infrastructure like most… Read More

Investors are gearing up for an exciting 2017. The new White House has exciting and lucrative plans for our nation. Stocks have already performed extremely enthusiastically to the pending changes. #-ad_banner-#Many investors are particularly excited about the ramp-up in infrastructure spending about to be released on America’s aging bridges, roads, and waterways. There is little question that the pending increase in spending will create a plethora of jobs and greatly benefit the population across the board. At the same time, there is a quiet revolution taking place in the infrastructure space. I am not talking about traditional infrastructure like most others. You can’t as easily see, touch, or feel this critical American infrastructure; but it is every bit as important to our economy as the traditional infrastructure. This is internet infrastructure, also known as the “backbone” of the web. Companies involved in this sector are poised for substantial gains in 2017 and beyond. I have identified three such companies that are poised to ride the wave higher. The way I see it, there are three main factors that will be driving this boom. First, the pending statutory corporate tax rate reduction will encourage U.S. Internet infrastructure firms to use… Read More

Grab My New Book FREE! This Special Edition of Investing in the Next Big Thing tells you everything you need to know to get started in Pre-IPO Investing and includes an exclusive bonus chapter revealing 3 startups that I’m telling my clients to buy right now. They are 3 of the best… Read More