There’s an iconic U.S. company in trouble right now. This major player on the international stage symbolizes the American dream to many around the world. However, if you own this stock, now is the time to sell your shares. #-ad_banner-#The company is so popular that its mascot has posed with every U.S. president since Harry Truman, with the exception of Lyndon Johnson, and it once claimed that its mascot’s image had a 98% awareness rate among children aged 3-11 worldwide.  Launched in 1923, the company owns the world’s largest media company and one of the globe’s top providers of family… Read More

There’s an iconic U.S. company in trouble right now. This major player on the international stage symbolizes the American dream to many around the world. However, if you own this stock, now is the time to sell your shares. #-ad_banner-#The company is so popular that its mascot has posed with every U.S. president since Harry Truman, with the exception of Lyndon Johnson, and it once claimed that its mascot’s image had a 98% awareness rate among children aged 3-11 worldwide.  Launched in 1923, the company owns the world’s largest media company and one of the globe’s top providers of family travel and leisure experiences.  If you have not guessed it, I am referencing Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS). Disney is a monster corporation with over $56 billion in revenue and a massive market cap of nearly $150 billion. Headquartered in Burbank, California, this global entertainment powerhouse has operations in over 40 nations and has become a symbol of the United States. As a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500, nearly every financial institution or individual passive index investor has exposure to Disney stock.  This widespread ownership has paid off for investors in Disney over the… Read More

An old trader once told me, “Trading is the hardest easy money you’ll ever make.”  In theory, trading is easy enough — all you have to do is buy low and sell high, right? After all, there are thousands of books claiming to have all the information we’ll ever need.  In practice, however, trading is among the most difficult activities in the financial world. Despite the availability of a wealth of information, few do it well. #-ad_banner-#​ In fact, all that accessible information actually makes it harder to trade successfully. As an old trader once told me, “To know what… Read More

An old trader once told me, “Trading is the hardest easy money you’ll ever make.”  In theory, trading is easy enough — all you have to do is buy low and sell high, right? After all, there are thousands of books claiming to have all the information we’ll ever need.  In practice, however, trading is among the most difficult activities in the financial world. Despite the availability of a wealth of information, few do it well. #-ad_banner-#​ In fact, all that accessible information actually makes it harder to trade successfully. As an old trader once told me, “To know what everyone knows is to know nothing.” If everyone has the same tools, it’s difficult to use them to gain an advantage over everyone else. Think about that for a moment.  If you could really win in the markets by simply buying stocks with low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios, then we would all be successful. The secret to beating the market — and your fellow investors — is to use little-known indicators, which act like secret weapons for trading. That’s why I developed my own indicator, which I call the Income Trader Volatility (ITV) indicator.  ITV is similar to the Volatility S&P… Read More

It’s like a report card for the economy. Late last month, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S. Commerce Department released the latest information on our country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the three months ended in September.  #-ad_banner-#As with all economic report cards, investors await this report eagerly and read it closely, looking for clues about the nation’s economic health. Of course, the main idea is to give us a sense of how fast the economy can grow and whether it’s been doing better or worse than in previous quarters and years. But investors also look… Read More

It’s like a report card for the economy. Late last month, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S. Commerce Department released the latest information on our country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the three months ended in September.  #-ad_banner-#As with all economic report cards, investors await this report eagerly and read it closely, looking for clues about the nation’s economic health. Of course, the main idea is to give us a sense of how fast the economy can grow and whether it’s been doing better or worse than in previous quarters and years. But investors also look for details on where the growth comes from and how well the U.S. economy is positioned to continue economic progress.  The GDP report also provides hints about overall economic and industry trends. But perhaps the biggest question on investors’ minds these days is whether — and when — the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates.  While third-quarter GDP increased at an annualized rate of 2.9% (which was much better than the 2.5% that most economists had expected), much of the growth stemmed from one-time factors.  For instance, a build-up in inventories accounted for 60 basis points of that growth. On… Read More

One of the hottest trends over the last few years has been the shift in electronics and tech to what is called the Internet of Things (IoT).  The IoT is a convergence of electronics and internet connectivity, in which virtually every electronic device and household appliance can be controlled through a single internet connection. It’s the next evolution of connectivity and has the potential to rival the importance of smartphones, tablets, and even home computers. #-ad_banner-#Research firm IDC estimates the market for IoT products could triple to $1.7 trillion in 2020 from just $655 billion in 2014. Another firm, Smart… Read More

One of the hottest trends over the last few years has been the shift in electronics and tech to what is called the Internet of Things (IoT).  The IoT is a convergence of electronics and internet connectivity, in which virtually every electronic device and household appliance can be controlled through a single internet connection. It’s the next evolution of connectivity and has the potential to rival the importance of smartphones, tablets, and even home computers. #-ad_banner-#Research firm IDC estimates the market for IoT products could triple to $1.7 trillion in 2020 from just $655 billion in 2014. Another firm, Smart America Challenge, estimates that cities around the world will invest as much as $41 trillion over the next 20 years to integrate IoT infrastructure into city planning. Most IoT investing has targeted the connected products themselves like wearables, connected-home devices and hardware — but success depends on finding the needle within a haystack of companies that could produce the next hot consumer gadget. There’s one common theme that connects all IoT products — a theme that could mean a boom in earnings for one industry. Investing in the best-of-breed within this industry could allow you to benefit from the IoT… Read More

Mergers and acquisitions are significant price driving forces in the stock market. Purchasing shares in a company before it is acquired is a time-tested way to earn huge returns. Should a bidding war erupt over the enterprise, that’s even better for the investors! Locating a potential acquisition target already leading its industry and riding a major technological trend places the odds of a winning investment solidly in your court. #-ad_banner-#Sounds easy to accomplish, right? Nothing could be further from the truth. The most efficient way to locate likely acquisition candidates is to wait for a rumor to surface.  To be… Read More

Mergers and acquisitions are significant price driving forces in the stock market. Purchasing shares in a company before it is acquired is a time-tested way to earn huge returns. Should a bidding war erupt over the enterprise, that’s even better for the investors! Locating a potential acquisition target already leading its industry and riding a major technological trend places the odds of a winning investment solidly in your court. #-ad_banner-#Sounds easy to accomplish, right? Nothing could be further from the truth. The most efficient way to locate likely acquisition candidates is to wait for a rumor to surface.  To be clear, I am not advocating investing in every acquisition rumor, but rather that you should use rumors as a first step in identifying potential investments.  In most cases, the rumor itself is enough to push share prices sharply higher. Astute investors make certain that the target company is a strong investment, even if the acquisition never takes place. In other words, the company should have much more going for it than an iffy buyout.  I have identified a cutting edge, trend-leading company that has acquisition rumors swirling, yet would make a solid investment even without them.  The company is InvenSense… Read More

2016 is on pace to be another record year for gun sales in the United States. According to a recent report released by the FBI, gun sales hit a 17th consecutive monthly record in October, up 27% from the same period last year. #-ad_banner-#This spike in demand is being driven by two powerful forces. The first is crime. Although the national crime rate remains near 20-year lows, crime rates in major cities have spiked. For example, Chicago recently recorded its 600th murder in 2016, a number already 100% higher than that rate in 2015. Demand for guns is also being… Read More

2016 is on pace to be another record year for gun sales in the United States. According to a recent report released by the FBI, gun sales hit a 17th consecutive monthly record in October, up 27% from the same period last year. #-ad_banner-#This spike in demand is being driven by two powerful forces. The first is crime. Although the national crime rate remains near 20-year lows, crime rates in major cities have spiked. For example, Chicago recently recorded its 600th murder in 2016, a number already 100% higher than that rate in 2015. Demand for guns is also being driven by politics. Gun owners and potential buyers worry about stricter gun laws. This is pulling demand forward and prompting consumers to purchase firearms sooner rather than later. Looking forward, I don’t expect either of these forces to fade away quickly — in fact, I am expecting gun sales to hit another monthly record in December and close the year at an all-time high. That’s why it’s a great time to take a fresh look at one of the most undervalued growth stocks in the S&P 500. This global leader’s share price is up more than 145% in the last… Read More

AT&T (NYSE: T) has proven the adage ‘Content is King’ with its $85 billion bid for Time Warner (NYSE: TWX). The $226 billion media distributor has access to over 100 million subscribers across wireless, internet, and video but needs an endless array of programming to fill that pipeline.  #-ad_banner-#Time Warner is the world’s third-largest media conglomerate, owning a library of movie rights along with content-creating behemoths like HBO and CNN. But content doesn’t just mean original video programming. It’s any information created regularly that brings potential customers back to the distribution channel. That wider definition makes social media networks the… Read More

AT&T (NYSE: T) has proven the adage ‘Content is King’ with its $85 billion bid for Time Warner (NYSE: TWX). The $226 billion media distributor has access to over 100 million subscribers across wireless, internet, and video but needs an endless array of programming to fill that pipeline.  #-ad_banner-#Time Warner is the world’s third-largest media conglomerate, owning a library of movie rights along with content-creating behemoths like HBO and CNN. But content doesn’t just mean original video programming. It’s any information created regularly that brings potential customers back to the distribution channel. That wider definition makes social media networks the most sought-after content creators available. Social media content is user generated so it costs nothing to produce. It’s also interactive and personal, two ideas traditional video content struggles with on its one-way feed.  We’ve already seen the value of this social content in Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) planned $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD). Not only does the business networking platform promise an endless supply of content, but also its own distribution channel through which Microsoft can integrate its suite of office tools.  Now buyers have their sights set on other social media platforms and I’ve found one that could… Read More

Sixteen years ago I was thinner and had more hair. I also had a front-row seat to watch what was billed at the time as “the merger of the century”: AOL and Time Warner. What began as a perfect marriage of one of the best content and broadcast distribution complexes on the planet to the media distribution platform of tomorrow — a combo that would have an initial market cap of $350 billion (unheard of at the time) — ended in a whimpering split with both entities deeply discounted.  #-ad_banner-#After the divorce, AOL evolved from its original persona as an… Read More

Sixteen years ago I was thinner and had more hair. I also had a front-row seat to watch what was billed at the time as “the merger of the century”: AOL and Time Warner. What began as a perfect marriage of one of the best content and broadcast distribution complexes on the planet to the media distribution platform of tomorrow — a combo that would have an initial market cap of $350 billion (unheard of at the time) — ended in a whimpering split with both entities deeply discounted.  #-ad_banner-#After the divorce, AOL evolved from its original persona as an internet service provider to an actual, online content destination featuring sites such as the Huffington Post and MapQuest. AOL was acquired by AT&T’s chief wireless rival Verizon (NYSE: VZ) in 2015. Time Warner carried on business as usual, creating a seemingly endless stream of media content and distributing it via its cable networks and movie studios. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Now, as a dominant force in wireless telecom, internet, and television distribution with its recent acquisition of DIRECTV, AT&T (NYSE: T) is determined to not only control every screen we watch but what… Read More

As the redemptions piled up, the analyst sat stunned. This is so much worse than anticipated, he thought to himself. Nobody expected this level of out-flows.What’s going on? #-ad_banner-#Now, he knew the fund was prepared. In fact, an e-mail from the previous day indicated the company expected upwards of $1.5… Read More

One of the world’s greatest investors and businessmen was born July 8, 1839, in upstate New York. Son of a traveling snake-oil salesman, he rose from his rustic origins to become the world’s wealthiest man by creating America’s most powerful and feared monopoly by the time he was only 33 years old. I’m talking about John D. Rockefeller — an American icon and arguably one of the most mysterious and controversial businessmen in our nation’s history.  Rockefeller got his start as an assistant bookkeeper for a produce merchant at the age of 16. Having a knack for numbers and a… Read More

One of the world’s greatest investors and businessmen was born July 8, 1839, in upstate New York. Son of a traveling snake-oil salesman, he rose from his rustic origins to become the world’s wealthiest man by creating America’s most powerful and feared monopoly by the time he was only 33 years old. I’m talking about John D. Rockefeller — an American icon and arguably one of the most mysterious and controversial businessmen in our nation’s history.  Rockefeller got his start as an assistant bookkeeper for a produce merchant at the age of 16. Having a knack for numbers and a shrewd sense of the commodities markets, Rockefeller quickly built a reputation for himself as an honest, reliable merchant. Two years after starting as a bookkeeper, he purchased a partnership in another merchant, Maurice Clark. —Recommended Link— EXPIRES TODAY: A $200 Voucher For This Life-Changing Opportunity Imagine getting in on the next Facebook for 33 cents… Or the next Google for 44 cents… Or the next Apple for 78 cents… That’s the sort of opportunity I’m talking about here… You need to see if this offer is for you before it expires at midnight tonight. But events quickly shifted when… Read More