Did Bill Ackman Get Valeant (VRX) Wrong?

There is a lot of talk today about the stock Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. (NYSE:VRX) from one of its largest shareholders, Bill Ackman. You may remember Mr. Ackman from his ill-fated forays into JCPenney, Herbalife and Target.

Today he is defending (via a conference call) one of his biggest investments in Canadian pharmaceutical company, Valeant. This stock was very instrumental in helping Mr. Ackman's Pershing Square Capital be the best-performing hedge fund last year, with a return of 40.4%. This year it's another story as this stock has tanked and Pershing has a reported paper loss of 1.5 billion dollars. Allegations of impropriety and finagling its sales and the way it does business have all contributed to Valeant's slide in the marketplace. Continue reading "Did Bill Ackman Get Valeant (VRX) Wrong?"

Marin Katusa: Follow the Good Guys in Mining

The most valuable resource in a mining company is often the people. Good management can attract the right investors and add value regardless of the market. In this interview with The Gold Report, Marin Katusa, founder of Katusa Research, shares his litmus test for which mining companies are worth his hard-won dollars and which ones he is avoiding for the foreseeable future.

Gold vs. US Dollar YTD Chart

The Gold Report: You seem much more positive about gold right now than when we talked in June. Based on the chart you have on Katusa Research of the U.S. dollar versus gold and in the wake of the Federal Reserve's inaction at its last meeting, what's your thesis for gold for the rest of 2015?

Marin Katusa: As I said in the spring, I don't see the Fed raising rates this year. Using some simple game theory, for the Fed not to raise rates is the best decision. I still believe that. Gold has fared well compared to the price of the U.S. dollar, better than any other hard commodity. Gold is holding its own. The reality is, because the commodity markets are down, very little capital is being invested to replace the production of gold.

In the long run, I'm very bullish on gold. It's something I'm paying very close attention to through my fund. We've started writing checks on assets that I believe are very cheap and well priced in today's currency commodity markets and that I believe a major will want in its portfolio in a few years. Gold is the currency of kings and silver is the currency of gentlemen; it always has been, and always will be. When you see living legends such as Stanley Druckenmiller and well-known successful fund managers plowing hundreds of millions of dollars into gold, it's obvious gold is appealing at these prices.

TGR: Will the power of gold help the majors or the juniors more? Continue reading "Marin Katusa: Follow the Good Guys in Mining"

Interesting Smart Scan Results That May Surprise You

This morning I was using MarketClub's Smart Scan and noticed something that perfectly reflects the current market conditions we are experiencing right now. The number of chart Scores of +100 and -100 indicating strong upside and downside trends were practically even. This illustrates the lack a unified consensus either way for a strong bull or a bear market.

Eventually this balance will change one way or the other, but for now caution is not a bad word to use or practice in this market.

The Haves And The Have-Nots

No, I'm not talking about politics or political correctness, I'm talking about stocks that have everything going for them and other wannabe stocks that for whatever reason do not have that same mojo.

Here are 5 stocks that everything going for them: Continue reading "Interesting Smart Scan Results That May Surprise You"

Trends And Tipping Points For Apple, Alibaba And Twitter

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Yesterday, the 900-pound gorilla, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported earnings and by all accounts they were outstanding, far outpacing all of the pre-earnings estimates. But the reality is, the stock price barely moved and is up just 1.5% in today's early trading. I still believe that Apple is not out of the woods yet and it is yet to have any new blockbuster products or innovations.

The weekly and monthly Trade Triangles are indicating that Apple is in a trading range. The longer-term monthly Trade Triangle is red indicating the major trend remains negative. A tipping point for Apple on the downside would be a move below $109.50, that would turn all Trade Triangles red indicating a downward move. On the upside, Apple needs to move over $122.60 to reignite the bull trend. Continue reading "Trends And Tipping Points For Apple, Alibaba And Twitter"

Stock Whisper Of The Day

The Stock Whisperer, Stefanie Kammerman, shows you how she uses pre-market price action to pick the hottest stocks of the day.

Stefanie Kammerman has taught thousands of traders worldwide how to day trade and swing trade over the past 21 years. She is the founder and director of The Stock Whisperer Trading Company, where she runs an online trading room called The Java Pit.

She offers numerous workshops, live classes and bootcamps on everything from discipline and the psychological aspects of trading, to how to identify the best levels to trade and how to spot when the big money is buying. Learn by watching her trade as she teaches her students how to read the tape and trade around the dark pool.

Enjoy,
The INO.com Team