Will 2020 Be Different For Marijuana ETFs

Posted on by Matt Thalman

At the start of 2019, the marijuana industry was the 'new' hot investment. By the end of the year, no one was bragging about owning shares in the industry. Why did this happen, and is 2020 going to be more of the same, or should you consider buying into the up and coming industry now?

The marijuana industry still showed signs of becoming the next great thing early in 2019. The industry that was going to take the crown away from technology as the 'fastest-growing' sector in the market. In 2019 the 'pumping' of marijuana stocks ended. But that all came to an abrupt halt around July.

At that time, investors stopped believing the narrative that had been pushed for about 3 years prior. Legalized marijuana in a few States and Canada would help pave the way for global legalization and massive profits for all the companies involved. And don't forget about the new 'marijuana-infused beverage category, which spurred investments in all the big marijuana companies by all the big alcohol beverage companies.

No one wanted to miss out on the 'next big thing,' investors and multinational organizations.

Then reality struck when earnings report after earnings report indicated the industry was not profitable and way to segmented. Furthermore, the earnings reports indicated that while most investors and businesses in the marijuana industry wanted more States and countries around the world to legalize the use of marijuana, that the companies operating in the industry couldn't handle their current demand, let alone anything additional. Shortages in Canada plagued the industry in 2019 and highlighted the biggest problem wasn't opening new markets; it was how they would supply them.

Building new grow houses may sound simple. However, the red tape and political maneuvering typically haven't been easy. Also, in most areas that growing marijuana on a large scale is Continue reading "Will 2020 Be Different For Marijuana ETFs" →

Crude Oil: Buy Setup With 1:6 Risk/Reward Ratio

Posted on by Aibek Burabayev

Last time I updated on the crude oil futures in May 2019, I asked if “You Were Waiting for Crude Oil at $20”. Both the weekly chart and the monthly chart had a bearish outlook as the price of crude topped at $66.60 and then it plummeted below $60. The targets were set between $32 and $22. Check out the poll results below.

Crude Oil

Most of you voted that the price would tag the former bottom of $26. As we know now, the price indeed dropped heavily, but it couldn’t break below $50 and bounced back up from there. So the majority result was the closest call, although with a considerable difference.

The chart structure had changed since then and I am happy to share with you the emerging buy setup for crude oil futures with a considerable reward opportunity. Let’s start with an updated weekly chart below to see the idea. Continue reading "Crude Oil: Buy Setup With 1:6 Risk/Reward Ratio" →

IBM Posts Strong Quarterly Results and New CEO

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

International Business Machines (IBM) is fresh off its strong quarterly results, followed up by news that its CEO is stepping down. Each event separately drove the stock higher as investors cheered the duo of better than expected earnings and a change at the CEO level. IBM continues its long turn back to growth, focusing on high-value faster-growing business segments while embracing the future of technology with AI and hybrid cloud architecture via the Red Hat acquisition. Over the past few years, IBM has taken a blended approach of M&A, realigning its business mix to current and future trends, maintaining its dividend payout, and continuing to buy back shares while layering-in the major Red Hat acquisition.

IBM’s stock has been on an upward trend after investors decided to move past its initial displeasure of announcing its RedHat acquisition when shares were sold-off and traded down to ~$108. IBM's executive leadership has set the growth and value narrative, and investors are quickly realizing the value that Red Hat brings to the table while washing away fears that IBM overpaid for the $34 billion acquisition. From the $108 dip, IBM has been in a position of strength and has broken out past $144 after its recent Q4 2019 earnings. Long-term imperatives are beginning to bear fruit in emerging high-value segments that have fundamentally changed its business mix while evolving its offerings to align with new age information technology demands. The Red Hat acquisition will augment its transition away from its dependence on legacy businesses to the future of hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence, and analytics.

Q4 2019 Earnings – Better than Expected

IBM reported Q4 2019 earnings that were better than expected, beating on both the top and bottom line. These results boosted shares by ~4.5%. IBM reported EPS of $4.71 and revenue of $21.8 billion, which was flat year-over-year while beating analysts’ targets. IBM popped the following day to above the $145. The company laid out its growth narrative and Red Hat acquisition catalysts. IBM's revenue was flat across most of its business segments; however, Continue reading "IBM Posts Strong Quarterly Results and New CEO" →

Four Day Rally Comes To An End

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Stocks were up sharply for the week, entering Friday on the back of a four-day rally as strong earnings and economic data outweighed worries over the coronavirus' economic impact.

The S&P 500 was up +3.3% for the week through lunchtime on Friday and was on pace for its best weekly performance since early June. The DOW is up +3.2% for the week issuing a new green weekly Trade Triangle entering into a long-term uptrend, while the NASDAQ led the pack by gaining +4.3%.

The major averages also reached record highs on Thursday, boosted by China's decision to halve tariffs on a slew of U.S. products. The world's second-largest economy announced it would halve tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. imports on Thursday. Continue reading "Four Day Rally Comes To An End" →

Disney Delivers 26.5M Disney+ Subscribers

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Disney (DIS) just delivered a stellar quarter beating on both the top and bottom lines while continuing to roll out its growth initiatives via streaming. Disney’s growth rotation is still in the early stages with the remediation of its ESPN property and flurry of growth initiatives to meet the demands of the modern-day media consumption trends. In the backdrop, the company continues to dominate the box office year after year with a long pipeline of blockbusters in the queue. Additionally, its Parks and Resorts continue to be a growth avenue with tremendous pricing power albeit the coronavirus will damper its Shanghai and Hong Kong operations. Disney is going all-in on the streaming front and acquired full ownership of Hulu and the company is launched its Disney branded streaming service. Disney Plus launched on November 12th with all of its content (Marvel, Star Wars, Disney and Pixar) which will be a formidable competitor in the ever-expanding streaming wars both domestically and internationally. As a result of its strong Q1 numbers, Disney has hit near all-time highs of ~$150 per share. I’ve been behind Disney for a long time, especially through this transition back to growth when the stock traded below $100 and I still feel that the company offers a compelling long-term investment opportunity given its growth catalysts that will continue to bear fruit over the coming years.

Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus and Q4 Earnings

Disney’s Q1 earnings easily beat analysts’ expectations with strong gains in its streaming platforms such as ESPN Plus, Hulu and Disney Plus. Disney beat on both the top-line revenue and bottom-line profit. EPS came in at $1.53, beating by $0.09 per share and revenue came in at $20.86 billion, beating by $50 million. Revenue grew by 36% year-over-year and for the fiscal year.
Disney Plus subscribers came in at 26.5 million, well ahead of expectations that were ~20 million. ESPN Plus subscribers came in at 6.6 million and Hulu subscribers came in at 30.4 million. Hulu saw a 33% year-over-year growth in subscribers.

Disney’s business across the board came in strong, posting growth in every category. Continue reading "Disney Delivers 26.5M Disney+ Subscribers" →