Oil Prices Are At Two-Year Lows - Should You Buy Now?

Posted on by admin

By: Eric Winter of Street Authority

Stock exchanges are not alone in seeing prices pull back lately. In at least one case, however, that is actually a good thing.

Drivers both state-side and abroad have no doubt felt the pain at the pump subsiding this fall. In the United States, many gas stations are now hawking unleaded for under $3.00 a gallon -- a welcome sight in my eyes, at least.

Those lower prices have come at a cost to some portfolios, however.

Oil prices have been steadily declining since making highs in June, falling from north of $104 to around $81 at the time this article was written. Considering that nearly every industry is affected by oil in some way, this means there’s a good chance some of your holdings have fallen in tandem.

Naturally, oil explorers, producers, and those along the supply chain have been hit the hardest. Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), the world’s largest oil company by revenue, has fallen 11% since July. In contrast, the SP 500 is only down 2.6% in the same time period. Continue reading "Oil Prices Are At Two-Year Lows - Should You Buy Now?" →

There's Going To Be A War

Posted on by The INO.com Team

And it is taking place right now in your neighborhood. No, I'm not talking about ISIS invading your neighborhood, what I'm talking about is credit card payments to merchants.

Earlier this month, Apple announced its mobile payment system called ApplePay. The Apple iPhone 6 uses a technology called Near Field Communication or NFC, which is built into their new iPhones to pay for a product in a store that supports this technology. This is similar to Google Wallet which uses the same technology.

On one side of battlefield you have Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), on the other side you have a consortium of merchants led by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT), , which includes CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) and Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD). That consortium whose name is MCX (The Merchants Exchange) want to use their own mobile system that they have been developing since 2012. That system is named CurrentC. What's that going to do for consumers? You only have to look at the MCX website to understand what their goal is.

From the MCX Web site: "Merchant Customer Exchange is the only merchant-owned mobile commerce network built to streamline the customer shopping experience across all major retail verticals."

From the press kit: "It will also offer innovative features and benefits, such as merchant loyalty programs and instant coupon savings, all stored on the phone and available right at the point-of-sale."

Sounds very similar to Google wallet and ApplePay, does it not? Mobile payment solutions such as Google wallet have not really caught on with Millennials or anyone else for that matter. It was only when Apple came along with their new payment system that the MCX realized they had to attack. The first part of the attack was putting pressure on CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) and Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD) to turn off their NFC receivers on their cash registers so ApplePay would not work. What is strange is that Target, who is also a member of MCX, will accept ApplePay as it offers a more secure and superior method of payment over a regular credit card. Looking at some of the recent challenges that Target has had with credit card theft, it is understandable.

So today's poll question is:

Who do you think will win the mobile payment wars?

View Results

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If you have any comments you'd like to share with us about this post or about mobile payments in general, please feel free to leave them below this post.

Life is never boring, even in the mobile payments section.

Every success with MarketClub,
Adam Hewison
President, INO.com
Co-Creator, MarketClub

The Real Reason Why Crude Oil Is Moving Lower

Posted on by The INO.com Team

As you may well know, crude oil (NYMEX:CL.Z14.E) prices have been dropping precipitously this year. In fact, they are at their lowest level in two years. I have a theory as to why oil prices are dropping.

I believe one of the great unsung victories for automobile manufacturers are the new cars they are producing that are getting, on average, an amazing 25 miles per gallon. That is a quantum leap from just a few years ago. With hybrids (cross between electric and gasoline) becoming more mainstream and more motorists turning in their old cars to buy new, more efficient cars, I would expect to see this trend continue. Better cars produce better mileage, therefore their need to go to the pump to fill up is less frequent than before.

Last week I witnessed the markets having one of their best weeks ever, up close to 4%. This strong market action for the week put a smile on a lot of people's faces, however it is still too early to confirm a major trend reversal to the upside.

I also mentioned in my last video that I liked Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), which was making new all-time highs on Friday, along with Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) and Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB). I will be checking in on those stocks today to see how they're doing. Also in today's video, I'll be looking at crude oil (NYMEX:CL.Z14.E), gold (FOREX:XAUUSDO), the U.S. Dollar Index (NYBOT:DX) and the major indices.

You are more than welcome to join in the conversation or leave your comment below this post.

It's going to be an interesting week for sure, so stay tuned.

Every success with MarketClub,
Adam Hewison
President, INO.com
Co-Creator, MarketClub

Growing Profits in Forex Trading By Using Indicators

Posted on by The INO.com Team

The guy sitting next to you at work making all that money trading currency does not have a special Forex crystal ball. What he is doing to ensure continued profits in his trades is reading indicators and then basing his currency trading moves on them. Once you adopt this practice, how to increase your Forex trading account will no longer seem like such a mystery.

What are Indicators?

Trading currency requires knowing when to buy and when to sell and the sooner the better. This requires studying charts to see how the pair you are trading moves under current circumstances. These movements are known as indicators, and once you master them you will become that same Forex fortune teller as the guy in the next cubicle.

Identifying the Type of Market

When looking at a chart, the first thing you are going to want to pick out is the type of market you are dealing with. This will help you in determining the type of indicator you are going to use. A trending market is when the price of the currency is moving steadily, either higher or lower. These can be seen by long lines heading in one direction. Ranging markets are noted by strong resistance and support levels, where even with sharp fluctuations the currency is not breaking through.

Moving Averages

Continue reading "Growing Profits in Forex Trading By Using Indicators" →

Don't Get Ruined by These 10 Popular Investment Myths (Part V)

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Interest rates, oil prices, earnings, GDP, wars, terrorist attacks, inflation, monetary policy, etc. -- NONE have a reliable effect on the stock market

By Elliott Wave International

You may remember that during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, many called into question traditional economic models.

Why did the traditional financial models fail? And more importantly, will they warn us of a new approaching doomsday, should there be one?

This series gives you a well-researched answer.

Here is Part V; come back soon for Part VI.

Myth #5: "GDP drives stock prices."

By Robert Prechter (excerpted from the monthly Elliott Wave Theorist; published since 1979)

Surely the stock market reflects the nation's Gross Domestic Product. The aggregate success of corporations shows up as changes in GDP. Stocks are shares in corporations. How could their prices not reflect the ebb and flow of GDP?

Suppose that you had perfect foreknowledge that over the next 3 3/4 years GDP would be positive every single quarter and that one of those quarters would surprise economists in being the strongest quarterly rise in a half-century span. Would you buy stocks? Continue reading "Don't Get Ruined by These 10 Popular Investment Myths (Part V)" →