Apple Vs. Amazon: Which Should You Own?

I've long been an Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) bear. But we're all capable of change.

When AAPL fell more than 40% to just under $400, the forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio fell to barely 10 and the dividend grew to just over 3%. The stock suddenly made sense from an investment standpoint, and I began including it in client portfolios.

Similarly, I was the lone Android user in a house full of iPhone users. But when my contract expired a few weeks ago and my carrier offered me a free iPhone 4S, I became an adopter (if not a fanboy).

Having used an Android device for a few years, I used Amazon.com's (Nasdaq: AMZN) cloud music player and built a decent cloud library. When I switched to the iPhone and downloaded the Amazon cloud app, I was immediately bombarded by offers from Amazon to buy MP3 albums from my favorite artists at $5 a pop. Continue reading "Apple Vs. Amazon: Which Should You Own?"

Coke Vs. Pepsi: By The Numbers

History has shown us that America was built on the back of positive rivalries.

Like the long-standing feud between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox... or the U.S. vs. Russia in the Olympics. That's to say nothing of more serious rivalries like the political feud between Democrats and Republicans.

Nothing can drive competitors to perform their best like a well-matched rivalry. This is particularly true in the world of business. Think of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Ford (NYSE: F) and General Motors (NYSE: GM), or ATT (NYSE: T) and Sprint (NYSE: S).

All of these (and dozens of others) have resulted in increased innovation, industry growth and -- most critically for investors -- shareholder value. One rivalry in particular stands out to me in terms of longevity, pure competitive zeal and using nearly every trick in the book for the upper hand: the epic cola war between Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and Pepsico (NYSE: PEP).

Both of these companies have made great investments over the years, both offer solid growing dividend yields, and both excel in a particular niche. However, going forward, I think one of these companies has the edge on the other as an investment. Continue reading "Coke Vs. Pepsi: By The Numbers"

Are The Markets Just Teasing Us?

Hello traders everywhere! Adam Hewison here, President of INO.com and co-creator of MarketClub, with your video update for Wednesday, the 26th of March.

It would appear as though most of the major indices have just been spinning their wheels and going nowhere fast in the past 4 to 5 weeks as they have all been in a broad trading range. This type of market action can lull investors to complacency, but for me it has always been a wake-up call to pay close attention to the market as something big is going to happen.

As I see it, the market is doing one of two things, it's either building a base to move higher or it's a distribution top – only time will tell which is the correct answer.

One of our members suggested that the Dow 30 could be making an inverse head and shoulders formation. Certainly this is possible, but I need to see a clear breakout to the upside to confirm this formation.

The other concern I have is the damage done to the NASDAQ earlier this week as it fell to a 6-week low. How this particular index closes on Friday is going to be very important in my mind. Again, I will be watching this market very closely for signs of either a continuation of the bullish trend or a top. Continue reading "Are The Markets Just Teasing Us?"

Apple Is Trending Higher While Amazon Is Trending Lower, Why?

Yesterday, the Trade Triangle technology flashed two important signals for two major stocks.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) triggered a new green weekly Trade Triangle, signaling that the upward trend was resuming. This signal pushed all of Apple’s Trade Triangles into the green column, indicating that higher prices could be ahead for this stock.

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) triggered a new red weekly Trade Triangle, indicating prices should be going lower. This signal pushed all of Amazon’s Trade Triangles into the red column, suggesting downside pressure is ahead for this stock.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) - Major Trend Bullish

New Green Weekly Trade Triangle on 3/24/14 at $539.66

Apple, who has enjoyed remarkable "rock star status" in the past, has really fallen into a sort of pedestrian-type mentality and doesn't seem to have the cachet that it once enjoyed. However, the chart formation that Apple is coming out of indicates the potential for another big move up to the $700 a share level. Perhaps this has to do with the potential partnership with Comcast or some new technology that we have yet to see.

I like the overall chart pattern on Apple and the continuation Trade Triangle breakout to the upside. I also like the fact that the major support, which was the previous high seen in September of last year, also represented a major Fibonacci support zone for this stock. My analysis on Apple would change should it move below the $520 level and major support at $500.

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) - Major Trend Bearish

New Red Weekly Trade Triangle on 3/24/14 at $354.48

Continue reading "Apple Is Trending Higher While Amazon Is Trending Lower, Why?"

Wal-Mart Vs. Amazon: Which Should You Buy?

Toiling in the shadows of Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and many other tech stars in California's Silicon Valley, a team of 1,500 technologists are hard at work on behalf of an unlikely employer: Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT).

The retail giant has belatedly understood that simply having website for e-commerce won't cut it in the era of social media and mobile surfing. In response, the company is now committing serious resources to its digital efforts.

Will those 1,500 Wal-Mart staffers help turn the company into a leading-edge tech firm? Probably not. But they can identify hundreds of small ways to improve the online shopping experience. After all, consumers now carry the Internet in their pocket, thanks to the proliferation of smartphones.

Continue reading "Wal-Mart Vs. Amazon: Which Should You Buy?"