Investors Should Watch Out For This Breakout Stock

Daniel Cross - INO.com Contributor - Equities


If you're an advocate of EMH (Efficient Market Hypothesis), then you likely assume that markets are rational and bargain pickups are hard to come by. Stocks that take off without notice shouldn't happen since investors, whether institutional or everyday, have access to the same information. However, there are some cases that simply defy the rules.

Stealthy stocks that are relatively unknown can surprise investors. These types of companies might have few or no analysts covering its stock letting it easily slip through investors sights. But once it starts hitting new highs, it makes waves.

Many have immortalized investors like Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett. The value investor style of stock trading has been a winner for decades, but a look back at recent history tells a different story. It's growth stocks that have outperformed value stocks over the past decade. Advances in technology and a the globalization of the world's financial markets have led to an aggressive bull market that undervalued stocks just haven't been able to keep up with. Continue reading "Investors Should Watch Out For This Breakout Stock"

This Company Is Making Moves That Investors Might Want To Pay Attention To

Daniel Cross - INO.com Contributor - Equities


Companies aren't static entities that hit maturity and simply stop growing. No successful business model calls for a reduction in innovation or a strategy that consists of “just keep doing what we're doing.” Great companies find ways to keep growing and keep building. They challenge themselves to develop new products or services and are never satisfied with the status quo.

Merger and acquisition activity is back on Wall Street – a good sign that the bull is coming back. Companies that are looking to expand look to M&A's as a long play for success. The initial cost can often have a short term temporary negative impact on earnings, but once its complete and overlaps are eliminated, the company can greatly increase its profits.

Some sectors are known for more of this kind of activity than others like technology and healthcare. These industries change so rapidly that a constant turnover is just part of the business model. But when sectors like industrials or retailers start to see that kind of activity, it's a sign that those companies see opportunities for growth on the horizon. Continue reading "This Company Is Making Moves That Investors Might Want To Pay Attention To"

Zero-Hour For The Precious Metals…

This morning I actually got excited for a split second when the silver price shot northward to $15.85/oz and I almost fired off a tweet (can't believe I am actually using Twitter) saying that "Silver could easily become the Cartel's Achilles Heel" because as silver was creeping up, gold was sliding down, so these Criminal Cretins just continued to lean on gold down to $1,235/oz from $1,262/oz and the algo-bots did the rest with silver succumbing to the intervention/manipulation and now sits at $15.37/oz, down $0.23 instead of up $0.20.

Daily Chart of GLD
All images/charts courtesy of Michael Ballanger

The blogosphere has been abuzz since the end of PDAC last Wednesday about the impending "Melt-Up" in gold and silver prices, and when I read the litany of rationale behind the impetus for the move, I thought I was reading an old archive from Harry Schultz in 1976. All of the Keynesian diatribe nonsense that gets shoveled in front of us day in and day out is all designed to deflect attention away from this massive global exercise in currency debasement, and thus far, it has been working. Stocks are at five-week highs and the Dow is again above 17,000 with the SP 500 sporting a 20-handle while Mario Draghi talks about the European Central Bank buying every listed stock on the European bourses. The policy "errors" coupled with moral hazard has been transformed into policy "madness" and moral "lunacy" as the bankers around the planet scurry about trying anything and everything to avoid the ultimate day of reckoningsovereign insolvency. So, in order to create an aura of calm and "business as usual," the first order of execution is always "Take care of that goddam gold market!" so sure enough, after a soft-ish close to the Crimex session, the Globex geek squad decided to play tap dance through the Access Market tulips and added another $10 downside between 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. when the GLD closed for the day. Continue reading "Zero-Hour For The Precious Metals…"

This Healthcare Company Is In The Middle Of A Huge Turnaround

Daniel Cross - INO.com Contributor - Equities


Nothing excites investors more than a turnaround story. A company or stock that was down on its luck and has finally turned the corner is a feel-good play that's hard to ignore.

One company in the healthcare sector fits this definition perfectly. After soaring to new heights in the early 2000's, the company was racked by scandals and lawsuits nearly driving the company into bankruptcy. However, after a reorganization and a new outlook, the company has rebuilt its image and business into a successful company that's thriving today.

The healthcare industry is a growing field and a defensive one to be in considering how delicate the global economy is. One factor helping the industry along is an aging demographic. As of 2015, 14% of the US population was aged 65 or older. By 2020, that number is expected to rise to 22% thanks largely to the baby boomer generation who are heading into their retirement years. Continue reading "This Healthcare Company Is In The Middle Of A Huge Turnaround"

Ride The Prevailing Winds With This Utility Play

Daniel Cross - INO.com Contributor - Equities


Almost two months into 2016 and the stock market isn't sending investors much news to cheer about. The S&P 500 is down roughly 6% year-to-date and global economic concerns regarding a lack of growth and record low oil prices means that volatility is high and investors are skittish.

While high growth sectors like energy and industrials are suffering, defensive sectors finally have their moment to shine. But not all defensive sectors are performing as well as expected in the current environment. Consumer staples, generally a sector that does well when the broader averages are doing poorly, doesn't have much to offer investors. The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (PACF:XLP) is up marginally at only 1%. However, there's another defensive sector is enjoying the performance spotlight. Continue reading "Ride The Prevailing Winds With This Utility Play"