Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Dear Investor, Recently I heard a TV stock pundit note that ever since Exxon Mobil (XOM) was booted from the Dow Jones Industrial Average, its share price is up over 100%. Meanwhile, the hot tech-sector stock that replaced Exxon is down 21%. This story indicates how often investors don’t take valuation into their investment decision […]
Dear Investor, Do not believe rumors that the price of crude oil has stopped climbing. Nearly unstoppable supply-and-demand forces point to continued gains for energy stocks – a trend that cannot be controlled by words from the Federal Reserve or other government authorities. So if your portfolio doesn’t have enough exposure to the energy sector, […]
Dear Investor, As technology stock investors rotate out of money-losing, used-to-be growth stocks, focusing on dividend growth should serve investors well in these volatile times. Two newer ETFs, offering both current yield and potential dividend growth, may be just what investors are looking for. With a dividend growth strategy, dividend income provides a current cash […]
Dear Investor, The recent stock market declines have many investors fearing a market crash, such as the 2008 – 2009 bear market. Back then, the major stock market indexes dropped by more than 50%. As I see what is happening in the markets, this recent pullback feels more like 2018. If I am correct, the […]
Dear Investor, Bank of America stock analysts recently released a long-term forecast that bodes very badly for investors for the next decade. If the analysts are correct, many investors will not reach their long-term financial goals. But one investing strategy looks to avoid the problem… In October, several news outlets, including Yahoo Finance and Markets […]
Dear Investor, It’s different this time, truly. I am speaking, of course, of the 2020 stock market crash. One effect of the pandemic-triggered market drop was large declines for every type of high-yield asset. Declines hit every income category, no matter the level of risk or safety. That was a one-time occurrence, and during the […]
Dear Investor, Last week, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), better known as Freddie Mac, reported that the average interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages jumped to 3.45%, up from slightly more than 3% a month ago, and 2.79% one year ago. Higher rates hurt traditional mortgage companies – refinancing business dries up, and […]
Dear Investor, The Fed has said it will finally hike interest rates this year. As rates rise, business development companies (BDCs) are a type of income stock that should perform especially well. However, the uncertainties from inflation, omicron, and a waffling Federal Reserve will likely make for a bumpy ride over the next six-to-nine months. […]
Dear Investor, Last week, the stock markets were shocked to discover from the Federal Reserve that interest rates might actually move higher this year. Too many years at near-zero interest rates have corrupted the investing process. While we should welcome higher interest rates, getting there won’t be painless. Investors should prepare for more stock market […]
Dear Investor, For 2021, the energy sector was the top-performing of the eleven S&P-designated sectors, and the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) posted a 52% return for the year. Energy midstream – the pipeline, terminals, and storage subsector – was up a similar 45%. For 2021, the energy sector rode the wave of crude […]
