“Trade with the trend” is a common phrase used by traders. Meaning, only trade in the direction of the current trend i.e. if stocks are going up, only trade long… if stocks are going down, make bearish trades. I agree for the most part. But, as you’ve noticed in the last couple weeks… bear market […]
Here’s A Way To Cheaply Protect Against A Market Downturn
Hedging against downside protection can be expensive. Using options can alleviate some of the cost by utilizing a spread trade, such as a butterfly. A trader recently placed a large put butterfly on for August in SPDR S&P ETF (SPY) options. The trade only cost 20 cents in premium but could pay out significantly more […]
Give Yourself a Raise with Equity Raises
When one of my recommended high-yield stocks does a secondary share issue, I always get questions about what is going on. The significant share price drop and share dilution of a secondary issuance make investors wonder if the stock remains a good investment. So today, I thought it would be good to review secondary stock […]
This “Boring” Strategy Made Double-Digits While Markets Crashed
Over the past year, making money in the stock market has been tough. Inflation is spinning out of control, the Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates for the first time in years, and big tech has finally begun to fall out of favor. Look back at what would have happened if you had put […]
Trade of the Week: SPY
Using covered calls on index ETFs is a popular way to produce additional cash flow from holding stocks. For instance, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is not only the most heavily traded ETF in the world, but it’s also commonly used for covered call trades. A large block of covered calls seemingly traded last […]
Only This Kind of Company Can Save Your Portfolio
I’ve come to think that while some companies strive to make Wall Street analysts and large portfolio managers happy, others put common investors like us first. A company’s dividend policy will be a telling factor about on which side a company’s management team and board of directors fall. Small investor-friendly companies pay out a significant […]
Bond Yields Dropping… His Sector is Starting to Fly!
Yields on 10-year notes are dropping… Which has flipped the switch on one particular sector to turn pretty bullish almost overnight. As yields come down… Bond buyers are less interested and search for other sectors to find a healthy yield. I’ve found a conservative play to park some money in right now. It’s not going […]
Oil Service Companies’ Gusher
I continue to love the sector Wall Street seems to hate: energy. Analysts are saying oil has peaked and bad times are directly ahead for the sector. I believe that oil markets are more fragile than the recent price decline might signal. The same factors that sent energy prices higher over the past year remain […]
These 4 Stocks Will Profit from Rising Rates
Last week the Federal Reserve hiked its benchmark interest rate by 0.75%. With inflation exploding higher, the Fed has, since February, pushed the rate from effectively zero percent to a current target of 2.25% to 2.50%. You may have heard or read that these higher rates are a stiff headwind for tech company growth and […]
Can You Use Stocks For Bond-Like Returns?
One way to increase your cash flow from owning stocks is to write an in-the-money- covered call on a dividend stock. Last week, a trader sold a call on AT&T (T) that was below the stock price and doesn’t expire until next January. The purpose of the trade is to collect premium from the call […]