Fear can destroy a stock in seconds.

But it can also create a wealth of opportunity if you know when to buy it. In fact, it’s how investors like Warren Buffett, Sir John Templeton, and Baron Rothschild made their money.

Each of them subscribed to fundamental analysis to do so.

We’ve all seen fortunes made.

Unfortunately, we’ve also seen fortunes lost in a matter of seconds.

Early October 2018 was quite painful for the average investor.

The major indices fell out of the sky. The tech-heavy NASDAQ fell from 8,100 to 7,300. The S&P 500 dropped from 2,925 to 2,725.

And, after hitting an all-time high of 26,951, the Dow Jones Industrials plummeted 1,400 points. 

One of the best investments to hold in your portfolio has always been real estate.

Perhaps commercial real estate.  That’s because it offers:

Sustainable cash flow

A few keystrokes are all it takes. All of a sudden, your most private information is in the hands of criminals. Your most personal information, banking details, social security numbers, your children's information. Yet, we're not prepared as it gets worse.  

Already, our digital over-dependence means that our risk is greater than ever before with new attacks surfacing all the time. Just in case you think hackers can’t get to you, it’s already happened. They’ve already been in your computer, accessing your most vital information.

More than 140 Equifax customers just learned that the hard way.

5G may be one of the hottest investment stories of the decade.

Investors and analysts alike have been clamoring about the opportunity for quite some time. In fact, analysts at Cowen & Co. have referred to 5G as a “revolution.”

Barron’s once reported that the “Dogs of Dow Investing Strategy no Longer Works.”

Others have argued that it’s no longer a successful trading theory.

But they may all want to do a bit more research because the Dogs of the Dow works very well. 

Oftentimes, one of the best ways to spot overreactions to news is by paying attention to technical pivot points. 

For that, we typically rely on Bollinger Bands (2,20), MACD, relative strength (RSI), and Williams’ %R (W%R). In fact, when each of those indicators aligns with the others, you can call the bottom of a stock up to 80% of the time. 

We’ve all seen fortunes made.

Unfortunately, we’ve also seen fortunes lost in a matter of seconds.

No one has ever said IPO investing was a walk in the park.

Unbelievably, an astonishing nine out of every 10 IPO investors fail because:

- Many don’t have good training, or guidance

- They’re not aware of risk, thinking the stock market is a “get rich” scheme

- They don’t think long-term.  They want instant gratification.

- They blindly follow the crowd, becoming one of the sheep

- They fail to trade without emotion.

- They fail to trade with a property strategy or even diversify.

- They fail to learn from their mistakes.

One of the best ways to diversify at less cost is with an ETF.

As we noted in early August 2019, most defense names became very expensive. Just a few months later, they've become that much more expensive.

- Raytheon (RTN) was $179. It is now $217

- Boeing (BA) traded at $339. It has climbed to $366

- General Dynamics (GD) was at $182. Unchanged at $182

- Northrop Grumman (NOC) was at $341. Now $351

- United Technologies (UTX) was at $130. Now at $148

If I wanted to own just 10 shares of each, it would have cost me $11,710 in August. Now it would be $12,640.

If I wanted to own 100 shares of each, we would have spent $117,100 in August. Now it would be $126,400.

Seasonal trading theories are a dime a dozen.

- The first half of the year tends to bring better returns that the second half.

- Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks whose price was beaten down in the previous year have a tendency to outperform the rest of the DJIA in the following year.

When it comes to trading, nothing is ever a guarantee.

Markets can hit all-time highs one day, only to plummet the next. And with no crystal ball to tell what’s going to happen one day to the next, we need to be prepared for whatever may happen.

In late 2015, Ferrari (RACE) raced onto the market floor at a high of $60 a share.

Here was a $12 billion IPO rolling on to the showroom floor, oversubscribed 10 times over. Investors were excited. Anticipation was high. The press noted it could be a hot runner even though the company had just said net profits fell 34%.

We have a trade deal with China, blared the U.S. in October 2019.

However, while trade tensions appeared to be cooling off, investors quickly realized nothing had been finalized. Nothing was written or signed. All we had was a promise that an agreement would be written and signed by November 2019.

One of the best ways to make money in the market is to spot excessive fear.

After all, it’s how some of the top investors made their fortunes. 

In early October 2019, markets plummeted.

The Dow Jones fell 800 points in just two days on trade war fears, impeachment news, and slowing growth. The ISM September 2019 survey pointed to contraction at less than 50. 

he sports betting market is on the cusp of a sizable boom.

All after, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting just a year ago. In fact, the high court struck down a 1992 federal law that had prohibited most states from allowing sports betting, saying the law violated constitutional principles limiting the government from controlling state policies.

2018 wasn’t the best year for gold prices.

Gold slipped from $1,369 to a low of $1,180 that year.

However, gold is just now beginning to push higher on a few catalysts.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst on record.

All thanks to infamous trio of Harvey, Irma and Maria.

2018 was also an "above normal" season, that ushered in Florence and Michael which brought record winds and flooding to the Florida panhandle and coastal Carolina.

There’s a collective sigh of relief in the markets.

Days after Trump threatened to cut off Huawei on August 19 , 2019, he changed his tune in August 2019.  In fact, the Trump Administration extended a reprieve to Huawei, allowing it to buy supplies from US companies so that it can continue servicing existing customers.

One of the best investments to hold in your portfolio has always been real estate.

Perhaps commercial real estate.  That’s because it offers:

Sustainable cash flow

A few keystrokes are all it takes. All of a sudden, your most private information is in the hands of criminals. Your most personal information, banking details, social security numbers, your children's information. Yet, we're not prepared as it gets worse.  

Already, our digital over-dependence means that our risk is greater than ever before with new attacks surfacing all the time. Just in case you think hackers can’t get to you, it’s already happened. They’ve already been in your computer, accessing your most vital information.

More than 140 Equifax customers just learned that the hard way.

One of the best ways to diversify at less cost is with an ETF.

In early August 2019, most defense names became very expensive.

- Raytheon (RTN) was $179

- Boeing (BA) traded at $339

- General Dynamics (GD) was at $182

- Northrop Grumman (NOC) was at $341

- United Technologies (UTX) was at $130

If I wanted to own just 10 shares of each, it’d cost me $11,710

If I wanted to own 100 shares of each, now we’re up to $117,100.

For quite some time, cannabis stocks have taken center stage as the hottest trade of the year.

After all, Canada just legalized it. More U.S. states are jumping on the bandwagon. Demand is outpacing supply. Even retailers are jumping on board. In fact, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Vitamin Shoppe, Kroger, Barney’s DSW, CVS, and Walgreen’s have all jumped at the opportunity. American Eagle just became the latest retailer to sell CBD, too. 

When it comes to trading, nothing is ever a guarantee.

Markets can hit all-time highs one day, only to plummet the next. And with no crystal ball to tell what’s going to happen one day to the next, we need to be prepared for whatever may happen.

Seasonal trading theories are a dime a dozen.

- The first half of the year tends to bring better returns that the second half.

- Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks whose price was beaten down in the previous year have a tendency to outperform the rest of the DJIA in the following year.

One of the greatest investment opportunities are the Dogs of the Dow.

And while some analysts may write off the Dogs of the Dow theory as antiquated, it’s just not true at all.  In 2011, there were up 16.3%. In 2012, they jumped 9.9%. In 2013, they returned 34.9%. In 2014, they returned nearly 11%.

In 2015, they did okay, returning just 2.6 %.

Once Mexico agreed to ramp up its efforts to restrict the flow of illegal immigrants across the southern border with 6,000 National Guard troops, Trump agreed to drop threats of a 5% tariff. In addition, Mexico has agreed to “dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organizations,” according to the U.S. State Department, as quoted by the Associated Press. 

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst on record.

All thanks to infamous trio of Harvey, Irma and Maria.

2018 was also an "above normal" season, that ushered in Florence and Michael which brought record winds and flooding to the Florida panhandle and coastal Carolina.

Far too often, investors like you and I get burned by an IPO out of the gate.

Lyft (LYFT) was supposed to be a high-flier for investors. Instead, it plunged from $87 to $47.50. Uber (UBER) was supposed to be a great IPO, too. Instead, it plunged out of the gate.

Things have gotten way out of hand with the trade war.

After weeks of intense fighting between the two economic superpowers, Dow futures are pointing to a 230-point drop at the open today. All after the press reported the U.S. was considering restrictions on Hikvision – a Chinese surveillance equipment provider – from buying U.S. components.

With markets in a state of panic, we reported that one of the best ways to prepare your portfolio for potential downside was by hedging volatility.

In fact, we highlighted three ways in early May 2019, including:

- iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures (VXX)

- ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures (UVXY)

- VelocityShares Daily 2x VIX Short-Term ETN (TVIX)

In late May 2019, tensions were rising between U.S. and Iran.

At the time, President Trump tweeted, “If Iran wants to fight, it will be the official end of Iran.  Never threaten the United States again!”

Along with that, the U.S. has already deployed warships and planes to the Gulf.

It was one of the year’s most anticipated IPOs.

Instead, it turned into one of the biggest flops. Out of the gate, shares of Uber (UBER) opened at $45 and sank to nearly $36, losing $6 billion in its first date.

However, this shouldn’t have come as a big surprise.

Investors were in panic mode in early May 2019.

At the time, while China was still prepping for trade talks, President Trump increased pressure for the two sides to reach a deal.  In fact, the President said he would hike tariffs to 25% by Friday on $200 billion worth of goods if the two sides didn't reach a deal in a timely manner.

Unbelievably, measles was a problem in the U.S. again in 2019.

As for May 2019, the U.S. has now confirmed over 750 measles cases for the year. 

That’s the highest since the country eliminated in 2000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Crude oil prices surged to fresh 2019 highs.

All after the Trump Administration announced that that oil buyers in Turkey, South Korea, China, India, and Japan must end their imports from Iran or face potential U.S. sanctions. 

Investors chased Lyft Inc. (LYFT) out of the gate to $80.75.

'This is a lightning start for Lyft's stock as investors are salivating [over] owning a piece of the $1 trillion ride sharing market,' Wedbush managing director Dan Ives told CNBC. 'The robust start to trading is also a clear positive for other tech names that are watching Lyft to gauge investor demand and Street reaction on this transformational consumer tech name.'

After months of investigations, millions of dollars, hundreds of interviews, and panic over potential impeachment, the Mueller investigation finally ended.

Now that the investigation was over, analysts began to note that some sectors could see a boost, as the President turns back to focusing on policy. Some of those sectors include infrastructure, defense, and even cannabis legalization.

Never ignore President Trump news. 

It may just lead to your next profitable opportunity.

For example, he just released his 2020 budget, which includes a call for a $1 trillion infrastructure plan. 

2018 wasn’t the best year for gold prices.

Gold slipped from $1,369 to a low of $1,180 that year.

However, gold is just now beginning to push higher on a few catalysts.

Global sales of marijuana are expected to grow like a weed in 2019.

And it may just fuel another substantial rally in related stocks. 

According to Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics, spending on marijuana could grow 38% this year to $16.9 billion from $12.2 billion in 2018, and from $9.7 billion in 2017.

By 2022, sales could run to $22 billion.

The 5G boom is upon us.

This monstrous $1.3 billion story that could provide us with speeds up to 100x faster than 4G networks. Speed like that is a game-changer.

Bankers are confident that 2019 will be another strong year for IPOs.

That’s according to a new BDO USA survey that found that 71% of capital market executives believe IPO activity will increase at, or be flat with 2018, as noted by Market Watch.

That’s not bad considering 2018 was the best year for IPO activity in about four years.

The cannabis boom is just in the early stages of major growth.

Thanks to growing acceptance, including Canada’s legalization in 2018, further U.S. state approval, and growing interest from corporate America the global cannabis market could reach $194 billion global market, according to the Bank of Montreal, as noted by Business Insider.

The odds are stacked against you as an investor.

You have a job. You have a life. You just don’t have time to investigate opportunities like a professional analyst who covers 10 stocks, visits the companies, talks to management regularly, and pores over word of quarterly earnings conference call.

The marijuana story is growing like a weed.

All as Congressional support for legalization grows. 

No one has ever said IPO investing was a walk in the park.

Unbelievably, an astonishing nine out of every 10 IPO investors fail because:

n late 2015, Ferrari (RACE) raced onto the market floor at a high of $60 a share.

Here was a $12 billion IPO rolling on to the showroom floor, oversubscribed 10 times over. Investors were excited. Anticipation was high. The press noted it could be a hot runner even though the company had just said net profits fell 34%.

Barron’s once reported that the “Dogs of Dow Investing Strategy no Longer Works.”

Others have argued that it’s no longer a successful trading theory.

But they may all want to do a bit more research because the Dogs of the Dow works very well. 

When it comes to trading, nothing is ever a guarantee.

Markets can hit all-time highs one day, only to plummet the next. And with no crystal ball to tell what’s going to happen one day to the next, we need to be prepared for whatever may happen.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) plummeted in early December 2018, wiping out nearly $40 billion worth of value after a damaging Reuters report.

It may be a controversial topic for some. 

But it’s tough to overlook the cannabis industry’s potential to generate up to $20 billion in sales by 2022 from just $800 

While marijuana stocks have pulled back with the chaos of the broader markets in late 2018, we cannot forget about the countless catalysts that are still out there.

One of the major catalysts involves mergers and acquisitions.

The trade war ceasefire between the U.S. and China set off quite a rally in December 2018.

The Dow Jones rocketed 330 points.  The NASDAQ gained 117. The S&P 500 was up as much as 33. And the small-cap Russell 2000 picked up another 10 points on the day.

Marijuana stocks quickly fell out of favor following Canadian legalization news.

But don’t let that chase you out of the market.

For one, throughout the U.S., there is overwhelming support for legalizing cannabis.

In early October, 2018, gold may have found its bottom.

After plunging for the last six months, prices were in the longest streak of losses in about 30 years. Just since April 2018, gold prices sank from $1,360 to a current price of $1,180. 

And while there are those that would tell you, there’s more pain ahead, we’re not so sure.

Early October 2018 was quite painful for the average investor.

The major indices fell out of the sky. The tech-heavy NASDAQ fell from 8,100 to 7,300. The S&P 500 dropped from 2,925 to 2,725.

And, after hitting an all-time high of 26,951, the Dow Jones Industrials plummeted 1,400 points. 

Major index futures plunged.

The Dow Jones fell 2,506 points. The NASDAQ fell 1,050. The S&P 500 was down as much as 311 points. Investors panicked and sold.

Eugene Fama’s Efficient Market Theory (EMT) taught us that when news is released, it’s immediately priced into stocks.

But that’s impossible because it never took into consideration the friction of news flow.

If you can predict volatility, you can prepare in advance for big moves in the market.

There are ways we can do this. One is to trade volatility any time the Volatility Index (VIX) falls under 10. The other is to keep an eye on technical pivot points.

It's not surprising to see big moves for stocks in emerging industries. Cannabis stocks are no exception, and we saw big moves all summer, especially after each company announced advancements in its commercialization.

But the biggest moves may be sparked by our elected representatives in Washington, D.C.

Months ahead of 2018 midterm elections, fear ran rampant of a changing of the guard.

If the Republicans retain leadership, we’re greatly optimistic we could see 35,000 on the Dow Jones Industrials, argued some. In fact, some argue that tax reform is likely to leave many Republicans relatively unscathed in 2018, and perhaps put them on solid ground by 2020, too.

The bull market is now more than 3,400 days old.

And there are no clear signs it’ll end – at least, not anytime soon.

Since January 2016, the Dow Jones Industrials rallied from 15,450 to 26,200.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst on record.

All thanks to infamous trio of Harvey, Irma and Maria.

With the world quickly catching the marijuana buzz, it only makes sense that some of the biggest companies in the world would want a piece of the potential.

After all, it’d be foolish to ignore the pot industry’s multi-billion-dollar potential.

One of the best investments to hold in your portfolio has always been real estate.

Perhaps commercial real estate.  That’s because it offers:

Sustainable cash flow

No one has ever said investing was a walk in the park.

But you’d be surprised how many are making it near impossible to find success. 

That’s because they try a million different things. They get far too wrapped up with too many ideas. And they lose track of one of the best ways to make money today.

Seasonal trading theories are a dime a dozen.

- The first half of the year tends to bring better returns that the second half.

- Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks whose price was beaten down in the previous year have a tendency to outperform the rest of the DJIA in the following year.

Legal weed won’t arrive in Canada until October 2018.

But in late July 2018, it appears investors caught the buzz a bit early with Tilray (TLRY).

Apparently, private prison stocks are no longer on death row.

In the final months of the Obama Administration, the Justice Department announced it would end the use of private prisons. Sally Yates, the former deputy attorney general even directed the Bureau of Prisons to withdraw or decline contracts for private prison operators, noting they compared poorly. 

When it comes to crypto, you’ll hear the word “blockchain” tossed around.

But just was it is?

In short, it’s a database that is validated by an open community rather than one centralized authority. Insider this ledger resides a collection of transactional records – all of which are part of a “block” linked together to other blocks. Then, when new data is entered, it can never be deleted, creating a true and verifiable record of each and every transaction ever made.

One of the best ways to diversify at less cost is with an ETF.

In early July 2018, most defense names became very expensive.

- Raytheon (RTN) was up to $195

- Boeing (BA) traded at $336

- General Dynamics (GD) was at $187

- Northrop Grumman (NOC) was at $309

- United Technologies (UTX) was at $125

If I wanted to own just 10 shares of each, it’d cost me $11,520.

If I wanted to own 100 shares of each, now we’re up to $115,200.

Oh yes, there will be blood. 

But if you know where to pounce when the bleeding stops, you’re one step ahead of the herd.  There’s little doubt trade war fears were painful in late June 2018. 

But at some point, the bleeding will stop and opportunities will be noticeable.

In a historic week, the Department of Justice just lost a landmark challenge of a mega-merger, setting the stage for a new raft of likely deals.  In June 2018, a federal judge ruled in favor of AT&T, allowing it to absorb Time Warner in a deal valued at $85 billion.

In early June 2018, the Trump Administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum exports from three of its closest trading allies – Canada, Mexico, and countries in the European Union.

And the trade war began.

The tariffs – 25% on imports on steel and 10% on aluminum – didn’t sit well with these other countries, which referred to U.S. actions a violation of trade rules, imposing countermeasures of their own.

This could open the floodgates of opportunity in marijuana stocks.

In late June 2018, the Canadian Senate overwhelmingly passed Bill C-45, also known as the Cannabis Act, which legalized the use of recreational marijuana.  While it’ll now take Canadian provinces another eight to 12 weeks to prepare for likely demand, the support opened a sizable market for the country.

Over the last 10 years, the greatest investment opportunities have been found in the biotech and pharmaceutical sector. 

And to be very honest with you, that growth may not slow for quite some time for three reasons.

Since June 2017, oil prices rocketed from a low of $42.05 to a high of $71 in mid 2018.

At the time, that was the highest crude oil prices had been since May 2015 thanks in part to OPEC production cuts.  We were also seeing strong demand growth in China, too.

It’s the reason Exxon Mobil (XOM) jumped from a 2017 low of $75 to $87.50. Chevron (CVX) ran from $101 to $133.60.  Conoco Phillips (COP) exploded from $42 to $60.

But some of the biggest winners have been related energy ETFs at less cost.

Back in September 2017, a war of words intensified between Donald Trump and North Korea.

Trump called Kim Jong-un a “Rocket Man” bent on a “suicide mission” with Kim calling Trump a “mentally deranged US dotard,” threatening to test an H-bomb over the Pacific.

All after Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea in his speech before the U.N.

Granted, the economy is strong.

Unemployment is still at 4.1%.  There are high expectations for strong first quarter earnings. GDP numbers have been revised higher on consumer spending strength.

But there is an unknown that could rattle the markets.

Mid-term elections have a historical tendency to rattle markets.

Apparently, Donald Trump has the Midas touch.

Shortly after President Trump announced his plan to lower U.S. prescription prices, it triggered a major rally in drug stocks, like Amgen (AMGN) and Merck (MRK) in May 2018.

Even the Health Care ETF (XLV) rallied higher on the day to $83.03.

When you listen to Warren Buffett speak, you can always take away a few words of wisdom. 

It’s nearly impossible not to.

With a fortune of $83.5 billion, and a company that’s generated a 20.9% annual return, as compared to the S&P 500’s 9.9% return between 1965 and 2017, he’s worth listening to.

It may not sound like the most exciting investment in the world.

But once you consider that wind energy is booming globally, accounting for more than a third of all electricity capacity installed over the last five years, you can see why many investors have grown to like it. In short, a multi-billion dollar industry has been right under many of our noses. Unfortunately, the story hasn’t grabbed many headlines.

In fact, according to Windpower Engineering (WE):

Marijuana may still be one of the most controversial topics.

But it’s quickly proven itself to be one of the most profitable.

All thanks to marijuana… and now, Donald Trump?

Yep, in early 2018, the Trump bump added even more momentum to the sector.

By now you’re well aware of the excitement brewing with the electric vehicle (EV) boom.

We already know that BMW is now aiming to sell 500,000 electric vehicles globally by the end of 2019.  Volvo has pledged to produce every car model with an electric motor by 2019.

General Motors said it would launch 10 electric and gas-electric hybrid vehicles in China by 2020 as part of its plan to make and sell EVs in that country. 

Analysts strongly believe augmented reality will boom in 2018.

Between virtual realities, which create immersive computer-generated environments, augmented reality can create near-real world reality with graphics, sounds, and even smell. It can literally change human perception of the surrounding space when a digitally augmented human interacts with a data sources, as noted by Network World. 

Volatility has been severe in 2018.

After watching the Dow Jones Industrials explode from 24,809 to a high of 26,616, the bottom appeared to fall out starting February 2, 2018, as the Dow fell 665 points.

The Dow would fall another 1,175 points on February 5, and another 1,032 points on February 8, 2018. On March 1, 2018, the Dow would fall another 420 points.

Then, on March 19, 2018, the Dow would fall another 400 points, wiping out nearly all of the gains picked up for 2018 to date.

Assets are primarily driven by bouts of extreme optimism and pessimism.

And if we can spot these extreme instances the higher the likelihood for success.

Even Warren Buffett will tell you that. “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful,” he says. 

Sir John Templeton would even advise to “buy extreme pessimism.”

It’s part of the reason they became as wealthy as they did. They waited for points of excessive fear and greed… and pounced on the opportunity.

If you’re an emotional trader, take your money out of the market.

You’ll never make any money if your first reaction to fear is to sell stocks.

Look at gene-editing stocks, for example.

By far, this was one of the most innovative, exciting technologies we’ve seen. 

Ripple was one of the hottest coins on the Street.

In 2017, it was one of the best performing crypto currencies of the year.

In fact, after running from an October 2017 low of 20 cents to a high of $2.43 in January 2018, many expected for it to double, if not triple in value short-term.

Instead, it plummeted to less than $1.

It’s one of the worst epidemics to hit the United States.

At any given time more than 2.4 million Americans abuse opioids, including legal painkillers like morphine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone.

In 2016 alone, opioids killed more than 42,000 people, more than any year on record.

It’s why President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a “public health emergency.”

In late 2015, Ferrari (RACE) raced onto the market floor at a high of $60 a share.

However, as we explained prior to its IPO, it was a terrible buy, overvalued at the time with a $12 billion IPO. Initial requests for shares had exceeded supply by 10 times, as we noted.

Investors were still excited.  Anticipation was high.

Sometimes, the greatest opportunities are hiding in plain sight.

Yet, they’re ignored, or “left for dead” out of fear that a sector may be too speculative. Biotech and pharmaceutical stocks are the perfect examples. But only the foolish have ignored the rewards the sector has produced -- and will produce. 

In 2008, I first began telling folks to back up the truck on biotech.

One coin to be very aware of is Verge (XVG), which traded at $0.0954.  While that may not sound like much, once you consider it traded at $0.002 in July 2017.

And analysts think there’s further upside.

In fact, according to Coin Market Cap, as noted by Crypto Recorder:

“Verge (XVG) is poised to challenge Bitcoin and other digital coins. It has risen from $0.00002 to 0.30 in January alone. This is 1.5 million percent compared to Bitcoin 1800% towards end of 2017. If these figures are anything, if Verge is adopted by the masses, it will literally go to the moon.’

When the Dow Jones Industrials exploded to an all-time high of 26,086, it did so just a week after hitting 25,000. That was the fastest 1,000-point rise we’ve ever seen.

"We're just starting to see Corporate America tell us what a lower corporate tax rate means to the bottom line. We shouldn't dismiss that," noted Art Hogan, chief market strategist a B. Riley FBR, as quoted by CNN Money.

Even better, Goldman Sachs believes the bull market could run another three years.

American’s infrastructure has been failing for quite some time.

One look at the countless potholes, congested roads, derailed trains, collapsed bridges and dams is proof enough.  Just to fix it all could cost as much as $3.6 trillion by 2020, says the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

What’s worse, the ASCE just gave current U.S infrastructure a D+ rating. Even the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has estimated that there’s an $808.2 billion backlog in deferred maintenance on the nation’s rail and bus lines. 

At the end of 2016, the value of all crypto coins was valued at nearly $17.5 billion.

As of the end of 2017, the combined valued of 1,370 coins had a value of $605 billion.

And to be very honest, the boom shows no signs of slowing down.

Look at the Bitcoin for example, which is largely credited for the current rally.

For years, U.S. companies have faced some of the highest tax rates in the world.

But that was no longer the case in December 2017, as Congress reduced those sky-high corporate tax rates by 14 points to 21%. That news alone should be enough to strengthen the economy even more. The best part -- the additional revenue should provide fresh interest in mergers and acquisitions, dividends, stock buybacks, and higher stock prices, noted analysts.

Even better, analysts at UBS believe that S&P 500 earnings could rise 9.5% with the corporate tax rate at 20%.

It’s always important to be aware of “what ifs.”

Markets may have hit all time highs in November 2017. Optimism and confidence in markets were soaring to unbelievable heights. But we’ve seen this move before. And as I tell many traders and investors, it’s never too early to start thinking about how to protect your portfolio from potential swings lower.

At less than $10, no one ever thought it would get to $100, $1,000, even $10,000.

But in early December 2017, the price of a single Bitcoin was up to $17,798 with its sights set on $20,000.   At the time, after a dip to around $14,000, buyers reemerged, buying on a dip marked by a long legged doji cross.

While there were signs of over-extension on the Bollinger Bands (2,20), relative strength (RSI), and with Williams’ %R, each time it tested its 10-day moving average it had a tendency to move higher.  There were also signs of a bull flag breakout, which many argued could lead to $20,000 Bitcoin.

With the Dogs of the Dow, you’re simply buying the highest yielding 10 Dow Jones stocks that fell out of favor, investing an equal amount in each, liquidating by January 1 of the following year, and repeating for nearly predictable rewards.

Even better, it's easy to use, and it performs well.

The way you pick the Dogs is very simple.

When the year starts, look at the top 10 yielding dividend stocks in the Industrials. Invest equal amounts of money in all 10 stocks. Then, hold onto those stocks throughout the year. At the end of the year, we do it all over again.

Controversial or not, one of the hottest investments of 2018 could very well be the marijuana story. In fact, even after some monster moves in the sector, there’s still further upside remaining. 

Look at Canopy Growth (TWMJF), for example to see how real the boom has been.

The stock more than doubled in November 2017 on excitement surrounding the issue of legalization and news of a major investor.Constellation Brands just took a 10% stake in that stock.  It also acquired warrants that will allow it to buy even more shares in the future. It’s an interesting move as alcohol use declines, as the use of marijuana increases.

American’s infrastructure has been failing for quite some time.

One look at the countless potholes, congested roads, derailed trains, collapsed bridges and dams is proof enough.  Just to fix it all could cost as much as $3.6 trillion by 2020, says the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

What’s worse, the ASCE just gave current U.S infrastructure a D+ rating. Even the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has estimated that there’s an $808.2 billion backlog in deferred maintenance on the nation’s rail and bus lines. 

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been one of the hottest buzzwords for years.

And it’s quickly changing the way we live, work, and play.

The IoT, or the connection of formerly unconnected things to the Internet is changing the way we do just about everything. If you’ve ever heard of the Apple Watch or Internet-connected Fit Bit tracker, you’re familiar with it. Or maybe you’ve heard of Google Home or the Amazon Echo, both of which use virtual assistants to order things online, connect to door locks, lights and even home security systems.

It’s the hottest trade of the decade.

It’s already outperformed stocks, bonds, gold and real estate. In April 2011, it was valued at just 96 cents. Nearly five years later, it’s up to $7,332 – a return of 763,650%.

In fact, it’s all any one can talk about these days.

It’s all about Bitcoin – the cryptocurrency that’s taken the world by storm. 

One thing I’ve enjoyed over my many years is overseas travel. I’ve been able to satisfy my attraction to very different foreign cultures.

At the same time, I’ve taken advantage of the affordability of life in multiple paradises, from Bali to Cape Town.

When I was last in Bali, I advised the kids to wait until the last possible minute to exchange their dollars for baht, as the local currency was crashing.

When I was last in Cape Town, I was able to exchange R5.5o for a dollar. The ratio is now 14-to-one… and I thought things were affordable back then.

Get this: I once visited the house of a Bangkok-based art dealer. He had a nice, hip house, and he employed a decent-sized staff, including a driver, a cook, and a few maids. He lived like a king, likely on something around $100,000 a year.

In my youth, I used to love reading books and watching movies about pirates and buried treasure. Sooner or later, someone would discover the treasure map, leading to a wild adventure to find the buried treasure chest. In most of these swashbuckling tales, the location of the buried gold was marked with an “X” on the map.

Oil is always a fickle trade.

Throughout 2017, oil prices have rallied and stumbled more times than most of us care to remember thanks to global supply and demand issues. In fact, for the last two years, oil was either challenging its highs of $54, or diving as low as $42. 

All thanks to supply-demand imbalances, and hope.

Every time markets tick higher, traders begin to ask, “How much higher can it go?”

Can the market push higher? Do we need to start thinking about moving some of our money to safe-havens just in case?

So far, the answers have been “a lot,” “yes” and “yes.”

They’re too hard to understand. 

They’re too expensive. It’ll cost me far too much money. 

They’re only for professionals with years of experience.  

These are just a few of the many excuses I’ve heard over the last 20 years when it comes to options trading. But believe it or not, none of those excuses hold weight.  

One of the worst things you can do as a trader is get caught up in hype, especially when it comes to IPOs.  Far too often, we’re led to believe that stock ABC could be the “hottest IPO of the decade,” only to watch it fall flat on its face.

Look at the Snap IPO for example.

It was one of the most hyped IPOs in recent in the press.  On the first day of trading, shares roared to a high of $29.44, as giddy investors flocked to the name in search of unimaginable riches.  But with a company grossly overvalued with heavy debt, and no real chance, it never deserved the valuation it received out of the gate.

Exchange-traded funds have always offered more of a bang for your buck.

If I wanted to buy 10 shares of Alphabet (GOOG), Facebook (FB), Amazon.com (AMZN) and Netflix (NFLX) right now, it’d cost me $22,210. 

However, with an ETF like the Advisor Shares New Tech and Media ETF (FNG), I can gain exposure to those same stocks for $19.88 a share, or $1,988.  That’s a savings of more than $20,000 for similar exposure. 

That’s the beauty of ETFs. 

The cobalt story was hotter than lithium.

Supply was extremely tight, and only expected to get worse. 

Demand was growing stronger by the day. And without it, we don't’ have batteries for billions of cell phones, electric cars and even your laptop. 

The number of Americans renting their homes hasn’t been this high in 50 years.

In 2016, 36.6% of U.S. households rented their homes – just shy of the 37% of renters in 1965, according to the Pew Research Center.  Even more interesting, as the total number of U.S. households grew by 7.6 million over the last 10 years, the number of actual homeowners, as compared to renters, remained flat.

Fundamental analysis may not be able to hand us immediate information on the psychology of the herd, but what it can unveil is long-term value. With it, we’re trying to identify six key pieces of information that will help tell us if a company is overvalued, or undervalued with good chances for upside.

Has the newly elected Executive branch of the US government taken some of the steam out of America's budding new marijuana industry? There are many reports that state legislators are scrambling to enact laws to protect themselves and their new found revenue from marijuana sales from federal seizures, especially if the current federal laws on the books are enforced. As President Trump imposes his policies, the issue of marijuana legalization has become a subject of great concern, not only to those involved in the marijuana industry, who are enjoying the benefits of marijuana prohibition repealed in their states, but also to the President and his Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who have openly voiced their disapproval of recreational marijuana use.

Lithium has become one of the hottest new commodities in the marketplace. Even though Lithium is number 3 on the periodic table of chemical elements and has all the characteristics of a commodity, purchases of lithium do not occur on any exchange. Its pricing and trading are based totally on supply and demand.

Never ignore the downtrodden, we noticed in late March 2017.

At the time, solar stocks had been left for dead, including Canadian Solar (CSIQ) and the Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) on lower gas prices, concerns about phased-out subsidies, and far too much debt.

One secretive virtual reality (VR) company will soon revolutionize how marijuana dispensaries operate.

The startup is currently developing an augmented reality (AR) headset that would allow medical marijuana patients to "touch" a marijuana bud without ever having to leave their couch.

Already, cannabis sales in North America are expected to increase 198%, from $6.7 billion in 2016, to over $20 billion by 2020.

A firestorm of speculative commentary has been ignited by reports that JP Morgan Chase has ceased to accept cash for payments on credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, lines of credit and so on.  Not to defend any bank actions, but it is not difficult to imagine the chaos at a teller stand when you show up with a wad of green with instructions on how to apply the cash toward a loan payment. 

When you make the unbelievable believable, you change perception.

But when you make the unreal a reality, you change the world.

Last week, the Daguela brothers made history.

If you’re new to investing, there can be a lot of terms and terminology that may be new and unfamiliar.

Finance terms can make investing seem complicated and inaccessible. At Stash, we’re simplifying this process, including the language of investing. Click the links below each “hack” to learn more.

Remember the good old days when you could “save your way to retirement”?
 
That certainly isn’t true today. Interest rates on savings accounts are abysmal and more and more banks are imposing negative interest rates—actually charging people to hold their money in a savings account.

You may never have thought of postage stamps as being an instrument of finance, but rare postage stamps can have considerable value and are traded quite frequently within their own marketplace sometimes for massive amounts of money.

Just to give you an idea what the value of a rare stamp could be, a British Guiana 1-cent Black on magenta sold for US $9.48 million in June of 2015.

Is it really possible to turn wine into gold? What are the benefits of buying wine as an investment strategy? As I started to research the pro and cons of purchasing wine as an investment, I immediately noticed that there are a lot of apps and websites available with helpful information to assist you on this venture.

An alternative investment for investors in our present age can be defined as an investment that can hopefully maintain or gain value despite the economic and political climate. I found two industries that have the potential to meet this requirement, space exploration and communication networks.

Space exploration in America has been allowed to become privatized, and a new and cheaper way to utilize the achievements discovered in rocket technology has emerged.  Space Exploration Technologies Corp., affectionately known as SpaceX, has patented a vehicle called the Falcon 9 rocket that can launch satellites and deliver goods to locations that orbit around the Earth.  Adding  to SpaceX's accomplishments in the production of this vehicle is that there are parts of the rocket that are reusable.  And here's the best part, the company's goal is to create financial gains!

Buying Classic Cars has been suggested by some as an alternative investment strategy. For me, every car I've ever bought lost value the minute I drove it out of the showroom.

In my younger years, I put my personal touch on my cars , pinstripes, the best sparkplugs money could buy, the best oil and wax too, but the value of my car continued to go down. What needs to happen in order for a car to appreciate in value over time? I'll do my best to give you the facts you need to see if it's a strategy that can work for you.

Fear can destroy a stock in seconds.

But it can also create a wealth of opportunity if you know when to buy it. In fact, it’s how investors like Warren Buffett, Sir John Templeton, and Baron Rothschild made their money.

Each of them subscribed to fundamental analysis to do so.

We’ve all seen fortunes made.

Unfortunately, we’ve also seen fortunes lost in a matter of seconds.

Early October 2018 was quite painful for the average investor.

The major indices fell out of the sky. The tech-heavy NASDAQ fell from 8,100 to 7,300. The S&P 500 dropped from 2,925 to 2,725.

And, after hitting an all-time high of 26,951, the Dow Jones Industrials plummeted 1,400 points. 

One of the best investments to hold in your portfolio has always been real estate.

Perhaps commercial real estate.  That’s because it offers:

Sustainable cash flow

A few keystrokes are all it takes. All of a sudden, your most private information is in the hands of criminals. Your most personal information, banking details, social security numbers, your children's information. Yet, we're not prepared as it gets worse.  

Already, our digital over-dependence means that our risk is greater than ever before with new attacks surfacing all the time. Just in case you think hackers can’t get to you, it’s already happened. They’ve already been in your computer, accessing your most vital information.

More than 140 Equifax customers just learned that the hard way.

5G may be one of the hottest investment stories of the decade.

Investors and analysts alike have been clamoring about the opportunity for quite some time. In fact, analysts at Cowen & Co. have referred to 5G as a “revolution.”

Barron’s once reported that the “Dogs of Dow Investing Strategy no Longer Works.”

Others have argued that it’s no longer a successful trading theory.

But they may all want to do a bit more research because the Dogs of the Dow works very well. 

Oftentimes, one of the best ways to spot overreactions to news is by paying attention to technical pivot points. 

For that, we typically rely on Bollinger Bands (2,20), MACD, relative strength (RSI), and Williams’ %R (W%R). In fact, when each of those indicators aligns with the others, you can call the bottom of a stock up to 80% of the time. 

We’ve all seen fortunes made.

Unfortunately, we’ve also seen fortunes lost in a matter of seconds.

No one has ever said IPO investing was a walk in the park.

Unbelievably, an astonishing nine out of every 10 IPO investors fail because:

- Many don’t have good training, or guidance

- They’re not aware of risk, thinking the stock market is a “get rich” scheme

- They don’t think long-term.  They want instant gratification.

- They blindly follow the crowd, becoming one of the sheep

- They fail to trade without emotion.

- They fail to trade with a property strategy or even diversify.

- They fail to learn from their mistakes.

One of the best ways to diversify at less cost is with an ETF.

As we noted in early August 2019, most defense names became very expensive. Just a few months later, they've become that much more expensive.

- Raytheon (RTN) was $179. It is now $217

- Boeing (BA) traded at $339. It has climbed to $366

- General Dynamics (GD) was at $182. Unchanged at $182

- Northrop Grumman (NOC) was at $341. Now $351

- United Technologies (UTX) was at $130. Now at $148

If I wanted to own just 10 shares of each, it would have cost me $11,710 in August. Now it would be $12,640.

If I wanted to own 100 shares of each, we would have spent $117,100 in August. Now it would be $126,400.

Seasonal trading theories are a dime a dozen.

- The first half of the year tends to bring better returns that the second half.

- Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks whose price was beaten down in the previous year have a tendency to outperform the rest of the DJIA in the following year.

When it comes to trading, nothing is ever a guarantee.

Markets can hit all-time highs one day, only to plummet the next. And with no crystal ball to tell what’s going to happen one day to the next, we need to be prepared for whatever may happen.

In late 2015, Ferrari (RACE) raced onto the market floor at a high of $60 a share.

Here was a $12 billion IPO rolling on to the showroom floor, oversubscribed 10 times over. Investors were excited. Anticipation was high. The press noted it could be a hot runner even though the company had just said net profits fell 34%.

We have a trade deal with China, blared the U.S. in October 2019.

However, while trade tensions appeared to be cooling off, investors quickly realized nothing had been finalized. Nothing was written or signed. All we had was a promise that an agreement would be written and signed by November 2019.

One of the best ways to make money in the market is to spot excessive fear.

After all, it’s how some of the top investors made their fortunes. 

In early October 2019, markets plummeted.

The Dow Jones fell 800 points in just two days on trade war fears, impeachment news, and slowing growth. The ISM September 2019 survey pointed to contraction at less than 50. 

he sports betting market is on the cusp of a sizable boom.

All after, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting just a year ago. In fact, the high court struck down a 1992 federal law that had prohibited most states from allowing sports betting, saying the law violated constitutional principles limiting the government from controlling state policies.

2018 wasn’t the best year for gold prices.

Gold slipped from $1,369 to a low of $1,180 that year.

However, gold is just now beginning to push higher on a few catalysts.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst on record.

All thanks to infamous trio of Harvey, Irma and Maria.

2018 was also an "above normal" season, that ushered in Florence and Michael which brought record winds and flooding to the Florida panhandle and coastal Carolina.

There’s a collective sigh of relief in the markets.

Days after Trump threatened to cut off Huawei on August 19 , 2019, he changed his tune in August 2019.  In fact, the Trump Administration extended a reprieve to Huawei, allowing it to buy supplies from US companies so that it can continue servicing existing customers.

One of the best investments to hold in your portfolio has always been real estate.

Perhaps commercial real estate.  That’s because it offers:

Sustainable cash flow

A few keystrokes are all it takes. All of a sudden, your most private information is in the hands of criminals. Your most personal information, banking details, social security numbers, your children's information. Yet, we're not prepared as it gets worse.  

Already, our digital over-dependence means that our risk is greater than ever before with new attacks surfacing all the time. Just in case you think hackers can’t get to you, it’s already happened. They’ve already been in your computer, accessing your most vital information.

More than 140 Equifax customers just learned that the hard way.

One of the best ways to diversify at less cost is with an ETF.

In early August 2019, most defense names became very expensive.

- Raytheon (RTN) was $179

- Boeing (BA) traded at $339

- General Dynamics (GD) was at $182

- Northrop Grumman (NOC) was at $341

- United Technologies (UTX) was at $130

If I wanted to own just 10 shares of each, it’d cost me $11,710

If I wanted to own 100 shares of each, now we’re up to $117,100.

For quite some time, cannabis stocks have taken center stage as the hottest trade of the year.

After all, Canada just legalized it. More U.S. states are jumping on the bandwagon. Demand is outpacing supply. Even retailers are jumping on board. In fact, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Vitamin Shoppe, Kroger, Barney’s DSW, CVS, and Walgreen’s have all jumped at the opportunity. American Eagle just became the latest retailer to sell CBD, too. 

When it comes to trading, nothing is ever a guarantee.

Markets can hit all-time highs one day, only to plummet the next. And with no crystal ball to tell what’s going to happen one day to the next, we need to be prepared for whatever may happen.

Seasonal trading theories are a dime a dozen.

- The first half of the year tends to bring better returns that the second half.

- Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks whose price was beaten down in the previous year have a tendency to outperform the rest of the DJIA in the following year.

One of the greatest investment opportunities are the Dogs of the Dow.

And while some analysts may write off the Dogs of the Dow theory as antiquated, it’s just not true at all.  In 2011, there were up 16.3%. In 2012, they jumped 9.9%. In 2013, they returned 34.9%. In 2014, they returned nearly 11%.

In 2015, they did okay, returning just 2.6 %.

Once Mexico agreed to ramp up its efforts to restrict the flow of illegal immigrants across the southern border with 6,000 National Guard troops, Trump agreed to drop threats of a 5% tariff. In addition, Mexico has agreed to “dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organizations,” according to the U.S. State Department, as quoted by the Associated Press. 

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst on record.

All thanks to infamous trio of Harvey, Irma and Maria.

2018 was also an "above normal" season, that ushered in Florence and Michael which brought record winds and flooding to the Florida panhandle and coastal Carolina.

Far too often, investors like you and I get burned by an IPO out of the gate.

Lyft (LYFT) was supposed to be a high-flier for investors. Instead, it plunged from $87 to $47.50. Uber (UBER) was supposed to be a great IPO, too. Instead, it plunged out of the gate.

Things have gotten way out of hand with the trade war.

After weeks of intense fighting between the two economic superpowers, Dow futures are pointing to a 230-point drop at the open today. All after the press reported the U.S. was considering restrictions on Hikvision – a Chinese surveillance equipment provider – from buying U.S. components.

With markets in a state of panic, we reported that one of the best ways to prepare your portfolio for potential downside was by hedging volatility.

In fact, we highlighted three ways in early May 2019, including:

- iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures (VXX)

- ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures (UVXY)

- VelocityShares Daily 2x VIX Short-Term ETN (TVIX)

In late May 2019, tensions were rising between U.S. and Iran.

At the time, President Trump tweeted, “If Iran wants to fight, it will be the official end of Iran.  Never threaten the United States again!”

Along with that, the U.S. has already deployed warships and planes to the Gulf.

It was one of the year’s most anticipated IPOs.

Instead, it turned into one of the biggest flops. Out of the gate, shares of Uber (UBER) opened at $45 and sank to nearly $36, losing $6 billion in its first date.

However, this shouldn’t have come as a big surprise.

Investors were in panic mode in early May 2019.

At the time, while China was still prepping for trade talks, President Trump increased pressure for the two sides to reach a deal.  In fact, the President said he would hike tariffs to 25% by Friday on $200 billion worth of goods if the two sides didn't reach a deal in a timely manner.

Unbelievably, measles was a problem in the U.S. again in 2019.

As for May 2019, the U.S. has now confirmed over 750 measles cases for the year. 

That’s the highest since the country eliminated in 2000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Crude oil prices surged to fresh 2019 highs.

All after the Trump Administration announced that that oil buyers in Turkey, South Korea, China, India, and Japan must end their imports from Iran or face potential U.S. sanctions. 

Investors chased Lyft Inc. (LYFT) out of the gate to $80.75.

'This is a lightning start for Lyft's stock as investors are salivating [over] owning a piece of the $1 trillion ride sharing market,' Wedbush managing director Dan Ives told CNBC. 'The robust start to trading is also a clear positive for other tech names that are watching Lyft to gauge investor demand and Street reaction on this transformational consumer tech name.'

After months of investigations, millions of dollars, hundreds of interviews, and panic over potential impeachment, the Mueller investigation finally ended.

Now that the investigation was over, analysts began to note that some sectors could see a boost, as the President turns back to focusing on policy. Some of those sectors include infrastructure, defense, and even cannabis legalization.

Never ignore President Trump news. 

It may just lead to your next profitable opportunity.

For example, he just released his 2020 budget, which includes a call for a $1 trillion infrastructure plan. 

2018 wasn’t the best year for gold prices.

Gold slipped from $1,369 to a low of $1,180 that year.

However, gold is just now beginning to push higher on a few catalysts.

Global sales of marijuana are expected to grow like a weed in 2019.

And it may just fuel another substantial rally in related stocks. 

According to Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics, spending on marijuana could grow 38% this year to $16.9 billion from $12.2 billion in 2018, and from $9.7 billion in 2017.

By 2022, sales could run to $22 billion.

The 5G boom is upon us.

This monstrous $1.3 billion story that could provide us with speeds up to 100x faster than 4G networks. Speed like that is a game-changer.

Bankers are confident that 2019 will be another strong year for IPOs.

That’s according to a new BDO USA survey that found that 71% of capital market executives believe IPO activity will increase at, or be flat with 2018, as noted by Market Watch.

That’s not bad considering 2018 was the best year for IPO activity in about four years.

The cannabis boom is just in the early stages of major growth.

Thanks to growing acceptance, including Canada’s legalization in 2018, further U.S. state approval, and growing interest from corporate America the global cannabis market could reach $194 billion global market, according to the Bank of Montreal, as noted by Business Insider.

The odds are stacked against you as an investor.

You have a job. You have a life. You just don’t have time to investigate opportunities like a professional analyst who covers 10 stocks, visits the companies, talks to management regularly, and pores over word of quarterly earnings conference call.

The marijuana story is growing like a weed.

All as Congressional support for legalization grows. 

No one has ever said IPO investing was a walk in the park.

Unbelievably, an astonishing nine out of every 10 IPO investors fail because:

n late 2015, Ferrari (RACE) raced onto the market floor at a high of $60 a share.

Here was a $12 billion IPO rolling on to the showroom floor, oversubscribed 10 times over. Investors were excited. Anticipation was high. The press noted it could be a hot runner even though the company had just said net profits fell 34%.

Barron’s once reported that the “Dogs of Dow Investing Strategy no Longer Works.”

Others have argued that it’s no longer a successful trading theory.

But they may all want to do a bit more research because the Dogs of the Dow works very well. 

When it comes to trading, nothing is ever a guarantee.

Markets can hit all-time highs one day, only to plummet the next. And with no crystal ball to tell what’s going to happen one day to the next, we need to be prepared for whatever may happen.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) plummeted in early December 2018, wiping out nearly $40 billion worth of value after a damaging Reuters report.

It may be a controversial topic for some. 

But it’s tough to overlook the cannabis industry’s potential to generate up to $20 billion in sales by 2022 from just $800 

While marijuana stocks have pulled back with the chaos of the broader markets in late 2018, we cannot forget about the countless catalysts that are still out there.

One of the major catalysts involves mergers and acquisitions.

The trade war ceasefire between the U.S. and China set off quite a rally in December 2018.

The Dow Jones rocketed 330 points.  The NASDAQ gained 117. The S&P 500 was up as much as 33. And the small-cap Russell 2000 picked up another 10 points on the day.

Marijuana stocks quickly fell out of favor following Canadian legalization news.

But don’t let that chase you out of the market.

For one, throughout the U.S., there is overwhelming support for legalizing cannabis.

In early October, 2018, gold may have found its bottom.

After plunging for the last six months, prices were in the longest streak of losses in about 30 years. Just since April 2018, gold prices sank from $1,360 to a current price of $1,180. 

And while there are those that would tell you, there’s more pain ahead, we’re not so sure.

Early October 2018 was quite painful for the average investor.

The major indices fell out of the sky. The tech-heavy NASDAQ fell from 8,100 to 7,300. The S&P 500 dropped from 2,925 to 2,725.

And, after hitting an all-time high of 26,951, the Dow Jones Industrials plummeted 1,400 points. 

Major index futures plunged.

The Dow Jones fell 2,506 points. The NASDAQ fell 1,050. The S&P 500 was down as much as 311 points. Investors panicked and sold.

Eugene Fama’s Efficient Market Theory (EMT) taught us that when news is released, it’s immediately priced into stocks.

But that’s impossible because it never took into consideration the friction of news flow.

If you can predict volatility, you can prepare in advance for big moves in the market.

There are ways we can do this. One is to trade volatility any time the Volatility Index (VIX) falls under 10. The other is to keep an eye on technical pivot points.

It's not surprising to see big moves for stocks in emerging industries. Cannabis stocks are no exception, and we saw big moves all summer, especially after each company announced advancements in its commercialization.

But the biggest moves may be sparked by our elected representatives in Washington, D.C.

Months ahead of 2018 midterm elections, fear ran rampant of a changing of the guard.

If the Republicans retain leadership, we’re greatly optimistic we could see 35,000 on the Dow Jones Industrials, argued some. In fact, some argue that tax reform is likely to leave many Republicans relatively unscathed in 2018, and perhaps put them on solid ground by 2020, too.

The bull market is now more than 3,400 days old.

And there are no clear signs it’ll end – at least, not anytime soon.

Since January 2016, the Dow Jones Industrials rallied from 15,450 to 26,200.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst on record.

All thanks to infamous trio of Harvey, Irma and Maria.

With the world quickly catching the marijuana buzz, it only makes sense that some of the biggest companies in the world would want a piece of the potential.

After all, it’d be foolish to ignore the pot industry’s multi-billion-dollar potential.

One of the best investments to hold in your portfolio has always been real estate.

Perhaps commercial real estate.  That’s because it offers:

Sustainable cash flow

No one has ever said investing was a walk in the park.

But you’d be surprised how many are making it near impossible to find success. 

That’s because they try a million different things. They get far too wrapped up with too many ideas. And they lose track of one of the best ways to make money today.

Seasonal trading theories are a dime a dozen.

- The first half of the year tends to bring better returns that the second half.

- Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks whose price was beaten down in the previous year have a tendency to outperform the rest of the DJIA in the following year.

Legal weed won’t arrive in Canada until October 2018.

But in late July 2018, it appears investors caught the buzz a bit early with Tilray (TLRY).

Apparently, private prison stocks are no longer on death row.

In the final months of the Obama Administration, the Justice Department announced it would end the use of private prisons. Sally Yates, the former deputy attorney general even directed the Bureau of Prisons to withdraw or decline contracts for private prison operators, noting they compared poorly. 

When it comes to crypto, you’ll hear the word “blockchain” tossed around.

But just was it is?

In short, it’s a database that is validated by an open community rather than one centralized authority. Insider this ledger resides a collection of transactional records – all of which are part of a “block” linked together to other blocks. Then, when new data is entered, it can never be deleted, creating a true and verifiable record of each and every transaction ever made.

One of the best ways to diversify at less cost is with an ETF.

In early July 2018, most defense names became very expensive.

- Raytheon (RTN) was up to $195

- Boeing (BA) traded at $336

- General Dynamics (GD) was at $187

- Northrop Grumman (NOC) was at $309

- United Technologies (UTX) was at $125

If I wanted to own just 10 shares of each, it’d cost me $11,520.

If I wanted to own 100 shares of each, now we’re up to $115,200.

Oh yes, there will be blood. 

But if you know where to pounce when the bleeding stops, you’re one step ahead of the herd.  There’s little doubt trade war fears were painful in late June 2018. 

But at some point, the bleeding will stop and opportunities will be noticeable.

In a historic week, the Department of Justice just lost a landmark challenge of a mega-merger, setting the stage for a new raft of likely deals.  In June 2018, a federal judge ruled in favor of AT&T, allowing it to absorb Time Warner in a deal valued at $85 billion.

In early June 2018, the Trump Administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum exports from three of its closest trading allies – Canada, Mexico, and countries in the European Union.

And the trade war began.

The tariffs – 25% on imports on steel and 10% on aluminum – didn’t sit well with these other countries, which referred to U.S. actions a violation of trade rules, imposing countermeasures of their own.

This could open the floodgates of opportunity in marijuana stocks.

In late June 2018, the Canadian Senate overwhelmingly passed Bill C-45, also known as the Cannabis Act, which legalized the use of recreational marijuana.  While it’ll now take Canadian provinces another eight to 12 weeks to prepare for likely demand, the support opened a sizable market for the country.

Over the last 10 years, the greatest investment opportunities have been found in the biotech and pharmaceutical sector. 

And to be very honest with you, that growth may not slow for quite some time for three reasons.

Since June 2017, oil prices rocketed from a low of $42.05 to a high of $71 in mid 2018.

At the time, that was the highest crude oil prices had been since May 2015 thanks in part to OPEC production cuts.  We were also seeing strong demand growth in China, too.

It’s the reason Exxon Mobil (XOM) jumped from a 2017 low of $75 to $87.50. Chevron (CVX) ran from $101 to $133.60.  Conoco Phillips (COP) exploded from $42 to $60.

But some of the biggest winners have been related energy ETFs at less cost.

Back in September 2017, a war of words intensified between Donald Trump and North Korea.

Trump called Kim Jong-un a “Rocket Man” bent on a “suicide mission” with Kim calling Trump a “mentally deranged US dotard,” threatening to test an H-bomb over the Pacific.

All after Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea in his speech before the U.N.

Granted, the economy is strong.

Unemployment is still at 4.1%.  There are high expectations for strong first quarter earnings. GDP numbers have been revised higher on consumer spending strength.

But there is an unknown that could rattle the markets.

Mid-term elections have a historical tendency to rattle markets.

Apparently, Donald Trump has the Midas touch.

Shortly after President Trump announced his plan to lower U.S. prescription prices, it triggered a major rally in drug stocks, like Amgen (AMGN) and Merck (MRK) in May 2018.

Even the Health Care ETF (XLV) rallied higher on the day to $83.03.

When you listen to Warren Buffett speak, you can always take away a few words of wisdom. 

It’s nearly impossible not to.

With a fortune of $83.5 billion, and a company that’s generated a 20.9% annual return, as compared to the S&P 500’s 9.9% return between 1965 and 2017, he’s worth listening to.

It may not sound like the most exciting investment in the world.

But once you consider that wind energy is booming globally, accounting for more than a third of all electricity capacity installed over the last five years, you can see why many investors have grown to like it. In short, a multi-billion dollar industry has been right under many of our noses. Unfortunately, the story hasn’t grabbed many headlines.

In fact, according to Windpower Engineering (WE):

Marijuana may still be one of the most controversial topics.

But it’s quickly proven itself to be one of the most profitable.

All thanks to marijuana… and now, Donald Trump?

Yep, in early 2018, the Trump bump added even more momentum to the sector.

By now you’re well aware of the excitement brewing with the electric vehicle (EV) boom.

We already know that BMW is now aiming to sell 500,000 electric vehicles globally by the end of 2019.  Volvo has pledged to produce every car model with an electric motor by 2019.

General Motors said it would launch 10 electric and gas-electric hybrid vehicles in China by 2020 as part of its plan to make and sell EVs in that country. 

Analysts strongly believe augmented reality will boom in 2018.

Between virtual realities, which create immersive computer-generated environments, augmented reality can create near-real world reality with graphics, sounds, and even smell. It can literally change human perception of the surrounding space when a digitally augmented human interacts with a data sources, as noted by Network World. 

Volatility has been severe in 2018.

After watching the Dow Jones Industrials explode from 24,809 to a high of 26,616, the bottom appeared to fall out starting February 2, 2018, as the Dow fell 665 points.

The Dow would fall another 1,175 points on February 5, and another 1,032 points on February 8, 2018. On March 1, 2018, the Dow would fall another 420 points.

Then, on March 19, 2018, the Dow would fall another 400 points, wiping out nearly all of the gains picked up for 2018 to date.

Assets are primarily driven by bouts of extreme optimism and pessimism.

And if we can spot these extreme instances the higher the likelihood for success.

Even Warren Buffett will tell you that. “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful,” he says. 

Sir John Templeton would even advise to “buy extreme pessimism.”

It’s part of the reason they became as wealthy as they did. They waited for points of excessive fear and greed… and pounced on the opportunity.

If you’re an emotional trader, take your money out of the market.

You’ll never make any money if your first reaction to fear is to sell stocks.

Look at gene-editing stocks, for example.

By far, this was one of the most innovative, exciting technologies we’ve seen. 

Ripple was one of the hottest coins on the Street.

In 2017, it was one of the best performing crypto currencies of the year.

In fact, after running from an October 2017 low of 20 cents to a high of $2.43 in January 2018, many expected for it to double, if not triple in value short-term.

Instead, it plummeted to less than $1.

It’s one of the worst epidemics to hit the United States.

At any given time more than 2.4 million Americans abuse opioids, including legal painkillers like morphine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone.

In 2016 alone, opioids killed more than 42,000 people, more than any year on record.

It’s why President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a “public health emergency.”

In late 2015, Ferrari (RACE) raced onto the market floor at a high of $60 a share.

However, as we explained prior to its IPO, it was a terrible buy, overvalued at the time with a $12 billion IPO. Initial requests for shares had exceeded supply by 10 times, as we noted.

Investors were still excited.  Anticipation was high.

Sometimes, the greatest opportunities are hiding in plain sight.

Yet, they’re ignored, or “left for dead” out of fear that a sector may be too speculative. Biotech and pharmaceutical stocks are the perfect examples. But only the foolish have ignored the rewards the sector has produced -- and will produce. 

In 2008, I first began telling folks to back up the truck on biotech.

One coin to be very aware of is Verge (XVG), which traded at $0.0954.  While that may not sound like much, once you consider it traded at $0.002 in July 2017.

And analysts think there’s further upside.

In fact, according to Coin Market Cap, as noted by Crypto Recorder:

“Verge (XVG) is poised to challenge Bitcoin and other digital coins. It has risen from $0.00002 to 0.30 in January alone. This is 1.5 million percent compared to Bitcoin 1800% towards end of 2017. If these figures are anything, if Verge is adopted by the masses, it will literally go to the moon.’

When the Dow Jones Industrials exploded to an all-time high of 26,086, it did so just a week after hitting 25,000. That was the fastest 1,000-point rise we’ve ever seen.

"We're just starting to see Corporate America tell us what a lower corporate tax rate means to the bottom line. We shouldn't dismiss that," noted Art Hogan, chief market strategist a B. Riley FBR, as quoted by CNN Money.

Even better, Goldman Sachs believes the bull market could run another three years.

American’s infrastructure has been failing for quite some time.

One look at the countless potholes, congested roads, derailed trains, collapsed bridges and dams is proof enough.  Just to fix it all could cost as much as $3.6 trillion by 2020, says the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

What’s worse, the ASCE just gave current U.S infrastructure a D+ rating. Even the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has estimated that there’s an $808.2 billion backlog in deferred maintenance on the nation’s rail and bus lines. 

At the end of 2016, the value of all crypto coins was valued at nearly $17.5 billion.

As of the end of 2017, the combined valued of 1,370 coins had a value of $605 billion.

And to be very honest, the boom shows no signs of slowing down.

Look at the Bitcoin for example, which is largely credited for the current rally.

For years, U.S. companies have faced some of the highest tax rates in the world.

But that was no longer the case in December 2017, as Congress reduced those sky-high corporate tax rates by 14 points to 21%. That news alone should be enough to strengthen the economy even more. The best part -- the additional revenue should provide fresh interest in mergers and acquisitions, dividends, stock buybacks, and higher stock prices, noted analysts.

Even better, analysts at UBS believe that S&P 500 earnings could rise 9.5% with the corporate tax rate at 20%.

It’s always important to be aware of “what ifs.”

Markets may have hit all time highs in November 2017. Optimism and confidence in markets were soaring to unbelievable heights. But we’ve seen this move before. And as I tell many traders and investors, it’s never too early to start thinking about how to protect your portfolio from potential swings lower.

At less than $10, no one ever thought it would get to $100, $1,000, even $10,000.

But in early December 2017, the price of a single Bitcoin was up to $17,798 with its sights set on $20,000.   At the time, after a dip to around $14,000, buyers reemerged, buying on a dip marked by a long legged doji cross.

While there were signs of over-extension on the Bollinger Bands (2,20), relative strength (RSI), and with Williams’ %R, each time it tested its 10-day moving average it had a tendency to move higher.  There were also signs of a bull flag breakout, which many argued could lead to $20,000 Bitcoin.

With the Dogs of the Dow, you’re simply buying the highest yielding 10 Dow Jones stocks that fell out of favor, investing an equal amount in each, liquidating by January 1 of the following year, and repeating for nearly predictable rewards.

Even better, it's easy to use, and it performs well.

The way you pick the Dogs is very simple.

When the year starts, look at the top 10 yielding dividend stocks in the Industrials. Invest equal amounts of money in all 10 stocks. Then, hold onto those stocks throughout the year. At the end of the year, we do it all over again.

Controversial or not, one of the hottest investments of 2018 could very well be the marijuana story. In fact, even after some monster moves in the sector, there’s still further upside remaining. 

Look at Canopy Growth (TWMJF), for example to see how real the boom has been.

The stock more than doubled in November 2017 on excitement surrounding the issue of legalization and news of a major investor.Constellation Brands just took a 10% stake in that stock.  It also acquired warrants that will allow it to buy even more shares in the future. It’s an interesting move as alcohol use declines, as the use of marijuana increases.

American’s infrastructure has been failing for quite some time.

One look at the countless potholes, congested roads, derailed trains, collapsed bridges and dams is proof enough.  Just to fix it all could cost as much as $3.6 trillion by 2020, says the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

What’s worse, the ASCE just gave current U.S infrastructure a D+ rating. Even the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has estimated that there’s an $808.2 billion backlog in deferred maintenance on the nation’s rail and bus lines. 

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been one of the hottest buzzwords for years.

And it’s quickly changing the way we live, work, and play.

The IoT, or the connection of formerly unconnected things to the Internet is changing the way we do just about everything. If you’ve ever heard of the Apple Watch or Internet-connected Fit Bit tracker, you’re familiar with it. Or maybe you’ve heard of Google Home or the Amazon Echo, both of which use virtual assistants to order things online, connect to door locks, lights and even home security systems.

It’s the hottest trade of the decade.

It’s already outperformed stocks, bonds, gold and real estate. In April 2011, it was valued at just 96 cents. Nearly five years later, it’s up to $7,332 – a return of 763,650%.

In fact, it’s all any one can talk about these days.

It’s all about Bitcoin – the cryptocurrency that’s taken the world by storm. 

One thing I’ve enjoyed over my many years is overseas travel. I’ve been able to satisfy my attraction to very different foreign cultures.

At the same time, I’ve taken advantage of the affordability of life in multiple paradises, from Bali to Cape Town.

When I was last in Bali, I advised the kids to wait until the last possible minute to exchange their dollars for baht, as the local currency was crashing.

When I was last in Cape Town, I was able to exchange R5.5o for a dollar. The ratio is now 14-to-one… and I thought things were affordable back then.

Get this: I once visited the house of a Bangkok-based art dealer. He had a nice, hip house, and he employed a decent-sized staff, including a driver, a cook, and a few maids. He lived like a king, likely on something around $100,000 a year.

In my youth, I used to love reading books and watching movies about pirates and buried treasure. Sooner or later, someone would discover the treasure map, leading to a wild adventure to find the buried treasure chest. In most of these swashbuckling tales, the location of the buried gold was marked with an “X” on the map.

Oil is always a fickle trade.

Throughout 2017, oil prices have rallied and stumbled more times than most of us care to remember thanks to global supply and demand issues. In fact, for the last two years, oil was either challenging its highs of $54, or diving as low as $42. 

All thanks to supply-demand imbalances, and hope.

Every time markets tick higher, traders begin to ask, “How much higher can it go?”

Can the market push higher? Do we need to start thinking about moving some of our money to safe-havens just in case?

So far, the answers have been “a lot,” “yes” and “yes.”

They’re too hard to understand. 

They’re too expensive. It’ll cost me far too much money. 

They’re only for professionals with years of experience.  

These are just a few of the many excuses I’ve heard over the last 20 years when it comes to options trading. But believe it or not, none of those excuses hold weight.  

One of the worst things you can do as a trader is get caught up in hype, especially when it comes to IPOs.  Far too often, we’re led to believe that stock ABC could be the “hottest IPO of the decade,” only to watch it fall flat on its face.

Look at the Snap IPO for example.

It was one of the most hyped IPOs in recent in the press.  On the first day of trading, shares roared to a high of $29.44, as giddy investors flocked to the name in search of unimaginable riches.  But with a company grossly overvalued with heavy debt, and no real chance, it never deserved the valuation it received out of the gate.

Exchange-traded funds have always offered more of a bang for your buck.

If I wanted to buy 10 shares of Alphabet (GOOG), Facebook (FB), Amazon.com (AMZN) and Netflix (NFLX) right now, it’d cost me $22,210. 

However, with an ETF like the Advisor Shares New Tech and Media ETF (FNG), I can gain exposure to those same stocks for $19.88 a share, or $1,988.  That’s a savings of more than $20,000 for similar exposure. 

That’s the beauty of ETFs. 

The cobalt story was hotter than lithium.

Supply was extremely tight, and only expected to get worse. 

Demand was growing stronger by the day. And without it, we don't’ have batteries for billions of cell phones, electric cars and even your laptop. 

The number of Americans renting their homes hasn’t been this high in 50 years.

In 2016, 36.6% of U.S. households rented their homes – just shy of the 37% of renters in 1965, according to the Pew Research Center.  Even more interesting, as the total number of U.S. households grew by 7.6 million over the last 10 years, the number of actual homeowners, as compared to renters, remained flat.

Fundamental analysis may not be able to hand us immediate information on the psychology of the herd, but what it can unveil is long-term value. With it, we’re trying to identify six key pieces of information that will help tell us if a company is overvalued, or undervalued with good chances for upside.

Has the newly elected Executive branch of the US government taken some of the steam out of America's budding new marijuana industry? There are many reports that state legislators are scrambling to enact laws to protect themselves and their new found revenue from marijuana sales from federal seizures, especially if the current federal laws on the books are enforced. As President Trump imposes his policies, the issue of marijuana legalization has become a subject of great concern, not only to those involved in the marijuana industry, who are enjoying the benefits of marijuana prohibition repealed in their states, but also to the President and his Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who have openly voiced their disapproval of recreational marijuana use.

Lithium has become one of the hottest new commodities in the marketplace. Even though Lithium is number 3 on the periodic table of chemical elements and has all the characteristics of a commodity, purchases of lithium do not occur on any exchange. Its pricing and trading are based totally on supply and demand.

Never ignore the downtrodden, we noticed in late March 2017.

At the time, solar stocks had been left for dead, including Canadian Solar (CSIQ) and the Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) on lower gas prices, concerns about phased-out subsidies, and far too much debt.

One secretive virtual reality (VR) company will soon revolutionize how marijuana dispensaries operate.

The startup is currently developing an augmented reality (AR) headset that would allow medical marijuana patients to "touch" a marijuana bud without ever having to leave their couch.

Already, cannabis sales in North America are expected to increase 198%, from $6.7 billion in 2016, to over $20 billion by 2020.

A firestorm of speculative commentary has been ignited by reports that JP Morgan Chase has ceased to accept cash for payments on credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, lines of credit and so on.  Not to defend any bank actions, but it is not difficult to imagine the chaos at a teller stand when you show up with a wad of green with instructions on how to apply the cash toward a loan payment. 

When you make the unbelievable believable, you change perception.

But when you make the unreal a reality, you change the world.

Last week, the Daguela brothers made history.

If you’re new to investing, there can be a lot of terms and terminology that may be new and unfamiliar.

Finance terms can make investing seem complicated and inaccessible. At Stash, we’re simplifying this process, including the language of investing. Click the links below each “hack” to learn more.

Remember the good old days when you could “save your way to retirement”?
 
That certainly isn’t true today. Interest rates on savings accounts are abysmal and more and more banks are imposing negative interest rates—actually charging people to hold their money in a savings account.

You may never have thought of postage stamps as being an instrument of finance, but rare postage stamps can have considerable value and are traded quite frequently within their own marketplace sometimes for massive amounts of money.

Just to give you an idea what the value of a rare stamp could be, a British Guiana 1-cent Black on magenta sold for US $9.48 million in June of 2015.

Is it really possible to turn wine into gold? What are the benefits of buying wine as an investment strategy? As I started to research the pro and cons of purchasing wine as an investment, I immediately noticed that there are a lot of apps and websites available with helpful information to assist you on this venture.

An alternative investment for investors in our present age can be defined as an investment that can hopefully maintain or gain value despite the economic and political climate. I found two industries that have the potential to meet this requirement, space exploration and communication networks.

Space exploration in America has been allowed to become privatized, and a new and cheaper way to utilize the achievements discovered in rocket technology has emerged.  Space Exploration Technologies Corp., affectionately known as SpaceX, has patented a vehicle called the Falcon 9 rocket that can launch satellites and deliver goods to locations that orbit around the Earth.  Adding  to SpaceX's accomplishments in the production of this vehicle is that there are parts of the rocket that are reusable.  And here's the best part, the company's goal is to create financial gains!

Buying Classic Cars has been suggested by some as an alternative investment strategy. For me, every car I've ever bought lost value the minute I drove it out of the showroom.

In my younger years, I put my personal touch on my cars , pinstripes, the best sparkplugs money could buy, the best oil and wax too, but the value of my car continued to go down. What needs to happen in order for a car to appreciate in value over time? I'll do my best to give you the facts you need to see if it's a strategy that can work for you.