Trading Ideas

Summer is coming to an end. The colder seasons are approaching. And if you enjoy downhill skiing, the three-month chart of the North American Marijuana Index probably looks like a lot fun…

But for pot stock investors, this isn’t the type of slope we want to see.
The index has fallen 9.7% so far in the month of August. But since May 23, it’s down 28.3%.
The sector has been rocked by scandal, then kicked while it was down by a series of earnings misses from Canadian producers in recent weeks.
But there’s another specter besides earnings haunting the cannabis sector…
Fed Up With the …read more […]

Many people think that economic inequality is a huge problem in America, but that’s not true.
Today, Alexander Green explains how inequality shows that our free market system is working.

In my last column, I argued that – contrary to many voices on the far left and far right – capitalism doesn’t need to be reformed.
Those who claim that it does generally cite the same reason: economic inequality.
In particular, many politicians hope to garner enough votes to gain (or regain) elected office by promising to fix the problem with massive income redistribution.
Some agree, arguing that it is wrong for some Americans to …read more […]

Q: What’s the first thing you notice about a startup that excites you?
A: Traction. And by this I mostly mean revenue. There is no other single metric that comes close in terms of importance. Most of my better startup investments had significant and fast-growing revenue when I invested.
That said, some of the best startup investments of all time had no revenue in their early years. Google, Facebook and Twitter, to name a few. However, these companies still had massive traction in terms of their large user bases.
So there are multiple forms of traction to consider when looking at a potential …read more […]

Today’s lesson in surviving a sell-off comes from William Shakespeare.
In The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare tells a story of paranoia, death and rebirth. One legendary scene features the character Antigonus as he’s stalked offstage to his doom by a bear.
The bear caught Antigonus by surprise – and that’s the last thing we want to happen, especially as investors.
However, those who balance their portfolios with reliable income generators may be able to prevent the bear from taking a bite out of their savings.
To Bond or Not to Bond?
This week, we asked Wealthy Retirement readers why they invest in bonds. Forty-three percent of …read more […]

Bitcoin is often described as “digital gold.” That’s for good reason – the assets have a lot in common. As Adam Sharp wrote last year…
Both have the rare qualities that make a good speculative “store of value” asset.
Both are used as hedges against reckless monetary policy. They are assets that will likely rise in value if the old system becomes overloaded with debt (U.S. debt is at $21 trillion and counting) and is forced to “monetize” (print away) the debt…
Importantly, both assets can also be held by individuals. Stocks and bonds typically require a broker or bank to hold custody. …read more […]

I’ve talked with a lot of investors about cannabis lately. My feeling is that about 95% of people still don’t realize the significance of what’s happening today.
What we’re seeing happen is essentially three world-shaking events, all happening simultaneously.
First, a $200 billion global market (illegal recreational cannabis use) is going legal. Drug cartels are losing their monopoly, and legal, local and productive businesses are popping up everywhere. This sort of thing does not happen very often, to say the least.
Second, hemp is finally being grown in America again. Hemp is a simply amazing crop. There’s nothing else like it. It produces …read more […]

Many people – especially those who stand to benefit politically – have claimed that capitalism is broken.
Today, Alexander Green explains why our free market society is working exactly as it should, and how anyone can use it to achieve a rich life.

For years now, some folks have claimed that capitalism is broken and needs to be reformed.
Notably, this week the Business Roundtable, a group made up of the CEOs of 192 of the largest U.S. companies, seemed to endorse the idea as well.
They even issued a statement:
Americans deserve an economy that allows each person to succeed through hard work and …read more […]

The $100 “Smart Shares” Retirement Plan is a webinar hosted by former financial adviser, and early investing expert, Adam Sharp. The event educates investors on the massive income potential of Smart Shares, and how they can set you on your way to a dream retirement.
Smart Shares will revolutionize the way you invest. With them, you can invest in the very best growth-stage companies, without going through the stock market. In other words, they give you ownership in the company, while completely bypassing Wall Street.
Previously Smart Shares were reserved for millionaires and elite insiders… Now, thanks to S.E.C. Rule 4-A6, businesses …read more […]

Back in the 1930s, reefer madness spread across the globe.
“The devil’s lettuce” was deemed a menace. And a global war against cannabis began.
For decades, American pot prohibition sent thousands to prison.
But, as Bob Dylan sang, “The times they are a-changin’”…
A little shy of a century after cannabis prohibition took root, we’re starting to see a shift in the other direction.
California legalized medical cannabis in 1996. Last year, Canada became the first G-7 country to legalize adult-use cannabis nationwide. And today in the U.S., 11 states have greenlit adult-use and 33 have legalized medical use.
There are also more than two dozen …read more […]

The S&P 500 has seen both record highs and continued volatility this year, shifting many investors toward less risky assets.
Today, Nicholas Vardy explains a proven ETF trading strategy that shines during market turmoil and generates steady income.

The S&P 500 hit a record high in late July.
Yet few investors are partying like it’s 1999.
That’s because, for most investors, 2019 has been more about stomach-churning market volatility spurred by slowing global growth and the escalating trade war with China.
As the market continues its recent roller-coaster ride, I’m reminded of one of the most fundamental truths of investing: No single strategy works all …read more […]

If you’re new to investing, you might be wondering “What are options?” Options might sound a little complicated at first, but they could be your ticket to reducing risk and building wealth. And we’ll show you exactly how to get started today.
The average stock market return is around 10% per year. That’s great, but it’s not going to make you rich. Options traders, on the other hand, can multiply these returns, seeing gains of 50% to 200% or more on a single trade.
Many investors view options trading as complex and intimidating. It doesn’t have to be with the right information …read more […]

Doing what we do and saying what we say… we tend to get ourselves in a bit of trouble.
It’s especially true when we muse about money, the topic we’ve spent the most time studying.
We remember a finger that was pointed at us nearly a decade ago.
We wrote something for a major financial outlet that smacked the face of the wonks in academia. We said the best way to get rich in the stock market isn’t to study fundamentals or to pore over the latest earnings reports. No, the easiest way to make money is to know what Uncle Sam will …read more […]

Oil stocks got a lot of attention earlier this week after a drone seemed to attack a Saudi Arabian oil field. Crude prices briefly spiked on the news.
So this week, we’ll evaluate the dividend safety of Global Partners LP (NYSE: GLP).
Global Partners is a master limited partnership (MLP) with a 10.5% yield.
This MLP is one of the Northeast’s largest independent owners, suppliers and operators of gas stations and convenience stores.
The price of oil has been trending up since it bottomed in 2016. Global Partners’ cash available for distribution (CAD), a measure of cash flow for MLPs, has also been rising.
CAD …read more […]

I’ve been a bit obsessed recently with the story of Shelly Pennefather. I didn’t know who she was until about a week ago. But once I heard her story, I haven’t been able to stop talking about it.
The Pennefather story, which you can read here in this terrific report by ESPN, is a tale of faith, family, sports, friendship and – believe it or not – disruption.
Pennefather was a terrific basketball player. She was an All-American at Villanova in the late ’80s. And she went on to play professional basketball in Japan. (The WNBA didn’t exist at the time.) Pennefather …read more […]

Energy.
It’s the driving force behind economic progress and a higher standard of living. And in the 21st century, the world has become much more dependent on it.
Energy drives business and industry. It sustains our societies and boosts our economies.
Without it, most daily activities would simply grind to a halt. And with electric vehicles becoming more mainstream, our energy use is only going to increase.
The World’s Changing Energy Mix
The electric power sector generates most of our energy here in the U.S. And the transportation, industrial, residential and commercial sectors consume it.
For the last 100 years, fossil fuels have dominated the …read more […]