Saturday, July 30, 2016

Corporate Earnings Announcements for Next Week

Looking for some interesting moves in some stocks this upcoming week? Check out the companies that will be reporting earnings this week.

If earnings exceed analysts' expectations, the stocks can shoot up. If the numbers underperform, the stock can tank. Then again, occasionally, stocks don't move the way you would have expected.

Anyway, many traders use earnings plays for trading strategies. Also, option traders look for high implied volatility of stocks for for option selling strategies.

Here are many of the enormous number of stocks reporting earnings this week:

Monday

AMC
CKEC
CNA
CUTR
DNB
FDC
FTR
MIC
SOHU
TST
GRA
WMB
XOXO

Tuesday

AHC
AET
Y
AIG
WTR
CAR
AVP
CZR
CERN
CRAY
CVS
DVN
EA
EPC
ETSY
FIT
FMS
GNW
H
KAR
LOCK
PFE
PBI
PG
STX
SODA
RGR
ZEN


Wednesday

DDD
ALL
AWR
AWK
NLY
APO
AVID
BIO
BYD
FUN
CHDN
CLX
CROX
D
FSLR
GDDY
HLF
ICE
JACK
MET
OXY
RIO
SHOP
TDOC
TSLA
TWX
RIG
TRIP
FOX
WU

Thursday

ATVI
APA
ABTL
BATS
BCE
BBW
CHK
CHD
DUK
FEYE
FTD
K
KMPR
NUS
GOLD
SEAS
SSYS
TTWO
TASR
TK
TEVA
PCLN
TIME
TRUE
VIA
WEB
WTW
Z
ZNGA



Friday

AINV
XRAY
MGA
RBS
VA
WY




If you like interesting stock lists like this, be sure to check out many of the free stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of August

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.


TD Ameritrade AMTD 8/2/2016 2.2%
Berkshire Hills Bancorp BHLB 8/2/2016 3.0%
Sierra Bancorp BSRR 8/2/2016 2.7%
CONE Midstream Partners LP CNNX 8/2/2016 5.8%
Discover Financial Services DFS 8/2/2016 2.1%
Heritage Financial Corporation HFWA 8/2/2016 2.8%
Matson, Inc. MATX 8/2/2016 2.1%
Intel Corp INTC 8/3/2016 3.0%
Johnson Controls JCI 8/3/2016 2.5%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

10 Ways to Survive an Upcoming Catastrophe Part 2

12 More Must Have Survival Products



If you missed the article last month that I wrote called 10 Ways to Survive an Upcoming Catastrophe, you should really check it out first.

When you see the news about Brexit, the election, the economy. the candidates, the toppy stock market, the terror attacks, and the shootings, you may be a little concerned. Which is why I wrote about products you may want to stock up on, in the event you have no electricity, natural gas, heat, Internet, or water.

Since I wrote that article, I have received many suggestions of additional survival items that you may want to consider. Here they are.

1. SurvivalSPARK Emergency Magnesium Fire Starter with Compass and Whistle
This is a cool tool The whistle and compass are added bonuses.

2. Cyalume SnapLight Red Light Sticks
These are great because they last for twelve hours.

3. Emergency Survival Mylar Thermal Reflective Cold Weather Shelter Tube Tent
I mentioned the mylar thermal blanket in my previous article. But to compliment that, you should get this mylar tent.

4. Safe-T-Proof Solar, Hand-Crank Emergency Radio, Flashlight, Beacon, Cell Phone Charger The fact that this runs off both solar and hand crank is a great feature. I don't have this yet but I've heard great things about it and I plan to make this my next survival product purchase.

5. Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets
Have you ever had giardia? You don't ever want to get it, unless you enjoy spending a week in the bathroom. This will purify water, so you won't get it from spring or river water.

6. Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag
Do you think you may need to skip out quickly? Get a Bug Out bag, fully stocked. Keep it in your trunk.

BOOKS

7. 100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Guide

8. Prepper's Long-Term Survival Guide

9. Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival

FOOD

10. Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy

11. Mountain House, Raspberry Crumble

12. Mountain House Just In Case... Essential Bucket


Hopefully, you will get these survival items but won't need them. They should be considered cheap insurance.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Stock Earnings Reports for Next Week

Looking for some interesting moves in some stocks this week? Check out the companies that will be reporting earnings this week.

If earnings exceed analysts' expectations, the stocks can shoot up. If the numbers underperform, the stock can tank. Then again, occasionally, stocks don't move the way you would have expected.

Anyway, many traders use earnings plays for trading strategies. Also, option traders look for high implied volatility of stocks for for option selling strategies.

Here are many of the stocks reporting earnings this week:

Monday

ACC
APAM
BOH
CDNS
CNI
CE
CHE
CR
CRY
GILD
KMB
LVS
LUX
COL
S
TXN
WAB


Tuesday

AKAM
MMM
APC
AAPL
AVY
BAX
BP
BWLD
CAT
DD
LLY
FCX
IRBT
JBLU
KKR
MCD
PNRA
PCH
TWTR
UA
X
VZ

Wednesday

AMGN
ANGI
BA
KO
CMCSA
DPS
FB
GRMN
GD
GPRO
GRPN
MCK
NDAQ
SIX
STRA
TTEK
CAKE


Thursday

AFL
GOOG
GOOGL
AMZN
BIDU
BCC
BMY
CBS
CELG
CME
CL
COP
DOW
EXPE
HOG
LLL
POT
WWE
AUY



Friday

BUD
AON
CBOE
CVX
TEN
XRX



If you like interesting stock lists like this, be sure to check out many of the free stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

The Top Free Investing Books

If you are looking for books on investing and the stock market, that won't cost you are bull and a bear, how about some books for free? The following are books about investments and finance that are currently available for no charge as Amazon Kindle books.

Often, Amazon and/or the author make these offers for a limited time, so I would suggest that if you have an interest in any of them, you should order them now.

Day Trading: Tips & Tricks For Maximum Profit and Reduced Risk by Matthew Maybury. Rated 4.5 Stars.


925 Ideas to Help You Save Money, Get Out of Debt and Retire A Millionaire by Devin D. Thorpe. Rated 4 Stars.


BULLSH*T FREE GUIDE TO BUTTERFLY SPREADS by Gavin McMaster. Rated 4.5 Stars.


How To Buy And Sell Gold & Silver PRIVATELY by Doyle Shuler and Evan Silverton. Rated 5 Stars.


Investing For Beginners (Introduction to Investing) by David Cohne. Rated 4.5 Stars.


Stock Trading: Tips for Trading Stocks by Carl Robertts. Rated 4 Stars.


Happy reading.







Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of July

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.


Clorox Co. CLX 7/25/2016 2.3%
T.A.T. Technologies Ltd. TATT 7/25/2016 18.2%
Brookfield Canada Office Prop BOXC 7/27/2016 4.5%
NiSource NI 7/27/2016 2.5%
Signet Jewelers SIG 7/27/2016 1.1%
STAG Industrial, Inc. STAG 7/27/2016 5.8%
Student Transportation Inc STB 7/27/2016 10.8%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Exclusive Interview with Rob Hunt of the Largest Private Equity Cannabis Fund

The following fascinating interview was provided by Rob Hunt, a partner and the Lead Industry Executive at Tuatara Capital, the largest private equity fund in the cannabis industry. He also has an extensive background in cannabis business in Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine as well.

Rob  Hunt has more than 15 years of experience in the cannabis industry as an attorney, a consultant, and a serial entrepreneur. Rob is currently a Partner, and the Lead Industry Executive of Tuatara Capital.

Mr. Hunt was formerly the Chairman of the Coalition for Responsible Patient Care, based in MA, where he spearheaded the initiative to help develop and implement the fledgling medical cannabis market in the Commonwealth. He was the principal developer of cannabis.org, a website focused on changing the scheduling of cannabis away from being a schedule I drug on the Federal Government’s list of controlled substances, Rob still authors all of the written commentary on the cannabis.org Facebook page where he has an audience of close to 20,000 readers.

We cover a lot in this interview, including:
  • The California marijuana proposition
  • Why marijuana has remained illegal for so long
  • The current credit card ban on dispensaries 
  • Opinion on publicly traded cannabis stocks
  • Crowdfunding for marijuana related companies
  • Willie Nelson's brand of marijuana
  • Advice for investors interested in allocating funds to the cannabis industry
  • Advice for those who are interested in setting up a marijuana startup

The Interview

You will certainly enjoy all this great information that Rob Hunt provides.

To stream the interview, click:



You can download as an mp3 by right-clicking here and choosing "save as."

More information about Tuatara Capital can be found HERE.


Let us know what you think about this interview by entering your comments in the comment section below. You can also check out the stocks in the WallStreetNewsnetwork.com Marijuana Stock Index.

All opinions are those of Rob Hunt, and do not represent the opinions of Stockerblog.com or the interviewer. Neither Stockerblog nor the interviewer nor the interviewee are rendering tax, legal, or investment advice in this interview.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of July

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Caterpillar Inc. CAT 7/18/2016 4.1%
Graham Holdings Co GHC 7/18/2016 1.0%
Horizon Technology Finance Corp. HRZN 7/18/2016 11.8%
Lowe's LOW 7/18/2016 1.4%
Pier 1 Imports, Inc. PIR 7/18/2016 5.5%
VSE Corp VSEC 7/18/2016 0.7%
Apache Corp APA 7/20/2016 1.8%
Colgate-Palmolive CL 7/20/2016 2.1%




The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

The Latest Top Selling Books on Real Estate Investing

The Ultimate Fixer-Upper

Are you a real estate investor? Are you looking for the latest publications on real estate and property investing? Maybe you have already seen plenty of real estate book lists with books by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Donald Trump, books which came out years ago, but are still best sellers. It could be that you are looking for something new.

Here are the latest real estate investing books, which can hopefully provide you with plenty of insight in all aspects of real estate investments, whether you are a beginning investor or an experienced investor.

Using Other People's Money: How to Invest in Property
by Vicki Wusche
Have you ever dreamed of having a property portfolio that enables you to live a wealthy life, be financially free and confident about the stability of your future? Have you thought it might be too good to be true after all the changes in the market? Is it still possible - using your capital, working with family or using other people's money? This 4th edition has been rewritten to focus on the latest changes in the property market and to give you the information you need to make informed decisions about your personal investment strategy. Read up-to-date information including recent tax changes and the impact of key strategies like rentto rent, buy-to-let and HMO all the while learning new investment techniques that are adaptable to these changes and your needs. Discover how to build a better property business from the start. Using Other People's Money will help you: get to grips with the business of investing, understand which strategies work and which don't in the current market, create a better relationship with lenders and banks, understand joint venture legislation and how the changes will affect you, understand the impact of recent tax changes and help you make better investment decisions, recognise the difference between a large portfolio and financial freedom, understand the difference between refurbishing, renovating, developing and trading property. And so much more!


The Art of Real Estate in the Digital Age: Beyond Staging, Pricing and Open Houses
by Norka Parodi
Buying and selling a house can be a powerfully emotional time.  Often we face situations during the home purchase process that makes you wonder, "Has anyone else dealt with that before?"   The Art of Real Estate in the Digital Age is a real life experience for anyone from a new 20-something first time home buyer to a seasoned homeowner dealing with buying or selling their house in today's digital world.  

Critically circulated throughout this book are anecdotes of experiences that a professional is thrust into and forced to resolve. "Look, Listen, Learn" known as the 3 L's strategy take another wise simplistic approach and identify the importance of sophisticated marketing. If you want to conquer the real estate maze in the digital age, sit down, open the cover and be prepared to expand your mind.

Best Real Estate Investing Advice Ever (Volume 1)
by Joe Fairless and Theo Hicks
Here is just a fraction of what you'll learn from the Best Ever Book: 
1. How to transition from single family to multifamily properties 
2. Step-by-step approach on raising money for your deals 
3. How to creatively invest in real estate, no matter how bad your current    financial situation is 
4. Step-by-step approach for using market data to perform due diligence 
5. The most overlooked expenses by buy-and-hold and fix-and-flip investors 
6. Step-by-step blueprint for how to achieve financial independence 
7. A step-by-step process for how to successfully wholesale probate properties 
8. How lenders evaluate your loan application and what to do to get rid of it 
9. A creative financing method for newbie investors 

Invest in Real Estate: A Guide for Beginners
by Christina Sorg
Real estate is one of the most time tested of all the possible investment opportunities, having existed practically for as long as humans have built permanent structures and had a concept of land ownership. What’s more, it is one of the core types of asset that any investor, regardless if they are just starting out, or simply looking to diversify should consider adding to their portfolio. It offers unique diversification, net worth, profitability, liquidity and cash flow benefits that ensure it is practically always a reliable choice.
Understanding these basics and actively putting them to use on the regular are two very different things, however, which is why if you are interested in actively pursuing the dream of real estate investment then Millionaire Mind: Invest in Real Estate is the book for you.
Inside you will find everything you need to know
to decide if investing in real estate property, real estate investment trusts, flipping properties or wholesaling properties is the right investment choice for you to maximize your future potential. The opportunities and the potential for profit in real estate are vast, even for those who have little or no money to put down up front. If you have the smarts, you can make money in real estate.

101 Top Tips for Property Investment Success
by Nick Fox
Whether you’re looking to focus purely on HMOs, build a varied portfolio of rental properties, or employ a number of different strategies to make money from property, ‘101 TOP TIPS’ is full of useful information that will help keep you at the top of the property investment business. 
Nick Fox has spent the past decade amassing a highly profitable buy to let portfolio and continues to invest in a variety of property projects and business ventures. His tailored mentoring programmes have helped many aspiring investors realise their own potential in the property field. 


Happy Investing!

Monday, July 11, 2016

The Latest Top Selling Books on the Stock Market and Business

I have come up with a list of the NEWEST best selling books in the areas of the stock market, Wall Street,  business, and investing.

Here are the latest new books:

Day Trading: A Beginner's Guide To Day Trading - Learn The Day Trading Basics To Building Riches 
by Matthew Maybury
In this book you will learn specifically how to start and organize your daily trading activities, the different types of stock available, how to read a candlestick chart, and place different orders. We will conclude with a discussion on important “do’s and don’ts” of day trading, as well as some techniques and strategies to boost your day trading performance.

Barbarians in the Boardroom: Activist Investors & the Battle for Control of the World's Most Powerful Companies
by Owen Walker
   Activist investors have sent shockwaves through corporations in recent years, personally targeting directors and executives at some of the world’s largest companies. No longer satisfied with operating on the fringes of business, they are now a firm fixture in the boardroom. 
   Up to a quarter of public companies could be targeted by activist campaigns in the coming years, with directors and executives at those corporations threatened with losing their jobs. The trend, which began in corporate America, has spread to the UK, Europe and Asia, taking in several high profile companies.
   Barbarians in the Boardroom tells a compelling story of boardroom bust ups, dumped CEOs triumphant activists and pared back companies. It reveals real-life examples and interviews with executives and investors to explain why and how activist investors have managed to storm Wall Street and tear down City citadels. Owen Walker provides an insight into the way activists think, how they decide to target a company and how directors and executives could possibly work with them rather than against them.

Simple Stock Trading Guide
by Sunil Thakur
All the teachings, theories and techniques are universal. Lessons learned from this book can be used effectively in any chartered financial market, anywhere, anytime.

Hooked: Why cute sells...and other marketing magic that we just can't resist
by Patrick Fagan
In this insightful, engaging and entertaining book, you will learn the amazing secrets of effective communication gleamed in recent years from neuroscience and behavioral economics. You’ll discover 8 simple rules that you can effectively, simply apply to your business and work so your messages are never ignored.

Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow
by Steve Lehto and Jay Leno
   After World War II, the American automobile industry was reeling. Having spent years building tanks and airplanes for the army, the car companies would need years more to retool their production to meet the demands of the American public, for whom they had not made any cars since 1942. 
   And then in stepped Preston Tucker. This salesman extraordinaire from Ypsilanti, Michigan, had built race cars before the war, and had designed prototypes for the military during it. Now, gathering a group of brilliant automotive designers, engineers, and promoters, he announced the creation of a revolutionary new car: the Tucker '48, the first car in almost a decade to be built fresh from the ground up. Tucker's car would include ingenious advances in design and engineering that other car companies could not match. With a rear engine, rear-wheel drive, a safety-glass windshielf that would pop out in case of an accident, a padded dashboard, independent suspension, and automatic transmission, it would be more attractive and aerodynamic—and safer—than any other car on the road. 
   But as the public eagerly awaited Tucker's car of tomorrow, powerful forces in Washington were trying to bring him down. An SEC commissioner with close ties to Detroit's Big Three automakers deliberately leaked information about an investigation the agency was conducting, suggesting that Tucker was bilking investors with a massive fraud scheme. Headlines accused him a perpetrating a hoax and claimed that his cars weren't real and his factory was a sham. 
   In fact, the Tucker '48 sedan was genuine, and everyone who saw it was impressed by what this upstart carmaker had achieved. But the SEC's investigation had compounded the company's financial problems and management conflicts, and a superior product was not enough to keep Tucker's dream afloat. 
   Here, Steve Lehto tackles the story of Tucker's amazing rise and tragic fall, relying on a huge trove of documents that has been used by no other writer to date. It is the first comprehensive, authoritative account of Tucker's magnificent car and his battles with the government. And in this book, Lehto finally answers the questions automobile aficionados have wondered about for decades: Exactly how and why was the production of such an innovative car killed?

Show Me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication
by Chris Roush
Show Me the Money is the definitive business journalism textbook that offers hands-on advice and insights into the job of a business journalist. Chris Roush draws on his experience as both a business journalist and educator to explain how to cover businesses, industry and the economy, as well as where to find sources of information for stories and how to take financial information and make it work for a story.

Wall Street Smarts: A Guide to Finding Your Inner Investor
by Miles Goodwin
In the dizzying world of investment opportunities, finding a successful personal strategy is a daunting task. But the more you can understand yourself, the better chance you will have finding something that works for you.
Divided into twelve easy-to-understand chapters, this remarkable resource compiles the best information from these books and breaks down a host of investment fundamentals and strategies, providing a comprehensive look at the various concepts you need to understand to be successful.
So if you want to learn more about investing and how to handle your money yourself, crack open this book, dive in, and discover what works best for you! If you have never discussed finances and Wall Street with your children, this book is a great starting point.

Success in the Stock Market: Using the power of the Internet
by Dermod Sweeney
‘A private investor, typically operating alone, will inevitably face unfamiliar challenges in devising, implementing and refining their investment strategy. In the financial market jungle, a seasoned guide can help to eliminate naïve errors and map alternative routes to a desired investment goal. “Success in the Stock Market” is such a guide, comprehensive in its content, yet transparent and accessible in style, the book provides a route map from the fundamental underpinnings of stock markets, building logically through funds, futures and share selection to disciplined portfolio management. Even a sophisticated operator will benefit from Dermod Sweeney’s extensive experience as a successful private investor.’  

Stock markets around the world are involved with staggering amounts of money – around US$70tn – and so they attract the attentions of a great many clever and ambitious people. Combine this with the vagaries of geopolitics and the often rapidly changing fortunes of companies – resulting in severe volatility – and the stock market becomes a frightening place for many people. Share price movements of 30% or more in one day are not unusual. However, a good understanding of how markets behave and how to manage your investment risk should enable you to succeed as an investor.  

Stock markets have lost more than half their value twice in the last 20 years – in 2001 and in 2008 – so it is not surprising that the number of retail investors participating in the markets has declined substantially. Could the markets lose half their value again? It’s unlikely but certainly not impossible. Important lessons are drawn from these crashes. 

The Internet has now empowered retail investors like never before. They can buy and sell shares cheaply online, supported by virtually unlimited and easily accessible information on companies and the environments in which they operate. Numerous informative websites are cited – providing investor tools, advice, and information flows which are invaluable if you know how to filter and interpret them. 

Hope you find a couple of these books of interest. Happy reading!!!

Saturday, July 09, 2016

Over 30 Virtual Reality Stocks - Which are the Purest Plays?

Virtual reality is the creation of an artificial environment that looks very realistic, through the use of computer technology. Virtual reality, or VR as it is commonly referred to, is one of the fastest growing industries in the areas of electronic gaming, entertainment, medical services, and military applications.

The key product utilized in the VR world is the headset, originally prohibitively expensive, but currently dropping in price. As a matter of fact, you can buy a D-scope Pro Google Cardboard 3D Virtual Reality Kit for less than $20.

Historically, one might consider the stereoscope as the first step towards virtual reality. It was invented in the 1800's and consisted of a viewer which allowed the left and right eyes to view two separate but identical pictures, giving a three dimensional effect.

The more modern version is the View-Master, created in 1939, which gave the users the same effect but gave the ability to click through a series of pictures.

Of course, Oculus is considered to be one of the largest virtual reality technology companies, with its popular Oculus Rift, a virtual reality head-mounted display for video gaming. Mark Zuckerberg saw the writing on the wall and Facebook ended up paying $2 billion for the company in 2014.

Many other companies are involved in virtual reality and augmented reality, such as Adobe (ADBE), Alphabet/Google (GOOGL), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), and Sony (SNE), but it is currently only a small part of their business. A list of over 30 virtual reality and augmented reality stocks can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

However, although there are no truly pure plays, there are a few smaller companies where the VR business can bring a substantial amount of money to their bottom line.

One example is Immersion (IMMR) which is working on force feedback for virtual reality. Force feedback, also called haptic technology and kinesthetic communication, is the creation of the sense of touch to the user, through the use of vibrations or motions.

Immersion is one of the leaders in haptic technology. The stock has a nosebleed high trailing price to earnings ratio of 901, but a more reasonable forward P/E of 26. The company is debt free and has $2.11 in cash per share.

Kopin (KOPN) develops, makes, and markets virtual and augmented reality gaming, training and simulation products. The company is currently generating negative earnings but is debt free with $1.42 in cash per share.

Microvision (MVIS) makes PicoP scanning technology for three-dimensional sensing and image capture. This company, like Kopin, also generates negative earnings, but is also debt free. It has 22 cents in cash per share. On the positive side, Macrovision's quarterly revenues jumped 311% year over year.

These three companies are small cap, and should therefore be considered very speculative. Many other VR stocks can be found at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Hopefully a virtual reality stock will make your profits a reality.

By Stockerblog.com

Disclosure: Author owned AAPL and MSFT at the time the article was written.





Modern picture courtesy of Pixabay.

Friday, July 08, 2016

Next Week's Corporate Stock Earnings Reports

Looking for some interesting moves in some stocks this week? Check out the companies that will be reporting earnings this week.

If earnings exceed analysts' expectations, the stocks can shoot up. If the numbers underperform, the stock can tank. Then again, occasionally, stocks don't move the way you would have expected.

Anyway, many traders use earnings plays for trading strategies. Also, option traders look for high implied volatility of stocks for for option selling strategies.

Here are many of the stocks reporting earnings this week:

Monday

AA
OZRK
VOXX

Tuesday

AIR
ADTN
FAST
GMS

Wednesday

ANGO
CBSH
CSX
DRW
SAR
YUM

Thursday

BLK
DAL
FRC
JPM
PGR
REGN


Friday

C
SJR
USB
WFC



If you like interesting stock lists like this, be sure to check out many of the free stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.