The Top Short Squeeze Stocks in Biotechnology

The biotechnology industry has some of the most volatile stocks, which may be one reason that stock traders like to trade them.

A trading strategy that has become popular is buying short squeeze stocks, the stocks that are heavily shorted but could move up quickly on any good news due to short sellers scrambling to buy in their positions.

When you short a stock, it means that you expect to make money from a drop in the price of a stock. Technically what happens is that you borrow shares of a stock, sell those shares, then buy back those shares at a hopefully lower price so that those shares can be returned. Of course, this all happens electronically, you don’t actually see all the borrowing and returning of shares; it just shows up on your computer screen as a negative number of shares.

Short sellers can make a lot of money, but sometimes when the stock moves against them, the stock starts to move up, and the short sellers jump in at once to buy shares to cover their position. This is called a short squeeze. When a short squeeze takes place, it can cause the stock to rise fast and hard. Any type of positive news can trigger the short squeeze.

So other traders take advantage of this situation buy looking for stocks to buy that may have a potential short squeeze. Here is what they look for:

• Short Percentage of Float ~ The float is the number of freely tradable shares and the short percentage is the number of shares held short divided by the float. Amounts over 10% to 20% are considered high, and potential short squeeze plays.
• Short Ratio / Days to Cover / Short Interest Ratio -This is probably the most important metric when looking for short squeeze trades, no matter what you call it. This is the number of days it would take the short sellers to cover their position based on the average daily volume of shares traded. This is a significant ratio as it shows how “stuck” the short sellers are when they want to buy in their shares without driving up the price too much. Unfortunately for the shortsellers, the longer the number of days to cover, the bigger and longer the squeeze.
• Short Percentage Increase ~ This is the percentage increase in in the number of short sellers from the previous month.

Here are some stocks that are heavily shorted that may warrant a closer look. Remember that some stocks are heavily shorted for a reason.

Insys Therapeutics (INSY) has 68% of the float shorted, and a short interest ratio, also known as days to cover, of 14.5. This means that based on the current average daily volume, it would take almost 15 days for short sellers to cover their positions.

Egalet Corp (EGLT) has 64% of the float shorted, with a days to cover ratio of 9.5.

Heron Therapeutics (HRTX) has a short interest ratio of 12.8 and 55% of the float shorted.

Lannett Company (LCI) has 45% of the float shorted, with a short interest ratio of 10.1.

TherapeuticsMD (TXMD) has 39% of the float shorted, with a short interest ratio of 31.9.

Eagle Pharmaceuticals (EGRX) has 42.5%of the float shorted, with a short interest ratio of 11.3. This company also has a very low float and very low number of shares outstanding.

With any luck, you may be able to make a short term profit on short squeeze stocks.

Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written.

Stocks Going Ex-Dividend for the First Week of March

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, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF)	3/1/2017	0.2	6.90%
Bank of America Corporation (BAC)	3/1/2017	0.075	1.22%
Baxter International Inc. (BAX)	3/1/2017	0.13	1.03%
Barclays PLC (BCS)	3/1/2017	0.097	3.28%
CBOE Holdings, Inc. (CBOE)	3/1/2017	0.25	1.25%
Pepsico, Inc. (PEP)	3/1/2017	0.752	2.75%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.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 WStNN.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.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of February

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, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Ball Corporation (BLL)	2/27/2017	0.13	0.71%
Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR)	2/27/2017	0.1	1.05%
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT)	2/27/2017	1.82	2.55%
McKesson Corporation (MCK)	2/27/2017	0.28	0.74%
QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM)	2/27/2017	0.53	3.65%
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) (GS)	2/28/2017	0.65	1.03%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.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 WStNN.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.

The Stocks that Warren Buffett has been Buying

Warren Buffett, the Chairman & CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA), is probably the most well known investor in the world. Many investors like to piggyback off of his investments, in order to match his great returns.

Well, it's that time of year when Berkshire Hathaway reports its holdings on Form 13F to the Securities & Exchange Commission. The company filed its form today, dated February 14, 2017.

The most interesting part of the filing are the stocks that Buffett has added to the Berkshire portfolio.

First, one of his new positions is Southwest Airlines (LUV), acquiring 43,195,053 shares.

Buffett also added to his positions in other airlines, such as Delta Air Lines (DAL), increasing the position almost ten fold  from 6,333,923 to 60,025,995.

Another airline he likes is United Continental (UAL) where holdings have gone up by 24,418,340 shares, from 4,533,013 to 28,951,353.

In the tech area, Buffett likes Apple (AAPL). The Berkshire holdings went up from 15,227,702 shares to 57,359,652 shares.

Holdings also rose in American Express (AXP) and Bank of New York (BK).

You have to admit that Warren Buffett has an outstanding track record. Following in his footsteps may be a strategy worth considering.

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL.

Valentine’s Day Stock Portfolio

Valentine's Day is today. I hope you didn't forget. Several stocks may benefit from this day of love, including those in the business of flowers, chocolate, jewelry, greeting cards, and gift wrap. 

 If you don't have time to pick them up yourself, you can order flowers from 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (FLWS). The comany is the largest publicly traded company of flowers, plus sells cookies, cakes, candy, wines, gift baskets, and other gifts for your valentine. The stock trades at 20.1 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up a little over 1% on a year-over-year basis.

All valentines enjoy the gift of chocolate. The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. (RMCF), based in Durango, Colorado creates and sells various types of chocolate candy including caramels, creams, mints, and truffles. The company was founded in 1981, has over 300 franchise locations. The forward price to earnings ratio is 11.4. Rocky Mountain pays a very generous dividend yield of 4.38%. What valentine doesn't like jewelry. 

Tiffany (TIF), founded in 1837, is one of the top jewelry companies in the world, with more than 60 U.S. stores and numerous international locations. Something like a Platinum Pear Cut Emerald And Round Diamond Pendant would make a nice gift (price is only $120,443). The stock trades at 19.1 times forward earnings. This stock also pays a dividend, with a yield of 2.11%.

CSS Industries Inc. (CSS) markets gift wrap, gift bags, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, tissue paper, decorations, and decorative ribbons and bows. The stock trades at 11.9 times forward earnings, and pays a favorable yield of 3.17%.

For more stocks that could increase sales from the Valentine experience, such as candy and chocolate stocks, check out the free lists here at WSTNN.com. The lists can be downloaded, sorted, and updated. 

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

 By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of February

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, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Cabot Corporation (CBT)	2/22/2017	0.30	1.94%
Carnival Corporation (CCL)	2/22/2017	0.35	2.39%
Carnival Corporation (CUK)	2/22/2017	0.35	2.39%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)	2/24/2017	0.80	2.72%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.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 WStNN.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.

The Latest Top Selling Real Estate Books

With a bullish run of over eight years in the stock market, you may have been taking profits and looking for other investments to diversify your portfolio, such as real estate.  Or maybe you already invest in real estate, and want to avoid pitfalls Have you ever wanted to try flipping homes and didn’t know how to begin? Here are some recent top selling books on real estate investing, broken down by category. Happy reading!

Flipping

The Book on Flipping Houses: How to Buy, Rehab, and Resell Residential Properties 

FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit

The Complete Guide to Flipping Properties

Forclosures

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Buying Foreclosures, 2nd Edition

Buy & Rent Foreclosures: 3 Million Net Worth, 22,000 Net Per Month, In 7 Years…You can too!

Foreclosure Investing For Dummies Buying Real Estate Foreclosures

Rental Properties & Property Management

The Complete Guide to Investing in Rental Properties

The Effective Landlord: How Owners and Property Managers Can Attract Better Tenants, Raise Rents, and Boost Their Bottom Line in Any Market

Real Estate Investing Jump Start

Rental Property Millionaire: Comprehensive Beginner’s Guide for Newbies

The Real Estate Rookie’s Guide to Property Investment

Magic Mirror Investing: Your Complete Guide to Property Management

Real Estate Investing: Own, Rent and Time Well Spent: How To Create Passive Income From Property Investment

Short Sale Investing

Short-Sale Pre-Foreclosure Investing: How to Buy “No-Equity” Properties Directly from the Bank — at Huge Discounts

Cashing in on Pre-foreclosures and Short Sales: A Real Estate Investor’s Guide to Making a Fortune Even in a Down Market

Negotiation

Finding the Uncommon Deal: A Top New York Lawyer Explains How to Buy a Home For the Lowest Possible Price

Real Estate Taxation

Practical Guide to Real Estate Taxation, 2017

Hotel Investing

Hotels and Resorts: An investor’s guide

Top Untaxed Foreign Earnings Stocks

The United States has one of the highest tax rates in the world for corporations. In the past, the U.S. Government might have thought that this was a great source of income for the government, yet the risk of unintended consequences has taken place.

Companies that have earnings in other countries have decided to leave those earnings there in order to avoid the U.S. taxation, creating what is called untaxed foreign earnings. If the money is brought back to the United States, it becomes taxable at 35%. Over one third of the income is a pretty big chunk of money to be removed from the corporate coffers.

So what are the unintended consequences? Companies that are forced to leave their profits overseas due to the oppressive taxation, can’t use that money to hire more Americans, can’t use it to improve machinery and plants, and can’t use it to pay out higher dividends which could benefit income investors and pension plans. It also can’t be used to buy out smaller companies. Basically, it prevents money from flooding the US economy.

The current administration has proposed a 10% tax on repatriated funds, which would be a huge benefit to many corporations, primarily in the areas of technology and health care.

So there may be a play in some of the stocks that are holding huge amounts of money in other countries. For example, Apple (AAPL) holds more money outside the U.S. than any other publicly traded company, somewhere around $200 billion (give or take $25 billion; when you’re talking about that much money, who’s counting).

Other companies with a lot of funds held overseas include:

Alphabet [Google] (GOOG)

Cisco (CSCO)

General Electric (GE)

IBM (IBM)

Intel (INTC)

Microsoft (MSFT)

Oracle (ORCL)

Pfizer (PFE)

It may be a while before the untaxed foreign earnings tax break takes place, but when it does, the benefits to the companies should be swift.

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL and MSFT

Trading in the Zone

If you are a stock trader, either a day trader or a swing trader, and you are not as successful as you would like to be, or maybe you have been unsuccessful, you need to read the book Trading in the Zone: Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline and a Winning Attitude by Mark Douglas.

The book is not about looking at stock fundamentals, and its not about looking at technical analysis. It is about looking at yourself and why you make the decisions you do when trading, and how to overcome the trading mistakes you have made in the past.

The author discusses the techniques and strategies you can do to think in terms of probabilities, understand risks, and achieve a winners mindset.

So if you have had trouble with your trading abilities, then I highly recommend that you read Trading in the Zone.

Complexity in Taxation and Other Regulations for Cross-Border Professionals

Guest article by Andrew Fisher, Chief Investment Officer and a Senior Client Advisor of Maxim Global Wealth Advisors 
Excerpt from The Cross-Border Family Wealth Guide

Most cross-border professionals are quite surprised when they learn about the many financial requirements that go hand-in-hand with residing in the United States. Becoming a U.S. tax resident brings with it a great deal of potential complexity, both with regard to U.S. tax laws as well as other allied rules and regulations affecting things like moving funds from one country to another, opening accounts in more than one country, investing, business ownership requirements, and retirement planning. The U.S. system, then, is generally more complex both with regard to its tax code (many European countries have at taxes or tax codes that are much simpler than the U.S. code) and the many other rules, regulations, and requirements that the United States imposes. For those cross-border professionals and globally mobile families with the most interest in wealth planning—which involves not only taxation and tax minimization strategies, but also questions of investment structure, asset allocation, savings and retirement plans, currencies, and so on—it can be a truly daunting task.

Likewise, for U.S. citizens living abroad, the long reach of the U.S. tax system complicates things— a U.S. citizen living abroad is treated for tax purposes nearly identically with a permanent resident alien living abroad—but for a number of reasons, this has not troubled too many people or been seen as much of an issue. Why not? Well, first, many U.S. citizens abroad haven’t been aware of their requirement to file. Upon becoming aware of the requirements, such individuals generally must seek professional tax assistance and come to an arrangement with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for missed taxes. Second, many U.S. citizens living abroad are doing so because they are working in Western Europe, and most countries there have substantially higher tax rates than the United States has, which means that by the time a tax credit offset is given, they likely do not owe any U.S. taxes.

Consider, for example, a software coder from California who has moved to Germany indefinitely and is aware of his need to file with the IRS (since he is still a U.S. citizen). To begin with, in most cases he won’t have to file a California state tax return. This is because, like most states, California bases its taxation on a person’s intent and residency, and allows you to break residency should you move to another U.S. state or internationally. Now, without California tax in the picture, this software coder might be subject to a top U.S. tax rate of 28 percent (after applying the foreign income exclusion), but he will first be paying approximately 45 percent in tax and various withholdings on his earnings in Germany (since he physically resides there, Germany gets to go first). With the tax credit he gets for what he paid in Germany, he is likely to end up owing no additional U.S. taxes.

Scarcity of Professional Help and Information

In addition to the lack of uniformity and the significant complexity, there is a third unique challenge: the lack of—the scarcity of—readily available help and easily accessible information. While those who are ultra-affluent can afford to put together a specialized team consisting of accountants, attorneys, and other professionals, most successful educated families and themselves facing a lack of good information and guidance. With so many unknowns and so many unclear (and shifting!) rules and regulations, it can be difficult for such families to gain a clear sense of their financial situation, to clarify their goals for the future, and to make sure that what they’re currently doing is aligned with and optimized for achieving those long-term goals.

Unfortunately, not only are there very few resources like the book you are now holding, but there are also very few places that a cross-border professional can turn to for help with even relatively simple problems. Not only do well-known financial and brokerage firms fail to make comprehensive service offerings available for cross-border families, in most cases they actively prohibit their advisors from giving cross-border tax, financial, and retirement planning advice.

There are, simply, very few if any good sources of information available. If you are British and walk into a U.S. brokerage firm and explain that you have been with Intel for 15 years and now are retiring back to the United Kingdom and that you merely need someone to help you make sense of it all, especially what to do with your 401(k) that is worth a few hundred thousand dollars—you will in all likelihood be told that you can’t be helped. This is mainly because the complexity of what is involved is beyond the ordinary capabilities of the financial advisors involved, and the companies they work for do not want to risk giving bad advice and being liable for that advice.

Similarly, for the most part, foreign investment firms and banks will not give advice to, assist, or otherwise get involved with a U.S. citizen living abroad who has questions or problems. The world may be becoming increasingly mobile, but knowledge about what to do with cross-border financial planning has not yet become so. There’s simply too much red tape, too much complexity, and too much potential liability, not to mention the additional potential difficulties that can arise from language, translation, and assorted cultural issues.

Excerpted with permission of the publisher, Wiley, from The Cross-Border Family Wealth Guide: Advice on Taxes, Investing, Real Estate, and Retirement for Global Families in the U.S. and Abroad by Andrew Fisher. 

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of February

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, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Amgen Inc. (AMGN)	2/13/2021	1.15	2.40%
Consolidated Edison Inc (ED)	2/13/2024	0.69	3.60%
International Paper Company (IP)	2/13/2029	0.463	3.42%
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY)	2/13/2033	0.52	2.63%
Schlumberger N.V. (SLB)	2/13/2041	0.50	2.47%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.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 WStNN.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.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of February

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, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Hexcel Corporation (HXL)	2/6/2026	0.11	0.85%
Sonic Corp. (SONC)	2/6/2031	0.14	1.87%
Xilinx, Inc. (XLNX)	2/6/2035	0.33	2.24%
Brink’s Company (BCO)	2/7/2017	0.1	0.93%
Discover Financial Services (DFS)	2/7/2020	0.3	1.70%
Starbucks Corporation (SBUX)	2/7/2029	0.25	1.58%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.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 WStNN.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.