Institutional investors are still buying earnings safety and predictability in an otherwise slow-growth environment. In any market, good businesses stand out both in terms of operational growth at a faster rate than the general economy and good share price performance. The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW) and Alliance Data Systems…
In any market, there are good businesses with operating dynamics that exceed the normal cyclical nature of economic activity. They are often non-brand-name enterprises, the kind of companies that might fall under the category of “special situations.” They are the kind of businesses that institutional investors hold without…
With the broader stock market gyrating based on expectations of the Federal Reserve’s possible interest rate increase, the NASDAQ Biotechnology index and Russell 2000 are still holding up near their highs. A closer look at the current market dynamics suggests rising interest rates won’t be the cause of…
It looks like large-cap technology stocks, especially those related to online businesses, are experiencing a slowing down of what’s traditionally been some very solid growth. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), Netflix, Inc. (NFLX), LinkedIn Corporation (LNKD), and Groupon, Inc. (GRPN) have all been under pressure. Many pure-play online businesses are…
According to the Investment Company Institute, assets in institutional money market funds increased $17.19 billion to $1.69 trillion for the week ended on September 24, 2014. This was the biggest weekly increase in these money market funds in the last five months. (Source: Investment Company Institute web site,…
Despite the choppy trading action before the end of the third quarter, a lot of the market’s best stocks are still ticking higher. And the positive trading action remains especially prevalent with large-caps and dividend-paying blue chips. Big investors want earnings reliability and dividend income in a slow-growth…
Large-cap technology stocks, particularly old-school names, have really been on the rise, though they remain an untold story this year. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is on a major upward price trend and is getting close to its all-time record-high set during the technology bubble of 1999. The company’s stock…
So long as transportation stocks are ticking higher, the stock market is much less susceptible to a price retrenchment. The Dow Jones Transportation Average just blew past 8,500, recently hitting a new record-high after taking a well-deserved break around mid-July and August. Airline stocks led the index’s recent…
Top wealth creators don’t have to be the fastest-growing companies. In an environment where institutional investors are buying earnings safety and dividend income, consistency and reliability are top financial attributes. And there actually aren’t a lot of companies able to provide consistency in business growth, especially among mature…