The Federal Reserve did not make any changes to interest rates after its July Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on Wednesday, holding the federal funds rate in the 5.25% – 5.50% range — where it has been since last July. It came as little surprise, as most economists and analysts targeted the September FOMC meeting, at the earliest, as…
As the Mag-7 sells off in a multi-wave decline to the downside, fear is spiking in the markets. Is this the time to get into positions or to sit on the sidelines? Highlights include: Mag-7 stock chart: is there a rhyme or reason for the recent momentum shifts? S&P500 and the Nasdaq: will they find support and start to grind…
In today’s digital age, the urgency to beef up cybersecurity has never been greater. With the global cybersecurity market set to hit $208.8 billion this year, companies are investing heavily to combat rising threats. As attacks become increasingly frequent and costly, businesses can’t afford to skimp on protection. Just recently, the importance of cybersecurity was brought into sharp focus when a…
Artificial intelligence (AI) is inextricably connected to big data, involving computers performing unimaginably fast calculations on astronomically large volumes of data. But big data also opens the door to greater possibilities for something going wrong, such as privacy breaches and hacking. The rising incidence of hacking, cybercrime and industrial espionage is creating robust demand for corporate security. It’s the sort…
The stock market tacked on 26% across all of last year, and as the S&P 500 has tacked on 13.2% from January through late July, it appears Wall Street could rival those gains again in 2024. Thanks to this sustained optimism, “risk-on” stocks have been at the top of the heap in the current bull market environment. These investments tend…
Which dividend is most likely to be hiked? Usually, the brand-new payout. Chief Financial Officers are a conservative bunch. A CFO will only agree to pay a dividend if they know they can: Make the payment comfortably. Hike the dividend repeatedly for years to come—with said comfort. We have five newly initiated dividends that are generous. Let’s sort through the payout…
The easiest way to build wealth is to find great companies, hold them for years, and let them grow over time. The consumer goods sector is one of my favorite spots to find such companies. Their pricing power, consumer-facing products, and recognizable brands make consumer goods companies a fit for just about anyone. But stocks aren’t created equally; that’s why…
I continually encourage interaction with readers. Among the most common sources of consternation expressed by retirement savers is the 401k “rollover.” Today, I want to step back from the daily hurly-burly of the markets to address this universal theme. Here is a compendium of frequently asked questions regarding this important retirement investing topic, along with my answers. This post appeared…
As the markets trade near all-time highs, I expect significant volatility in the coming months. While it’s important to have growth stocks in the portfolio, I would prefer to remain overweight on quality stocks representing good fundamentals in the coming quarters. In line with this view, this column discusses seven undervalued stocks that also offer a dividend yield of over 7%. In my view,…
The pharmaceutical market has been growing steadily in recent years, mainly due to the advancement of efficient and sophisticated technologies. Given this backdrop, it could be wise to consider the following fundamentally strong pharma stocks with strong pipelines. The growing prevalence of chronic diseases, the expanding elderly population, rising healthcare spending by government organizations worldwide, and significant efforts to enhance…