Key Takeaways Withdrawing guidance may have lost its stigma amid the coronavirus pandemic Fundamental due diligence can help you fill the guidance gap When it comes to company earnings guidance, no news used to be bad news. Back in the B.C. (before coronavirus) days, a company suspending or withdrawing guidance often got punished by the […]

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Key Takeaways Social trading can be an informative way to invest, as long as you approach it with caution Know when consensus in opinion among forum participants starts resembling herd mentality Understand there isn’t always safety, let alone wisdom, in numbers In late January, we saw some quiet and underperforming stocks unexpectedly rise in value […]

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Key Takeaways Understand what buy, sell, and hold analyst ratings mean  Know how to read analyst ratings and translate them into something meaningful Tools that can help investors analyze the big picture in depth and breadth may be more useful than standard stock ratings When analysts rate a stock as a “buy” or “sell,” that’s […]

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Key Takeaways Publicly traded companies are required to regularly report financial information in filings to the SEC SEC filings are freely available and can provide investors with valuable insights into a company’s financial health The 10-K, one of the most impactful SEC filings, includes a few critical sections investors should study Publicly traded companies, whatever […]

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Key Takeaways WTI and Brent crude, both light and sweet, are considered global crude oil benchmarks WTI is extracted from the United States, primarily in Texas, Louisiana, and North Dakota; Brent is extracted from the North Sea Understand the unique characteristics of each benchmark and how they respond to different geopolitical, local, and economic forces […]

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Key Takeaways Cord-cutting was already a trend; the coronavirus pandemic gave it new legs Netflix is still king, but competitors are making big plans to dethrone it A warning to investors: COVID-19 fatigue and binge-watching are now creating “subscription fatigue” Binge-watching TV has never had such a moment. The coronavirus pandemic has done much—and continues—to […]

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Key Takeaways The Federal Reserve’s fiscal policy and low interest rates are likely to stay in place for some time The central bank’s dual mandate is to keep inflation intact and achieve maximum full employment Although sometimes cryptic, the Fed does communicate its policy intentions  “Don’t fight the Fed.” It’s an old adage made popular […]

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Key Takeaways Buying silver outright gives investors the most direct exposure to investing in this precious metal Generally, silver is cheaper and more volatile relative to gold When thinking of investing in precious metals, gold may be the first thing that comes to mind. Although silver sometimes gets hidden behind gold’s shine, that doesn’t necessarily […]

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Key Takeaways Historically noncorrelated asset classes can become correlated during times of market stress There are several ways to create an extra layer of diversification Alternative diversification solutions can be ultra-complex, expensive, risky, and not fully accessible to all investors   You’ve followed all the rules in the proverbial diversification playbook. Your stock and bond picks […]

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Key Takeaways Commodity ETFs are designed to track the movement of oil, gold, grains, livestock, and other commodities  Some commodity funds are ETFs and some are ETNs; some invest in physical products, while others use futures contracts If a commodity ETF uses futures contracts, contango and “roll yield” can affect fund performance Bullish on gold? […]

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