Daily Posts Archive

Amid this relentlessly sideways market, fast food stocks have been a surprising outlier. Here’s why that outperformance shouldn’t be a surprise.

That constant tug-of-war between the bulls and the bears has been a recurring theme of late. And the back-and-forth market direction has reached historic levels.

I often write that “XYZ stock is showing a good set-up” or “is set-up nicely.” What exactly do I mean? That’s a question I’ve gotten a few times during the past couple of weeks, so I thought I’d add some color to it here.

Bull risk reversals are the trade of choice for hedge funds that want to put on huge bullish positions these days. However, the trades are extremely bullish, and if the trade goes wrong, it can go bad in a big way.

The shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is well under way and will accelerate as automobiles using these new energy sources become more competitively priced and more convenient to use—which will bring some creative destruction to the energy industry. (Most people don’t see it coming yet, but that’s typical when it comes to long-entrenched technologies.)

I’m a big fan of moderation. I drive fast during my commute to Cabot, but I never want to be the fastest car on the highway. I like to watch television, but my family makes do with a 32-inch screen. And while I certainly like to eat and drink, I avoid restaurants with unlimited buffets; I can’t eat all I can eat. But today, what I really want to write about is the path of moderation in growth investing.

Mike Cintolo remains relatively neutral while the market continues to chop sideways, but a couple of factors are making him more optimistic.

While I don’t like putting on bullish positions in the hours, or even days, after such a dramatic selloff, there are many ways you can take advantage of this volatility using options.

KPMG LLP analyzed the technology sector deals and forecasts that mobile, data and analytics, security, and “the cloud” will be the primary focus of M&A deals this year. Upon review of the stocks we’ve recently been recommending in the Digests, I heartily agree with this assessment. And one area that has whetted the appetite of both private equity and public company acquirers is fintech.

For most Americans, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer. Millions of families will cook out on the grill, drink beer and watch the Indianapolis 500. In the south, they’ll swim, and in the north, they’ll wish they could. At the same time, Memorial Day provides an opportunity—even if just for a moment—to remember those who gave their lives for our great country.