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“Consumer sentiment is usually an important indicator for the U.S. economy. More than two-thirds of this country’s GDP comes from consumer spending. Traditionally, when consumers are unhappy, retailers are unhappy. That is, until this year. Times are still uncertain. The economy is still fragile. And while I don’t normally think...

Home Depot and Lowe’s are on seemingly flat footing in the home improvement store hierarchy. But HD stock is far superior to LOW stock. Here’s why.

Barron’s forecasts NFLX stock could fall 50% by 2020. Here’s why you shouldn’t invest based on such sensationalist headlines.

One of the big stories this week was that the U.S. Treasury Department announced new rules that would limit companies’ ability to participate in inversions. The new rules put the Pfizer (PFE) and Allergen (AGN) merger in peril. And I took an interest in this because I had an open position in PFE, owning call options (a bullish position) since January.

Oil and the stock market are moving in tandem now. But as these two charts show, that’s rarely been the case.

The most important arena is rescheduling, but marijuana stocks are poised to benefit from progress toward legalization around the world. These are the four “fronts” I’m watching closely.

A company’s share price doesn’t always accurately reflect the value of the company, and right now, an entire subsector is being historically undervalued by the market.

There are two dominant themes favoring defensive stocks these days, and these turnaround stocks offer an angle on each.

Today’s recommendation is another company tapping into the explosive growth in genomic testing. It makes diagnostic tests, which pits it against larger rivals like Illumina (ILMN) and Gardant Health (GH). But this small company plays in three very specific markets where its next-gen products are emerging as market leaders. And new collaborations with the likes of Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) and Loxo Oncology, now part of Eli Lilly (LLY), are further evidence that it’s on the right path. All the details are inside. Enjoy, and Happy 4th of July!

The beauty of dividends is that cash keeps rolling in no matter how bad the market stinks.

The market has rebounded off the lows of June, for now. There is a window where investors can focus on earnings. The bad 9.1% inflation number came out last week and the Fed appears to have tipped its hand on a 0.75% rate hike later this month. That’s an improvement form speculation of a 1.0% hike after the inflation report.

This is a big week in the market. Investors are grappling with the fallout from the banking crisis and the Fed meeting later this week.


The failure of two banks last week also turns a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of smaller regional banks. The situation so far has not caused major reverberations in the market, as the government backstopped the fallout so far. But the situation might not be over. There could be more bank failures and ugly days for the market ahead.

Stocks are bracing for the January inflation report, which comes out today. The number could determine the next thrust of the market.

It’s been a good year so far for stocks, despite the slight pullback last week, as investors embrace the notion of falling inflation and a Fed that will finish raising interest rates around midyear. But a bad inflation report could put the kibosh on that optimism and send stocks reeling.

Today’s note includes earnings updates, ratings changes, the podcast and the Catalyst Report.

My issue last week about the U.S. Postal Service’s monopoly and universal service obligation turned out to be unexpectedly timely; the Postmaster General gave an interview about the Post Office’s budget problems just a few days later. The interview was published in USA Today on July 20 and was followed...

The widening income disparity and its impact on the stock market warrant serious consideration of the idea of a guaranteed basic income.

Gold and precious metals expert Clif Droke, chief analyst of Sector Xpress Gold & Metals Advisor, explains why you need to have exposure to gold in your portfolio.