ALERT: Adding Market Crash ‘Protection,’ Removing MSFT, BKNG

Image source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  ALERT: Adding Market Crash ‘Protection,’ Removing MSFT, BKNG — Changes to newsletter portfolios — We’re adding out-of-the-money put options to both the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. — We’re removing Microsoft from the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. — We’re removing Booking Holdings from the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. — By Brian Nelson, CFA — We’re making some moves in the newsletter portfolios today.  — The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA) is currently indicated down 900+ points in pre-market trading during the session Monday, February 24. We laid out a thesis where the US markets could experience a “crash,” and we encourage you to read that take here, “Is a … Read more

Is a Stock Market Crash Coming? — Coronavirus Update and P/E Ratios

Image Source: World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Situation Report — 32 We don’t think this is the environment to put new capital to work, and we remain highly cautious of what COVID-19 means for global economic growth not just in the first quarter of 2020 but for the rest of this year (maybe longer). Right now, the US markets are not really factoring in anything related to COVID-19, and perhaps may be adjusting to China’s stimulus in artificially propping up the markets as if the outbreak is somehow a “positive thing.” With the S&P 500 trading at 19.0 forward earnings estimates–estimates that are likely too high given the evidence we are seeing with respect to a slowdown due … Read more

Resetting Your Mental Model

Image Source: affen ajlfe A version of this article was originally published on our website October 6, 2013. Having the right mental model and using the right information can be the reason why you win or lose in investing. “What is the definition of timeliness? Many believe it is getting information to investors as quickly as possible after an event, or updating something every single day or week for immaterial information. I believe in a different definition of timeliness. I believe timeliness is using all information available in a mosaic approach to accurately predict the event before it even happens. Take Kinder Morgan as the latest example. We were the only ones predicting what was going to happen before it did. To investors, … Read more

Health Care Sector Remains Hot

Image Shown: The Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF, a holding in both our Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolios, has been on an upward tear over the past several years. Strong macro tailwinds combined with the ability for industries within the health care sector to generate meaningful shareholder value have been key to supporting strong capital appreciation of equities operating in the area of late. By Callum Turcan The Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) is a top holding in both our Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolios. We like the exposure and diversification to health care equities that XLV provides. XLV yields ~1.5% as of this writing. State Street Corp (STT) acts as … Read more

More Big Pharma Earnings to Digest

Image Source: Zoetis Inc – 2019 Annual Shareholders Meeting Presentation Calendar third-quarter 2019 earnings was a busy time for biotech and pharma companies. We covered a number of biotech and pharma earnings in this piece here, but let’s dig into a few others. In alphabetical order by ticker: GSK, PFE, ZTS. By Callum Turcan In alphabetical order by ticker: GSK, PFE, ZTS GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK)–4.6% yield–reported third quarter results for 2019 on October 30. Its pro forma adjusted sales rose by 6% year-over-year, and please note the British pharmaceutical and consumer health giant has been very busy over the past couple of years. Before we get into that, note GlaxoSmithKline reported strong performance across the board at its three main … Read more

Biotech and Pharma Roundup

Image Source: e-Magine Art Some big news in the world of biotech and pharmaceuticals has come out this week, starting Monday October 21, that we want to get out in front of our members. In alphabetical order by ticker symbol: BIIB, BMY, MRK, NVS. By Callum Turcan Biogen Inc (BIIB) reported third quarter 2019 earnings on Tuesday October 22 that easily beat both top and bottom line estimates. That was partially due to strong sales at its SPINRAZA offering, which is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy. Shares of BIIB rocketed higher during the trading session as investors priced in the upside that Biogen’s Aducanumab treatment could generate, with the company announcing that it was going to ask the US … Read more

Valuentum Stock Screeners

This article was sent to members via email December 29. That email can be accessed at the link that follows this article. By Brian Nelson, CFA Hi everyone, I wanted to provide an update with respect to Valuentum’s stock screeners. We believe our stock screeners are among the most robust when it comes to providing forward-looking data, or data that is important with respect to the investment decision-making process. We publish screens in each of the monthly newsletters, but we also provide a basic weekly screener for download on the left column of the website, “Download Weekly Stock Screener (xls) — login required.”   We also have other products. The more robust DataScreener, for example, is part of the quarterly Financial … Read more

Market Mayhem — Alerts for Members

During these extremely volatile times, it’s important to stay focused. On December 15, we informed all of our members to “Pay Attention.” Shortly thereafter, we notified members of the potential for a stock market technical breakdown. This morning, we offered a pre-market briefing about the importance of thinking about portfolio protection. For Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=e2406cd6-c113-4344-8731-493f33fc44a4&id=preview For High Yield Dividend Newsletter members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=b3ba530f-38b3-489a-ac96-2961dca89c6b&id=preview For Exclusive members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=ba6d90c0-4433-48b2-9b8a-aac4ddf9006e&id=preview We’re here for any questions. Please just let us know how we can help! Kind regards, Brian Nelson, CFA  brian@valuentum.com

The Inflating Index Fund Bubble

Image Source: Mac.Else von Berlin The investment industry is changing fast, and we’re happy to be an instrument for change. We’ve been clamoring to make index funds free for a long time, and we’re glad to see it finally happen. Let’s cover the implications of indiscriminate buying regardless of price with the observation that the number of publicly-traded companies is vastly shrinking. How long will the inflating index fund bubble last? By Brian Nelson, CFA Those that know Valuentum know that we stand up for the individual investor, and we work our tails off to make sure that we get the individual investor the very best of information and informed judgment. The CFA Institute via its Enterprising blog showcases a … Read more