Category: INO.com Contributors

Do Not Buy A Mortgage-Backed Security ETF

Posted on by Matt Thalman

I know what you are thinking, mortgage-backed securities, aren’t those what caused the financial crisis in 2008? The answer, in a nutshell, is, well yes! But, despite these products causing all that destruction just a decade ago, they have never really disappeared. Some investors have been using ever since and will likely continue using them in the future.

But, just because your neighbor jumps off a bridge, doesn’t mean you should follow along.

Besides just ‘blindly’ following your neighbor, there are a number of reasons why these MBS ETFs can look appealing. The first and foremost is certainly their high yield. The iShares MBS ETF (MBB) currently offers a yield of 3.73%, while the Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF (VMBS) is offering a yield of 3.47% and the First Trust Low Duration Opportunities ETF (LMBS) currently yields 3.5%.

Another is the fact that some of the MBS ETFs boast the idea that the mortgage’s they own are backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae, which are essentially offering insurance to MBS investors on the chance that a large number of mortgagors begin to default.

MBS ETFs offer a great yield and insurance to protect your investment, what is not to like? Continue reading "Do Not Buy A Mortgage-Backed Security ETF" →

Metals Moving In Unison For A Massive Price Advance: Part 1

Posted on by Chris Vermeulen

Are the metals markets ending a price correction in unison and preparing for a massive price advance? This is the question we asked our research team to investigate and their findings may help skilled traders identify great opportunities in the future. This multi-part research article will share our most recent opinion about the metals markets as well as share some critical new data that can shed some light into what we believe will become a massive upside price rally in the metals markets. Let’s get into the data.

When one considers the global demand for Gold as a hedge against economic crisis events and the continued advancement in gold reserves for China and Russia, one has to consider the supply side issues that are a result of central banks global demand. Even though global production of Gold is near an all-time high, the demand from foreign nations and central banks are also near all-time highs. This correlation creates a demand-side consumption that offsets supply and, in some ways limits, consumer, retail and technology suppliers.

Our researchers focused on this aspect of the supply/demand equation when trying to analyze recent metals price action in correlation to disruptions that could occur in the markets. For example, increased central bank buying/hoarding of gold could dramatically result in prices spiking. Foreign market disruptions in supply could also send prices spiking. Global conflicts and or continued trade issues could send metals prices skyrocketing. Anything to do with the supply side for Gold could send prices higher. At least this is the conclusion of our research team at this time. Continue reading "Metals Moving In Unison For A Massive Price Advance: Part 1" →

Selling Put Options For Consistent Premium Income

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Options can be a great strategy under any market condition as a standalone method or in conjunction with a long-term portfolio to augment long-term positions. Options trading can mitigate risk; provide consistent income, lower cost basis of underlying stock positions and hedge against market movements while maintaining liquidity. Risk mitigation is particularly important given the market wide sell-off throughout October and into November. Maintaining liquidity via maintaining cash on hand to engage in covered put option selling is a great way to collect monthly income via premium selling. Put option selling can also serve as a means to initiate a position via being assigned shares strategically. Heeding critical variables such as historic and implied volatility, implied volatility as it relates to historic volatility along with probability and liquidity, one can optimize option selling to yield a high probability win rate over the long term given enough trade occurrences. I’ll discuss these critical elements and how they translate into high probability options trading to maximize option outcomes regardless of directionality, effectively maintaining a market neutral position. In the end, options are a bet on where the stock won’t go, not where it will go and collecting premium income throughout the process.

Put Options Overview

Covered puts can be implemented as a means to leverage cash on hand to sell options contracts and collect premium income in the process. Contractually, this type of option selling gives the option buyer the right to sell you (the seller) shares at an agreed upon price by an agreed upon date in exchange for a premium (cash payment). An account cash reserve can be utilized for selling covered puts thus not purchasing the underlying security with the end goal of never being assigned shares and netting premium income in the process. It’s important to bear in mind that covered puts shouldn’t be sold unless one wouldn’t mind being assigned shares in the underlying equity if the underlying moves opposite the option directionality and breaks through the option strike price. Additionally, restricting covered put contacts to high quality, large-cap, dividend-paying companies with high implied volatility, high implied volatility percentile and high probability of success (i.e., one standard deviation out of the money) will mitigate risk and decrease the likelihood of assignment to maintain liquidity and add to cash on hand. The end goal is to capture premium income and maintain liquidity which is accomplished before the expiration of the contract via buy-to-close to accelerate the closure of the contract and capture realized gains. Continue reading "Selling Put Options For Consistent Premium Income" →

Where Do We Go From Here?

Posted on by George Yacik

As expected, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at last week’s post-Election Day monetary policy meeting, while signaling another 25-basis point increase in the federal funds rate at its December 18-19 get-together.

But the results of last week’s elections, which returned control of the House to the Democrats, may put future rate increases next year in doubt. That bodes well for long-term Treasury bond prices – i.e., yields may have peaked.

As we know, Maxine Waters, D-California, is now the likely next chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. To put it mildly, she doesn’t like banks. Her first order of business, no doubt, is to impeach President Trump, as she’s said countless times. But a more realistic second goal will be to roll back all or most of the recent bank regulatory measures made so far by the Trump Administration, which, of course, rolled back much of the regulatory measures passed under the previous administration, mainly through the Dodd-Frank financial reform law.

If she’s successful, that will reduce the mammoth profits the banks have been making the past several years, which were boosted further by the Republicans’ tax reform law. That sharply reduced corporate income tax rates, not just for banks but all companies, although the banks seem to be the biggest beneficiaries. No doubt Waters and her Democrat colleagues have that in their gunsights also.

But that won’t be the end of it. Continue reading "Where Do We Go From Here?" →

Gold & Silver: Falling Knives

Posted on by Aibek Burabayev

Silver has failed to complete the second leg up as it couldn’t break above the August top of $15. It is interesting that this misbehavior of the white metal didn’t surprise you as the majority of you had bet last week that silver would fail and drop below $14.2. It’s impressive how accurate your forecast was!

In this post, I would like to update downside targets as we should be prepared for the resumption of the drop in metals after pullbacks have been finished.

Chart 1. Gold Weekly: Bear Flag Targets Bottom

falling knives
Chart courtesy of tradingview.com

Last week I reminded you of the big range of trade, which requires the retest of the downside of the range to complete the setup. Continue reading "Gold & Silver: Falling Knives" →