Category: INO.com Contributors

ETFs to Buy, to Sell, and to Watch in 2017

Posted on by Matt Thalman

Matt Thalman - INO.com Contributor - ETFs


Now that we have rung in the New Year, now is a good time to take a look at your portfolio and make some adjustments. But, before you start buying and selling, you need to know what to buy, what to sell and what you should have on hold.

So with that in mind, let's take a look at a few Exchange Traded Funds you may want to buy, a few you should sell, and a couple that you should have in your hold or watch list.

What To Buy

In 2016 one of the top-performing ETFs was the Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bull 3X Shares (PACF:DPST). DPST rose more than 114% in 2016 due to its exposure to regional banking stocks, and of course is three times bullish leverage. And while most of the time I would tell you not to follow a trend from one year to the next, 2017 is going to be different. The banking stocks rose in 2016 for a number of reasons, but mainly because the economy grew stronger and interest rates rose.

There are no signs at this point indicating that neither of those trends will cease to continue in 2017, so ride this trend.

Ok, let's slow down and understand why this trend will continue to work. Continue reading "ETFs to Buy, to Sell, and to Watch in 2017" →

Here Comes U.S. Shale Oil, Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Robert Boslego

Robert Boslego - INO.com Contributor - Energies


In a press conference following OPEC's meeting with non-OPEC producers earlier in the month, Saudi Minister Khalid A. Al-Falih said he did not expect an American shale production response in 2017 because there are significant lags in restarting production. But I thought that shale oil 'Zombies' might get a new life sooner than he expected.

Data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirmed that production in North Dakota rebounded 7% in October. And EIA projects shale oil production will gain another 74,000 b/d in January.

North Dakota Crude Production

Petroleum Supply Monthly (PSM)

The EIA reported that actual crude production for October averaged 8.807 million barrels per day (mmbd). This was an increase of 232,000 b/d from September, which had been the lowest level (8.575 mmbd) from the peak in April 2015 of 9.627 mmbd. Continue reading "Here Comes U.S. Shale Oil, Saudi Arabia" →

Will Brazil Turn A Corner In 2017?

Posted on by Lior Alkalay

Lior Alkalay - INO.com Contributor


In Brazil, the year 2016 will no doubt go down in the history books as one of the worst the country has experienced. The Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached for the role they played in a bribery scandal and for illegally disguising the country’s real debt. Moreover, the Brazilian economy had its worst recession in more than half a century.

And yet, there are some encouraging signs that, at least as far as the economy and the Brazilian Real are concerned, the country might have turned a corner.

Brazilian Bonds Revival

In the months of January and February, when the political climate turned more and more chaotic and Brazilian growth tumbled, yields on Brazilian 10-year bonds were as high as 16.78% and CDS prices, which measure the likelihood of a sovereign debt default, jumped to 7%. One would then expect that, from this point onwards, and especially in recent months with the prospect of a Fed’s tightening weighing on bond markets across the globe, the already fragile Brazilian government bonds would experience an utter meltdown, even to the extent of risking an actual default. But what happened instead was interesting. While bonds across the world were tanking and yields surging (bond yields move in reverse, relative to prices) amid the Fed’s tightening, Brazilian bonds staged an impressive rally, and yields on 10-year bonds fell from their highs back in January to as low as 11.4% today. Unsurprisingly, this was followed by an impressive rebound for the Brazilian Real. Continue reading "Will Brazil Turn A Corner In 2017?" →

Is McKesson Investable Again?

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


Introduction

Is McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) investable again now that the fallout over its missed Q2 2017 numbers has been absorbed and the negative sentiment priced into the stock. Although this was the fourth consecutive quarter in which McKesson has missed revenue targets, McKesson has sold off by ~$100 per share or 42% from its all-time highs in May of 2015 falling from $240 to roughly $140 as of recent trading (Figure 1). In February I wrote a piece on McKesson stating that I felt McKesson presented a buying opportunity when the stock sank to a 52-week low of $148 per share. As that call began to come to fruition, I wrote a series of follow-up articles voicing caution as the share price appreciated. As shares appreciated ~30% by reaching the ~$200 level in the summer, I was hesitant due to pressures regarding the pharmaceutical supply chain and earnings from other pharmaceutical wholesalers such as Cardinal Health. At that time, I had relinquished my position in McKesson due to the run-up in share price and the growing concerns of the business model in combination with social and political pressures. As these pressures mounted the stock witnessed another double-digit fall from the ~$200 level to ~$125 during the back half of 2016. Now that the stock has stabilized at the $140 level, boasts a reasonable P/E ratio, more certainty surrounding the political backdrop and acquisitions coming full circle, McKesson may be an investable stock once again. Continue reading "Is McKesson Investable Again?" →

Top Fiat Money Vs. Gold: What Shines Brighter in 2016?

Posted on by Aibek Burabayev

Aibek Burabayev - INO.com Contributor - Metals


It becomes a tradition to post a performance review of the top currencies vs. gold at the beginning of the new year.

Fiat money is represented by 7 currencies: The US dollar (USD) and 6 components of the US dollar index (DXY) placed by weight: euro (EUR), Japanese yen (JPY), British pound (GBP), Canadian dollar (CAD), Swedish krona (SEK) and the Swiss franc (CHF).

Chart 1. Year-To-Date Dynamics Of Top 7 Currencies Versus Gold: No Comment

Chart 1. Year-To-Date Dynamics Of Top 7 Currencies Versus Gold
Diagram by Aibek Burabayev; Source: tradingview.com

The Euronews agency has a special rubric called “No comment” where they show video news without commentary as the picture speaks for itself when something dramatic, awful or really amazing is shown. I think the above diagram also speaks for itself and it shows the drama where the gold just smashed all of the fiat currencies as none of them could escape. None! Continue reading "Top Fiat Money Vs. Gold: What Shines Brighter in 2016?" →