Tag: street authority

Should You Invest In Marijuana Stocks?

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By: Andy Obermueller of Street Authority

Let me start off by saying that today's essay is not for everyone. But as Chief Investment Strategist for Game-Changing Stocks, it's my job to bring readers the best aggressive growth investing opportunities the market has to offer.

If it just so happens to come from an industry that some find morally objectionable, then so be it.

But I received a question from a subscriber the other day that I know many of our readers have been wondering about: Should I invest in marijuana stocks? If so, which ones should I be looking at? Continue reading "Should You Invest In Marijuana Stocks?" →

The Winner Of The Natural Gas Boom Isn't Who You Think...

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By: Jim Nelson of Street Authority

The energy market is officially broken.

That's according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

On November 10, the group announced that oil prices will remain low for a long time.

Next year, the agency is forecasting a barrel of crude will go for just $60... and only $80 by 2020.

For hundreds of U.S. companies caught up in the shale oil boom over the last decade, that's disastrous news. At $60 a barrel, many oil companies will not generate enough revenue to break even. Continue reading "The Winner Of The Natural Gas Boom Isn't Who You Think..." →

A Clear Winner Is Emerging From The 'Megabrew' Merger

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By: Jim Nelson of Street Authority

The "King of Beers," AB InBev (NYSE:BUD) has had some problems of late. To solve them, the $178 billion maker of Budweiser and Corona is doing what any large company does in that situation. It's trying to buy a better company and steal their growth.

You may recall the enormous $52 billion merger between Anheuser-Busch and InBev back in 2008. Some investors -- and beer drinkers -- never truly forgave the maker of Bud for relocating overseas. Yet, I don't think that's what's causing the company's operating mess today.

AB InBev suffers from the simple problem of too few drinkers. For the first time in 30 years, beer volume is set to decrease globally this year.

To make matters worse, the major beer makers like InBev have been forced to compete with an explosion of craft beer and smaller breweries like Dogfish Head and New Belgium.

The volume of craft beer sold in the United States has more than tripled over the last decade: Continue reading "A Clear Winner Is Emerging From The 'Megabrew' Merger" →

In A Stormy Earnings Season, These Two Sectors Should Be Safe Havens

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By: Joseph Hogue of Street Authority 

In June, as the third quarter got underway, consensus profits for companies in the SP 500 were expected to show a modest 1% year-over-year dip. Three months later, analysts now think profits will slide nearly 5%, from year-earlier levels.

Of the companies that have announced guidance, 76 expect negative EPS growth for the third quarter according to FactSet Research. That compares to only 32 companies that have issued positive guidance for the three-month period so far.

The pain continues to build in the energy and materials sectors, but many other sectors are seeing downward earnings revisions as well. Fear of higher interest rates and declining earnings growth led an 8.6% drop in the SP 500 index, and a sharp spike in the VIX volatility index since mid-August.

The trend is so bad that analysts are expecting earnings growth of just 0.6% in the fourth quarter. The revenue picture is equally challenging.

Analysts think that third-quarter sales fell 3.3% against the same quarter last year. On a full-year basis, they are modeling for a 2.4% drop in sales. Unless revenue growth returns soon, investors may start questioning whether corporate management teams can squeeze further earnings growth from continued cutbacks. Continue reading "In A Stormy Earnings Season, These Two Sectors Should Be Safe Havens" →

Are These The Greatest Success Stories In Europe?

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By: David Sterman of Street Authority

It's been five years since the Financial Times first made use of one of the less flattering economic acronyms: PIIGS. Back then, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain were seen as economic basket cases, and it was widely assumed that one or several of them would eventually default on their massive debt burdens.

While such an event has yet to pass, Greece remains quite sickly, and Portugal and Italy continue to wrestle with profound economic dislocation. To varying degrees, these countries have failed to embrace the badly-needed economic reforms that are essential to sow the seeds of a lasting economic recovery.

Yet despite heavy odds, Ireland and Spain are clearly on the comeback trail. Thanks to broad-based reform packages, their economies have begun to turn the corner. And with the aid of a very competitive currency, their futures are looking far brighter than most would have suspected just a few years ago. For investors, exposure to these dynamic turnaround stories can be had through a pair of country-specific exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Ireland Is Back In Business

Ireland and its citizens are remarkably resilient. They have been through myriad crises over the past two centuries, and always manage to bounce back. Most recently, they saw the country's economy crash and burn in the economic crisis of 2008-2009. Irish banks eventually grew so weak that a wave of bankruptcies were a real possibility. By 2012, unemployment in the country had risen to nearly 15%. Continue reading "Are These The Greatest Success Stories In Europe?" →