As I write this, the S&P 500 is sitting on a 28% total return for 2024. And of course, that could shoot even higher if we get the traditional Santa Claus rally. Obviously, that’s been great for the equity funds we hold in CEF Insider, which give us price gains from their stock holdings, of course—but they also give us a huge slice of our gains in cash, thanks to their outsized yields. But at times like this, we do need to take a step back and consider what’s going on behind a historic gain like this. While corporate earnings…

a Successful Investors’s Goal is Making Money, not Caring How or Where it’s Made. I was fortunate to have several mentors early in my investment career that taught to me valuable financial knowledge. As a Forbes writer and co-host of the ABC talk radio show, “Winning with Winans”, I take my media responsibilities serious in providing sound investment advice to my audience in a turbulent year. I call myself a historian who manages money which means I never think, “it’s different this time”. As I review my last twelve months of Forbes articles, these are the most important time-tested lessons…

Happy New Year, all. My overall macro theme for 2024 was An Expansion of the Rally. The theme ultimately proved to be accurate, as the dominance of the Magnificent 7 stocks (Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon.com, Alphabet, Tesla and Meta Platforms) dissipated during the second half of the year as the other “Not So Magnificent 493” stocks (i.e., the remaining stocks of the S&P 500 Index) took over the leadership role. The Magnificent 7 accounted for 62% of the total return of the S&P 500 in 2023, and 59% during the first0 half of 2024, but just 9.2% during the third…

A government shutdown could begin early on December 21, though discussions continue on a potential resolution. Forecasting site Kalshi currently estimates the chance of a shutdown at 40%, with the precise measure used being that the government is shutdown at 10am ET on any given day. Government shutdown risk last surfaced in September 2024, but a shutdown was narrowly averted. A short government shutdown is unlikely to have major economic impact, aside from the considerably uncertainty that results. However, were any shutdown to lengthen beyond a few days, then the economic impact would likely become more significant. Typical Shutdown Length…

If the evolution of corporate sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives were charted on a scale of human development, the last year would have been its awkward teenage phase. We could all see the potential; some huge growth spurts were happening, but the whole thing looked and behaved more like an assemblage of disparate parts than a fully developed, poised adult. Now, as we brace for the year ahead, excited about the next phases of maturation, and maybe a bit nervous about the prospects of bad influences and careless decisions, it’s important to take stock of the big…

The DividendRank formula at Dividend Channel ranks a coverage universe of thousands of dividend stocks, according to a proprietary formula designed to identify those stocks that combine two important characteristics — strong fundamentals and a valuation that looks inexpensive. PepsiCo presently has an excellent rank, in the top 25% of the coverage universe, which suggests it is among the top most “interesting” ideas that merit further research by investors. Start slideshow: 10 Oversold Dividend Stocks » But making PepsiCo an even more interesting and timely stock to look at, is the fact that in trading on Thursday, shares of PEP…

Offices continue to be plagued by high vacancy rates (20.1% in this year’s third quarter, per Moody’s), the bedeviling result of the work-from-home mindset that the pandemic created. In 2019’s fourth quarter, it was 16.8%. Also not helping: Some places have an over-abundance of office space, which brings downward pressure on leasing profitability. But guess what? The outlook for the battered office sector is promising, and some investors are taking notice amid bargains. Just look at the performance of real estate investment trusts specializing in the office sector: Their stocks have gained 28.5% this year, according to industry group Nareit,…

I’d like to share my simple “Made for 2025” Dividend Plan with you. It’s a simple, safe strategy that identifies dividend stocks with payouts set to surge higher. As these divvies pop, so do their associated stock prices. The truth is, this proven system works no matter what the economy, or the Fed (or even the executive branch of the federal government!) is doing. It’s the path to peppy price gains from protected payers. Let’s talk about a timely example—a dividend dip to enjoy! On the campaign trail, President-Elect Trump presented us with a pullback in perennial dividend grower Deere…

Today’s big drop in the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 has talking heads on financial media already talking about whether now is a good time to buy the dip. It’s hard to blame them, as this year has made heroes out of anyone who uttered “buy the dip” every time stocks lost more than a percent or two in one day. The more who say it, the easier it is to repeat it as a gospel of some kind. The fact is, the year 2024 has not been all that bullish once you leave out the handful of favorites…

A possible combination of Nissan and Honda is the latest reaction in the global auto industry as laggards in the race to electrify are forced to act or face an existential crisis. The competitive crisis, prompted by China’s emerging technology leadership, is even being felt in Germany, once the undisputed automotive innovative trend-setter. Volkswagen is currently seeking to close down plants in its home territory as it struggles to switch from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles. “The discussions between Nissan and Honda are part of the consolidation process of players that lag behind the transformation path to electromobility,” said…