Kass: Embrace the Contrary and Sell Bank Stocks

Markets have embraced bank stocks ever since Donald Trump’s election victory. The group has materially outperformed the overall U.S. stock market over both the past 2-1/2- and six-month periods, and many assume that this superior price action will continue into the future.

Ex-Goldman Trader’s Macro Hedge Fund Said to Lose 5.1% in 2016

Former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. trader Leland Lim’s macro hedge fund lost 5.1 percent in 2016, even after recovering from steep declines early in the year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Assets overseen by Lim’s Hong Kong-based Guard Capital Management declined to $963 million from about $1.1 billion at the beginning of the year, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information hasn’t been publicly disclosed.

Trump, Brexit Uncertainty Hit Stocks, Dollar

U.S. stocks and the dollar fell while gold rose on Tuesday as investors looked for safety after President-elect Donald Trump said the U.S. currency was too strong, while sterling jumped as Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain would quit the European Union single market when the country leaves the EU. Wall Street was weighed down by the financial sector, and U.S. Treasury prices gained on concerns about Trump’s planned protectionist trade policies.

Trump Fears Fade, Emerging Market Stocks Heat Up

Emerging market exchange traded funds were among the worst hit in the wake of Donald Trump’s election day win, but the asset category has quickly rebounded in recent weeks, breaking back above their trends. For instance, the widely observed Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF is 6.9% higher and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF is up 7.7% since the late December lows.

Vietnam’s Premier to Raise Foreign-Investor Caps on Banks

Vietnam will increase the limits of foreign ownership in banks as early as this year to quicken the overhaul of the nation’s banking system and further lure overseas investments to boost economic growth, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. “We will raise the ceiling and will also expand access to the securities market” for foreign investors, Phuc said in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Haslinda Amin at the Government Office in Hanoi on Friday.

2 Stocks That Pay You Each Month

Investors seeking a monthly dividend payout are generally motivated by one of two factors: the slight advantage that monthly compounding offers over quarterly compounding, or the need for unearned income to be disbursed frequently throughout the year. In this article, we’ll cover two attractive companies issuing monthly checks to shareholders: EPR Properties EPR Properties is a real estate investment trust that invests primarily in properties related to the entertainment, education, and recreation industries in the U.S. and Canada.

Stocks Lower as British Pound Suffers Brexit Jitters

Stocks in Europe and Asia fell Monday while the British pound dropped to three-month lows amid escalating concerns over the U.K.’s access to the European Union’s single market. The Stoxx Europe 600 slumped 0.6% in afternoon trading, led by declines in the banking and auto sectors, while London’s export-heavy FTSE 100 index stalled after 14 consecutive sessions of gains.

European Stocks Fall as Automakers, Banks Lead Declines

European stocks traded weaker at the open Monday in thin volumes owning to the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observance. European stocks traded weaker at the open Monday as automaker and bank shares led markets lower in thin volumes owning to the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observance.

6-Point Checklist for Making Sure You Can Afford to Invest

If you’re itching to start investing in the stock market, who could blame you? It’s where Warren Buffett and countless others have made much of their money, and it’s just about the best way to build wealth over the long term. But hold your horses: First use these six questions as a checklist to make sure you can afford to invest.

Trifecta Stocks: Now It Gets Really Interesting

The following commentary is an excerpt from the Weekly Roundup to Trifecta Stocks subscribers originally sent on Jan 13. Click here to learn more about this dynamic portfolio and market information service. As we tread into December-quarter earnings season, we’re seeing more investors start to question the rally over the last several weeks or how much more room there is to run.

For Bonds It’s D j vu All Over Again

One of the issues I’ve been pounding hard on over the past year is that there is no pent-up consumer demand, and there can’t be because all income is now collateralized to meet current debt-servicing requirements. As simple as this observation is I keep repeating it because I keep receiving communications from subscribers that essentially start with “Yeah, but…” and then go on to point out some way that demand may be caused to actualize.

Why Jim Cramer Won’t Buy Foreign Stocks Right Now

Jim Cramer says he won’t buy foreign stocks right now because “you may make money on the actual stock performance, but you’ll lose it in the currency [conversion].” “Even if you own a stock, say, in Britain and it’s hitting the ballout the park — I mean, [we’ve had] 12 straight days of Britain being up — you’re going to lose on a currency translation,” Cramer said Wednesday in a conference call with members of his Action Alerts PLUS investment club.

Stock picks for Trump era

The S&P 500 returned +1.82% in the fourth quarter of 2016 and 9.54% for the year-to-date. The year-to-date return of 9.54% is impressive given that market pundits had predicted a fall in stocks on a Trump win.

Cramer: Trump Could Make Caterpillar Great Again

Caterpillar is one of a few stocks ideally positioned to benefit from President-elect Donald Trump’s $500 billion “Make America Great” infrastructure plan, Jim Cramer says. “I believe that [the] infrastructure situation that Trump is talking about will uniquely play in the Caterpillar’s hands,” Cramer said Wednesday during an exclusive monthly call with members of his Action Alerts PLUS investing club.

Surge From Bank Earnings Doesn’t Last

A positive reaction to earnings from three big banks had the market off to a good start, but the bulls couldn’t generate much additional energy. Breadth was quite good at around 2-to-1, but the indices stayed in a range all day and there were quite a few fades in individual stocks.