Best Stocks to Buy Now: A Money Morning Weekly Recap
By Diane Alter, Contributing Writer, Money Morning•
Best stocks to buy for the week ending Nov. 29, 2013: Last week's Thanksgiving holiday may have made for an abbreviated week, but there was no shortage of market-moving news.
While the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 closed Black Friday modestly in the red, both continued an eight-week winning streak and are up 22.8% and 26.6% respectively year to date.
The Dow has set 44 all-time highs this year and is up 146% since the market lows of March 2009. The Nasdaq topped 4,000 last week for the first time in 13 years and is up 34.5% since January.
It's crucial for investors to know how to make the most of these record-hitting highs... and not get burned. Every week Money Morning guides readers to the best stocks to buy now (and which to sell), in addition to the best investment moves for maximum profit and portfolio protection. Here are the highlights from last week:
Retail is on Wall Street's radar as Main Street gears up for the 2013 holiday shopping season. Prospects for retail into year's end are gloomy. According to Bespoke Investment Group, retail stocks historically underperform during the final two months of the year. But Money Morning found a way investors can profit from the robust shopping season with a stock that's a quadruple threat: It's an Internet, tech, entertainment, and retail stock all on one. This is one stock to put on your year-end shopping list.
Insiders - and in particular, chief executive officers and chief financial officers - have intimate knowledge of a company's current condition and future prospects. So when insiders start buying up shares of their own company, investors should take notice. In fact, research shows that when insiders scoop up shares of their company's stock, the stock outperforms the market by 8.9% over the next year. Money Morning's Sid Riggs showed readers an easy and effective way to track insider trading for maximum profit in The 8th "Spark" Could Ignite a 1,300% Gain - Here's How to Find It. We also highlighted three stocks insiders can't seem to get enough of. You'll find this trio of best stocks to buy now right here.
2013 has been an incredible year for initial public offerings. IPO activity has risen to a frenzied level not seen since 2007. And while U.S. IPOs have dominated the spotlight, one upcoming Chinese IPO is generating a lot of buzz. Alibaba, China's largest e-commerce company, set a world record on Nov. 11 when its network of websites logged $5.7 billion in sales in a single day. And its IPO is expected to be among the hottest IPOs (if not the hottest IPO) of 2014. Read why Money Morning believes you need to put Alibaba's upcoming market launch on your calendar.
One in every 10 lightbulbs in the United States gets its power source from Russia - that's been the case since 1993, when the Megatons to Megawatts program was launched. Under this agreement, highly enriched uranium (HEU) contained in ex-Soviet nuclear weapons was converted into nuclear fuel and shipped to America. But the last uranium shipment of the program recently left Russia for the United States. "By the end of December, the deal that helped provide about half of all commercial nuclear power in the United States... will simply end," writes Money Morning Global Resource Specialist Peter Krauth. This portends a drastic change in global uranium supply, which translates to big opportunity for investors. Don't miss what Krauth calls the best uranium play in the world.
Mexico is one of the four emerging markets to watch now, along with Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey. Mexico's economy has grown 50% since 2004, thanks to a resurgence in its manufacturing sector. But it's how those manufactured products are transported to America that's providing the biggest profit opportunity for investors - and it's a play that's right here in the United States. Find out how to ride the rails to profit.
Five years of rock-bottom interest rates have left income-starved investors hungry for yield. That's what's driving scores of investors to dividend stocks. But as Money Morning repeatedly points out, all dividends are not created equal. Companies that continually increase payouts offer the best investment. In addition, rising dividends send a signal that a company's finances are in good shape and outlook is optimistic. Weekly we share some of the most notable dividend boosts. Here are 25 companies that just sweetened their distributions.
Knowing what stocks to avoid is almost as important as knowing which ones to buy. That's why Money Morning informs readers when it's time to sell certain stocks. Last week we sounded the alarm on two such companies: motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG) and Gorilla Glass maker Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW). Read why Harley stock is running out of gas and why Corning is missing out on the revolution it helped create.