Beststocks to buy for the week ending Sept. 19, 2014: Last week, U.S. market history was made when Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) debuted as the biggest initial public offering of all time. While we like BABA stock, it's not the only strong profit opportunity available today. These eight new picks from our experts show they're also headed higher.
Our defense and tech specialist highlighted two biotech stocks he believes are top choices in the sector - one's a riskier play with huge potential, while the other is a more conservative (but still lucrative) choice. Also coming out of tech is a top space stock in the now-privatized arena and a pick that takes advantage of the mobile commerce boom.
We also picked two coal stocks that will benefit from recent EPA regulations and a promising new way to play the gold mining sector - it just hit the market.
You can find all of last week's tips and recommendations here in our newest list of the best stocks to buy now.
Money Morning's Latest "Best Stocks to Buy" List
Last week, Money Morning Defense & Tech Specialist Michael A. Robinson identified two of the best biotech stocks to buy right now. One is the "top pick for risk-tolerant investors" - this gem has yielded gains of more than 60% so far in 2014, and there's plenty of upside left. Robinson's second pick is an ETF he calls a "more conservative choice." With just 20 equities in its portfolio, this fund gives investors excellent exposure to biotech stocks in a focused manner - and it has nearly doubled the S&P 500's gains over the past year...
"Mobile commerce" - when consumers use their smartphone or tablet to make an online purchase - is one of the hottest sectors right now. It's growing twice as fast as desktop digital shopping, and according to Gartner, global mobile payments will jump from $325 billion this year to more than $500 billion by 2016. It's no wonder Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG, GOOGL) and Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) are competing for a slice of this sector's market share - the tech giants hope consumers will use their e-wallet platforms when making mobile purchases. But last week, Robinson told readers about a play they can make right now to ride the mobile payments sector - it'll be supercharged no matter who wins the e-wallet war...
The exciting "Space Race" is offering investors an amazing opportunity to get in on the sector's best stock to buy, as there will be billions of dollars spent in the commercial space industry. In fact, last Tuesday NASA awarded TheBoeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and SpaceX - which is backed by Tesla Motors Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk - a whopping $6.8 billion contract for its Commercial Crew program. In an appearance on FOX Business' "Varney & Co." last week, Robinson gave viewers his best space stock recommendation - you can watch the interview here...
Last week, Money Morning Resource Specialist Peter Krauth highlighted a new gold miners ETF that just came to market. Beyond the classic advantages of ETFs, like low administration fees and passive management, this ETF offers something its competition does not. You see, because this fund's allocation strategy is better than other ETFs' approaches, Krauth predicts it will yield higher gains for investors. You can take a look at Krauth's diversified sector play here...
Microsoft stock is making a comeback. A new era for the tech giant was born in February, when Satya Nadella took over the CEO post from Steve Ballmer. MSFT stock has skyrocketed 28% in that time, and that's just the tip of the iceberg for where this company is headed. Here's our case for investing in "comeback-kid" Microsoft...
In the week ending Sept. 12, 21 companies raised their dividend payouts. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) was among them. The Miami, Fla.-based company hiked its quarterly dividend $0.05, or 20%, to $0.30 per share - it's been paying dividends without interruption, and steadily boosting them, since its first distribution of $0.07 per share paid on March 29, 1996. You can get the 20 other dividend stocks that are paying more to investors here...
Bonus content: The U.S. dollar index reached a 14-month high yesterday (Monday), continuing its gains from last week. The Fed's hints that it'll be raising interest rates will drive the dollar's momentum higher in coming months. As the greenback surges, that means "a monster buying opportunity and a tremendously bullish signal for the commodity complex longer term," according to Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald. Here's how Fitz-Gerald recommended our readers get started playing the rising U.S. dollar right now...