by Mike Stenger
We remember late-February well.
The S&P 500 lost more than 30% between then and March.
Closing down the U.S.
economy had a tumultuous effect on investor confidence.
But the current market is taking hits from more than one direction.
Let's talk about why stocks are down today, then what you can do to protect yourself.
The stock market has been a very different place since setting all-time highs on Sept.
2.
Volatility has kicked up and we've seen a few days that could make us question the wisdom of remaining in the market.
The CBOE Volatility index has crept up to the high 20s in the last couple weeks.
Of course, that's nowhere near the nightmarish high of 82 we saw earlier in March with the COVID-19 crash.
But anything above 30 is considered high volatility under normal circumstances.
Now that football is back, I'm reminded that defense wins championships.
When we see broad market selloffs, the best strategy is typically to take a look at tried-and-true dividend investing.
Today, I'll show you some of the best dividend stocks to buy.
One of them has an 8% yield.
The Dow Jones today could shed several hundred points as a perfect storm of events is brewing.
Political tensions have risen in Washington following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
President Donald Trump has vowed to nominate someone to replace Ginsburg, setting off questions about the future of the court.
Ginsburg's death creates a new level of uncertainty just 43 days ahead of the election.
The NASDAQ is back in correction territory after falling 10% from its September 2 highs.
COVID lockdowns persist in Europe.
It might be too early to call it "a light at the end of the tunnel," but the quest for a novel coronavirus vaccine has entered a new, perhaps decisive phase.
We knew fairly quickly after the pandemic exploded that life in most places could never be as it was until an effective vaccine or therapy was produced.
And now we're beginning to get a picture – tentative, to be sure – of when and how that might happen.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has said he expects FDA emergency approval of some kind of vaccine by November or December of this year.
Taking it a step further, both Bill Gates and CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield have indicated the logistics of vaccine distribution will mean life "will start to return to normal" by second and third quarters of 2021, or roughly 18 months after the social and economic devastation of this crisis started.
That seems like an awfully long time, and of course it is, but, as of now, the current "speed record" holder in the vaccine stakes belongs to Merck & Co. Inc.'s Mumpsvax.
And when I say "speed record," understand that it took nearly five years to develop Mumpsvax back in the 1960s.
For us to have an effective vaccine – any vaccine – by the end of 2020, or a little over a year since the disease emerged, would be a breathtaking, unparalleled scientific achievement.
There are dozens upon dozens of different vaccines and therapies being researched all over the world, all in different stages. The market, however, is paying the closest attention to just a few.
Aside from AstraZeneca Plc. in the United Kingdom, there are two frontrunner candidates in the United States, both in late, phase 3 clinical trials.
There's Moderna Inc., whose shares have soared as high as 400%, and Pfizer Inc., which has been rather more subdued this year, but whose vaccine candidate is a favorite in some circles for the first emergency approval.
With that said, the stock I'm going to name might not be first, but it may very well be the best… Full Story
With that said, the stock I'm going to name might not be first, but it may very well be the best...
The Snowflake IPO certainly had an impressive run, and its stock more than doubled at its debut, leaving it with a value of around $70 billion.
Though the stock did dip a little on Thursday (it did climb back up mid-Friday), it hasn’t stopped a small group of insiders and pre-IPO investors from boosting their net worth.
But here’s how regular investors should play it….
One of the benefits of being a startup investor is that you normally don't have to worry about the Fed's every move.
That's because the startup sector is more resilient and usually not correlated with the stock market.
Now thanks to the Fed, if you're in startups and angel investing, you're being handed a huge opportunity.
And if you're not, this is the perfect time to get started…
by Mike Stenger
The S&P 500 lost 31% in March.
The IPO market saw a huge slump in the ensuing months.
There was little confidence in the public market.
But certain players in the health sector did not hurt the same.
In fact, tech and health stocks seemed more stable with a work-from-home trend and a push for coronavirus vaccines.
While these sectors got a lift from this year's events, they didn't need it.
There will always be companies innovating in tech and health, despite any lockdown scenario.
Grail is one of those companies.
That's why, in a year of scant IPOs, this innovative biotech is one of a handful that have come out announcing their IPO underway.
The Dow Jones today could snap a four-day winning streak on fears of a second COVID wave.
Investors are also paying close attention to geopolitical news after President Donald Trump approved a deal between TikTok and Oracle (NYSE: ORCL).
by Tom Gentile
The markets seem to signal another February-sized correction.
Add in COVID-inspired economic conditions and there's a good chance stock portfolios may see another 35% drop.
But while most investors worry or run for the hills, our Tom Gentile expects nothing but profits.
Should the markets go red, Tom's going to show you how to double your chance to make money…
