Category

COVID-19 Stock Market Crash

Technology

Grab Your Share of This $231.9 Billion Industry with These Coronavirus Scam Defense Plays

You are likely unfamiliar with the plight of Frank Krasovec – it got very little traction.

He is hardly a household name. Frank Krasovec serves as the chair of Dash Brands Ltd. The privately held firm owns Domino's Pizza franchises in China.

Krasovec was the victim of financial fraud costing him nearly half a million dollars. According to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, he was the perfect victim.

The short version: Krasovec took on a $1 million personal line of credit from a local bank in 2018. He went on a business trip a few months later.

When he got back, he was stunned to learn that $450,000 of his money had vanished. Hackers had used his e-mail address to get an unsuspecting employee to send them that amount by wire transfer.

I'm bringing this up now because often in times of crisis, hackers get to work. We may see them coming at us with phishing e-mails seeking donations to help those stricken with the virus when, in reality, they want to rob us blind.

The privately held cybersecurity company, Agari, issued a warning in late 2018 about California wildfire e-mail scams. The emails purported to come from corporate executives asking employees to make donations, which were actually intended to fatten the bank accounts of hackers.

In other words – you should also be extra cautious about your online presence, especially your e-mails and credit card accounts.

There's also an incredible opportunity here for cybersecurity. This marks a moment for the sector to become even more vital to our existence now that millions have shifted their lives online.

For investors… there's a way to cover the entire waterfront of this sector with one single investment, set to outperform the market for years to come… Full Story

For investors... there's a way to cover the entire waterfront of this sector with one single investment, set to outperform the market for years to come... Full Story

Trading Strategies

Where Stocks Are Headed Next

When you're stuck at home day in and day out, your thoughts tend to wander. And mine have been stuck on this market.

We're more than 20% down from recent market highs – the flat-out definition of a bear market.

But at the same time, stocks have begun to rally. As I'm writing, we're around a 20% retracement from recent market lows as well.

Now, typically, I wouldn't buy this rally. But it's definitely testing me…

Are we in the midst of a bear market or a bull market? Each side has a solid argument backing it up – so today, I'm using three charts to show you where I see stocks headed next… Full Story

Are we in the midst of a bear market or a bull market? Each side has a solid argument backing it up - so today, I'm using three charts to show you where I see stocks headed next...

Bitcoin

Should I Buy Bitcoin During the Coronavirus Crisis?

With stocks whipsawing and just about everything falling, investors who have taken the plunge into crypto are trying to figure out if now is a good time to buy Bitcoin.

After all, Bitcoin fell about 50% right at the time when the stock market was dropping the fastest.

It's made people wonder about its status as a safe haven – or if it's worth bothering with at all.

We've got all the answers for you here...

Trading Strategies

Pinpoint the Market Bottom with These Three Indicators

The only thing that's kept markets above water since the coronavirus took hold of the globe has been the $2 trillion stimulus package.

The three-day jump in markets was exciting, but the "stimulus overdose" did not last.

On Friday, the market's three-day rally ended on news that the U.S. now led the world in highest number of coronavirus cases.

Then Monday, the Dow rallied over 600 points – about 3% – on a few "good" news items. However, with the Dow down Tuesday, this sentiment isn't sticking.

Instead, hedge funds and money managers got a second chance to "rebalance" their portfolios by cutting risk.

The week of upward movement was simply a swapping of securities from institutions to the retail public.

The up-and-down leaves us with the question of when we hit market bottom.

Everyone has their strategy to figure out how to tell - and these are the three indicators our Tom Gentile is glued to...

Options

How to Trade This Market Volatility in 3 Simple Steps

Stocks have been moving dramatically nearly every day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a three-day bull run last week, from around 18,000 to above 22,000.

The next day, it fell 700 points.

Who knows where it will be this week?

While this volatility hasn't been great for many 401(k) or retirement portfolios, Money Morning's options trading specialist, Tom Gentile, sees an opportunity.

He has an options trading strategy to help you cope with high volatility and high options prices.

Read more...

Trading Strategies

These Five Signs Will Show When Stock Markets Are About to Bottom Out

Last week gave hope that stock markets had found a bottom, with a three-day rally that brought the Dow up over 20% from Monday's close through the end of Thursday's session.

However, stocks fell sharply on Friday, giving back some of the previous three days' gains from news that the U.S. has now become the country with the most confirmed coronavirus cases.

So the question remains: Are we at the bottom? And what will tell us that the market is making an investable bottom – one that will hold for more than a week or two?

Here are five clear signs our D.R. Barton's looking for to identify when the markets will bottom out...

Trading Strategies

Help Your Country and Your Portfolio with These Three Bond Plays

Suffice it to say, this week's market rally has been a welcome respite from a month-long (though it feels longer) market free fall. But it's important to keep things in perspective.

While the market might continue its rally for a few more days, I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't stick. We've entered a bear market environment, and any rallies we see from now on like we did this week will most likely be followed by severe drops. Especially as we get more news on growing infection numbers and a suffering economy.

And that's why I wanted to take a moment to talk to you folks about one of the perfect plays for a bear market. This will keep you ahead of the volatility still to come.

You see, bonds often get a bad rap.

A treasury bond is a government debt security that you can buy and sell just like a stock. But it offers lower yields, making it a much less attractive investment.

What many people don't know is that bonds are actually a vital source of revenue. They help to keep the lights on for governments, states, and corporations…

And they offer an ideal safe haven in bearish market conditions.

With all three major indexes down more than 20% from their recent highs, markets have officially entered bearish territory – making now the perfect time to get into bonds.

You don't have to worry about lower yields, either.

With bonds, you can come to the aid of your country, profit from rising prices, and dramatically increase your annual returns… Full Story

With bonds, you can come to the aid of your country, profit from rising prices, and dramatically increase your annual returns... Full Story

market crash

Was That the Shortest Bear Market Ever or a Bull Market Trap?

By yesterday's close, stocks had gained 21% in the last three days, making that the shortest bear market on record.

The Wall Street Journal coronated the end of the three-day rally by declaring that "A new bull market has begun."

Now that we're at the start of a new bull market, it's time to dive into stocks again, right?

Not so fast.

This has all the signs of a classic bull market trap.

It's something we've been warning investors about this week.

"Head fake" rallies are a common feature of bull markets.

This one's no different.

All signs point to markets and the economy getting even worse from here...

Economic Data

The Market Looks Past 3.28 Million Newly Unemployed and Soars: Is That Crazy?

Initial jobless claims for the week ending March 21, 2020 were a record 3.28 million.

That's 11.6 times the week before when 281,000 claims were filed, and 4.72 times the previous record of 695,000 Americans seeking benefits way back in the week ending Oct. 2, 1982.

But that didn't stop the Dow Jones Industrial Average from soaring 1,351.62 points, or 6.38%, to 22,552.17 yesterday.

Is that crazy? No and yes. When you put this rally in context, it looks one way. But, we cannot forget what's coming for us.

When you put this rally in context, it looks one way. But we cannot forget what's coming for us...