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Colgate-Palmolive Company

Trading Strategies

How Corporate America Cheats Investors Every Day

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An underwhelming earnings season is winding down while stocks struggle. The sell-siders are, bluntly, panicking.

I wouldn't be surprised in the least to find many of you have heard from your advisors over the past few days – advisors with a vested interest in keeping you long the markets (and ensnared in their asset-based fee models).

I'd also bet you're being told "not to worry." I bet you're hearing a lot about companies "flush with cash" and "beating their earnings expectations."

I bet you're being told, despite the obvious signs all around us, that this market is "uniquely solid" and that "the numbers confirm it."

Have I pretty much nailed it word for word?

That's because I'm a hedge fund guy. I know the legal tricks and accounting stunts that keep CEOs and, well, hedge fund guys "well-remunerated."

I'll let you in on another secret: They're lying to you. The market is lying to you, and it's costing you plenty...

Stocks

These Cannabis Heavyweights Are Battling It Out over the "Marijuana Mecca of the Midwest"

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Early last month I wrote about how Illinois is primed to become the "Marijuana Mecca of the Midwest," and it seems that we're not the only ones who know about it.

Now that shareholders have approved the landmark agreement for Acreage Holdings Inc. to be acquired by Canadian giant Canopy Growth Corp., Acreage is on the move.

After the deal closed on Thursday, Acreage CEO Kevin Murphy gave an interview at the Players Technology Summit in San Francisco in which he hinted at a number of "head-turner" acquisitions that the company has in the works.

While he was careful not to spill any specifics, he did make one thing clear.

Illinois, which last month became the first state to approve the sale of adult-use cannabis through legislation, will feature prominently in Acreage's plans. When asked about the coming market, Murphy said: "We have designs on going very deep and very broad in that state."

It will be especially interesting to see whether the company makes any moves to benefit from the potential for districts to opt in on "social consumption lounges" – something we thought might happen in Las Vegas, but it will be much more likely in Illinois.

However, when Acreage tries to enter "The Land of Lincoln," it's going to encounter a buzz saw.

We're tracking a couple companies in our portfolios who are already in the state, and they're going to give Acreage more than a hard time.

Let's take a look at some of the companies Acreage is going up against...

Trading Strategies

How Canopy Plans to Dominate the European Weed Market

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Cannabis companies are wasting no time "scaling up" just so they can keep up with Canopy Growth, which spent $3.4 billion in its stock to establish its U.S. foothold.

But this race to the top is way bigger than North America.

In fact, Europe could prove to be a critical market, and you'll want to see how Canopy deploys its cash hoard to extend its lead and reach even further across the globe...