News of retail sales falling for a second consecutive month (the
first time in 2 years of consecutive lower retail sales) spooked
traders early on today. Buyers did step up late morning only to see
the rally fade by the close.
News of
its first-ever dividend
had shares of Dell Inc. (
DELL
) running higher at the start, with shares just barely hanging on
to gains by the close. A
huge share buyback announcement
had shares of Phillip Morris International (
PM
) also gaining.
On the Wall Street analyst research side, positive commentary
pushed stocks like Johnson & Johnson (
JNJ
), Hershey (
HSY
), and UnitedHealth Group (
UNH
) higher. On the flip side, cautious commentary moved stocks like
Expedia (
EXPE
) and Sherwin-Williams (
SHW
) lower. Both EXPE and SHW stocks have been big winners, so
valuation concerns are the calls there. Consumer cyclical plays
like Nike (
NKE
) and Coach (
COH
) fell hard throughout the session.
A Real "Cat and Mouse" Tape
Judging by my old trader's instincts, I can tell you there is an
increased "cat and mouse feel" to the intraday market action
recently. Many traders are likely spinning their wheels and
shifting their trading bias by the hour. When the fluctuations
increase - as we have been seeing in the averages the last couple
of days - hedge funds could be baiting traders to jump heavily to a
particular side (long or short). The reason I bring this phenomenon
up is to further reinforce how incredibly difficult trading is.
Unlike what the business media would have you believe, trading
requires intense amounts of discipline, knowledge, and experience.
In contrast dividend investing is a much simpler strategy. That's
why dividend investing is so great. You never have to keep score
from minute-to-minute or hour-to-hour!
Another Pair of Eyes
There are plenty of occasions where another set of eyes can help
bring one's current dilemma into perspective. In business,
sometimes a customer spots a problem and brings it to the company's
attention. In your career, a loved one can spot a consistent
pattern of misery, pointing to the notion it may be time for a
fresh start working elsewhere - or perhaps even switching
industries altogether. The same goes for relationships, and so
on.
While no single answer can solve all your problems, it's always
good to have another person look over your situation. I hope this
daily newsletter can server as a reminder for those who need
inspiration to get their finances in order. The road to wealth is
paved not only with dividends, but also with other non-investment
related financial items. Thus, I spend my days not only doing
research for our dividend stock database, but also examining other
factors that could help readers.
In certain situations, we may indeed be too close to our work or
too stubborn to recognize when it may be time to move on from a
particular investment. That's where Dividend.com can be that new
set of eyes you just may need.
An Important Note Regarding the Best Dividend Stocks List
We want to make sure everyone understands that the stocks on our
Best Dividend Stocks List
are the names we currently like for new investor capital,
regardless of what date the stock was first recommended on. If and
when a stock is removed from the list, we will clearly state
whether the stock should be sold (which is rare but occasionally
will happen), or simply held in one's account until we see a better
entry point or catalyst.
And here's one last thing to remember about what we do here at
Dividend.com: it's not just the names that we recommend that can
help you build wealth, but also the things we try to steer you away
from that are just as important. Forget about speculative or penny
stocks, chasing unprofitable IPOs, and listening to the manic
talking heads in the business media!
Our
Beat The Markets with Dividend Stocks
eBook Has Arrived!
We just debuted our brand new 275-page eBook, exclusively on
Dividend.com! In this digital-only book, we look ahead to 2012 and
the main factors that could affect dividend investors. A $39.95
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free download
for paid
Dividend.com Premium
subscribers.
Beat The Markets with Dividend Stocks
contains a full economic forecast for 2012, including in-depth
analysis on 65 of the biggest dividend stocks out there. It's a
great way to get prepared for your investing next year! So head
over to the
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now to download your copy.
A Dividend Capture Strategy for Active Investors
We now offer complete U.S. dividend data for all
Dividend.com Premium
members, so anyone that focuses on "Dividend Capture" trading
strategies should have plenty of good stuff to research each day.
Just check our enhanced
Ex-Dividend Calendar
, which is the best in the business, to search for upcoming
payouts.
Speaking of dividend capture, Dividend.com Premium members can
also access a 9-page report we published on the essential elements
to any successful dividend capture strategy. Be sure to check it
out here on the
Premium homepage
.
Dividend.com's Very Own National TV Commercial Has Debuted
Our first-ever television commercial! has started running on
CNBC and the feedback has been wonderful. If you haven't seen the
link yet,
you can check out our commercial here
.
Thanks for reading everybody. I'll see you tomorrow!
Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the
Best Dividend Stocks
, as well as a detailed explanation of
our ratings system here
.