The markets came into the new week with some trepidation as we
saw Middle East tensions continue escalate over the weekend.
Interestingly enough, we didn't see a pop for commodity prices on
the instability.
Shares of Joy Global (
JOYG
) closed higher following news the company will buy Rowan Cos Inc's
drilling and mining gear unit for $1.1 billion in cash. Speaking of
deals, shares of NYSE Euronext (
NYX
) were down 12% on news Nasdaq and Intercontinental Exchange have
dropped their bid for the market operator. I have been skeptical
about the ability for a Nasdaq/ICE deal getting done, and a deal
with the Deutsche Borse is no shoe-in either. Shares of NYX could
get interesting from an arbitrage standpoint below $34-$35.
Earnings results helped propel shares of retailer J.C. Penney (
JCP
) higher. On the flipside, Lowe's (
LOW
) closed lower as the home improvement retailer missed estimates
and lowered its outlook. Some of the hardest hit names we were
watching were Nasdaq-traded names, including Wynn Resorts (
WYNN
), Broadcom (
BRCM
), Oracle (
ORCL
), and Starbucks (
SBUX
).
It was an exciting weekend for my daughter who won her first
medal ever as her freshman high school crew team won the bronze
medal in the local championship races here in South Jersey this
weekend. She has been close in other events she has participated in
but was never able to secure the coveted medal. As I mentioned to
the business students I spoke to at the induction ceremony I was a
keynote speaker a few weeks ago, you have to continue to maintain
goals and not stop reaching for what comes next. I can tell you my
daughter's determination has helped her make up for being a bit
smaller than the other girls.
Point being, every one of us can probably point to an area of
deficiency when it comes to pursuing our dreams. In most cases, it
comes down to properly motivating yourself. Sometimes your goals
will come as part of a team, and not just as a solo effort. When it
comes to your career success, you always want to align yourself
with others that want to climb to the top as badly as you do. If
you start hanging with that crowd, or inspire others to be a part
of your mission, you will see success sooner than you think. As my
daughter and her teammates were presented with their medals, I
thought about the night she asked me if I ever thought she would
win a medal and I told her everything is possible if you work hard
enough. Despite leaving her with the inspirational words, I
remember leaving her room and really feeling a heavy heart for her.
As a parent, we can help our children in many areas, but we know
that they will have to feel the heartaches and joys of what life
brings on their own.
I want investing success for everyone that reads our work and
subscribes to our Dividend.com Premium service. There will be ups
and downs along the way, but if everyone stays the course, the
goals of building wealth and financial security will be a realistic
one. Everyone who reads this newsletter knows I will be persistent
when it comes to this message. The Miami Heat opened their series
against the Chicago Bulls last night and forgot Pat Riley's
championship motto - "No rebounds, no rings". If you want to win
and succeed, hard work and sacrifice is always required. Without
those attributes, the goal will remain just a fantasy.
I hope everyone had a chance to check out our
Dividend.com Premium
members-only weekend article, including the new features that
highlight some of the biggest winners and losers from the week that
was, including analyst upgrades/downgrades and earnings/story
stocks. These articles are a great way to catch up on the week that
was in the markets. We also have a rundown of how various Dividend
ETFs performed on the week.
Our newly-expanded dividend data is all in place now, so anyone
that focuses on "Dividend Capture" 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 now access a new 9 page report we just released on the
essential things an active investor needs to know when it comes to
a dividend capture strategy. Be sure to check it out!
Thanks for reading everybody. I'll see you tomorrow!