As the world scrambles to stockpile their Twinkies supplies amid
the Hostess bankruptcy and attempts to find the Apple (
AAPL
) share price bottom, smart investors are examining their
portfolios and deciding on what names they will want to hold going
forward - and which ones may have seen their best days now that
2013 is almost upon us.
Fortunately for Apple shares (gaining 7% on the day), Barron's
decided to run a cover story on why they may come out ahead in its
battle vs. rival device maker Samsung. How about that for timing a
bullish Apple post! That said, the breakdown in Apple shares should
give investors a bit of pause as they consider any other name in
the momentum trader's universe. Today's rally is just what many
traders need to see as they have been praying for a rebound of some
sort to get anywhere near back to even. The media's trading focus
frenzy has likely lured a number of those admiring big stock moves
in the Apples, Googles, and Amazons of the world just in time to
see a correction no one was forecasting. For long-term investors
like us, this time of year is always good to examine our portfolios
to see what we want to hold into next year.
Looking at the action elsewhere today, Lowe's (
LOW
) was higher following their earnings release. Home Depot (
HD
) shares were also up, as they are coming off their earnings
announcement from the week before. Intel (
INTC
) shares were up just slightly as news the company's CEO Paul
Otellini announced his retirement to come in May of 2013, following
8 years at the top of the semiconductor giant. His leaving comes at
a tough time for the company, as they try and adapt to a declining
PC market (the stock is also at 15-year lows). Elsewhere, positive
Wall Street commentary helped move shares like Altria Group (
MO
), PetSmart (
PETM
), and Bank of America (
BAC
) higher.
Pitching Against Time
It's been years since I watched the movie "For the Love of The
Game," starring Kevin Costner as a pro baseball pitcher coming
toward the end of his career. In the film, Costner reminisces about
his personal life everything he accomplished in the big leagues. At
one point in the movie, legendary baseball announcer Vin Scully
utters these famous lines:
"He's pitching against time. He's pitching against the future,
against age, and even when you think about his career, against
ending. And tonight I think he might be able to use that aching old
arm one more time to push the sun back up in the sky and give us
one more day of summer."
In many ways Mr. Scully can be describing any one of us as we
are looking at holding off "father time" in our own lives. All too
often, we believe time is on our side, but when it comes to your
odds of success, the clock is ticking and every minute you ponder
and squander your time to take action, the eventuality is that most
will simply run out of time. This concept applies not just to
buying dividend stocks, but also to any issue holding you back, be
it financially, professionally, or personally.
On the other hand, we don't want to forget what it is we are
doing and for what reason (legacy, pride, etc.). Not to play too
much of a spoiler for those who haven't seen the movie, but there
is a moment where Kevin Costner is alone in his hotel room
following a spectacular feat he had just accomplished and he sat
there looking around, seeing no one there in his immediate life to
share it with (he was a bachelor for all his playing years and
could not commit to the one person who he really loved and loved
him). Costner just broke down crying hysterically at that moment,
realizing that his professional success meant very little without
any personal joy.
Maybe we've never experienced something so dramatic, but if you
look at the faces around you and see the thought process going a
mile a minute in peoples' eyes whether they are sitting on a
bus/train going across town, on a plane traveling to their next
business meeting, or simply sitting in a car as traffic snarls up,
they are contemplating where they are in their lives. We are human
beings and we tend to think a lot. It's a good thing, but remember
time is ticking. So whatever needs to be done, now is a better time
than any other.
I hope everyone had a chance to check out our
Dividend.com Premium
members-only weekend articles , including new features that
highlight some of the biggest winners and losers from the week that
was, such as 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.
Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the
Best Dividend Stocks
, as well as a detailed explanation of
our ratings system here
.