The last unemployment numbers before Election Day came out today
and despite better-than-expected numbers, the markets decided to
give back the bulk of yesterday's gains.
The markets had initially liked the jobs numbers, but investor
buying quickly disappeared. As for stocks in the headlines,
earnings news once again dominated the biggest movers list.
Starbucks (
SBUX
) shares had a good share of investor excitement over
better-than-expected numbers and news of the company's dividend
hike. Elsewhere, shares of Beam Inc. (
BEAM
) and Ralph Lauren (
RL
) also moved higher on earnings beats. On the flipside, investors
sold earnings news from names like Newmont Mining (
NEM
), Fluor Corp (
FLR
), Republic Services (
RSG
), Chesapeake Energy (
CHK
), and Pitney Bowes (
PBI
). Lastly. Shares of Apple (
AAPL
) dipped below their 200-day moving average for the first time in
over a year. It will be interesting to see how this bodes for other
tech names.
Scenarios Galore
With reports coming out by the hour, number crunchers are trying
to place bets on how much Hurricane Sandy will amount to in losses,
the effects on the economy, and inevitably the media's favorite
focus: who are the winners and losers? I can save you the answer on
the last one.
The stocks everyone has been piling into with renovations,
rebuilding, and consumer spending being the central theme may not
do much of anything over the next 12 months or so if history is any
indication. Home Depot (
HD
) and Lowe's (
LOW
) were trading lower a year after Hurricane Katrina, while machine
giant Caterpillar (
CAT
) shares were flat. Wall Street will do its best to get Hurricane
Sandy in every investor's rear-view mirror as soon as possible, and
with any big event that occurs, the shock and awe eventually does
pass (often sooner than you think).
With election day just days away, we will certainly see the
focus shift some from the miles-long gas lines and power black-outs
affecting millions to the next big story. All I can say is to not
dismiss the impact we have seen from what a major weather event can
do to an economically gigantic northeast region. From what I've
heard, Sandy may not be the last encounter those of us on the east
coast will have with Mother Nature in the years ahead.
Decisions Will be Made (Eventually)
The eventual fallout from Hurricane Sandy is impossible to
predict, but you can bet that such a disastrous event will prove to
reshape people's feelings on a number of issues. One big change may
come in regards to real estate.
Dotted all along the Jersey Shore are multi-million dollar
properties (second homes for some, and the bulk of a retirement
nest egg for others). Living or working so close to the ocean is
truly a dream for many, but there is always that fear of "what if."
For myself, owning a small office condo at the shore, where our
Dividend.com office is located, doesn't cause me too much concern.
However, if I owned an expensive home on the beach, I'm sure my
worries would be magnified.
Insurance can help alleviate one's worries about potential storm
damage, but the bigger picture (and one I am sure many have been
thinking about these last few days) is this: will the appeal of
owning some of these picturesque properties make them as investable
as people used to think they were? Many second-home beach
communities have already seen values drop considerably in recent
years, so the markets are already pretty weak in many areas. Now
with the widespread damage from the massive recent storm, these
ultra-pricey properties may not be so desirable. These are the type
of real-life options many folks are contemplating as we speak.
In stock trading, one is conditioned to react quickly to news
events that can affect positions they are in, or positions they are
considering. This is not the case when it comes to one's career,
deciding where one wants to live, renting vs. owning, who to marry,
etc. Dividend investing fits in the latter equation as well,
especially when brands we used to think were immune to trouble,
eventually cut their dividends and sometimes suspend them
indefinitely.
As a result, I constantly preach the importance of paying
attention to the companies in your portfolio. Don't believe me?
There are plenty of Avon (
AVP
) shareholders in disbelief following
this week's dividend payout reduction
. These investors wouldn't have been surprised if they'd been
paying attention to our ratings reductions on the stock over the
last couple of years, along with several other warning signs,
particularly a share price trading at 12-year lows.
While many people will take as much time as possible to make a
decision, make no mistake, there will be others who react sooner,
sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. No one can
predict the future, but we can all certainly pay close attention to
the factors surrounding our money. Important decisions require
careful deliberation. Just be sure to actually make the necessary
actions once you do your homework. Whether you're considering
owning a shore home or a particular dividend stock, these factors
are essentially the same.
Looking Toward Next Week
Looking ahead to the next week for stocks, third quarter
earnings will continue to come our way. On tap are results from the
likes of CVS Caremark (
CVS
), Prudential (
PRU
), Qualcomm (
QCOM
), and Time Warner (
TWX
), just to name a few. The focus will also continue to be on the
economic data, the Presidential election, and as usual, the latest
Wall Street analyst calls.
Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the
Best Dividend Stocks
, as well as a detailed explanation of
our ratings system here
.