There was a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out
that said 75% of Americans are unhappy with the direction of the
country.
The Federal Reserve's move for a second round of quantitative
easing is intended to help keep stock prices going higher, and
interest rates locked in at historically low levels. You would
think that the sentiment would be starting to improve somewhat,
since we are up over 85% on the S&P since the March 2009 lows,
but yet many Americans are still unhappy with how things are
shaping up for the economy. I continue to believe efforts to create
new jobs are going to be the real foundation of what will truly
turn sentiment around. The ironic thing for corporate America and
investors is that the current situation is actually helping
companies regarding profits. There is a "do more with less" mantra
that has taken shape across numerous industries. Margins remain
robust for plenty of companies we follow, helping push stock prices
higher, as well as dividend payouts and stock buybacks (not our
favorite use of cash, but Wall Street goes gaga over it). The best
thing we can do is to continue to invest in companies that will
continue to thrive if things remain as they are now.
Practice fiscal discipline as much as possible. If you can
hustle more and make some extra coin at work, don't hesitate to
grab the opportunity to make some extra bucks. You can also try
starting your own business. There are plenty of ways to do so
without putting the family's financial foundation at risk. Many of
you have skills that can lend itself to some freelancing/consulting
opportunities. Aside from that, the retail space continues to be an
area that needs good talent to fill in the gaps. Getting a second
job should not be overlooked if you can find a way to juggle your
career and family obligations. I know that from experience, as our
company continues to make the sacrifices and do the things
necessary to build our brand further.
Looking at today's markets, gold prices surpassed the $1400
price levels early on as traders continue to chase the hot
commodity space, but sellers came in this afternoon to turn things
lower. AngloGold (
AU
) and Barrick Gold (
ABX
) watched the early pop disappear by the close. We also saw Mosaic
(
MOS
) and CF Industries (
CF
) give back a decent chunk of today's gains by the end of the
session as well. We have a couple of commodity-related names on our
recommended list, but for the most part, the area is better suited
for short-term traders that can navigate in and out of the
commodity space on a daily and weekly basis. Recent gainers in the
financial space like Wells Fargo (
WFC
) and PNC Financial (
PNC
) saw some profit-taking.
We continue to look for potential new additions to our
recommended list, but are also considering some downgrades.
I'll continue to keep everyone posted on my new book, which is
slated for a 2011 release. It is in the editing stages now, and
could be ready for an e-book launch as the new year begins. The
print version is tentatively scheduled for May 2010. Don't forget
to check out new
Investing Videos
section as well as a couple of video links below to see our latest
work. As always, check out our industry-leading
Best Dividend Stocks
list for the top dividend names to put money into right now.
Thanks for reading, and 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
.