As goes the U.S. economy, so go U.S. banking stocks. Thus, it should be no surprise that as the U.S. economy has slowed since early 2018, shares of Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) have struggled. Specifically, from January 2018 to present, Bank of America stock hasn’t gone anywhere. That’s a near 20 month stretch of zero
Dividend Stocks
ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) stock continues to decline. Despite its massive $301 billion market cap and growing dividend yield, XOM has failed to move higher since the oil price slump that began in 2014. It now trades below its level in early 2016 when oil prices bottomed. Source: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com However, XOM stock has now
[Editor’s note: This story was published in July 2018. It has since been updated and republished.] Utility stocks were supposed to be yesterday’s favorite investment. The theory regarding utility stocks was simple: Robust economic growth coupled with a full labor market was supposed to spark rising inflation. The Fed was supposed to fight rising inflation
Editor’s note: This story was previously published in July 2019. It has since been updated and republished. Real estate stocks have become a popular income investment vehicle. Most operate as real estate investment trusts (REITs). These REITs are supposed to pay at least 90% of their income in the form of dividends. In exchange, REIT
With a market cap of $340 billion, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), the healthcare giant, is currently number 37 on the Fortune 500 list. Over the past 12 months, JNJ stock is down about 7%. This compares to a more than 16% drop in the iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (NYSEArca:IHE) which includes JNJ shares at a whopping
ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) CEO Darren Woods recently said that he was eyeing an acquisition in the Permian Basin. However, he felt the going rate for the top players in the region was too rich. Source: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com Whether Woods acts now or waits for better prices in the future, buying a large Permian producer
As we highlighted recently, the best place to find dividend stocks could the tech sector. Need an example? Just take a look at Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) recent wins on the shareholder rewards front. MSFT just announced that it plans on increasing its payout by 11% and is conducting a whopping $40 billion buyback program. When you
At first glance, real estate investment trusts (REITs) seem like risky investment propositions. While the U.S.-China trade war has dominated headlines throughout the year, other geopolitical risks threaten to undermine our delicate economic recovery. Additionally, domestic turmoil via increased calls for President Trump’s impeachment has rattled the markets. Thus, discussing a list of REITs to
The broad market is a step away from record highs. Yet as we approach another earnings season, markets face uncertainty as to how the trade wars will develop and whether tensions with Iran will keep heating up. Therefore today, I am going to discuss three blue chip stocks that are appropriate for long-term portfolios: CVS
High-yield stocks that pay steadily growing and relatively high dividends tend to do quite well over time. The current average dividend yield of the S&P 500 is 1.92%, while the long-term average is 2.09%. After the financial crisis of 2008, the long-term yield value decreased from a peak of 3.86% to around 2% where it is
Ten years ago, people were saying that Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) was nothing but “Amazon’s showroom.” And they were right… at the time. The stock proceeded to go nowhere throughout the early 2010s. But from its low of $11.20 in December 2012, BBY stock is now above $67 – a 500% climb! While it’s certainly proven
There are plenty of benefits to having an allocation to real estate in your portfolio. From income generation to having an asset class that helps fight inflation, every investor should have some allocation to real estate. For most of us that aren’t high net worth investors that means either owning one or two rental properties
Whether it’s through a dividend stock, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. But for income investors, the primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from every liquid investment. Source: Shutterstock Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of
The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates again, for the second time since late July 2019. The rate, which was slashed a quarter basis points (0.25 percentage points) following the two-day FOMC meeting that concluded on Sept. 18, now stands in the range of 1.75%-2%. Source: Shutterstock In order to maintain the U.S. economy’s decade-long
On Sept 18, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis. The expected move came amid concerns about trade wars and a potential economic slow down globally. Yet Fed officials were divided about the decision — as well as over the need for any future cuts. Variables such as interest rates, economic growth, global
The performance of Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) stock has continued to confuse investors. BAC’s fundamentals appear to be solid, and BAC stock looks slightly undervalued. But BAC stock price cannot seem to move higher than the low-$30s. Worse for BAC stock bulls, macroeconomic factors and the actions of the Federal Reserve could trigger near-term doubts
As a long-term owner of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) stock with plans to hang onto my Ford shares as long as it keeps paying an above-average dividend, I’ve been watching the recent headlines about the company more keenly than most. I’m concerned about the fact that Moody’s cut its credit rating on Ford, but I’m encouraged
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) faces an issue many might have never imagined for the company until recently—a compromised reputation. The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based healthcare giant potentially faces billions in fines from legal settlements regarding its products, and it’s going to put a real smudge on JNJ stock. Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com More importantly,
[Editor’s note: “10 Cheap Dividend Stocks to Buy” was previously published in August 2019. It has since been updated to include the most relevant information available.] Here’s a rundown of ten dividend stocks to buy while the market’s skepticism has made them too cheap to ignore. They may not be at their absolute bottom yet,
These days, the news cycle is driving the show. It seems that every day, how the market finishes is 100% based on what’s going on with the trade war, what the Federal Reserve is doing, or just how good or bad the data has been. For conservative or investors near or in retirement, it can