“Trade Wars,” interest rate cuts, an eerily calm VIX, and the longest bull rally in history is leading many investors to believe we’re due for a market wide sell off (perhaps a big one) that could arrive any day now. We are not in the businesses of “fear mongering,” but being prepared for very bumpy roads ahead is just good investing. This week’s Blue Harbinger Weekly discusses two critical things you can do with your investment portfolio to be prepared for the next big market sell off. The first is to simply pick good investments (and we will review a few in this write-up). The second has to do with picking the right kind of investments—which we will explain in more detail.
BH Weekly: Has The Fed Lost Its Mind?
The following chart shows expectations for interest rates set by the fed have changed dramatically over the last year from expected increases to expected decreases. And the big question to many investors is Why? With an economy that appears quite healthy (healthy GDP growth, low unemployment, inflation in check), why wouldn’t the fed be raising interest rates to a more normal level? Afterall, they’ve been abnormally low by most standards since the financial crisis. Is the fed bowing to the Twitter in Chief or are they simply punishing savers? There are plenty of retirees that long for the +15% yield on treasuries that existed in the early 1980s.
Despite Big Market Gains, Lots of Attractive Opportunities Remain
The market (SPY) has been on fire this year (+21.4%), however plenty of very attractive long-term investment opportunities remain. This week’s Weekly shares the performance of each of our holdings across all three of our strategies, and then provides concise commentary on attractive opportunities among REITs, healthcare, growth stocks and our high-income low-beta “Alternative Fixed Income” strategy. We conclude with a little advice.
Misleading Fear Tactics And Attractive Opportunities
The S&P 500 is now up over 20% this year, which is a big number. But to keep that in perspective, it’s up only 11.4% over the last year, and it’s averaging 10.7% over the last 5 years. Keep those more moderate numbers in mind the next time someone tries to frighten you into ditching your long-term strategy and selling everything because “the sky is falling.” This week’s Weekly reviews the performance of every position we own over recent time periods, and highlights a few ideas that are particularly attractive right now.
In The Face of Fake News--More Gains, More Income (Holdings & Performance Update)
In the face of non-stop fake and misleading news headlines, we stuck to our long-term strategies and delivered another month of healthy gains and income across our investment portfolios, as usual. This report reviews the individual holdings and performance across each of our strategies. We also review the absurdity of a few recent news headlines that are designed specifically to eat away at your hard-earned nest egg. Finally, we highlight a few of our current holdings that are particularly attractive for new investment dollars right now.
Market Too Hot? Top 5 Big-Dividend REITs Worth Considering
This article is the private, members-only continuation of our free public report titled: Market Too Hot? Top 10 Big -Dividend REITs Worth Considering. Except this members-only version counts down the REITs we have ranked #5 to #1. Without further ado, here is the list…
Is Your Portfolio's Beta Risk Appropriate? + Attractive Investment Ideas
If you’re going to manage some/all of your own investments, you ought to have some idea of your portfolio’s beta risk (so you can make sure it is appropriate for your goals). This week’s Weekly shares the updated performance data for each of our current holdings (as well as our “Contenders List”), and we’ve also included each position’s “beta” risk to help you gauge your risk exposure relative to your long-term investment goals. We’ve also highlighted a couple attractive investment opportunities.
Avoiding Mistakes: More Income, More Gains This Week
Undoubtedly, a lot of investors have made costly trading mistakes out of fear in recent days, weeks and months as volatility rises and falls. And the investors that continue to do best are the ones that stick to their objectives and strategies. The S&P was up 4.5% over the last 5 trading days, and our portfolios extended their long-term track records of powerful gains and income. This report shares the performance data for all of our holdings, and highlights some attractive stocks if you have extra cash that you need to put to work.
Performance Update: When to Rebalance, Current Attractive Opportunities
Despite increased fear and volatility marketwide, our portfolios beat the S&P 500 (again) in May, and continue to grow their powerful long-term track records of income and appreciation. We don’t expect readers to match our portfolios exactly (even though they can come pretty close if they want); rather, the idea is to share top ideas and strategies to help you manage your own investment portfolio. This report shares our May performance, individual holdings weights & returns, and concludes with our views on how/when to rebalance your own portfolio, as well as where we’re seeing the best investment opportunities within the current market turbulence.
The Trade War Is An "Opportunity-Creating" Skirmish
This week’s Weekly shows the recent and historical performance of all of our current holdings across strategies (as well as the names on our Contenders List), and also highlights what has been working, and where we’re seeing the best opportunities going forward. The week’s theme is the ongoing disruption and opportunities the US-China “Trade War” (it’s really just a “skirmish”) is creating for selective disciplined investors. We highlight specific opportunities.
Blue Harbinger Portfolio Rebalance
We have made a significant amount of “rebalancing” trades throughout our portfolios. Most of the changes revolve around reweighting current holdings for diversification and risk management purposes. However, we have also added several new positions, as well as exited a few positions altogether. As a reminder, all of our investment portfolios are long-term in nature, so these types of large portfolio adjustments are rare. However, we do complete them from time-to-time in order to optimize our expected returns and income relative to risks, and in accordance with the long-term objectives of the strategies.
Holdings & Performance Update: Impressive YTD Gains & Income Continue
All Blue Harbinger strategies delivered healthy gains in April, thereby extending their long-term outperformance. The strategies are positioned prudently to achieve their long-term goals, ranging from attractive income to powerful long-term growth. This report reviews performance (including specific holdings) and where we’re seeing the best opportunities going forward. Importantly, don’t get greedy—this year’s gains have been nice, but stick to your disciplined long-term strategy.
Teekay Offshore: 10.7% Yield Preferred Shares, On Sale or In Danger?
The S&P 500 hit record highs this past week, as growth and tech stocks continue their impressive velocity higher. However, not all stocks are flying high, and certain value opportunities are increasingly interesting. This week’s Blue Harbinger Weekly provides a quick review of the performance of our holdings, as well as our opinion on the 10.7% yielding preferred shares of Teekay Offshore (TOO.B) which are currently trading at a discounted price of $19.82 per share.
Medical Properties: Interesting 5.8% Yield Following Sell-Off in REITS, Healthcare
This week’s Blue Harbinger Weekly highlights the performance of various market sectors and styles, including the sharp sell-off in REITs and healthcare. We also share the weekly performance of the individual holdings within our Income Equity and Disciplined Growth strategies, including a brief review of a couple big movers. Finally, we share our opinion on the attractiveness of big dividend REIT Medical Properties Trust (5.8% yield), which unexpectedly sold-off more than 8% just last week.
Sabra REIT’s 9.2% Yield: Moved by Low Rates and Healthcare Headwinds
Here is a look at the market’s continuing strong performance this year (the S&P 500 is up 16.6%). REITS are one sector that’s been particularly strong (XLRE is up 19.1%) as the Fed’s new found dovish low interest rate posture helps REITs which generally rely on borrowing to grow. On the other hand, healthcare is one sector that has lagged (XLV is up only 4.2%) as this diverse sector faces varying specific pressures. Sabra Healthcare (SBRA) is a big dividend REIT that faces its own company-specific pressures as well as the headwinds of being a healthcare related company and the tailwinds of being a REIT. This week’s Blue Harbinger Weekly reviews the market’s performance, the performance of our portfolio holdings, and briefly reviews a few specific names, one of which is our opinion on Sabra Healthcare’s tempting 9.2% dividend yield.
Holdings & Performance Update: March Adds to Powerful Q1
All Blue Harbinger strategies delivered healthy gains in March, thereby extending their long-term outperformance. The strategies are positioned prudently to achieve their long-term goals, ranging from attractive income to powerful long-term growth. This report reviews performance (including specific holdings) and where we’re seeing the best opportunities going forward. Most importantly, keep perspective. Foolish investors panicked and sold out of fear in Q4 thereby missing out on Q1’s fantastic returns. Don’t get greedy and make the opposite mistake now. Stay disciplined.
A Powerful Growth Stock Worth Considering
We write a lot about income investments, however we also like to invest in powerful growth stocks, as well, because they add important diversification to an investment portfolio, and they can help keep your nest egg growing. This article focuses on one of the fastest growing companies in the US in terms of this year and next year’s sales growth, at scale. We provide an overview of the company’s attractive qualities, as well as a review of the common pitfalls to watch out for when investing for powerful long-term growth and capital appreciation.
Triton’s New 8.5% Yield Preferred Shares, Not Bad, But…
If you’re an income-focused investor, you might be interested to know intermodal shipping container company, Triton International, just issued some very attractive 8.5% yield preferred shares this week. And as many of our readers know, we’ve written about the common shares of Triton, and we’ve also had success selling income-generating put options on the common shares. But if you’re looking for high steady income (and less volatility) than the 6.5% yield of the common shares, consider this before you jump headfirst into these compelling new 8.5% yield preferreds.
Holdings & Performance Update: The Rally Continues, So Do The Opportunities
All Blue Harbinger strategies delivered healthy gains in February, thereby continuing their long-term track records of outperformance. The strategies have been positioned correctly for the market rebound, and they are positioned correctly to achieve their long-term goals, ranging from attractive high income to powerful long-term growth. This report reviews performance (including specific holdings) and where we’re seeing the best opportunities going forward. Most importantly, as always, be opportunistic, but for goodness sake don’t lose sight of your long-term goals.