Another day of small-cap outperformance–here’s the best ETF for this trend

Another day of small-cap outperformance–here’s the best ETF for this trend

The small-cap Russell 2000 index gained 1.90% yesterday, July 15. That beat the 0.28% gain for the Standard & Poor’s 500. And the 0.53% gain for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. And a 0.27% gain for the NASDAQ 100 index.And today, as of noon, New York time, the Russell 2000 is up another 2.25% versus a gain of just 0.30% for the S&P 500 and 1.21 for the Dow Industrials.The NASDAQ 100 is off o.20% All his continues the outperformance trend of last week that I wrote about in yesterday’s Saturday Night Quarterback post.

Moderna finally proves it has a post-Covid vaccine life

Moderna finally proves it has a post-Covid vaccine life

Can you say rollercoaster? In 2022, the biotech company generated sales of nearly $18.9 billion, all of it from sales of its Covid-19 vaccine but it expects revenue of only $4 billion this year. On February 14, 2023, shares sold for $175.62. On $86.04 on February 14, 2024 they traded at $86.04. Today, June 11, they closed at 148.39. I added them to my Volatility Portfolio at $157.10 on April 14,2023. That position was still down 5.54% as of the close on June 11. But I think the rally is still in its early stages. Why the turnaround now?

Special Report: 7 Steps to Protect Your Portfolio While You Still Reap Market Gains: Step #5 Bet on a very hot summer

Special Report: 7 Steps to Protect Your Portfolio While You Still Reap Market Gains: Step #5 Bet on a very hot summer

I think that rather than trying to hedge market or sector direction in the 2024 market, I’m going to look for plays on the long side that will gain even if the market goes nowhere or tumbles, In other words, in financial jargon, I’m going to look for sectors and stocks that are uncorrelated with market direction rather than looking for sectors and stocks that are anti-correlated (where my gains depend on a downturn in the market.) That’s the logic with Step #5 today. Go long natural gas ahead of what is shaping up as a really, really hot summer.

Please Watch My New YouTube video: Hot Button Moves Now! Short regional banks

Please Watch My New YouTube video: Hot Button Moves Now! Short regional banks

I’m adding a bit more timeliness to this weekly video slot by moving away from my Trend of the Week series and changing it to “Hot Button Moves NOW” to highlight action you can take now.. Today’s Hot Button Moves NOW video is: Put Options on the S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE). This is a play on continued trouble in the regional banking sector. New York Community Bank has just been downgraded to junk by Moody’s, (due to its real estate loan portfolio) and has dropped by 60%, taking the regional bank sector along with it. Last Monday I bought puts for April 24 at 14 strike price for $2.09 each and the put price has gone through the February 7 date when I recorded this video. I don’t think this is the end of regional bank trouble so I’ll be holding on to these puts until the bad news subsides. This is a good way to take advantage of some of these dips in the market and hedge risks. For more options and volatility stocks, subscribe to JubakAM.com.

Special Report: 10 Penny Stock Home Runs–Pick #2 PILBF

Special Report: 10 Penny Stock Home Runs–Pick #2 PILBF

This one is very simple. When the price of lithium rebounds, high-quality low-cost lithium producers will see the revenue roll in. That’s why I’d got the world’s leading lithium-producer Albemarle (ALB) in my long-term 50 Stock Portfolio. But a smaller, high-quality, low-cost producer like Australia’s Pilbara Minerals will show gains even higher than Albemarle since the current price of $2.29 a share comes close to discounting the company’s survival.

New York Community won’t be the last bank to get into trouble; adding Puts on next bank crisis

Nothing like a bank surprise to get Wall Street in a lather. On Wednesday, January 31,  New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) announced that it would cut its dividend and add to reserves against losses in its commercial lending portfolio. The stock fell 38% on Wednesday to hit a 23-year low on Thursday. The bad news wasn’t limited to U.S. banks either.Tokyo-based Aozora plunged more than 20% after warning of US commercial-property losses Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank more than quadrupled its provisions against U.S real estate losses. I don’t see any reason to think that this is a one-day phenomenon. Or that the damage is just a minor problem in a few portfolios. Billionaire investor Barry Sternlicht warned this week that the office market is headed for more than $1 trillion in losses. “This is a huge issue that the market has to reckon with,” Harold Bordwin, a principal at Keen-Summit Capital Partners in New York, which specializes in renegotiating distressed properties, told Bloomberg. “Banks’ balance sheets aren’t accounting for the fact that there’s lots of real estate on there that’s not going to pay off at maturity.” On Monday then, I’m adding Put Options on the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE).

Special Report: 10 Penny Stock Home Runs–Pick #1 LAZR, #2 PILBF, #3 GWH, #4 NLLSF, #5 LYSDY, #6 VWDRY, #7 LCCTF

Special Report: 10 Penny Stock Home Runs–Pick #1 LAZR, #2 PILBF, #3 GWH, #4 NLLSF, #5 LYSDY, #6 VWDRY, #7 LCCTF

Usually I start off one of these stock-picking Special Reports by building a paradigm that I can use to screen for the kind of stocks I’m looking for. For this Special Report: 10 Penny Stock Home Runs I’m going to reverse that process and begin with the 10 picks.My first pick is Luminar Technologies.

Here’s the 3-year road map for AI hardware–and a buy on AMD

Here’s the 3-year road map for AI hardware–and a buy on AMD

It’s important to remember exactly how young artificial intelligence is as a market product. I certainly don’t think it’s possible to project the long-term winners on either the software or hardware side. Remember the days when Apple (AAPL) thought it was worth buying a Super Bowl add to urge consumers to smash the IBM PC empire? But I do think the hardware road map is petty clear for the next two to three years. Which is why I’m adding shares of Advanced Micro Devices to my portfolios tomorrow.

Here’s the 3-year road map for AI hardware–and a buy on AMD

Special Report: 10 Great Growth Stocks that Are Getting Greater–today my 10th (and final) pick QCOM

GREATER Growth Stock Pick #10: Qualcomm (QCOM). I think the market and the current stock price are missing a good prt of the growth story for Qualcomm. Which is why I find the stock undervalued enough to buy here. Right now the market disagrees. However, I’ll be adding the stock to my Jubak Picks and Volatility Portfolios on Tuesday, January 16.