Some of the most ‘un-sexy’ and ‘boring’ industries / companies can actually be good for your portfolio. I came across Trinity Industries (NYSE: TRN) while I was looking into the railroad industry. Continue reading
Month: October 2015
The Week That Was
Last week was a good week for equity investors as each of the indices ended higher. Germany’s DAX was last week’s top performer with a gain of 6.8% followed by France’s CAC 40 at +4.7%. The French CAC 40 continues to lead on a YTD basis. China’s recent rate cut and musings about further European QE could see further gains next week.
Updated “Where Are They Now” Page
I just updated the “Where Are They Now Page”…4 of the 6 stocks I favorably mentioned are up (CHD is trailing CLX at the moment), with GBL climbing the most and GPC lagging. Despite my posting of weekly numbers I still take the long-view…its just nice to see how they are doing 🙂
What do you think?
The Week That Was
4 of the 7 indices ended in the black last week with the S&P 500 occupying the top spot at +0.90%. Last week’s worst performer was Canada’s S&P/TSX composite which recorded a drop of 90 basis points. France’s CAC 40 continues to lead the pack with an impressive YTD return of +10.06%.
Kicking The Tires On A New Car…And On A New Investment.
If you have ever test-driven a new or used car in the U.S., U.K, or Germany…chances are good that the car was from a dealership operated by Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: PAG), a Fortune 500 company with more than 300 franchises covering 40 different vehicle brands. Lets see if that glorious “new car” smell extends to PAG as a long-term investment shall we: Continue reading
The Week That Was
Each of the indices recorded strong gains last week as bargain hunters swept the market and concerns over a FED rate rise this year seemed increasingly unlikely.
Glencore continued its recovery this week, closing up an astonishing 36% which would seem to indicate overly bearish sentiment fading away (no doubt the Company’s decision to cut zinc production also played a part in the rally).
The French CAC-40 is the year’s top performer with an amazing +10% return followed by Japan’s NIkkei 225 (+5.66%) and London’s FTSE 100 (+2.97%) .
Tuning Your Car’s Engine…And Your Portfolio.
Whether you do it yourself or go to a garage for help, every vehicle owner has been exposed to the myriad of parts a vehicle needs to keep running smoothly. Continue reading
The Week That Was
Concerns over the future of commodity trading and mining giant Glencore dominated the market at the beginning of the week, with the Company’s stock dropping nearly 30% on Monday itself. However, in what appears to be a case of over-pessimism, the stock closed down 2.3% for the week as it began its recovery in earnest on Tuesday.
Lingering commodity fears (and by extension China), disappointing U.S. non-farm payroll numbers, and revisions to prior month data (U.S. jobs and hourly earnings) slowed a market recovery which took hold on Tuesday (both the Dow and S&P 500 finished 1% higher on the week). The fallout from the Volkswagen debacle and aforementioned economic and commodity weakness kept the European indices in the red save for London’s FTSE 100 which posted a modest rise of 0.34%
The French CAC 40 and Japanese NIkkei 225 remain the only two indices in the black on a year-to-date basis.
Boring Is Beautiful: Marsh & McLennan Companies
Whether you love them or hate them, insurance brokers are a permanent part of the financial services landscape. The business is by no means glamorous but does present an opportunity for the long-term investor. Continue reading
The Security Whisperer 