Stock picks, trading ideas and portfolio strategies from Wall Street's best traders, investors and pundits.
This week’s featured ETF is the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology (IBB). The ETF tracks the NASDAQ Biotechnology index. The top holdings include Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Amgen. Here is a complete list of the top holdings. The top ten holdings make up about 50% of the fund, so the concentration is not too bad. The trailing P/E multiple [...]
This week’s featured ETF is the iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors (ICF). The ETF trackes the Cohen and Steers index. The top holdings include Simon Property Group (SPG) (exactly like IYR) and Public Storage (PSA). Here is a complete list of the top holdings. The trailing P/E multiple is an eye-popping 45 and the yield [...]
Buffett made a few comments over the weekend that I thought were significant. Warren Buffett, who built Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A) with stock picks before focusing on takeovers, said he recently opted against a $22 billion acquisition because he didn’t want to sell investments in marketable securities. (Article here) and Berkshire Hathaway Inc is adding [...]
I wrote the following on October 9th, 2009: -==–=-==–=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- What makes a good ETF in the long term? My, what a question, driven by the ETFs challenging the limits of what is prudent. Maybe it is easier to start with what makes a bad ETF, then: Headline risk can be eclipsed by credit risk. All [...]
This week’s featured ETF is the iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate (IYR). The top holdings include Simon Property Group (SPG) and American Tower Corp. (AMT). The trailing P/E multiple is 29 and the yield is 3.54% These are metrics for investors. Traders, including Felix (our model) are more interested in the tale of the tape. Take a look [...]
Tuesday was a typical first day of the month. We had a reversal of the profit taking last day of the month for April, opened higher and kept the strength all day until the last hour. When the dust settled, Monday’s downside was slightly more than offset by Tuesday’s upside. Overnight the news out of [...]
This week’s featured ETF is the iShares Dow Jones Transportation Average (IYT). This ETF includes railroads, trucking, and delivery services. The top holdings include Union Pacific (UNP), FedEx (FDX), United Parcel (UPS), and Norfolk Southern (NSC). The concentration in the top five holdings is 43.65%. The trailing P/E multiple is 14 and the yield [...]
I wrote the following on August 21st, 2009: -==-=-=–==-=–=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=–==-=–==–=-=-=-==–=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This piece is one of my experiments where I try to straddle two different investment worlds in an effort to bring more understanding. The two world are stable value funds and commodity ETFs. Commodity ETFs have a hard job, in that they are supposed to replicate [...]
Sometimes it is right to step away, enjoy the weather, play some golf, or see a baseball game. Here is a key trading lesson: Don’t play when you have no edge! In my diary this week I described a group of Chicago handicappers who went to the track every day, sharing information. Their results varied [...]
The big story coming into today and one that will be played out throughout the day in the press will be the news that Warren Buffett has stage one prostate cancer. First of all, everyone here at Wall Street Al-Stars wishes him a speedy recovery. I have two close friends who were stricken with the [...]
