| One Less Loser Setting a goal to have one less loser may not sound exciting, but the results can be dramatic. There are over 10,000 stocks out there. So be choosy. One of the best ways to put the odds of success in your favor is to focus on the top industries. Why? Because roughly 50% of a stock's price movement can be attributed to the group that it's in. That's why, oftentimes, even a mediocre stock in a top industry can outperform the strongest stock in a weak industry. In fact, in my testing I have found that the top 50% of Zacks Ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. If your last loser was in an underperforming industry, you were betting against the odds. Instead, stick with the best performing industries and put the odds of success in your favor. And when you do find yourself in a losing trade, get out sooner. Nobody likes to take a loss. But don't let your unwillingness to do so ruin your portfolio. Smaller losses are easy to overcome. But big losses, like -30%, -40%, and -50% losers can devastate your portfolio, not to mention your confidence. If you found yourself driving the wrong way on a one-way street, you wouldn't keep driving the wrong way or speed up, you'd turn around and get off. Same thing with stocks. If you bought a stock expecting it to go up, and it's now doing the exact opposite, get out before you crash your portfolio. One less loser, or even just deciding to take smaller losses, will immediately set you apart from the typical mediocre investor. One More Winner Now if you can replace that one less loser with one more winner, you'll compound your success even more. First, stick with the investing style that's right for you. There are many different investing styles out there. The four main fundamental styles are Momentum, Aggressive Growth, Value, and Growth and Income. You can also apply Technical Analysis to any of these styles, and others as well. But make sure you employ proven techniques to get the most out of each style. For example, if you're an Aggressive Growth investor; did you know that stocks with the highest growth rates perform almost as poorly as those with the lowest growth rates? It's true. This is because the companies with the highest growth rates are often unsustainable. And once those sky-high growth rates start to come down, even though they may still be spectacular, the price of the stock will fall back down to earth as well. Stick with companies with growth rates above the median for their industry. And they don't have to be in the triple-digits. In fact, being above the median, but less than 50%, has produced some of the best results. If you're a Value investor; do you know which valuation metrics produce the best results? Better yet, do you know what valuation ranges have the highest probability of success? In my testing, I have found that the Price to Sales ratio (P/S) is one of the best valuation metrics out there. And that stocks with a P/S ratio of less than 1, by far, produce the highest returns. Between 1-2 still produce stellar results. And between 2-3 outperform the market. But once you get over 4, there is a higher probability of losing on that stock than winning. That, of course, does not mean all stocks with a P/S ratio above 4 will go down. But if the odds of winning are greater below 1 (or at least below 3) and worse above 4, then by simply focusing on stocks in the optimum valuation range, you are now one step closer to having one more winner. Don't worry whether you've picked the best stock on the planet. In fact, the best stock on the planet today may not be the best stock on the planet tomorrow. But it doesn't matter. All you need to focus on are good stocks. Or just slightly better stocks than you're picking now to start seeing the kind of success you've always wanted And one small better decision will set in motion other better decisions. And before you know it, you'll be achieving your goals. Stock Picking Secrets of the Pros Picking better stocks and making better decisions is a lot easier when there's a proven, profitable way to do it. For example, did you know that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buy have beaten the market in 26 of the last 32 years with an average annual return of 24.7% per year? That's nearly 2.5 x the S&P. But when doing this year after year, that can add up to a lot more than just two and a half times the returns. But you're not there yet, as that one item alone will only narrow down a field of 10,000 stocks to the top 220 or so. Way too many to trade at once. So the next step is to get that list down to a smaller, actionable list of stocks that you can buy. And one of the best ways to do that is to see what stocks the pros, who use these methods, are picking. Whether you're a growth investor, or a value investor, prefer fast-paced momentum stocks, or mature dividend-paying income stocks, there are certain rules the experts follow to maximize their gains. This applies to large-caps and small-caps, biotech and high-tech, ETF's, stocks under $10, stocks about to surprise, even options, and everything in between. Regardless of which one fits your personal style of trade, just be sure you're following proven profitable methods and strategies that work, from experts who have demonstrated their ability to beat the market. The best part about these strategies and stock picks is that all of the hard work is done for you. There's no guesswork involved. Just follow the experts and start confidently getting into better stocks on your very next trade. What Stocks Are the Pros Are Picking Right Now? An easy way to see how the pros are capitalizing on today's market is to check out the real-time moves Zacks' experts are making inside our private portfolios for the next 30 days. No other research organization offers anything quite like this Zacks Ultimate arrangement. Get started today and you'll get access to our Special Report, Ultimate Four absolutely free. It includes 4 stocks hand-picked by our team of experts to have the greatest upside growth potential in Q3 and beyond. Stock #1: One of the largest artificial intelligence (AI) companies in the world, this strong cash generating business has exposure to exponentially growing markets where it has strong advantages. Stock #2: This leading seller in US beauty is poised to hit new all-time highs thanks to pent-up demand that comes with reopening. Stock #3: The backbone of innovation for global electronics, this enterprise gives investors a prudent way to invest in the semiconductor and electronics space going into the exploding 4th Industrial Revolution. Stock #4: The booming housing market gives this homebuilding pick the potential for the most upside amongst other companies in its industry on the back of strong order outlook and demand. Don't miss this chance to sample our real-time moves from surging stocks under $10 and long-term value stocks to insider buys and income recommendations. For 30 days you can follow services that recently closed gains of +386.8%... +475.8%... even +995.2%¹. Again, based on the way the market looks, it looks like the best is yet to come. But remember, the deadline to download the Ultimate Four report free of charge, plus see all our private picks in real time, is Sunday, August 8. So don't delay. Look into Zacks Ultimate and these 4 elite stocks today » Thanks and good trading,  Kevin Kevin Matras serves as Executive Vice President of Zacks.com and is responsible for all of its leading products for individual investors. He invites you to download Zacks' newly released Ultimate Four Special Report before this weekend's deadline. |
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