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Read This Before Your Next Trade

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WeekendWisdom
Tactics that Work in Good Markets and Bad
Kevin Matras - Editor

Read This Before Your Next Trade

By: Kevin Matras
January 21, 2023


Whether you’re currently bullish on the market (stocks are up sharply since last October’s key upside reversal), . . .

. . . or bearish (the major indexes still closed lower last year), . . .

. . . or just plain wary given all of the volatility (high inflation, interest rate hikes, and worries over recession, are just a few of the things roiling the market), . . .

. . . it’s now more important than ever to make sure you’re doing everything you can to get the most out of your trades.

Regardless of which camp you put yourself in, there will be distinct winners and losers as we move forward. So before you make your next trade, please read this first to learn how to put the probabilities of success on your side.

Knowledge Is Power

We’ve all heard the old adage; knowledge is power.

It’s a great saying because it’s true.

And that saying couldn’t be truer than when it comes to investing.

Take a look at your last big loser for example. After analyzing what went wrong, you soon discover some piece of information that, ‘had you known beforehand, you never would have gotten into it in the first place.’

I’m not talking about things that are unknowable, like inside information or surprise announcements that can catch even the most professional of professionals off guard.

I’m talking about things that you could have known about or should have known about before you got in.

Did You Know?

Did you know that roughly half of a stock's price movement can be attributed to the group that it's in?
Did you also know that oftentimes a mediocre stock in a top performing group will outperform a 'great' stock in a poor performing group?
And did you know that the top 50% of Zacks Ranked Industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1?
And did you also know that the top 10% of industries outperformed the most?

More . . .

Was your last loser in one of the top industries or in one of the bottom industries?

If it was in one of the bottom industries, you should have known to not take a chance on something with a reduced probability of success.

That’s what is meant by knowledge is power. Knowable things that you need to know.

That’s not to say that stocks in crummy industries won’t go up — they do. And that’s not to say that stocks in good industries won’t go down — because they do too.

But more stocks go up in the top industries, and more stocks go down in the bottom industries.

And since there are over 10,000 stocks out there to pick and choose from, why settle for one with a reduced chance of making any money?

Did You Know? . . .

Did you know that stocks with 'just' double-digit growth rates typically outperform stocks with triple-digit growth rates?
Did you also know that stocks with crazy high growth rates test nearly as poorly as those with the lowest growth rates?

Did your last loser have a spectacular growth rate?

If so, and it got crushed, would you have picked it if you knew that stocks with the highest growth rates have spotty track records?

It seems logical to think that the companies with the highest growth rates would do the best. But it doesn’t always turn out to be the case.

One explanation for this is that sky high growth rates are unsustainable. And the moment a more normal (albeit still good) growth rate emerges, the stock gets a dose of reality as well.

For example, a company earning 1 cent a share that is now expected to earn 6 cents, has a 500% growth rate. But, if it receives a downward estimate revision to 5 cents, that’s a significant drop. Even though it still has a 400% growth rate, the estimates were just reduced by -16.7% and the price is likely to follow.

If you’ve ever wondered how a stock with a triple-digit growth rate could possibly go down — that’s how.

Instead, I have found that comparing a stock to the median growth rate for its industry is the best way to find solid outperformers with a lesser chance to disappoint. And focusing on companies with growth rates above the median, but less than 50%, has produced some of the best results.

Did You Know? . . .

Did you know that stocks receiving broker rating upgrades have historically outperformed those with no rating change by more than 1.5 times? And did you know they outperformed stocks receiving downgrades by more than 10 x as much? The next time one of your stocks is upgraded or downgraded, be sure to remember these statistics so you know how the odds stack up and whether they're for you or against you.
Did you know that stocks with a Price to Sales ratio of less than 1 have produced significantly superior results over companies with a Price to Sales ratio greater than 1? And did you know that those with a Price to Sales ratio of greater than 4 have typically been shown to lose money? That doesn't mean that all stocks with a P/S ratio of less than one will go up and those over four will go down, but you can greatly increase your odds of success by following these valuations.
Did you know that the Zacks Rank is one of the best rating systems out there? And did you know that since 1988, the Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buy stocks have beaten the market in 29 of the last 35 years, with an average annual return of nearly 25% per year? That's more than 2 x the returns of the S&P, with an 82% annual win ratio. That includes 4 bear markets and 4 recessions. And when doing this year after year, that can add up to a lot more than just two times the returns.
Did you know that two simple filters added to the Zacks Rank #1 stocks significantly increases its returns? What if you did? We have a screen that utilizes these two additional items. Over the last 23 years (2000 thru 2022), using a 1-week rebalance, it's produced an average annual return of 49.5% per year, while only holding five stocks in its portfolio at a time. And it handily beat the market again last year. That screen is aptly called the Filtered Zacks Rank 5 screen.

Do you know how well your stock picking strategies have performed?

Whether good or bad – do you know why?

Do you know if your favorite item to look for is helping you or hurting you?

If not, you should.

Beat The Market On Your Next Trade

There's a simple way to add a big performance advantage for stock-picking success. It's called the Zacks Method for Trading: Home Study Course.

With this fun, interactive online program, you can master the Zacks Rank without attending a single class or seminar. Do it online in your own home at your own pace. It covers the investment ideas I just shared and guides you to better trading step by step.

You'll quickly see how to get the most out of the system that has more than doubled the market for more than a quarter century. Discover how to identify what kind of trader you are, how to find stocks with the highest probability of success, and how to trade them so you can consistently beat the market regardless of where stock prices are headed. The course also goes over some of our best-performing strategies from a variety of different trading styles, and it helps you create and test your own.

Today is the perfect time to get in. I'm giving participants free hardbound copies of my book, Finding #1 Stocks, a $49.95 value. Its 300 pages unfold virtually every trading secret I know and have learned over the last 25+ years to beat the market.

Please note: Copies of the book are limited and your opportunity to get one free ends midnight Saturday, January 21. So if you're interested, be sure to check this out right now.

Find out more about the Zacks Home Study Course.

Thanks and good trading,

Kevin Matras - signature
Kevin Matras
Executive Vice President

Zacks EVP Kevin Matras is our chart patterns and stock screening expert. He developed many of Zacks' most powerful market-beating strategies and directs the Zacks Method for Trading: Home Study Course.

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