Usually, when a company breaks to new all-time highs, it’s likely going to trend higher for some time later. That’s especially true when a company can point to a positive trend such as growing earnings, a new product, or a new partnership. Investors who typically might not be interested in a great company at all-time highs can carve out an exception when a great company has made it clear their business is on the rise. That looks like the case withOracle (ORCL). The database giant has made tremendous strides in transitioning to cloud services. Now, they’ve announced a partnership w...

Some stocks are cyclical, and have big moves within a short period of time. But when the cycle turns, a big winner can become a big market loser. Other companies tend to perform well steadily. While they may not be the market leader, over time, slow-and-steady stocks can compound into big winners. Investors looking for investment opportunities now will want to hold a mix of both to best profit from market trends. One slow and steady investment is insurance companies. These companies tend to be steadier than banks, which can take a big dive in a crisis. One insurance company trendi...

Companies have to contend with competition. That’s a good thing. Competition means similar services, often with new features that customers demand. Or it can mean lower prices. When one company announces a new product that directly competes with an existing service somewhere else, shares may take a dive. The extent and length of the drop depends on how credible a new offering is at displacing existing customers. For instance,Apple (AAPL) is working on ways to improve its payment system, Apple Pay. That’s seen as a direct threat to payment platformPayPal (PYPL). Apple’s latest iOS ...

Investors in the chip space have fared well over the past year and a half. Soaring interest in AI technologies bodes well for any designer and manufacturer of semiconductor stocks. Within that space, some companies have done better than others. What really matters for investors is finding which companies can continue to trend higher from here, and even become the leading play in the space. For semiconductor stocks, the real story is insatiable chip demand. And that means that manufacturing plays could be the best performers. That likely makesTaiwan Semiconductor (TSM) a top play g...

Big companies can often go in and out of favor with the market. But companies that underperform tend to catch up over time. And investors who have been disappointed with such a company will be happy when that outperformance occurs. Many stocks are still underperforming. In a market that’s driven by news about AI developments, that’s no surprise. But it also means that today’s buyers can get a relative value in non-AI parts of the market. Defense contractors are one such play. These companies are set to benefit from increased government spending on defense. Many countries have announc...

Historically, all companies go through a period of rapid growth while they build market share. Once they hit saturation, they tend to see a decline. To avoid that, most companies have to innovate and come up with a new product or service to keep customers. For other assets, such as commodities, demand can fluctuate in cycles. Investors who buy near the low of the cycle and sell near the top can often make market-beating returns. Today, utility companies are behaving like commodity stocks at the start of a bull market. That’s because rising demand for AI means a demand for more energy...

Semiconductor companies have been on a tear. Part of their rally is driven by anything related to AI. But another part is the announcement of new chips that can truly expand on the breakthroughs occurring in AI today. Part of that could mean that some lagging companies may end up grabbing more market share. And that slower-growing companies out of the market’s favor may become the new market leaders in the quarters ahead. For instance,Intel (INTC) has struggled in recent years. It’s long underperformed in the industry. But the company’s push for personal computer (PC) chips that can ...

“It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who has been swimming naked.” That Warren Buffett quite is about the danger of investing in companies during bull markets. Some companies that are flying high today may have some problems that are being overlooked. That trend could easily reverse. So with markets still near all-time highs, investors may want to look for companies that have clean financial books and are in good shape. One such company isAutodesk (ADSK). Shares have rallied following an investigation into the company’s accounting. Autodesk reports there will be no need t...

Most market sectors move in and out of favor with investors over time. One simple strategy for investors is to buy out-of-favor sectors, and then look to take profits when that sector turns around. Doing so can create market-beating returns consistently, and keep out of sectors that are overly loved and may be poised to see a massive drop. Today, a few sectors remain out of the market’s favor, including one in the tech space. That niche part of the tech market is cybersecurity. Despite increased budgets to deal with digital threats, cybersecurity stocks remain unloved by the market. ...

For all the clamor in the AI space, most investors have largely focused on large companies. On the surface level, that makes sense. Big-name tech firms have billions of dollars that they can easily throw into AI projects. If there’s even a small boost to the company’s bottom line, it can mean big bucks for shareholders. But smaller AI plays look attractive now too. That’s because these companies have a smaller market cap. As smaller companies grow, they can see a massive percentage return. And that move likely isn’t priced in yet. For instance, pure-play AI application firmC3.ai (...