Investing is a marathon, although with all the day-to-day news and quarterly earnings report, it may not always feel like that. A handful of companies get their focus right, looking at the long haul versus short-term moves. Those companies may not always please investors during their quarterly earnings reports. But all companies will have a disappointing quarter from time to time. Great companies don’t let it faze them at all. ConglomerateBerkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) is one such company. A mix of fully-owned businesses and insurance operations, the company can have wildly mixed returns...

Every few years, if less, investors find a new tech story to love. The past few years has seen interest shift to artificial intelligence, following an interest in the growth of electric vehicles, as well as blockchain and cryptocurrency technology. One trend is a bit older, having been around for nearly 10 years. And as a more mature trend, it’s leading to big cash flows and profits for companies embracing it now. That trend is the cloud. Cloud services have grown tremendously in the past decade, allowing a number of big tech companies to grow even larger. This earnings season, th...

Stocks that lead the market in one year will likely lag the next. The reverse is also true. Even during a bull market, some stocks and sectors soar higher, while others underperform. But they tend to win out when the trend shifts. This year’s market rally has been driven by tech stocks. And fears of a slowdown in consumer spending have hit companies with strong brands hard. But companies lagging this year could still be winners in the months ahead. One potential winner isNike (NKE). The footwear and apparel manufacturer has been a market laggard so far this year. But that could be ab...

The past few months have shown a big slowdown in inflation. It’s also shown that consumers are willing to ditch their favorite brands to find less expensive substitutes. However, that trend likely won’t last forever. As prices in general rise, even substitute brands may not entice consumers as they once did. That could bode well for companies that have a strong basket of brands, even if their profitability has been hit in the short-term. For instance,Kraft Heinz (KHC) reported a decline in revenue in its most recent quarter. While the company has been able to raise prices, they’re co...

Many sectors condense over time into just a few players. An oligopoly can be great for investors, as companies tend to look for ways to improve their profitability, rather than spend considerable money on expansion once there’s a small and stable number of players in the market. That can lead to good investment returns. The returns can improve when investors buy during short-term market fears. That includes the opportunities hitting one company harder during earnings season compared to others. For instance,JetBlue Airways (JBLU) has been hit. Besides reporting that the company doesn’...

So far, this year has been kind to semiconductor companies. That’s because most of them can benefit from the exploding interest in AI technology. However, the hardware companies may have run up a bit too quickly. The software companies behind AI likely have more room to run. There’s a good amount of competition, both in AI prompts, and for developing AI software tools that can combine and leverage the power of multiple pieces of AI software. One big cap winner in the space could beAdobe (ADBE). The company was just upgraded thanks to their push into the creation of AI software tools....

The last year has seen consumers slow down in some parts of the market, but gain in others. The biggest gains have come from travel, leisure, and hospitality services, rather than the sale of goods. For a world that was largely locked down for a considerable amount of time, that trend makes sense. It’s also a trend likely to continue for some time. Investors have a number of ways to play this trend. One safe way to do so is to profit from the ongoing demand for concerts. Analysts see the trend continuing, which could bode well for ticket sellers such asLive Nation Entertainment (LYV)...

In many industries, several companies will compete for leadership. It can change over time, particularly if market conditions provide unusual opportunities. The past few years has seen wild swings in a number of sectors. Tech stocks soared during the pandemic amid the rise for remote work and contactless payments. Then tech stocks came back down, as their valuations were wildly expensive when interest rates started to rise. The media has been on a similar loop. Investors loved any company offering streaming services during the pandemic, only to go sour on those trades in the last yea...

Earnings season is in full swing. And investors can once again see good companies falter on less-than-perfect quarterly news. For investors looking beyond the quarterly sprint, however, it may open up some reasonable buying opportunities. That’s true for industry-leading firms. They tend to have higher expectations, and any market disappointment could lead to a buy, even if it’s just a slight discount to where a company would otherwise trade. One great company that often trades at a premium isVisa (V). The credit card networks are already an oligopoly, but Visa is the leading company...

Companies are impacted by any number of uncertainties. Investors who wait for completely clear skies often miss out on the opportunity. But buying when things are starting to turn around can offer the best returns relative to the risk. That’s especially true when buying shares of industry leaders. Taking advantage of a short-term fear can be the best way to get the optimal price for a company’s shares. The most recent industry leader getting a big uncertainty off the table isUnited Parcel Service (UPS). The freight and logistics company just avoided a big strike. While short-term tra...