In a bull market, companies will try all sorts of new ways to compete with each other. When times get tougher, companies that are quick to cut back to the basics are the most likely to keep their losses to a minimum. That’s especially true as smaller or more leveraged players end up dealing with steep losses or even bankruptcy. Companies that can simplify and streamline operations should be more focused and have higher profit margins as the market turns around. One company that tends to expand its customer options during goods times isMcDonald’s (MCD). The fast-food giant is now scal...

Earnings season is coming in mixed. It often does. In a bull market, a few misses can be written off. In a bear market… companies that miss tend to get punished. While that creates a potential buying opportunity, companies that miss in multiple quarters could be in for some rough performance. Traders looking for companies moving higher ahead of the rest of the market should focus on companies beating on earnings now. One such play isT-Mobile US (TMUS). The wireless telecom play just reported its most recent earnings. It beat expectations, and raised their forecast for the upcoming qu...

The current earnings season is showing which companies can fare well with high inflation right now, and which companies are struggling. While a company may report far different earnings than average right now, companies with high profit margins will likely continue to grow in time. That’s because these companies can either reinvest at a high rate of return, or give capital back to shareholders via dividends or share buybacks. One company faring well right now and posting a strong profit margin isVisa (V). The company reported solid earnings, thanks to a rebound in travel. The company...

Traders have largely priced in a recession, with slowing growth all but certain for some time to come. The slowdown is being done in order to combat high inflation. Part of that is to lower prices. That could cause some big changes for retail companies. Investors already sawWalmart (WMT) warn that they would miss their full-year profit target, as a number of items would have to go on sale in order for the company to clear its excess inventory. While that’s tough on shares, Walmart will survive, and likely even thrive in a downturn as investors ship at lower-end outlets. In fact, the ...

The past few years has been great for some sectors. For others, it’s been tough. The restaurant space has had to rapidly change to pandemic protocols, a rise in takeout orders, and increased outdoor dining, to say nothing about supply chain issues. However, many of these companies have been holding up well. In a potentially slowing economy, though, those offering fares with lower-priced items will likely hold up the best – and may even grow in today’s environment. That’s potentially good news forYum! Brands (YUM). The owner of KFC and Taco Bell, among others, is just barely down over...

It’s still the early stages for earnings season. But we’ve seen companies perform above expectations, even as overall performance has started to slow in the past year. With some big tech names about to report, now may be the time to look at adding these stocks. While they’ve typically been growth names, in a market slowdown, smaller companies may not be able to grow. And the big established names could end up with a larger market share as a result. One company reporting later this week isAmazon (AMZN). The retailer doesn’t always make money, but it does focus on growing in size overa...

The past few months have seen stocks move off their lows. Despite the daily swings in the market, the potential for a recession has been priced in. Some sectors have fared better than others during this downturn. In the meantime, the market recovery of the past few weeks has been best for beaten-down tech plays. And one of the hardest hit places, cryptocurrencies, has technically entered into a new bull market. From its lows last week alone, Bitcoin is up nearly 25 percent. Considering a number of cryptocurrency staking and lending platforms have had to liquidate their holdings, this...

The market may have hit a recent low in the past few weeks. Time will tell. Until we know more, uncertainty continues to reign. And many companies are now starting to report on the unusual conditions of the last quarter, which could lead to a further selloff. Companies with a large international presence are noting the effect that the strong US Dollar is having on their international operations. That’s leading to lower outlooks going forward. But if the economy starts to show signs of life, the strength in the dollar will likely wane. As that happens, international companies headquar...

Congress is weighing on legislation to support domestic semiconductor production before it goes on recess. The goal is to counter the global chip shortage. If passed, it will make it easier for mega-factories to be built stateside, but the chip shortage is still likely to continue. That’s because demand remains strong, and many new technologies require a larger number of more advanced chips than ever before. That bodes well across the industry. One company set to benefit from the shortage, and get an extra boost from new legislation, isIntel (INTC). Once the leading player in the ...

While the latest data shows that retail spending is up – rising 1 percent in the past month—the rate of spending has slowed. That’s an indicator that consumers will likely cut back on luxury goods, and focus more on buying basics where they can get reasonable prices. For investors, that’s potentially bad news for a number of retail stocks. However, some companies tend to fare well as they provide customers a variety of goods at inexpensive prices. With retail stocks already down so heavily on concerns over a slowing economy, now may be a time to buy ahead of a move higher when the ec...