Renewable energy companies have had a great month. Besides improving technologies and economies of scale that make them attractive investments now, the shift is leading to other changes. One of those changes is in regard to demands for base commodities needed to make this technology. One, in particular, has been in a shortage for years. Increased demand from green tech is likely to drive prices higher. That space is in copper. Best known for its use in wiring, it’s a key component in everything from solar panels to electric vehicles. And analysts at Jefferies point out that demand is...

Stocks have had a strong month thanks to the end of election uncertainty and the announcement of several Covid-19 vaccines. That takes some of the biggest risks in the market off the table. While that’s been good for most companies, many firms can still perform even better in the months ahead. That includes the manufacturers of vaccines themselves, which still need to move from a successful announcement to a delivered product. While it’s no surprise that investors have already bought into these companies, there’s still more room to run. With shares still down overall in the past year...

Social media companies aren’t going away. The internet platforms continue to vie for viewers, as that in turn leads to advertising dollars and revenues. This big-buck business continues to find new ways to innovate. One such company is TikTok, which focuses on sharing short videos between users. Given the massive growth that platform has seen, it’s no surprise that other companies are joining in… and why that makes them an attractive buy. The biggest move comes asSnap (SNAP) looks to copycat TikTok’s success with Spotlight. That adds in a short video element that the platform was pre...

Retail companies have had a tough year. Big-box stores and companies in the e-commerce space have zoomed ahead of other players. Companies that rely on in-store sales and foot traffic, such as stores at malls, have fallen by the wayside. Yet with earnings season underway, and with the economy trending up again, a few names in the mall-based space are starting to look attractive. One bank even brazenly upgraded one such name right before it reported earnings! JPMorgan Chase upgraded shares ofGap (GPS) from $22 to $30 the day before it reported earnings. That comes on expectations that...

2020 has been a solid year for payment processing companies. From added contactless features to the inclusion of cryptocurrencies, it’s a space that’s showing tremendous innovation over the credit card networks or traditional banks. That’s led to some massivemoves higher in a number of stocks. One such rallying name has been an underperformer, but looks set to continue heading higher. That company isFiserv (FISV). The merchant acquiring company for retailers is an essential e-commerce play, but one that hasn’t had the massive move this year compared to Square. That’s started to chang...

Different companies in different sectors of the market are measured best by different metrics. A restaurant may look at turnover, or how many times it can seat customers at tables every day. In the tech space, innovation is key. And for the chipmaker stocks, innovation is ongoing and iterative. That’s why spending on research and development (R&D) in the chipmaker space is on track to rise 6 percent in 2020, even with a stalled economy. Based on how much a company spends as a percentage of its sales, there are a handful of companies clearly looking to dominate the next generation...

It’s sometimes dangerous to follow into a trade that’s popular with retail investors. In a market selloff, they may be quick to send shares lower, and without institutional investors, rallies can be out of proportion to a company’s prospects. But with one tech name reporting massive earnings and sales growth, there’s more room to run, even with so many retail traders loving the stock. With a number of analyst upgrades as well, traders can still play the long-term uptrend. The stock?Nio (NIO). The Chinese automotive company reported strong earnings, a triple-digit jump in sales, and h...

The stock market is the amalgamation of individual stocks. However, not all stocks are created equal. How a stock is weighted in an index can have a huge impact on the overall returns. That’s why swings in big tech names can increasingly move the market as a whole, up or down. Another factor is whether or not to include a stock in an index. Different indices have different requirements, such as a number of quarters of profitability, before they can be included.Tesla Motors (TSLA) met the requirements to join the S&P 500 earlier in the year, but was finally announced as an inclusion ...

While technology companies tend to move up and down in lockstep, there are always a few companies that buck the trend. That occurs as traders perceive a company as falling behind competitors. That may be true for a while, but the history of tech companies is a history of innovating and coming back into the market’s favor. With many tech stocks currently near all-time highs, one down-and-out play actually looks like it could provide strong future returns. That company?Intel (INTC). Shares have been off as suppliers such as Apple (AAPL) have shifted away in recent years. Plus, the chip...

It’s often thought that the larger a company gets, the fewer paths it has to grow. In the case of technology, however, that’s not always the case. A tech company can add a new sector while maintaining old ones, allowing for much more growth potential than a non-tech company. For instance, one analyst sees one of the largest tech companies in the world boosting its size even further, by embracing security software. That growing niche is capable of adding $30 billion in annual sales to a company already earning $160 billion annually. The company?Microsoft (MSFT). The software giant ...