Taking stock of 2018

We take a look at some market stats for the 2018 year for US stocks and Canadian stocks.

Nowhere to hide

2018 was the year where investors had nowhere to hide. No matter where you were invested in the stock market, you likely had a tough year (and if you didn’t then give yourself a pat on the back): Geographically, sectoral, or even the ‘sure things’ like bitcoin and pot stocks are shadows of what they were just a year ago or at least in negative territory in many cases. This would have been a tough scenario to envision just six months ago. Everything had a tough go of it.

Where do FAANG stocks go from here?

Is big tech a risk to the global economy and is it too late to do something about it?

The 5 Best Dividend Stocks in the S&P 500

In today’s article, we’ll explore our five favourite dividend investment opportunities within the S&P 500.

When to Sell a Stock for Portfolio Optimization

One of the toughest questions an investor faces is when to sell. It is already hard enough to determine what the right investments are and when the right time is to make them. Add in emotional investments that accrue as one holds the stock and emotions swirling around embedded gains or losses from the holding and conflicting opinions everywhere. It is no wonder why it is such a tough question to answer. So, we are here to help.

We think the question of when to sell first needs the appropriate context and should be split into two parts...

Why writing is important when investing

I have not been writing here nearly as much as I would like. This seems like a reasonable activity to stop when things get busy but an investor who does not write and record their thoughts and strategies in some form is worse off in my opinion. Without documenting your thought process, ideas and theories, there is no way to keep track of everything that is going on in the markets and in your own mind let alone what is actually working or not. Fortunately we have a great team at 5i Research who has been able to keep the content flowing for readers and to keep our team on our toes.  

5 from 5i: Monetary Stimulus: It Was Good While It Lasted

5 from 5i - My Brain Hurts: Investor Thought Experiments

5 from 5i: If Buffett has periods of underperformance, why would you expect anything different?

The Importance of Having a Plan: Photon Control, Ballard Power Systems, The Stars Group

No matter how much experience you have as an investor, a trend following system is a straight forward approach to systematic trading that can be easily deployed and managed by anyone. This is a great way to profit from large moves without having to manage positions on an intraday basis. If you have spent time learning lessons the hard way, like myself, then you will relate to what I am about to say.

The two problems I struggled with the most were taking a position too large for my account and selling too soon. In my experience these problems often go hand in hand, I was always putting myself in the perfect position for emotional ruin. Every time I would get onto a winning trade I became greedy or scared and locked in profits prematurely, cutting my potential returns short.

This is exactly what happened last week to one of my subscribers with Photon Control (TSXV:PHO)...