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A king is falling – why Altria’s butt is burnt down

Altria is a stock from the illustrious circle of the “dividend kings”. It is even so special that it has actually raised its dividend more than once a year over the past half century – 57 increases over 53 consecutive years. However, the last few years have been disappointing in operational terms. Recent results, in particular, have shown the direction this company is likely to take. There are still a few puffs left, but don’t be surprised by the impending dividend cut at this darling of many dividend investors.

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Dividend Investing – high yield or high growth?

A never ending discussion in the field of dividend investing is whether you go for high yielding stocks or dividend growth stocks. Recently, I had a few discussions on Twitter about this topic. Because it is a question many investors have – amateurs and experienced investors alike – I decided to write a Weekly to compare both strategies.

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Beware the next hype – Helium Producers

In recent months, I’ve been reading more and more about a hot new topic: helium production. Helium is an essential gas in medical as well as industrial applications. The key message being spread is that this so far opaque market is about to become more transparent, as many small exploration companies seem to be embarking on promising projects. Is this really the next sector you should bet on, or is it too much hot air that will deflate, bringing headaches like too much inhaled helium?

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Will Deutsche Bahn (DB) finally be broken up? + new research report!

In the past, this question was a no-go. On several occasions, speculation about at least a sale of non-core business units was put on the table, but quickly buried again. Over time Deutsche Bahn has accumulated so much debt that its barely profitable core operations cannot handle these obligations. An eternal zombie existence on government life support is not a viable solution. And then there is the ambitious investment offensive to modernize and expand the existing rail infrastructure. Is it finally time to break up Deutsche Bahn?

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Is NuScale Power Corp. (SMR) a sure bet on next-gen atomic reactors?

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the overall investment environment of uranium. I concluded from a top-level perspective, that due to a stressed supply-demand situation, higher prices likely are more a question of “when”, not “if”. After publication, one of my readers and Premium Members wrote to me about a certain company that could benefit from the plan to not only build more, but also smaller, next generation nuclear reactors. I have put this idea under the microscope.

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Zombie companies – The Walking Dead?

Being dead and being alive are mutually exclusive conditions. But with stocks, there are companies that to a large extent fit into this scheme. Now facing a heavily toxic cocktail of likely higher interest rates and a slowing economy, many of these businesses will be tested for their survivability. Even if they do survive as a whole business, it is nonetheless dangerous to invest into equities of heavily indebted zombies – no matter how high the temptation might be.

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The Dogs of the Dow – top dividend stocks for 2023?

The turn of every year is a special time. Not only because it feels like the old and especially bad is left behind and something new starts. There is also a well-known stock-picking strategy that promises you to beat the Dow Jones Index by only doing a few transactions at the start of each year. Did this low-maintenance strategy deliver in the past? And what are the picks for 2023 according to this strategy?

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Dollar stores with discounted prices, but expensive shares

Physical retail stores as a whole in most developed countries have more likely than not reached their peak. However, there is a sub-category in this sector that is expanding quickly. More than that, the so-called “dollar stores” have even been beneficiaries of a diminishing middle-class. Are the respective stocks a good investment idea, especially as inflation is trimming budgets?

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Label deception behind ESG investing — and a new research report

Wouldn’t it be great if all evil was eliminated and only the good-natured, socially caring businesses remained for investments? At least this is the “mission” of funds and ETFs that focus their investments on ESG-compliant equities. The stocks of the “bad” companies aren’t bought anymore or even get sold, while the “good” entities form the bedrock of these investment vehicles. But how does it look under the hood? What stocks are held by these funds and how did they perform? And: What’s happening on the “dark” side?

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Uranium: Explosive investment opportunity or meltdown ahead?

One of the most frequently asked questions among commodity investors is about uranium. This controversial commodity seems to finally have entered a new bull market after a decade and a half of pure disappointments. What followed the euphoria of 2007/2008 was a long stretch torture. What are the prospects now and will the uranium price shoot up again sustainably? Or is it just hyped and ready to fall into dust?

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