Like I hinted in my outlook for 2025, this year indeed so far has proved to be rather volatile. Sentiment can change almost on a day-to-day basis, depending on political announcements. Even wild swings of 7–10% in just one day are not impossible. Under these circumstances, it makes sense to think about more defensive stocks, assuming the tariff circus continues and / or a recession hits soon. There are the usual suspects which can do the job. But I wouldn’t expect too much upside. My members have already received my next stock idea – one of the most defensive, recession- and tariff-unaffected businesses available – paired with decent upside.
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Afterword to the recent market crash
As irony and destiny wanted it, with the publication of my last Weekly, markets crashed down hard, effectively erasing much of the gains of the last twelve months. Of course, it wasn’t my publication that ignited the fireworks. I had written my Weekly shortly prior to the tariff announcement which was the catalyst that sent markets worldwide lower in fear of a major economic contraction. Big calls for another 1929 depression and 1987 Black Monday crash evaporated, at least for now. Then yesterday, one of the best days on Wall Street EVER. What to make out of this?
Continue readingQ1 is over – how hard was the correction for you?
Depending on your personal portfolio composition, the just closed first quarter 2025 might show an entirely different performance. While scrolling through twitter it reads almost like a hefty crash with big losses is behind us, the reality is on an aggregate level not much has happened so far. Even more contradictory, the current correction only involved certain sectors and individual stocks. This is the sector rotation I have written about in the past several times. What to draw out from it for our portfolios?
Continue readingTalos Energy – a strong buy trading 40% below NAV? + new stock idea
I like simplicity – in life in general, but especially in the context of stock investing. When analyzing commodity, respectively energy stocks, a good first approach to assess the valuation is to compare the current price with the net asset value (NAV). Talos Energy, an American offshore operator in the Gulf, looks like a promising deal. The company is a low-cost operator and trades (at least) 40% below its NAV. Supported by an active acquisition history as well as Mexico’s richest man, the company’s enterprise value has risen while oil is flat. Is this the window of opportunity to buy into this company while it’s still cheap?
Continue readingBest Loser Wins – book summary
With my second book summary, at least on the surface, I am risking to surprise some of my readers. The reason is that the subtitle reads “Why normal thinking never wins the trading game”. The word “never” is underlined on the book cover. My emphasis is on “trading game”. While I have neither secretly switched to day trading, nor do I pursue any such goals, nor do I play any type of game as a fundamentally driven analyst and investor, I have found it nonetheless very insightful to take on the perspective of a day trader. Quite a few of the book’s core messages indeed do resonate well with my own thoughts and approach on portfolio management as well as psychological strength in stock investing.
Continue readingConsumer staples got eaten for lunch – Part II – Alcohol stocks
After my take on food stocks, in today’s second part of the series I am having a look at another failed group of consumer darlings – alcohol producers. These “sin stocks”, similar to tobacco, have been seen for long as one of the best ideas to play defense. Especially in crises, it was said people would smoke and drink even more. The only difference: valuations. While most tobacco stocks today are deep-value plays, alcohol stocks for a long time have had rather rich multiples. Frustrating for those who only looked at the perceived quality of the companies, but not their risks. With many alcohol companies trading substantially below their highs, is now the time to get active?
Continue readingIs Fannie Mae really a safe multi-bagger?
Readers who like spicier ideas by now might have heard about ongoing discussions of a potential release of two (in)famous US mortgage companies from conservatorship, i.e. a possible privatization. Yes indeed, state-owned (or partly-owned) enterprises aren’t just a thing of perceived socialist or communist countries. At the latest after none other than hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman pitched his investment case aggressively on Twitter, stocks of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have made big waves. According to Ackman, there’s still a substantial upside of 5x left (after already being up by 5x since November). Is this THE no-brainer opportunity for 2025?
Continue readingHalozyme Therapeutics – an overlooked bargain? + new stock idea
Feeling uncomfortable with everybody’s darling stocks, my motivation was and still is to find stock ideas with what I call “an own life”. With that I am looking for companies with internal triggers or catalysts which can influence shares positively (almost) regardless of what broader markets do. While I do not believe (for now) in a hefty stock market crash which pushes down all equities, I cannot rule out a nosebleed correction in the tech sector. In search of uncorrelated stock ideas, I spent some time on the Pharma / biotech sector. Halozyme Therapeutics is a seemingly lowly-valued stock. My Premium PLUS members have already received my latest potential-multi-bagger stock idea in an exclusive research report to kick off the year 2025.
Continue readingBerkshire Hathaway – an inferior stock pick now
Risking to be accused of blasphemy with this Weekly by one or the other Buffett-fan, nonetheless I decided to have a look at the stock of Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett’s investment holding has achieved a tremendous performance and beaten the markets by a wide margin since its inception. However, this was not the case in the younger past. Growth constraints are one reason. But there are quite a few other aspects that do not make this conglomerate appear to be the ultimate must-own stock.
Continue readingWarm-up for 2025 – better expect the unexpected
Despite having done a combined review-and-outlook Weekly already, I decided to write another one with the focus solely on the outlook for 2025. Over the last weeks, I have gathered new ideas, but also brought my thoughts in order during the days that I took off. There are a few other things I wanted to share. What could the next investing year have in store for us?
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