RTL Group: Is the 15% dividend worth a look?

Everyone knows linear tv is in perpetual decline. Less and less people are watching traditional television — many do not even own a tv anymore. Streaming services have grown in popularity and taken market share. Germany’s biggest private radio and television conglomerate, RTL Group, is in the midst of a turnaround by pushing its own streaming service, but also by expanding sports live broadcasts. What might lead to raising eyebrows is the company has declared a dividend yielding 15%. Could this be the ultimate contrarian play?

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Reading the tea leaves of Associated British Foods + new research report

Despite my negative view on food and beverage stocks, I have not given up. Associated British Foods, or ABF in brief, appears to offer one of the better setups on the menu. The maker of Twinings Tea is still family-controlled and it has a clean balance sheet. These two points alone dramatically differentiate it from other troubled competitors. However, ABF itself isn’t free of challenges either. Its “defensive” stock last week collapsed after a disappointing trading update. In this weekly, I take a look at ABF, as there’s a potential catalyst on the horizon. Good news for all my paid-members: I’ve finally found a food stock checking my boxes. My first member eggs-clusive research report for 2026 is out of the cage.

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Can this company achieve what hasn’t been done in 20 years?

Everyone is aware of tobacco / cigarette companies and their stocks. For many investors, these are absolute core investments for their stability and high dividends. Against all negativity and a shrinking pool of smokers, tobacco companies managed to survive and thrive. Almost a year ago, my Premium PLUS members received an exclusive report from me with an idea with ties to this sector — but from an entirely different viewpoint. I am making this case public now, discussing the rollercoaster that’s behind us, but also what’s ahead of us.

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Has Big Pharma destroyed Shareholder Value (as expected)?

In March 2023, I published a controversial weekly, warning about investments in Big Pharma stocks. This group, often popular among retail investors for their dividends and pretend safety (size, diversification, proven, etc.), was already back then clearly facing a huge wall of painful patent expirations. As I had expected, many of the biggest — and most popular — names have seen their stocks painfully breaking apart while broader markets rose. Time for an update.

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Are we in a stock picker’s market?

Last Friday, the newsletter from the Wall Street Journal hit my inbox. It immediately raised my attention as the core topic read Why This Isn’t a ‘Stock Picker’s Market’. Being a passionate stock picker myself, having little left for both, mainstream stocks and passive investing, I cannot let this statement left untouched for obvious reasons.

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Side Effect of AI: The Storage Bubble + New Research Report

It is no secret that AI as a topic, its various applications, and in consequence stocks related to AI are receiving much attention. More and more challenge the sustainability of this rapid rise over the last few years, especially as the question of profitability remains unanswered. While everyone is aware of stocks like Nvidia, Oracle or critical suppliers like Micron, as well as multiple AI chatbots, the AI mania has pulled up an otherwise boring sub-segment: storage stocks. Is this justified? All my paid-members receive my latest stock idea: a growing franchise that’s set to dominate the eye care market.

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Are we seeing (again) the Erosion of Brand Values? + new research report

Many investors seek “moats”, or key differentiators that keep competitors at a distance. These “high-quality stocks” not seldom trade at premium valuations. At least for as long as this superior status is perceived. One such edge can be a brand. Well-known names create a barrier which in the best case even keeps new entrants out of the game entirely. However, it is no secret that brands come and go. Are we seeing another washout where once thought-to-be indispensable names are struggling for a reason? All my paid members receive my latest stock idea. It is a company with a strong market position where the brand name is irrelevant, for most even unknown.

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Don’t Get Hooked: How clinging to stock peaks can capsize profits + new stock idea

Some investors tend to put too much weight on a stock’s all-time high when fishing for bargains. Only because a stock has been (much) higher in the past, does not automatically mean the current setup is attractive or even dirt-cheap. Unfortunately, often this reference point – the all-time high – is used as a justification for why a stock must be cheap now. I am raising my finger. It is not enough to just look at the former high. The entire setup must be attractive, otherwise the risk to grab a value trap is high. All my paid-members will receive my latest stock idea – a barely known, profitable growth company with an excellent market position where the all-time high should be taken out soon.

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Is focus-investing risky?

One of the first principles a new investor stumbles upon is “don’t put all eggs in one basket”. In other words, diversification is said to be the key to investment success. My longer time readers know that I am strictly opposing this approach in its extreme form. The viewing angle might be even the right one – winning by not losing, respectively by minimizing risks – which is also my strategy. However, there’s a material difference between buying blindly a big basket and focussing on a few investments where one has done the homework.

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Quick profits through short squeezes + new research report

Every (amateur) investor’s dream is to get rich quickly. After a few years in the markets, more experienced investors know this is a naive attitude, most often only good enough to lose money quickly, i.e. the opposite of what was intended initially. However, a suitable strategy which can be mixed into a stock portfolio – especially when searching for uncorrelated ideas – is to look for potential short squeeze targets, given the underlying businesses are not one step away from bankruptcy. A look back at some prominent short squeezes. My members on top receive my latest research report with a potential short squeeze candidate.

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