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It happened so quietly, you may not have even noticed. But the script has flipped on interest rates—and today I’m going to give you my favorite way to profit. (hint: this buy pays an 8.8% dividend—enough to hand you $8,800 a year in cash on every $100k invested—and is poised for quick 10% price upside, too!).

Let’s start at the beginning.

A Low-Key 180

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that the big story of the last three years has been the Fed’s aggressive rate hikes. But the big story of the next three years will likely be a lack of aggressive rate hikes.… Read more

The last time we had this Fed setup, these safe 6%+ paying bonds jumped 20% in the year ahead!

The setup? The likelihood that short-term interest rates (as set by the Federal Reserve) will go nowhere over the next 12 months. To see this we’ll turn to the Fed funds futures, which are contracts that reflect real money being bet on the Fed’s upcoming action (or lack thereof). Collectively they comprise the smartest crystal ball available this side of Jay Powell.

Right now, the smart money is giving “no hike” a 75% probability between now and January 2020. And when we add in the bets on a rate cut or two, we’re looking at a 92% chance that rates will either be unchanged or lower this time next year:

Smart Money Bets 75% “No Hike” for 12 Months

This is bullish for – you’ll never guess – floating rate bond funds.… Read more

Wondering if it’s too late to jump on this market recovery? I have great news: it absolutely is not.

But you won’t reap the biggest gains by, say, putting cash into your typical S&P 500 name—or in a passive index fund like the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

Because while rising corporate profits will likely propel the market higher this year, you’ll put yourself in a much better position by hitting out at the two sectors (and two specific buys) I’ll reveal now.

Both sectors will be on my personal list this year, and I’ll be recommending stocks from each one to members of my Contrarian Income Report service, too.… Read more

As investment strategist at CEF Insider, it’s my job to tip you off to the best closed-end funds (CEFs) out there. But it’s also my job to steer you away from those that are, well, terrible.

So today we’re going to zero in on four CEFs whose massive dividends (up to 12.7%!) might tempt you to buy. But doing so will lock you into an ever-shrinking income stream while the share price crumbles beneath your feet.

The first red flag? All four of these funds are from Wells Fargo (WFC), a bank that’s been at the center of various scandals for years now, starting with the 2016 fake-account fraud that took down Wells’ CEO at the time.… Read more

The busiest week for earnings so far this quarter delivered several positive surprises, as the broader U.S. market averages finished off the best January performance in three decades.

Industrial and Energy stocks were the big winners for the month, led by an 18% gain in the underlying price of crude oil. On the other hand, Utility and Healthcare names have lagged in the opening weeks of 2019.

FOMC Flinches and Jobs Growth Surprises

There was little belief that Chairman Powell and the Fed would change interest rates on Wednesday, but the tone of their commentary did turn decidedly more dovish this week.… Read more

Money-losing firm India Globalization Capital (IGC) found the magic formula last October. They put two investing buzzwords side-by-side:

1. Cannabis, and
2. Blockchain.

The savvy marketers at IGC then introduced an energy drink infused with hemp, and wow, what a rush!

IGC Jumped 10-Fold on Buzzwords

We rational income investors fortunately avoided this circus. I wrote to you as the blockchain-weed craze was peaking:

We level-headed contrarians should stay away from this circus. In fact, you need to be honest with yourself about the latest weed craze. If you’re tempted at all to buy this junk, it’s better if you change the channel.… Read more

Wondering if it’s too late to cash in on the late-2018 market mayhem?

If so, great news! There are still plenty of bargains to be had. And today I’m going to show you three great funds that are still cheap (though they won’t be for long).

The best part? Each throws off hefty dividends upwards of 7%!

Of course, when discounts like the ones on these three exist, you’re right to ask why. The answer is simple: because these three funds are closed-end funds (CEFs), they’re off most people’s radar. That means they’re slower to snap back from a market decline than, say, a fan favorite like Apple (AAPL).… Read more

For those of you shaking your head at your portfolio’s low yield, you can actually 2X or 3X your portfolio’s yield and improve your upside potential to boot using this strategy. And it’s actually simpler than traditional stock picking.

Many income investors have mistakenly parked their capital in “safe” consumer staples like General Mills (GIS), Kimberly-Clark (KMB) and Procter & Gamble (PG) in search of yield and security. Their money was safe, all right: their cash went nowhere – straight sideways – for the last five years!

They’d have been better off “outsourcing” their dividend decisions to the great Mario Gabelli.… Read more

I get lots of pushback when I post an article panning exchange-traded funds. ETF fanboys (and girls) base their love on two things: ETFs’ cheap management fees and convenience, because they let you jump into an entire sector in one click.

My response? Handle these so-called “set it and forget it” plays with a lot of caution—or risk a big dent in your savings.

Getting What You Pay For

Far too many ETFs (like the four I’ll reveal below) are cheap for a reason: lousy returns! Worse, some aren’t even cheap—like my “second-worst” pick below, which charges an outrageous 2.1% fee and has no one at the helm at all.… Read more

With the market on the rise from its Christmastime lows, it’s natural to wonder if you’ve missed out on the rebound.

Good news: you haven’t—and today I’m going to tell you why we’re still looking at a terrific buying opportunity, even though stocks have gained more than 5% since bottoming in late December:

The Recovery Is Here

The 5.3% jump since the start of 2019 isn’t the result of fundamentals (those haven’t changed), new news (there haven’t been any significant developments) or an end to political gridlock (the shutdown has remained in effect). Instead, it’s been a clearly psychological change: with the new year, the market has a new attitude.… Read more