One of the most powerful stock-market indicators you’ll ever find is a simple one I call “relative strength.”

It means that stocks that outperform now will likely keep outperforming. And if you catch them just as they start their next leg up, you’ll line yourself up for big gains (and dividends!).

I’ve found relative strength to be a potent strategy when it comes to timing the purchases of dividend stocks. With many income investors fishing in the same pond for payouts, identifying yield plays before the herd turns their attention to a particular sector often results in extra profits.

Mid-Cap Stocks: The Perfect Buys for 2021

We’ve got a nice “relative strength” play setting up in mid-cap stocks (those with market caps between $2 billion and $10 billion).… Read more

Stocks are up—and so are coronavirus cases. And right on cue, I’m hearing from plenty of investors asking if now is the time to sell and lock in their gains.

No way. It’s actually a good time for us contrarians to buy. Here are five reasons why I see stocks rallying into the end of the year—and rolling higher still as we move into 2021.

Market Driver No. 1: Rising House Prices 

When house prices rise, homeowners feel wealthier. And when people feel wealthier, they tend to buy stocks.

It’s true that big-city properties are struggling to hold their own, but homes in the suburbs and rural areas are appreciating at a rate we haven’t seen in years.… Read more

“I’m getting close to retirement,” my friend explained after a fun round of golf. (In 2020, any round of golf is a fun round). “And…” he continued.

“You’re looking to turn your nest egg into regular cash flow,” I jumped in.

Bingo.

Most retirees and soon-to-be retirees (wisely) focus on cash flow from dividends. Like my buddy, they don’t care about beating the market.

But, with some smart high-yield buys, it is actually possible to beat the market with cash payments alone. This may sound absurd in a world where, at least once a year, investors like you and me are treated to a slew of media reports pronouncing that for yet another year, fund managers couldn’t beat their benchmarks.… Read more

There’s a dangerous dividend trap setting up out there. It’s easy to fall into, and if you make this mistake, you could do fatal damage to your nest egg—and income stream—in 2021.

It’s a classic error called “reaching for yield.” It happens when investors put too much weight on an investment’s current dividend yield without considering what’s behind that payout. More and more folks are making this blunder today.

I know what you’re thinking: “Michael, I can easily sidestep a mistake like that.” That’s easy to say, but it can be hard to resist when you’re confronted with, say, a 5% payout that seems safe at a time when income go-tos like Treasuries and stocks pay a meager 0.8% and 1.5%, respectively.… Read more

As we prepare to say farewell (or, good riddance!) to 2020, let’s beat the investing herd and figure out how we can really rake in some cash in 2021. And, in doing so, put this dumpster fire of a year behind us in spectacular fashion.

Why are we having this conversation now? Well, Mr. and Ms. Market love looking ahead. Plus, the “seasonally strong” months for the stock market tend to happen between November 1 and May 1. So, there’s no reason to wait, as the S&P 500 has already returned double-digits just 18 days into this “strong stock season.”… Read more

2020 has turned on a dime, and we dividend investors need to pounce now to set ourselves up for the big dividends and fast upside in 2021.

With a (mostly) settled presidential election and a vaccine for the virus, the strong buying opportunity we’ve waited on for 7 long months is finally here.

So what, exactly, should we be buying?

Let me show you the strategy I’ll be following in the coming months, along with three tickers—one of which has grown its payout an amazing 638% in just five years—poised to deliver big upside and dividends.

Divided Government Will Ignite Our Returns

No matter where you stand on the election—and I’d repeat that we always set aside our politics and approach things purely as investors here at Contrarian Outlook—we’ll likely have a divided government, with a Republican Senate and Democrats holding the House and presidency.… Read more

There’s a way for us dividend investors to tap the news of a COVID-19 vaccine for huge payouts of 10% and up. And we’ll position our portfolios for serious price upside, too.

I know the vaccine news has a bit of a “horse is out of the barn” feel to it. After all, the market and shares of the vaccine’s producer, Pfizer (PFE), have already popped (though the rally has taken a bit of a breather lately). But you’re not too late. With the three investments I’ll show you below, you could grab healthcare dividends much bigger than the 3.9% Pfizer pays now.… Read more

Wall Street can have its casino. We’re going to look past the suits’ “common shares” and instead dial in some steady dividends—up to 10%!—that, for whatever reason, aren’t widely talked about on financial news channels and websites.

We income investors could care less what the S&P 500 or, heaven forbid, glue-sniffing NASDAQ, did in their daily session. When you’ve got “preferred” dividends funding your retirement, we can look down on those who roll the dice with their nest eggs.

These types of preferred-stock funds have a few key advantages:

1. They pay their dividends monthly,
2. They boast generous yields (between 5.4% and 10%, for example), and
3. Their prices don’t drop nearly as much as the S&P or the NASDAQ during market fits.

If there’s one thing you can be sure of in investing, it’s this: alarmists—whether they’re bulls or bears—almost never get it right. And playing the contrarian angle is a great way to grab big gains and 7%+ dividends.

Think back to the days before the election: brokerages were warning of unprecedented volatility following the big day. I heard from some investors who sold most of their holdings right before voters went to the polls, terrified that uncertainty over the results would cause a crash.

Then something weird happened. The election ended, the result was close—and stocks surged.

Close Race = Big Gains

Why did everyone get it wrong?… Read more

Since we last connected last Wednesday, we’ve had a few notable events happen (to say the least!)

First, former vice president Joe Biden became president-elect Joe Biden. Depending on your perspective, this may or may not be a “done deal” as far as you are concerned. That’s fair. However, it is mostly a done deal as far as the prediction markets are concerned.

Leading website PredictIt is giving Biden a 90% chance of winning this never-ending November election. I like PredictIt better than any poll because punters are betting “real money” on the website. Heading into the election, the prediction marketplace correctly foresaw a close election, outperforming any pollster I’m aware of.… Read more