Category Archives: oud

A Star-Spangled April For Moats

Performance Overview Moat-rated companies continued their strong start to 2016 in April. U.S.-oriented Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM (MWMFTR) topped the S&P 500® Index (5.20% vs. 0.39%) in April and widened the gap in relative performance year-to-date (12.05% vs. 1.74%). On the international front, Morningstar® Global ex-US Moat Focus IndexSM (MGEUMFUN) lagged the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA in April (1.43% vs. 2.63%), but maintained relative outperformance year-to-date (4.09% vs. 2.25%). U.S. Domestic Moats: Healthcare Rotation Pays Off St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ ) was the big winner among domestic moat-rated companies in April. Late in the month Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT ) announced its intent to buy STJ US in a deal that is expected to close in the coming fourth quarter. As part of its quarterly review, the MWMFTR Index rotated into several healthcare companies, including STJ. According to Morningstar, the healthcare sector offered a number of attractive valuation opportunities in March, some of which contributed to MWMFTR’s strong performance in April. Drug manufacturer Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN ), however, provided no such boost to results. A U.S. Department of Treasury tax ruling squashed any hope for its planned merger with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE ), pushing AGN lower for the month. International Moats: Oh, Canada MGEUMFUN’s exposure to financials companies, particularly Canadian banks, contributed to positive performance in April. Only three of the 24 financials companies in the Index posted negative returns last month. Additionally, Russian operator Mobile Telesystems (NYSE: MBT ) has been on a roll since announcing solid fourth quarter results in March. Strains on performance came largely from some of the Index’s consumer discretionary constituents, such as Macau gaming firm Sands China ( OTCPK:SCHYY ) and Chinese car manufacturer Dongfeng Motor Group Co. ( OTCPK:DNFGY ). Monthly Index Total Returns Top/Bottom Index Performers Index Reconstitution Editor’s Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

Apple Falls Anew Amid iPhone 7 Worries, Chip Stocks Follow

Apple ( AAPL ) stock tumbled to its lowest level in nearly two years on Thursday, following a report that Asian component suppliers are seeing weak orders related to the upcoming iPhone 7. Japanese business publication Nikkei Asian Review reported Thursday that Taiwan-based tech suppliers expect to get significantly fewer orders from Apple in the second half of this year compared with the year-earlier period. They cited the “ongoing slump in demand for premium smartphones and a lack of groundbreaking features for the upcoming iPhone 7.” Nikkei Asian Review this week also reported that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( TSM ) expects its iPhone chip shipments for the June-to-December period will be about 70% to 80% of the level reached in the second half of 2015. Credit Suisse analyst Kulbinder Garcha said the market overreacted to the Nikkei report. The prediction that iPhone builds would be down 20% to 30% in the second half of the year vs. the same period in 2015 was expected and already should have been baked into the stock’s price. “While the news is clearly disappointing, it was already largely included in our iPhone unit estimates,” he said in a report Thursday. Elsewhere, Taiwan-based contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group said its first-quarter net profit fell 9.2% from a year earlier, as it was hit by a slowdown in iPhone sales, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday . Foxconn is Apple’s main iPhone assembler. Apple shares were down more than 2.5%, near 90, in afternoon trading on the stock market today . TSM shares were down 1%, near 23. IBD’s Take: How healthy is Apple’s stock and how does it stand up vs. rivals? Find out at IBD Stock Checkup . Other Apple chip suppliers were down Thursday as well, including InvenSense ( INVN ), NXP Semiconductors ( NXPI ), Cirrus Logic ( CRUS ), Broadcom ( AVGO ), Skyworks Solutions ( SWKS ), Qorvo ( QRVO ) and Texas Instruments ( TXN ). Apple stock has risen in only four of the last 20 trading sessions. Since hitting its 2016 high of 112.39 on April 14, Apple stock has fallen about 20%. Most of the decline happened after the Cupertino, Calif.-based company reported March-quarter results and gave June-quarter guidance on April 26. For its fiscal Q2, Apple posted its first year-over-year sales decline since 2003 and its first-ever drop in iPhone unit sales. For the current Q3, Apple is targeting sales of $42 billion, down 15% from the same period last year. Demand for Apple’s latest handsets, the iPhone 6S series, has been relatively weak, and hopes for a return to unit sales growth have shifted to the iPhone 7, expected to be released in September. The iPhone 7 is predicted to feature a slimmer design, a speedier processor and a better camera. It also might be waterproof for the first time, according to tech news reports. But it is expected to look pretty much like the current models, with tweaks like the lack of an audio headset jack. RELATED: Apple Stock Gets Price-Target Cut On Longer iPhone Upgrade Cycle .

Taking Profits On Our SPY Call Spread

You have just made a respectable 10.40% profit in only two trading days. What’s more, you have captured 90.32% of the maximum potential profit in this position. So it’s time to take a welcome profit. The risk/reward of running this position into the May 20 expiration is no longer favorable. As I argued vociferously at the February 11 bottom, yield support is underpinning stocks in a huge way, frustrating the hell out of short sellers, market timers, and hedge funds everywhere. With the volatility Index (VIX) plunging to the $13 handle today we have a nice opportunity to sell the S&P 500 SPDR’s (NYSEARCA: SPY ) May , 2016 $195-$198 in-the-money vertical bull call spread for a few extra pennies than we could yesterday. This all lends further credibility to my “Dreaded Flat Line of Death Scenario” whereby markets move sideways in a narrow range and nobody makes any money, except us. To see how to enter this trade in your online platform, please look at the order ticket below, which I pulled off of optionshouse . The best execution can be had by placing your bid for the entire spread in the middle market and waiting for the market to come to you. The difference between the bid and the offer on these deep in-the-money spread trades can be enormous. Don’t execute the legs individually or you will end up losing much of your profit. Spread pricing can be very volatile on expiration months farther out. Here are the specific trades you need to execute this position: Sell 37 May, 2016 $195 calls at………….….……$12.40 Buy to cover short 37 May, 2016 $198 calls at…..$9.43 Net Cost:…………………………………………………..$2.97 Profit: $2.97 – $2.69 = $0.28 (37 X 100 X $0.28) = $1,036 or 10.40% profit in 2 trading days. Is That a Profit I See? Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.