Tag: streetauthority.com

Coke Vs. Pepsi: By The Numbers

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History has shown us that America was built on the back of positive rivalries.

Like the long-standing feud between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox... or the U.S. vs. Russia in the Olympics. That's to say nothing of more serious rivalries like the political feud between Democrats and Republicans.

Nothing can drive competitors to perform their best like a well-matched rivalry. This is particularly true in the world of business. Think of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Ford (NYSE: F) and General Motors (NYSE: GM), or ATT (NYSE: T) and Sprint (NYSE: S).

All of these (and dozens of others) have resulted in increased innovation, industry growth and -- most critically for investors -- shareholder value. One rivalry in particular stands out to me in terms of longevity, pure competitive zeal and using nearly every trick in the book for the upper hand: the epic cola war between Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and Pepsico (NYSE: PEP).

Both of these companies have made great investments over the years, both offer solid growing dividend yields, and both excel in a particular niche. However, going forward, I think one of these companies has the edge on the other as an investment. Continue reading "Coke Vs. Pepsi: By The Numbers" →

Why The Bull Market Isn't Done Yet

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This month, the bull market officially celebrated its five-year "anniversary."

For some reason people think that's a big deal. It's almost as if the rally's birthday has led analysts to believe it's finally old enough to get in trouble.

How ridiculous.

There have been 25 major bull markets throughout U.S. history. Each of those runs has lasted about 900 days (2.5 years) on average -- with the longest spanning almost 14 years (1987 to 2000). The SP 500 gained an average of 103% during each of those periods. Continue reading "Why The Bull Market Isn't Done Yet" →

How To Buy Your Favorite Stock At A Steep Discount

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Imagine buying ATT (NYSE: T) for $25 a share, Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) at $16 or Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) for $20.

And imagine not only buying these or any stock at a much lower price -- but actually being paid to do so.

Sound too good to be true? I know it seems like a dream, but sophisticated investors accomplish this on a regular basis. Here's how... Continue reading "How To Buy Your Favorite Stock At A Steep Discount" →

Should Investors Brace For Another Dot-Com Bubble?

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In recent days, the financial press has been filled with stories regarding the fifth anniversary of the current bull market. The market bottom came in on March 9, 2009, and few would have guessed that the next half-decade would bring such terrific market action.

Yet March 9 also stands out to investors for another reason: Back on March 9, 2000, the Nasdaq Composite Index hit 5,000 for the first time ever. A few days later, the index went into freefall, eventually moving below 1,500 a few years later. (In a potentially eerie parallel, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has closed lower in each trading session since March 9, 2014.) Continue reading "Should Investors Brace For Another Dot-Com Bubble?" →

Wal-Mart Vs. Amazon: Which Should You Buy?

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Toiling in the shadows of Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and many other tech stars in California's Silicon Valley, a team of 1,500 technologists are hard at work on behalf of an unlikely employer: Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT).

The retail giant has belatedly understood that simply having website for e-commerce won't cut it in the era of social media and mobile surfing. In response, the company is now committing serious resources to its digital efforts.

Will those 1,500 Wal-Mart staffers help turn the company into a leading-edge tech firm? Probably not. But they can identify hundreds of small ways to improve the online shopping experience. After all, consumers now carry the Internet in their pocket, thanks to the proliferation of smartphones.

Continue reading "Wal-Mart Vs. Amazon: Which Should You Buy?" →