General Electric Is Shockingly One of the Hottest Stocks of 2018

We're only finishing up the first trading week of 2018, and it's already proving eventful. For starters, stocks are following through on 2017's uber-bullish price action. The Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed the 25,000 level for the first time in history this week, and investors are looking to even more upside in the year ahead. But the best-performing Dow component this year may surprise you. It's not last year's high-flyer Boeing Co. (BA) , or tech giant Apple Inc. (AAPL) . It's serial laggard General Electric (GE) . GE is up around 6.3% year-to-date, outperforming the rest of the market in a big way in the early days of 2018. And as GE's chart shows now, this could just be the beginning

How to generate the income you need in retirement

You’ve spent your whole life saving for retirement . Now you’re finished working, and it’s time to start spending what you’ve saved. For many investors, the transition can be confusing or even traumatic. How will you tap your portfolio? As investors approach this transition from saving to spending they should take three steps: start with a retirement income plan, keep their portfolio invested and diversified, and then rebalance their portfolio periodically to generate the cash they require. Here we’ll discuss the last step — creating your paycheck when rebalancing. Why is this important? If you’re an investor, you’ve almost certainly heard of having an appropriate asset allocation to stocks and

This person asked the internet if it was necessary to save so much for retirement — the response was surprising

When VintageBurtMacklin, as the Reddit user goes by, asked why everyone is advised to “save so much for retirement” — and if it is really the right move — the commenters of the personal finance thread of the online discussion site responded in full force. Apparently, they have been paying attention to the news of the looming retirement crisis affecting the country. VintageBurtMacklin shared his scenario: he took a new job after welcoming a new baby, and analyzed his budget, keeping in mind the typical advice that retirement savings should be maxed out before moving on to other financial goals, such as paying off a house or saving for college and new cars. “While I understand the importance of

China currency outflows have eased with a weaker dollar

Johanna Chua of Citi says China has seen solid currency inflows for bond purchases and a weaker dollar stemming outflows.

It's Nvidia's World, Investors Just Get to Profit in It

You ain't seen nothin' yet. That's the message Goldman Sachs (GS) is putting out about Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) after a stellar performance in 2017. Nvidia was the best-performing chipmaker last year, and the best-performing component in the entire S&P 500 the year before. Now, as semiconductor peers get roiled by concerns over chip design flaws, Nvidia looks positioned to hand investors big returns for yet another calendar year. Goldman reiterated Nvidia as a buy, affirming a $228 12-month price target for shares. Without a doubt, Nvidia is enjoying some tailwinds across multiple product lines right now. The firm's GPUs, historically used for accelerating video game graphics, are being used in a

An Extreme Stock Market Means Gold Prices Will Keep Rallying

After a solid year, gold is looking very positive in 2018 and beyond, according to Tocqueville Asset Management. In a recently published year-end investor letter, Tocqueville's senior portfolio manager John Hathaway said that a new gold rally could be triggered by several factors, including extreme valuations of financial market assets, a worsening U.S. fiscal position, and rising inflation pressures. "Renewed interest in gold will be triggered by financial-market losses," he said in the letter. "Valuation excesses signify systemic risk." Hathaway reminded investors that risks and costs of holding physical gold are low, which makes it "a cheap insurance on a possible significant retreat from

How the New Tax Law Affects Your Real Estate, Vacation Home

Ask us anything: We're getting questions from readers about the new tax law. While there's a lot still to be learned about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, people are asking about changes to the retirement savings credit and property taxes. No matter your question, we've got answers from some of the nation's top tax and financial planning experts. So, don't be shy. Send your questions about the new tax law to Robert.Powell@TheStreet.com. We'll try to answer and publish as many as we can about how it's going to affect your investments, retirement savings and taxes. Question: I am a real estate agent in Florida. My customers want to understand the tax impact on their second home purchases, specifically

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  6 Things to Know About Buying a Home Under New Tax Rules

  Motley Fool
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  The New GOP Tax Law Means This 35-Year-Old Social Security Rule Likely Won't Be Changed

  Motley Fool

Here’s what all 30 companies that make up the Dow industrials think about the tax cuts

President Donald Trump can make corporate America great, or at least more competitive, after he signed the tax bill into law Friday, according to a MarketWatch survey of the large multinational members of Dow Jones Industrial Average. Almost all the companies that responded applauded the legislation, mostly in the broadest sense and largely in corporate-speak without specifics, saying the lowered corporate tax rate would “allow” or “enhance” the ability of U.S.-headquartered companies to compete more fairly with overseas-based companies. The new tax law lowers the maximum corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%. Don’t miss: Here are the winners and losers of the final version of the Republican tax

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  We Hear You: Tax Cuts, the GOP Establishment, the Job Outlook, and the Trump Economy

  The Daily Signal
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  The New GOP Tax Law Means This 35-Year-Old Social Security Rule Likely Won't Be Changed

  Motley Fool

Why retiring in America has become less attractive

Getting old in America isn’t what it used to be. In a worldwide study, the U.S. fell to No. 17 (down three spots from last year) in the Natixis Global Asset Management Global Retirement Index. The index ranks 43 mainly developed countries on their ability to offer its citizens a secure retirement. Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Sweden top the list. Why did the U.S. have such a dismal showing? The U.S. took hits in income equality, health care spending and life expectancy. While America may have the fifth-highest income per capita, we have the sixth lowest score for income equality, suggesting that retirement saving is difficult for average workers. Our life expectancy fell, yet we spend the

China Dec. FX Reserves $3.14 Trillion, Up $20.7 Billion

Jan.07 -- China’s foreign-currency holdings rose $129 billion in 2017, posting the first annual gain since 2014 amid tighter capital controls, a stronger yuan and resilient economic growth. Bloomberg's Enda Curran reports on "Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia."

• China gold reserves steady at 59.240 mln oz at end-Dec

  CNBC.com
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  RPT-UPDATE 2-China Dec FX reserves rise to $3.14 trln, highest since S

  Reuters

Here Are the Dumbest Things That Could Happen on Wall Street in 2018

There were plenty of dumb things we watched play out in 2017. From bitcoin naysayers to Apple Inc. (AAPL) bears, Walmart Inc. (WMT) haters to Tesla Inc. (TSLA) bulls -- this reporter was been kept busy documenting the very dumbest things to happen in business for weekend columns. But it's time to look ahead. Undoubtedly there will again be no shortage of misguided moves in finance, investing and the economy. Sure, prognosticating is more art than science, but, nonetheless, here is a compilation of some of the dumbest things Wall Street could do this year. Losing Discipline "2017 was marked by steady and climbing markets," said deVere Group CEO Nigel Green in an interview with TheStreet. "However,

One sure-fire prediction for 2018: Americans will take on even more debt

Perhaps Americans should add “paying off debt” to their New Year’s resolution lists. This year marked an unwelcome milestone for consumers, with credit card debt reaching a new high. As of June 2017, Americans owe a record $1 trillion on their credit cards To make matters worse, many American households are having trouble paying off that credit-card debt, according to a new study from credit reporting agency TransUnion TRU, +3.17%  . Delinquencies on credit card balances are expected to rise in 2018, despite an improving economy. “It’s really striking how much credit-card debt is weighing on American households,” said Kimberly Palmer, a credit-card expert at the personal finance company NerdWallet.

Millennials are getting older — and that’s good for stocks

Finally—after years of horror stories about the economic impact of the growing number of retirees in the U.S.—some good news. After at least two decades in which more people were entering retirement than into the workforce, the tide is turning. For the next two decades, it will be just the reverse. In other words, demographics in the U.S. are about to shift from being stiff headwinds to powerful tailwinds for the stock market. For all this we can thank the millennial generation, which consists of those who were born in the 1980s and 1990s. Though that generation isn’t as big as the infamous baby boom generation that preceded them, it is still big enough to represent a powerful economic force.

Tesla rolls back Model 3 production target, but Wall Street keeps the faith

Tesla Inc.’s efforts to assure Wall Street it is on the right track with the Model 3 production appeared to pay off Thursday as major investment banks kept ratings on the company’s stock unchanged and a known bull advised investors to “buy on the dip.” Tesla TSLA, +0.62%  late Wednesday reported fourth-quarter deliveries that fell short of expectations and again pushed back on a Model 3 production target, sending the stock lower after hours and on Thursday. Shares traded as low as $305.68 earlier Thursday before recouping some of their losses. Tesla said it delivered 29,870 vehicles in the quarter, of which 1,550 were Model 3 sedans, 15,200 were Model S sedans, and 13,120 were Model X SUVs in

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  What to Expect From Tesla, Inc. in 2018

  Motley Fool
• TrovaGene (TROV) Trading Up 9.7%

  The Cerbat Gem

Huge Predictions for Starbucks in 2018: China Boom and a Splash of Tech

In this weather, a warm brew in hand is the hottest of tickets. Increasingly, that's delivered by Starbucks Corp.  (SBUX) , which has over 27,000 stores worldwide, including a thriving presence in the Asia-Pacific, especially in China, where the company foresees brisk growth this year. The coffee roaster has been in the region since 1996, first in Japan, and in China for 18 years. But even as the company posts about 7% comparable store sales growth in the region, it will likely need to continue to open stores at a rapid clip — last year, the company added 550 net new stores in China bringing the total up to 3,000 stores there in 135 cities — as margins in China tend to be lower. On average, margins

4 simple and effective ways to help a young person get a jump on retirement

There’s plenty of stressful news these days, and by and large I’m used to hearing or reading about unpleasant developments. But I was particularly alarmed by a report this fall that Congress was considering drastic cutbacks in the contribution limits to 401(k) and similar retirement plans. Currently, the maximum annual contribution to such plans is $18,500 ($24,500 for workers age 50 and older). These contributions are tax-deferred, meaning the money isn’t taxed until it is withdrawn, presumably after retirement when workers may be in lower tax brackets. Some House Republicans were thinking of reducing tax free or tax deductible contributions to as little as $2,400. The difference between death

Analysts expect their favorite Nasdaq stocks to rise as much as 43% in 2018

Big Nasdaq companies outperformed in last year’s broad stock market rally, and analysts are expecting more gains in 2018. We’ll show you analysts’ favorite Nasdaq 100 stocks, while also listing the companies that analysts expect to post the largest increases in sales in 2018. The Nasdaq 100 Index NDX, +1.04%  is made up of the largest 100 companies included in the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +0.83% which has more than 3,300 members. Here’s how the total returns of these tech-heavy indices have compared with the S&P 500 Index SPX, +0.70% over the past five years: The Nasdaq 100 was the strongest performer in 2017 and also been the best five-year performer. Here’s a breakdown of which Nasdaq 100

Wall Street's love of tax cuts drove Dow to 25,000 mark

The Dow Jones industrial average surged past 25,000 Thursday, a strong signal of investor enthusiasm for President Donald Trump's $1.5 trillion tax cut. The milestone comes less than a year after the Dow topped 20,000. "We broke a very, very big barrier," Trump said Thursday at the White House.

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  Federal tax overhaul could cost Idaho taxpayers $100M

  Houston Chronicle
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  Bernie Sanders: Trump may be ‘pathological liar’

  BostonGlobe.com

Apple stock will move higher in ‘super-long cycle,’ says longtime bull Piper Jaffray

Longtime Apple Inc. bull Piper Jaffray said Tuesday it expects the stock to continue to move higher in what it expects to be a “super-long cycle” versus a “supercycle.” Analysts led by Michael Olson said a survey of 400 iPhone buyers has bolstered their expectations for the mix of iPhones to be sold in fiscal 2018. “Specifically, we are modeling iPhone X to account for 38% of iPhones sold this year, essentially in-line with our survey at 35% of buyers intending to buy iPhone X,” they wrote. “Our estimated mix of iPhone 8 in fiscal 2018 is 40% and our survey was exactly in-line at 40%.” The survey supports Olson’s estimates for an average selling price of $720, revenue of $270.6 billion and per-share

Who Cares About the Jobs Report? Here Are 3 Quick Reasons Stocks Could Skyrocket

The December jobs report left much to be desired. But, who cares as the outlook for stocks remains bright.  Here is why the bulls have reason to ignore the jobs numbers. Tax Reform, People The impact of tax reform to corporate profits is likely to be huge in 2018. Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimates that the corporate tax overhaul could boost earnings for U.S. companies by 10% this year. The impact has sent Wall Street analysts clamoring to upwardly revise their earnings forecasts, which often provides a jolt to stock prices. Bank of America notes that analyst earnings revisions are now hovering around new highs. Besides corporate tax reform, and a factor Wall Street may be under-estimating,

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  Square Stock Breaks Out From Key Resistance Levels

  Investopedia
• Guggenheim Reiterates “Buy” Rating for WEC Energy Group (WEC)

  The Cerbat Gem

Roku's Stock Destined to Blow Up by 40%: Wall Street

While most of the stock market is off to a hot start in 2018, Roku (ROKU) certainly is not. Shares fell more than 9% Thursday when the stock was downgraded by Morgan Stanley analysts. They used a price target of $30 (up from their prior target of $25) even though they downgraded it to an underweight rating. On Friday, though, shares were down another 8% in early trading after Citigroup analysts downgraded Roku to a sell rating, TheStreet's Jim Cramer pointed out on CNBC's "Mad Dash" segment. The analyst called for a decline to $28, down roughly 40% from Friday's trading price.  The IPO was mispriced from the start, Cramer said. Roku went public in late-September at $14 per share. The stock hit

• Timken Steel (TMST) Lowered to “Sell” at Zacks Investment Research

  The Cerbat Gem
• Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (MBT) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Investment Research

  The Cerbat Gem

Ripple Rally Renders Ex-CEO Larsen Among the 10 Richest People in the U.S.

If you hadn't heard of Ripple's token XRP before, you probably did this week. The cryptocurrency exploded -- at its high of $3.84 Thursday, XRP had rallied 67% just since Jan. 1, 2018. That's good news for former Ripple CEO and co-founder Chris Larsen. He owns 5.19 billion XRP tokens and a 17% stake in the company, according to a report in Forbes. When XRP peaked at $3.84 Thursday, the former Ripple CEO watched his net worth skyrocket him into the top 10 richest people in the U.S. His estimated $59.9 billion net worth at XRP's high briefly made him the fifth-wealthiest man in the U.S. He had more to his name at that moment than Oracle Corp.'s (ORCL) Larry Ellison or Alphabet Inc.-owned (GOOGL)