15401

Improving Profit Margins Can Mean Big Bucks for Shareholders

Investors have many ways of looking at a company. Ideally, a company will show growth. But a company can do much to show growth, and even pay up to do so. That could mean a winning share price in the short-term, at the risk of long-term dangers to a company. That’s why investors should look for companies that can grow and improve their profit margins over time. That’s a sign of a company getting better at doing its job, and having ...
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15395

Expect Markets to Get Skeptical on AI Plays this Year

After leading the market for most of last year, big-cap tech plays investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) may take a backseat. That could lead some to think that there was a mini-bubble in AI that is now deflating. However, that’s not how bubbles work. AI is still in its early stages. And it will take years for the trend to play out. That’s why the potential for a bubble exists down the line. For 2024, however, AI stocks may slow. That ...
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15389

Resilient Consumers May Keep this Sector Trending Higher

Consumer spending shifted last year, with customers opening up their wallets to buy more services like travel and tourism. As a result, less money was available for goods. That trend looks likely to continue. And until it shifts back, spending on dining out at restaurants looks like a trend that will push even higher, even amid concerns of an overall consumer spending slowdown. Restaurant stocks fared well last year. And those that offer reasonable prices can likely continue to improve this year ...
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15382

Right-Sizing Companies May Prove Market Leaders This Year

The job market held up well last year, with unemployment near historic lows. That’s even after rising interest rates weighed on potential economic expansion. And it’s even after many big-cap tech companies announced tens of thousands of layoffs. That trend will likely continue this year. Companies are finding ways to do the same – or more – with fewer employees. Advances in technology such as AI can make that happen. The latest company to announce layoffs is Xerox (XRX). The imaging technology ...
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15377

2024 Could Prove a Boon for This Underperforming Sector

2023 was a great year for the markets. But behind the headline data, some sectors performed better than others. Most of 2023 followed the narrative of rising interest rates. That weighs on the cost of capital. However, that trend has started to shift in recent months. Interest rates have peaked. And investors are looking toward interest rate cuts in 2024. That could prove a boon for companies that benefit from lower rates, which may be outperformers this year as a result. One ...
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15372

Companies Integrating AI Now May Prove Solid Investments This Year

Markets can often get ahead of themselves, particularly with tech trends. The internet boom of the 1990s led to the creation of many companies, but most of those companies died out before they could become profitable. Today, AI is garnering similar attention. But AI programs can be incorporated into existing companies across a number of sectors immediately. And it can be improved over time. Companies that have started to integrate AI now may see the benefits of that play out this ...
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15366

This Business Model Is Paying Off for Investors

There are many ways to run a business, and just as many ways to get customers to pay. One popular business model is the recurring revenue model. Rather than getting a big one-time payment, and potentially not hearing from a customer again for years, the recurring model offers consistent, if smaller payments. This model has been popularized across a number of industries. The entertainment industry has leaned heavily into it, particularly with streaming services. The leader of streaming, Netflix (NFLX), has fared ...
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15363

Investors Are Already Targeting This Winning Theme for 2024

While 2023 was the year of AI, the new year brings the opportunity for a new investment idea to take the lead. One potential leader this year is the cryptocurrency space. 2023 ended with the view that the SEC would soon approve a bitcoin ETF. Add in this year’s halving activity, and there could be a massive supply shock that sends bitcoin prices soaring. And where bitcoin goes, other cryptos will follow. That’s why many cryptos soared in the final weeks ...
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