Editor’s Note: Quite possibly the most popular Cabot Wealth issue to date was Michael Cintolo’s FAQ issue, which was published in March. Because we get so many new subscribers all the time and the advice Mike gave was truly timeless, we are running the issue again today (with a few updates). I hope it answers some of your questions and reminds of you of good investment practices. As always, please send us your questions, comments and suggestions via email, the Cabot Forum, http://www.cabot.net/forum and our Cabot Wealth Advisory survey, found at the bottom of each issue. Enjoy!
---
Ask Cabot
A couple of years ago, before we began writing the Cabot Wealth Advisory, someone in our office came up with the idea of sending out a free monthly email that answered many of our subscribers’ most common questions. We named it Ask Cabot, and it proved to be a learning experience for us, and beneficial for many readers as well.
Unfortunately, as time went on, we didn’t receive as many general investing questions as we’d hoped. And, to be fair, we also got busier with our paid publications, which demanded more time and effort. So we halted Ask Cabot, and began Cabot Wealth Advisory, which is produced more frequently but discusses a wider range of topics.
Then something ironic happened: We began getting a slew of questions! Our Cabot Wealth Advisory is reaching so many current and future investors that our email inboxes are being filled with good, sound investing questions.
Because of this, I wrote a FAQ Issue of Cabot Wealth Advisory last November 10 (you can read it and all our past issues in our archives at http://www.cabot.net/Issues/CWA/Archives.aspx ), and I got plenty of positive feedback on it. It’s been four months since then, so I figured I’d give it another shot. If enough subscribers like it, the editors and I can do it on a regular basis. Consider it Ask Cabot reincarnated!
Realize that the questions below are generally not about specific stocks; we’re happy to answer those questions with direct emails. These are questions and comments that can help all investors better understand not just how we invest, but also some important principles that will quickly improve your skills. So, without further ado ...
Question: You just recommended XYZ stock a couple of weeks ago ... and today you’re advising to sell it. How can you change your opinion that quickly; I thought it was a great company!
Answer: As Paul Goodwin (analyst and editor of Cabot China & Emerging Markets Report) has written a few times in this space, you need to have three things for a successful stock-a good story (i.e., good future potential based on a unique product or industry upswing), good numbers (particularly strong sales and earnings growth and big profit margins) and a good chart (telling you deep-pocketed investors are accumulating the shares). Paul calls this the SNaC system-Stories, Numbers and Chart-and it’s a useful acronym to remember.
The most fluid of these three pieces is the chart-the story and the numbers don’t change overnight, but in rare instances, the chart can (either positively or negatively). Most investors refuse to change their minds that quickly, but our studies show that a rapid change in the price of the stock-especially if it comes on earnings news-usually leads to more movement in the same direction. So if your stock collapses soon after you buy it, your best move is almost always to get out. Yes, it’s painful ... but stubbornly sticking with the stock usually causes only more pain over time.
Q: I’ve been looking at Baidu (or Google, or Apple, or any other past leader) and business remains great. Yet the stock is down significantly. Isn’t it a good buy?
A: This question is closely related to the one above. The answer is generally no, and the reason is that a stock is not the company. A stock can fall sharply and persistently even if sales and earnings are growing quickly. That’s especially true in a bear phase for the overall market.
As I wrote above, you need not only a good story and good numbers, but a good chart as well. One without the other two is far less reliable. We do think last year’s big winners have topped, and while the occasional exciting rally will take place, you’ll be better off looking for new leaders.
--- Advertisement ---
Announcing a Special Issue: Six High-Potential Stocks for Indian Investors
Paul Goodwin, editor of the top-performing Cabot China & Emerging Markets Report has selected the top stocks on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India in a new Special Issue of the newsletter.
Paul Goodwin’s advice brought readers a gain of 78.6% in 2006, a gain of 74.1% in 2007 and over the 12 months ended May 31, his advice brought readers a gain of 108.7%. He’s confident that this Special Issue will accomplish similar great returns for Indian investors.
This Special Issue contains all you need to get started building a diversified portfolio of Indian stocks-all but guaranteed to beat the Sensex in the year ahead.
Click the link below to find out how you can order the Special Issue. Act fast--Six High-Potential Stocks for Indian Investors--is only available for a very limited time ...
https://www.cabot.net/indianreport
---
Q: The CEO of XYZ stock, which you just recommended, just sold $2 million of his shares last week. Should I still buy the stock?
A: I wrote about this last November, but it is such a popular question that I wanted to cover it again. Simply put, insider actions (either buys or sells) have never proven to be a great indicator of future price performance one way or the other. Sure, sometimes a stock tops out after the insiders dump shares, but just about all of the big-winning stocks in history have experienced plenty of insider selling as they rose to scintillating heights. What really matters is what institutional investors think of the stock-which is why we watch the chart.
Q: You’ve said that the market bottom was in mid-March and while the market has moved higher since, a lot of the news out there is still bad. Can you tell me what’s going on here?
A: Remember, the market looks ahead three to nine months, so if anything, the market is a leading indicator of the economy, not the other way around. Think of it this way: If investing were as simple as reading the economic indicators and investing based on what they said, we’d all be rich! But that’s not going to happen.
The market will definitely bottom when the news is bad, and the outlook seems poor. We don’t know many people predicting great things back in March 2003, when our indicators gave us buy signals just as the bull market kicked off (the Cabot Market Letter’s Model Portfolio was up 50% that year). So it’s important to filter out the bad news and pay attention to the market itself.
Q: I’ve been using charts more, but am curious about your opinion about the various stock-based indicators like MACD, RSI, Stochastics, and so on.
A: Very good question. To be honest, I like to keep it simple-my charts just look at a stock’s price history, volume history, a couple of moving averages (especially the 50-day moving average) and the stock’s relative performance (compared to the market). All those “indicators” you mentioned are basically short-term overbought-oversold measures, which don’t carry much weight with me.
That’s not to say they’re totally useless, but if you’re looking for intermediate- to longer-term profits, you want to know whether a stock is under accumulation or not. And MACD, RSI and the like don’t help you determine that.
Q: List your top rules (or tools) for investing.
A: They are: Cut losses short (definitely rule #1 for growth stock investing) ... Search for strong sales and earnings growth (especially triple-digit sales growth) ... Search for revolutionary products with major benefits (First Solar and Crocs filled the bill in 2007 and were our two biggest winners) ... Heed the message of the overall market ... Never average down ... and Be prepared for all contingencies (always have an exit plan ahead of time, just in case).
Closely following those would be: Never try to buy at the bottom or sell at the top (if you try to do it, you’ll just lose more money) ... Stick with stocks that are liquid to avoid gut-wrenching volatility (usually at least 600,000 shares traded per day or more) ... Only put more money to work after your past purchase or two is showing you a profit ... and Be humble-making money in stocks is tough, so don’t kill yourself over one or two bad trades, and be thankful when you hit a big winner.
That’s all I’ve got now. Let me know whether you enjoy the FAQ format (no worries if you don’t, just be honest), and let me know whether you have any questions or comments.
All the best,
Mike Cintolo
Editor’s Note: Michael Cintolo is editor of Cabot’s flagship publication, the Cabot Market Letter. The publication has everything a growth stock investor needs-a clear, concise and concentrated Model Portfolio (no more than 12 stocks at any one time), proven market and sound buy and sell signals for its individual stocks, so you can keep the profits you earn. To see first-hand what the Market Letter has to offer, click the link below.
https://www.cabot.net/info/ctt/cttib00.aspx?source=wc01
---
