This is not necessarily a bad thing. AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) will be moving from the NYSE to the NASDAQ beginning on January 2nd, 2015. The last trading day on the NYSE will be December 31, 2014.
Could the Dow hit 20,000?
There are those that predict a sell off and those that predict a run up. So what’s new? Some of the factors, according to Jeremy Siegel, are low inflation, low oil prices, and an arguably better job market.
Jeremy believes the Dow could see 20,000 by the end of 2015, assuming things such as the U.S. overall GDP is up. Of course there are others that think differently. As of the writing of this, the DJIA is just over 17,600. He also said a year end for 2014 would be around 18,000, so far so good.
Carl Icahn believes there could be another correction. Of course what is most interesting about his prediction is the fact that it is a 3 to 5 year prediction. That is like me saying I think the market will go up within the next 10 years. Chances are I will be right. Then again I also believe it will go down during the next 10 years, again – right.
Either way, these are guys who are very successful and therefore it makes sense to keep up with their predictions.
Disney as a Technology Play
When you think of Disney you probably think of Mickey Mouse, movies, the Magic Kingdom and all things entertainment. However, have you considered Disney a technology play? Disney has many different divisions as you can imagine, one that focuses on technology is Walt Disney Imagineering in which they aim to blend imagination with engineering. However this division has been around for a while and focuses on theme parks. Nothing wrong with that, however enter Magic Bands.
Magic Bands
Magic Bands may just seem like a gimmick before you dive into what they do. As a visitor to Disney you slip a magic band on your arm. Now it can be used as you hotel key, so your hotel key is no longer needed. After you purchase your park tickets it can be associated to your park tickets and will gain you admittance. So throw away your park tickets. Now you no longer have to remember to take your key or your tickets. Amazing. That is just the beginning. It is better than Apple pay.
Apple decided you could pay with a mobile phone, and you can use an Apple watch (in 2015) however you must still have your phone. Not so with the Magic band. You can associate a method of payment with your magic band and you assign it a pin number. Now everywhere you go at a Disney park, the theme park, stores, hotels, everywhere, you can use it to pay. You no longer need a wallet, simply swipe your magic band and enter your pin. Better yet, everyone in your family has a unique band and can use it for hotels, parks, and purchasing. You get an itemized account of every dollar spent and who spent it. No longer do you need keys, tickets or a wallet, and you do not need a mobile phone to operate it.
Now you tell me, is Disney a technology company? Before you decide, think about the fact that Disney came up with a better payment alternative than Apple. Now answer the question.
Disney Stock
Disney trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:DIS). I for one am looking at Disney completely different than I once did. With companies such as IBM licensing their technology as huge revenue streams, I have to say Disney has a new stream of revenue that I never associated to them.
ETFs Have Taken in a Net $159.2 Billion in 2014
What is an ETF? It stands for an Exchange Traded Fund, which means it is a fund that is traded like a stock. So you are only trading one fund, the ETF of your choosing, which in turn holds a bunch of assets. How is that for a technical answer.
ETFs Can Hold Anything?
Yep. An ETF can hold stocks, bonds, commodities, and other assets. Many of them will follow an index so you can buy and sell an index relatively cheap and of course quickly. Follow the link above for the more in depth explanation by Wikipedia.
$159 Billion
That should tell you how popular these are. According to YAHOO! Finance, that is the amount that has been taken into ETFs in 2014 making the total $1.92 trillion. Maybe that is an investment you may want to diversify your own portfolio with.
For more on ETFs we recommend ETF.com
Amazon Down 10% so Jump or Buy?
So this morning, Friday October 24th, Amazon has been trading down 10%. Many are discussing why and everyone has their opinion. On the right is a two day chart of AMZN from Yahoo charts and shows the drop of around 10%.
What to Do?
Here is an excellent read entitled Amazon Down 10%: The real reason why and how to trade it written by Jeff Macke. It is a short read but makes some excellent points. This is not the type of company where typical analyst analysis makes sense. Read his take, he is looking to trade it but possibly not accumulate as a long term investment at this price.
I am anonymous. Too many online are writing what they believe they should say and not what they really want to say. This fear is typically due to not wanting backlash, their current employment, or their desire to just want to be liked. Due to my situation I offer up the best advice I can, and tell it like it is whether you want to hear it or not. I have investment experience, am an entrepreneur and will offer up what I believe you need to hear to make informed financial decisions.