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Boeing Stock Takes Off: Will Its Rise Continue?

Boeing's 737 MAX is to take to the skies once more after the go-ahead from the FAA, fueling the stock's rise.

"C-FTJV Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8" by Liam Allport is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Shares of Boeing (BA) have continued to climb this month, rising over 33% from their October 30th closing of $144.39, and have continued to climb this week.

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Are Marijuana Stocks a Good Investment?

Back in 1997, you could buy a share of Amazon stock for around one dollar. Imagine if you bought one thousand of those shares and still owned them today (a share is currently around $2,100, almost a 120,000% increase)! The popularity of marijuana stock comes from the potentials of the industry–everyone's hoping to find a payoff much like early Amazon investors. With US marijuana sales expected to reach 23.4 billion by the year 2022, the market could possibly see exceptional trajectory growth in the stock market.

With recent changes to the legalization of marijuana use in the United States, both medically and recreationally, more people are showing an interest in marijuana stocks. And it's no wonder, considering global spending on legal cannabis worldwide is projected to hit 57 billion in a decade. The legal market is growing like a weed (pun intended) and many people are wondering if investing in marijuana right now could pay off in the future.

Who

understanding marijuanaGiphy


Marijuana derives from the cannabis plant, as does hemp. The plant produces cannabinoid chemicals like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). There are plenty of different companies currently in the pot industry. Before making any decisions on investing in this industry, you should do your research first. When looking into companies dabbling in marijuana, it's important to know what they deal with. Some marijuana stock companies are in the growth and retail industry, such as Canopy Growth Corporation. Others are in the biotech and pharma industry, such as GW Pharmaceuticals, while others are focused on CBD products like Charlotte's Web. Many well-known companies are also looking to become players in the marijuana industry. Anheuser-Busch announced a $50 billion partnership in 2018 with Tilray to research the production of canned beverages that will contain both CBD and THC.

How

When buying stock in marijuana, you have options. You can buy publicly traded stock yourself through over-the-counter trades (OTC), from a stock exchange available through a licensed broker, or through an exchange-traded fund (ETF) which is a group of funds grouped together into one account. There are pros and cons to each of these buying options.

ETFs

Choosing an ETF can reduce your risk, since your portfolio is diversified over many different stocks; but on the flip side, you're not as likely to reap any significant benefits if one of the stocks happens to soar. The two most popular weed-based ETFs are the

ETFMJ Alternative Harvest ETF and the AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF.

OTCs

OTCs, sometimes called penny stocks, are the riskiest buying options simply due to the lack of public information on such new companies, combined with the fact that most of the companies in this stock line are new businesses. The appeal of these types of stocks, however, is their low cost to purchase. For example, cbdMD, a producer of CBD oils, had a stock price at $1.11 per share as of February 23rd. Even though these low stock prices are enticing, it probably would not be wise to put all of your eggs in one basket with any OTC stocks.

The Risks

Just like any budding industry, the potential gain is great, but the risk could be even greater, and your investments might have the risk of going up in smoke.

Legal/Political Risks


politics and marijuanaGiphy


Although recreational marijuana is now legal in 11 states and medical marijuana in 33 states, the drug is still illegal on federal terms under the Controlled Substance Act. With marijuana's classification as a Schedule 1 drug under this act, the federal government declares it to be completely illegal, even for medical use– which technically means that investors who put their money in marijuana companies are conspiring to violate that act. If you're an employee of the federal government, it might be best to steer clear of any marijuana stocks–at least until it's legalized on the federal level. For everyday investors, however, the chance of facing criminal charges is pretty low.

Price to Sales Risks

The price to sales ratio is commonly used amongst investors when evaluating stocks. A company's P/S ratio is determined by dividing a company's market capitalization by its revenue (usually over a twelve-month period). It's important to look into the PS ratio for any company you plan on buying stock in, as this figure gives you a better understanding of how much investors are willing to pay per dollar of sales. The key takeaway: the lower the ratio, the more desirable the stock is to purchase.


projected price to sales ratio marijuana stocksNASDAQ


A look at this P/S ratio chart shows the significantly higher projected P/S ratio in the marijuana stocks compared to other industries. Currently, top-trending marijuana stocks from companies like Cronos Group, Inc., Tilray Inc., and Canopy Growth, Inc. are showing high results for P/S ratio. The good news: P/S ratio is not the be-all-end-all of determining a stock's worth.

Black Market Risks


illegal marijuana salesGiphy

As much as statistics show growth trends in the legalized sector of marijuana-based sales, black market pot sales are still playing a role in hindering the industry's sales. Even with the complete legalization of marijuana in Canada, for example, statistics still show that nearly half of all cannabis users report buying marijuana from illegal sources.Likewise, according to NBC News, in spite of California legalizing recreational marijuana over two years ago, black market sales still outnumber the legal ones.

Dilution Risks

Stock dilution occurs when a company issues new stocks, therefore decreasing ownership percentages of current stockholders, and in turn stock prices. Statistics show that many marijuana-related industries have dilution concerns, which can be seen through market cap statistics showing the share price and the number of existing shares. For example, Canopy Growth's five year market cap analysis chart shows a significant increase.

The Bottom Line

It seems that many of the repercussive risks in the legal marijuana industry will change over time, as more and more countries legalize and decriminalize marijuana. With the growing support of its legalization over time, I believe the legal market is here to stay.

growing support for legalizing marijuanaPew Research Center


It's impossible to invest in any stock without taking risks. The best advice for potential pot investors: Don't devote more than you are willing to risk, do your research before buying any particular stocks yourself, and always remember, diversification is key in any good investment strategy!

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How to Financially Survive a Stock Market Crash

Early to Rise

The US stock market underwent it's first 10% correction in 2018, and now stocks are on the edge of all-time highs, and driven higher by corporate earnings.

But, with global trade tensions growing day by day, rising short-term interest rates, and indications of moving into the late phase of the business cycle, a stock market decline may be on the horizon.

Indeed, Paul Tudor Jones, a hedge fund investor famous for predicting the 1987 stock market crash, is expecting a market crash as soon as 2019. He told Goldman Sachs, that "We have the strongest economy in 40 years, at full employment. The mood is euphoric. But it is unsustainable and comes with costs such as bubbles in stocks and credit." Jones isn't the only one predicting an imminent crash. Scott Minerd, Global chief investment officer and chairman of investments for Guggenheim Partners, told Times that, "The markets are potentially on a collision course for disaster." The majority of financial experts seem to agree: the economy has been too strong for too long, and now, something's got to give.

So, how can you prepare for the inevitable down turn? Here are six tips to help you protect your income in the case of a stock market decline.

Invest for the Long Term

MarTech Today

While what goes up must come down, the opposite is also true when you're talking about the stock market. Though the stock market rises over longer periods of time, it's often interrupted by short-term downturns. The short term is ruled by investor confidence, meaning changes can happen quickly. But the long term tends to be more about real wealth creation as companies generate free cash flow and pay down debt. So, your short-term plays should only make up a small portion of your overall investment portfolio, as these can be more subject to damage in a volatile market.

Invest in Individual Companies Instead of Indexes

If the market begins to fall, it's best to have your money in individual companies that you believe in, instead of allocating money to an investment fund that tracks an index. Francis M. Kinniry, head of portfolio construction at Vanguard, told the New York Times that, "It's not an active versus index story, it's high cost versus low cost. They underperform because they're charging too much for the 'alpha' they generate," he added, referring to the return in excess of the market return.

Have as little debt as possible

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Debt only gets harder to pay off during a decline in the market. Make sure that you aren't spread too thin on margin (borrowed funds to invest with) when a market crash starts to look likely.

Invest Globally

After the last market crash, Europe and Japan were slower to recover than the United States and therefore still have years to go before they crash. Darrell L. Cronk, president of the Wells Fargo Investment Institute, said that the recoveries in Europe and Japan started closer to 2014, as opposed to 2009 in the United States. So, your money may actually be safer invested overseas.

Diversify your Investments

As the saying goes, don't keep all your eggs in one basket. Make sure you don't have all of your money tied up in one place, because then a sudden drop could mean financial disaster. Instead, diversify your stock portfolio, and diversify across different asset classes and regions as well. How you invest depends on your risk tolerance, time horizon, and long and short term goals. Careful diversification can be one of the best tools to come out of a stock market crash financially intact.

Cash is King


Wall Street Journal

Tying up all your money in the stock market is never a good idea. Make sure you have some cash saved to get you through in case your investments take a hit, or some cash in the money market. Your goal should always be to conduct your affairs so that if you were to get laid off or meet some other unexpected cash expense, you would not be on the brink of disaster.


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