In the current economic environment, many retailers are struggling. While unemployment remains low and growth in gross domestic product (GDP) has been solid, the past few years of high inflation have eaten into consumers' budgets.This has resulted in headwinds for many stocks, from restaurants to retailers.However, in this adverse spending climate, big-box discount retailer Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) just posted impressive growth and even margin expansion. Investors can thank the company's major competitive advantage, which allows Costco to capitalize when the going gets tough.Continue reading

One of the more volatile stocks of 2024 has been Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN). The electric vehicle (EV) maker has had a number of ups and downs this year, and while the stock has performed well the past couple of months, the stock is still down about 35% year to date, as of this writing.The question now, though, is whether the stock is a buy, sell, or hold going into 2025. Let's look at each argument to help decide.The sell case for Rivian largely comes down to two main issues: slowing EV industry sales and its weak gross margin.Continue reading

If you know you'll need bigger and bigger dividend payments in the future, plan for that now.

Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) is on a mission to deliver sustainable energy with its innovative fuel cells. The company looks to capitalize on the renewable energy market with its hydrogen technology. According to an estimate by Deloitte Consulting, the green hydrogen market could reach $1.4 trillion by 2050, giving Plug Power massive upside potential.Even so, the company has faced significant hurdles in recent years. After reaching as high as $75 per share in 2021, the stock has come crashing down to Earth, plummeting 97%, and has failed to recover since then. Here's what you should consider if you are thinking of buying Plug Power (or if you already have).Plug Power aims to position itself in the evolving renewable energy sector with its hydrogen fuel cells. As an alternative to conventional batteries, Plug Power provides clean and efficient energy with minimal carbon emissions.Continue reading

Successfully navigating the stock market requires patience and a long-term perspective. The key is sticking to a consistent plan and making regular contributions to a retirement account, allowing the power of compounding to work its magic over time.Nevertheless, there's an undeniable allure in searching for potential multibagger stocks. Something is captivating about companies with disruptive innovations, whose stocks could be on the cusp of rapid growth and capable of delivering life-changing returns to shareholders.Recursion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RXRX) is a clinical-stage biotech that may have that level of potential. The company harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) for drug discovery, promising to revolutionize medicine. Let's explore whether buying the stock could eventually help you become a millionaire.Continue reading

Investing in dividend stocks is a great strategy for many reasons, including the potential they offer you to significantly boost your long-term returns by automatically reinvesting their payouts. Furthermore, the pursuit of dividends need not come at the expense of other investment styles. Some income stocks look like excellent growth stocks, too.Here are two examples: Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY). These two market leaders are popular on Wall Street. Take Israel "Izzy" Englander, the founder and CEO of Millennium Management. Both Microsoft and Eli Lilly feature in Millennium Management's top 10 holdings, with the former accounting for 1.71% of the portfolio as of Q3 and the latter making up 0.76%. In the third quarter, Englander and his team increased their stakes in Microsoft and Eli Lilly by 51% and 86%, respectively.Here is why investors should seriously consider following Englander's lead and purchasing shares of these two top corporations.Continue reading

It's hard to fathom a world without Walmart (NYSE: WMT). The company opened its first discount store in the early 1960s and conducted its initial public offering (IPO) in October 1970.If you were lucky and astute enough to buy just one share during its early days as a public company, you'd have many more due to subsequent stock splits.Exactly how many shares would you own? Tracking the stock split history and doing some multiplication will provide the answer.Continue reading

The artificial intelligence (AI) field has been grabbing many headlines on Wall Street in the past two years. Will this trend continue in 2025? It's hard to say, but whether or not it does, specific AI-focused companies could make significant progress and see their shares soar as a result.Recursion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RXRX) could be one of them. The AI-focused biotech has several potential catalysts next year. Let's figure out whether investing in Recursion Pharmaceuticals ahead of 2025 is worth it.Recursion Pharmaceuticals uses AI to speed up the drug discovery and development process. The company's virtual lab runs experiments to identify promising clinical compounds to send to human clinical trials. For a typical drugmaker, most brand-new compounds will never enter the clinic to be tested on humans. Most of those that do will never go on to earn approval.Continue reading

One rule I always follow when it comes to retirement is "It's always better to be overprepared than underprepared." Of course, this applies to many areas of life, but it's especially critical when it comes to retirement finances.One of the surest ways to make sure you're as financially prepared as possible for retirement is to take advantage of retirement accounts. It's a two-for-one benefit: You set money aside from retirement while simultaneously receiving a tax break.You can choose from handfuls of retirement accounts, but the Roth IRA is by far my favorite heading into 2025 and beyond.Continue reading

It was a story good enough for a Hallmark movie, and it came just in time for Christmas.Last week, space news site Payload Space told the heartwarming tale of a small Ukrainian company, "Promin," and its quixotic quest to build a new rocket by joining some of the best Soviet-era rocket scientists with American corporate know-how. Based in Dnipro, not far from the front lines in war-ravaged southeastern Ukraine, Promin was working toward its first rocket launch when Russia invaded in 2022. Putting those plans on hold, the company decided to try to set up shop in the United States instead, and finally opened its doors in Brunswick, Maine in December.Continue reading