For Your Consideration: 6 Rising Stocks
America is currently experiencing a bull market — where share prices are rising, encouraging the buying of stocks. Here are some of the stocks experts say you should keep your eye on this spring.
Although the stock market is prone to fluctuation, it is an integral part of the world’s economy. In 2017, the three major stock market indices — Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500 and Dow Jones Average — all had their best years since 2013. Dow Jones, for example, increased 25 percent in 2017, getting closer to 25,000 points. As a reference, it took the Dow Jones 14 years to climb from 10,000 to 15,000 points, but less than four years to reach 20,000 points in 2017.
If you’re entirely new to the world of investing, buying individual stocks might not be the best place to start. Instead, you may experience better results from contacting a financial adviser who can suggest other investment opportunities — such as mutual funds — based on your current financial situation, your projected retirement age and the level of risk you’re most comfortable with.
What’s a mutual fund? Rather than investing in stocks one at a time, a mutual fund allows you to band your money together with additional investors to purchase a collection of stocks, bonds and other securities. Mutual funds are considered some of the easiest and low-stress ways to create a diverse financial portfolio for yourself.
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But if you already have a strong portfolio and want to add individual stocks to your investments or are just interested in the different options available to you, here are some tips from leading financial experts.
APPLE (AAPL)
What experts are saying: In addition to being a recognizable name, it’s anticipated that Apple will have a strong month in April. Experts are predicting the company will “deliver a big cash dump on shareholders.”
J.P. MORGAN CHASE (JPM)
What experts are saying: J.P. Morgan Chase is the country’s biggest bank by market value and is considered to be a wise stock market investment. The company is expected to fare well “because at this stage of the rally the economy is gaining strength and interest rates tend to rise.” Both factors are positive for the bank’s profits.
LUMENTUM HOLDINGS (LITE)
What experts are saying: Lumentum Holdings is an optical and photonic products company that services the telecommunications, cloud, networking and manufacturing sectors. The company’s stock is up 18 percent year to date, and InvestorPlace says it is at the heart of the Digital Age’s biggest growth sectors.
MICROSOFT (MSFT)
What experts are saying: In the third quarter of 2017, Microsoft stocks increased 12 percent. Experts attribute this to an uptick in the company’s Azure cloud service users. Experts also say: “Strong sales of Microsoft Office software show that it remains the most popular workplace tool of its kind.”
TAL EDUCATION (TAL)
What experts are saying: TAL Education, an education and technology enterprise in China, climbed 1.7 percent to $38.97 in mid-March. TAL Education also has a composite rating of 98. This rating combines several proprietary ratings, including earnings and other key metrics.
VISA (V)
What experts are saying: Every time a Visa credit card holder swipes their card, the company receives a small processing fee. Added up, those fees have amassed to large gains for the company and its shareholders; an 800 percent increase in the past 10 years, to be exact.
