5G wireless service is coming and it will change the world. The new fifth generation of wireless networking is just starting to roll out. 5G will soon start replacing 4G, which has been the standard for wireless data transmission for the last half-decade. If you remember how great it was to go from 3G to 4G, 5G is going to be 50 times better. As in 50 times faster than the current 4G average.

More importantly, several new, likely life-changing technologies need the higher data speeds of 5G to function properly. At the top of the list is self-driving cars, or even human driven cars with automatic driving features. To avoid running over cats, children, the center median and other traffic on the road these vehicles will need to gather and process huge amounts of data.

5G will eventually lead to smart buildings and homes – the so-called Internet of Things or IoT. (If you’re interested in IoT be sure to check out new research from my colleague Tony Daltorio.) Life will catch up with science fiction. It is likely that it may be possible to use your new 5G smartphone or a dedicated 5G hotspot device as your all-the-time connection to the Internet.

Before we and our cars can enjoy the benefits of 5G, the infrastructure to support the tremendously higher speeds and much larger amounts of transmitted data must be built out. The current 4G network does not have sufficient capacity to handle the coming increase in data flow.

Much of the wireless and Internet infrastructure is owned by companies that specialize in providing specific parts of the infrastructure. These specialties include data centers, cell towers, and fiber communications networks. Here are three stocks that will see huge benefits from the shift to the next gen 5G wireless system.

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR) is a data center services provider that is organized as a REIT. The company develops and operates data centers. Digital Realty owns almost datacenters located around the globe. In addition to storage solutions, the company provides interconnectivity solutions between datacenters and the Internet.

The coming 5G speeds means an exponential increase in data that will need to be shared and stored. That’s the business of Digital Realty. Since it’s a REIT, DLR can be counted on as a steady dividend paying stock.

As a player in the high-growth data storage space, this is an income stock that will provide attractive dividend growth.

The company has increased the dividend for 13 straight years, with an average double-digit compound growth rate. Investors can expect the low teens dividend growth to continue, or even accelerate in the 5G era.

The shares currently yield 3.5%.

5G connectivity will require more cell towers, spaced closer together.  American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT) is the largest independent owner of cell towers.

5G will require a shift to small cell and micro-sites to provide uninterrupted, high-speed coverage. AMT owns 40,000 towers that will be retrofitted to provide 5G service. The company has also formed business alliances to install micro-sites in light poles and information kiosks.

AMT is also organized as a REIT. The company has a very high path of dividend growth, increasing the payout by 24% per year compounded for the last five years. Investors can expect AMT to remain at the heart of the 5G roll-out and be able to continue the rapid dividend growth. The shares currently yield 3.3%.

AMT is also organized as a REIT. The company has a very high path of dividend growth, increasing the payout by 24% per year compounded for the last five years.

Investors can expect AMT to remain at the heart of the 5G roll-out and be able to continue the rapid dividend growth.

The shares currently yield 3.3%.

Uniti Group (Nasdaq: UNIT) is a telecommunications REIT focused on fiber optic assets. In recent years the company has focused on acquiring backhaul fiber assets. These are fiber connections between cell towers and the wired Internet.

Uniti Group has been acquiring fiber networks that connect cell towers to the wired data network. These networks can be leased up to handle higher 5G data speeds without the need to build out additional network infrastructure. This mostly unknown and underground part of the overall data network will be a big winner for Uniti as 5G rolls out.

Currently UNIT is under a legal cloud due to a lawsuit against its largest customer, Windstream Holdings (Nasdaq: WIN). The trial has been completed and the companies are waiting on the judge’s ruling. Until that ruling comes out, the prospects and dividend safety of UNIT are unclear.

Thus, the current 12% yield.

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Source: Investors Alley 

Today I’m going to show you why this market isn’t as spooked as you might think. Then I’m going to reveal the 1 sector (and 1 fund boasting an incredible 8.7% dividend yield) that’s a screaming bargain now.

Let’s start with the state of play as I write this.

Here’s a question: of the 11 sectors that make up the S&P 500, how many do you think are negative for 2018?

If you said more than 5, the pessimism of the financial press has tainted your worldview. Take a look at this table:

5 in the Red, 5 in the Green

A close look at the 11 sectors of the S&P 500 is crucial, because we quickly see that 5 sectors are green, 5 are down and 1 is flat for 2018. While the red sectors are down big (financials energy, and materials have all dropped more than 10%), solid returns in tech, healthcare and utilities tell us most regular investors haven’t hit the panic button.

Let me explain.

Remember that there are “risk-on” and “risk-off” sectors. If investors are really worried about a big downturn, they go head-first into the “safe” and usually countercyclical consumer-staples sector—but the Consumer Staples SPDR ETF (XLP) is down 3.8% on the year, and the cyclical Consumer Discretionary SPDR ETF (XLY) is up 4.8%.

There’s a simple reason for that: everyday Americans are buying more because they’re earning more and getting jobs more easily. Therefore, it makes no sense in such an environment to run away from so-called risky assets, because those assets are the ones bagging higher revenues and earnings.

Likewise, tech and healthcare are typically high-risk sectors, with higher P/E ratios, that get sold off when a major market downturn is supposedly around the corner. But the Health Care SPDR ETF (XLV) is up nearly 10%, and tech’s 2.4% gain is after the heavy selloff of Apple (AAPL), on trade-war fears.

The lesson is obvious: while some sectors are suffering a short-term downturn, others are fine, thanks to economic growth of 3% and earnings growth of more than 20%. But the big financial media’s cavalier attitude toward the details has resulted in a lot of news about a market panic that simply isn’t there.

What About the Losers?

Before we get to one of my favorite sectors for 2019 (and that 8.7% yielder I mentioned earlier), let me quickly touch on a couple particularly beaten-down corners of the market. No, we’re not going to bottom-fish here—but these sectors’ misery has a key role to play in the nice price pop (and income) our pick is poised to hand us in the months ahead.

The first is materials, which saw earnings growth fall sharply, to 10%, in the third quarter, largely due to sluggish commodity prices across the sector, which lowers their pricing power because materials companies can’t increase prices of the commodities they sell to factories and property developers. That’s weighed down materials stocks—but it’s been a boon to the sector (and fund) we’ll discuss in a moment.

The other is energy, which has has been hit hard by the fall in oil. Just look at the price action with the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) and WTI oil futures:

Low Oil and Lower Energy Stocks

While that’s bruising for the sector, it’s great for an economy like America’s, where energy demand from consumers and manufacturers is the main engine of growth. So XLE’s 12.7% loss should be seen as the rest of the economy’s gain.

What to Buy Now

That brings me to the sector I want to dive into today: real estate.

It’s a direct beneficiary of lower costs for energy and materials, because both lower property builders’ expenses, resulting in greater inventories for real estate investors and higher profits for real estate developers.

Secondly, the real estate sector has been brutalized because of fears of higher interest rates—fears that are proving to be wrong.

Rate Burden Gets Lighter

Over the last 3 years, the return on the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR (XLRE) has been less than half that of the broader market, for one reason: higher interest rates. Almost 3 years ago to the day, the Federal Reserve kicked off the current rate-hike cycle, and the real estate market freaked out (see the dip in the orange line in early 2016). It has only slightly recovered since—with several “mini-freakouts” along the way.

On Sale Now: An 8.7% Dividend With Upside

Now that rates are set to rise more slowly than previously expected, real estate is a particularly appealing “sleeper” sector, because the market still hasn’t gotten the message. You can compound your returns through a closed-end fund (CEF) like the Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund (JRS).

JRS invests in many companies that make up XLRE, but there’s one huge difference: JRS trades at a 10.2% discountto the market value of the companies it owns, while XLRE trades at the whole market value of its portfolio. So you can get this already very cheap sector at a discount!

Another great thing about JRS? Its income. With an 8.7% dividend yield, this fund trounces the still-impressive 3.6% dividend XLRE provides. So you’ll be pocketing a hefty income stream while you wait for the real estate market to come to its senses.

5 More “Must-Buy” 8%+ Dividends for 2019

Here’s the thing about 8.7% payouts like these: the pundits will tell you they’re unsafe, but that’s nonsense!

The truth is, dividends like these are absolutely necessary if you want to achieve the “retirement holy grail”: clocking out and living on dividends alone. Because when your dividends cover your bills (and then some!) and roll in like clockwork, who cares what Mr. Market gets up to on a day-to-day basis?

This is how everyone should approach retirement investing. And the good news is that there are plenty of CEFs—like JRS—throwing off rock-solid 8%+ payouts that will get you there.

But where do you start? Easy: with the 5 hidden gems (including one CEF paying an incredible 9% dividend) I’ll reveal when you click right here.

And before you ask, no, you won’t give up a cent of upside to get your hands on the 8% average payouts these 5 funds deliver. Take a look at how one of these buys—pick No. 3, to be exact—has manhandled the market since inception:

Market-Crushing Gains and 8.7% Dividends—in 1 Buy!

Source: Contrarian Outlook

Personally, I get to this point in the month and tell myself to stop spending money. I have been buying gifts, plus stuff on sale from my favorite vendors. If you are in the same boat, or even if you have exhibited outstanding spending discipline through this holiday season, I want to recommend giving your self the gift of a special dividend payment.

Today’s stock will pay a nice special dividend before the end of December and then continue to pay monthly dividends throughout the year. You can think of this as the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

Main Street Capital (NYSE: MAIN) is a monthly dividend paying business development company (BDC).  The company has also paid semi-annual, supplemental dividends since 2013. The next supplemental payout lands in investor brokerage accounts on December 27 and is equal to 150% of the normal monthly dividend.

To earn this special 27.5 cents per share dividend, you must buy shares at least a day before the ex-dividend date of December 17. That means buy shares on December 16 or earlier. Your new shares will start earning the monthly dividends, with a payment on January 15.

A BDC is a closed-end investment company, like closed-end mutual funds (CEF). The difference is that a CEF owns stock shares and bonds, while a BDC makes direct investments into its client companies. A BDC will have up to hundreds of outstanding investments to spread the risk across many small companies. The client companies of a BDC will be corporations that are too small or too new to be able to issue stock or bonds into the publicly traded markets.

As a risk control factor, BDCs are limited to no more than two times its equity in leverage. This means that if a BDC has $500 million of equity raised from selling shares, it can borrow another $1 billion. The company can then make $1.5 billion of loans or equity investments.

Main Street Capital Stands Apart

Main Street Capital Corp. is really quite different from the rest of the BDC crowd. Since its 2007 IPO, MAIN has tripled the total return average of its BDC peers. Here is a list of some of the reasons why this company stands apart from its peers in the industry:

• MAIN is internally managed with insiders owning over 2.8 million shares. Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO Vince Foster is the single largest individual shareholder.
• Main Street is the most conservatively managed BDC in the industry and holds an investment grade BBB credit rating. Investment grade is rare among the BDC crowd and allows Main Street to borrow at a much lower cost of capital compared to most other BDCs.
• Operating, admin, and management costs are 1.5% of assets compared to 3.2% for the average BDC and 2.7% for commercial banks.
• Net debt is just 0.62 times company equity, well below the 2.0 times maximum set by law.
• The share price is about 1.5 times the book or NAV value.

MAIN uses a two-tier approach to its portfolio. This unique strategy allows Main Street to generate a high level of interest income and capital gains from equity investments. In the middle market, MAIN provides debt financing to companies with stable finances and low risk of default.

The rules governing BDCs make it difficult to generate growth. Most companies in the sector experience declining book values and are eventually forced into dividend cuts. Main Street Capital has a different business model that has resulted in dividend growth and share price appreciation. This is a stock that should be in every income investor’s portfolio.

Starting today you can stop worrying about the market and instead fundamentally transform your income stream from a string of near misses to a steady, reliable flow of income right into your bank account.

It all starts with a simple to use, yet powerful calendar – called the The Monthly Dividend Paycheck Calendar, like the one below, only with more details. It’s kind of like the one you might have on your desk, only this one tells you when you’ll get paid and how much you’ll receive each and every month.

No more guesswork, no more confusion, no more worrying if you did the right thing… just steady paychecks coming like clockwork…

Paychecks currently averaging $3,409.21 every month. That’s money in the bank for you regardless how volatile remains for the rest of the year.

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Get your hands on my most comprehensive, step-by-step dividend plan yet. In just a few minutes, you will have a 36-month road map that could generate $4,804 (or more!) per month for life. It's the perfect supplement to Social Security and works even if the stock market tanks. Over 6,500 retirement investors have already followed the recommendations I've laid out.

Click here for complete details to start your plan today.

Source: Investors Alley

Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) is one of those companies which often poses a conundrum to investors. On one hand, the microblogging site has become an essential tool for following breaking news and insights into everything from sports to finance to politics. On the other hand, despite the popularity, the company doesn’t have an obvious path to ramp up monetization of its user base.

Regarding the issue of monetization, the company primarily makes its money on ad revenues. However, Twitter ads get mixed reviews as far as effectiveness. And frankly, the company doesn’t have many alternative for generating revenues outside of ads. Selling/licensing customer data (trends, etc.) is certainly a big growth area, but it has a ways to go to make a real impact on revenues.

On the bright side, Twitter is pretty much a must-have product for anyone who utilizes social networking. Active Twitter users include the President of the US, just about every famous athlete and entertainer, and a multitude of industry experts. For concise and/or breaking news, there’s simply no better source available.

It’s easy to see why investors are bullish on the stock. Yet, it’s equally logical to see the argument from those who may be skeptical on future growth potential. Look no further than Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) to see the potential perils of a public social media company. (Of course, TWTR has its own challenges with how it handles First Amendment issues.)

So how do you trade TWTR if you’re bullish on the stock but are concerned about downside risk?

As I matter of fact, I recently came across an interesting covered call trade in TWTR which provides a nice balance between risk and return. The beauty of covered calls is they can provide a hedge, income, and growth potential all in one trade.

This particular covered call involves selling 2,000 of the January 18^th 40 call versus stock at $36.73. In other words, the trader purchased 200,000 shares of TWTR while simultaneously selling the 40 calls 2,000 times. The calls were sold for $1.10 meaning the trader collects $220,000 in premium.

First off, the $1.10 in premium collected also serves a hedge for the long stock. It protects the trader down to $35.63. Moreover, that premium represents a 3% yield on the trade, which expires in just over a month. That represent almost a 36% annualized yield.

In addition, since the trader is selling out-of-the-money calls (at the 40 strike), there is also stock appreciation potential. An additional $3.27 can be earned if the stock goes to $40 or higher by expiration. That’s represent another 9% in gains. All told, if TWTR has a good month, this trade can make as much as 12%. (In dollar terms, the trade can make about $875,000 at max gain.)

If you’re bullish on TWTR but worried about overall market conditions or company specific bad news, this is exactly the sort of trade you want to be making. You earn the 3% yield no matter what. The trade also provides a limited hedge on the stock price if the market sells off. And, you still have an additional 9% upside potential in stock appreciation.

It’s hard to argue with a relatively safe trade that can also produce 12% gains in about a month. If this trade appeals to you, I believe it’s a nice addition to any income-producing portfolio.

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Source: Investors Alley