Here’s Why You Should Buy Gold Now

The remains of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha sat on the bottom of the ocean for over 380 years. The famous treasure-laden ship sank in 1622. In 2005, Capt. Jack Jowers of the R/V Dare lifted a 4-foot-long golden chain from the sea floor.

The gold sparkled in the sunshine as if no time had passed.

It was a fantastic discovery that whetted the appetites of treasure seekers all over. There’s nothing more alluring than seeing a diver, still in the sea, holding up sparkling gold.

The fact that gold keeps its luster even in the ocean speaks to the secret of its longevity and desirability.

The Superman of Elements

There aren’t many substances that don’t break down in seawater. Most metals in seawater become something else. Silver, zinc, copper and iron all happily combine with oxygen and rust.

Gold, on the other hand, does not rust. It takes high temperatures and pressures to make gold form compounds with other elements. The reason is simple: It’s a happy element.

 Most elements are unhappy with themselves — they need to add or drop electrons to feel good. That means they turn into something else by combining with other elements. Most metals want to join with oxygen to get those extra electrons. The result is metal oxides — rust.

Gold isn’t like that. It’s happy all by itself, which makes it the Superman of elements. It’s so durable that nearly all the gold ever mined is still around today. That’s roughly 187,200 metric tons, according to the World Gold Council.

To put that in perspective, we produced about 3,100 metric tons of gold in 2015, a record volume. That means, on our best year ever, we added just over 1% to the total gold available.

For investors, that means we can’t rely on fundamentals such as supply and demand to give us hints on the direction of gold prices. The price of gold is much more about economic conditions around the world. To understand the price of gold, we have to understand money.

Scraps of Paper and Cloth

Money is actually just a fiction that we all agree upon. We say that this scrap of paper and cloth with writing on it has value, so it does. The price of gold, on the other hand, is set by people hedging their bets on that fiction.

Sometimes we feel less confident about the value of a currency. When that happens, we want to own fewer scraps of paper and more “stuff.” Gold is a good choice. It has a long history of being a store of value because of its appearance and utility.

The price of gold shows the long-term confidence of investors versus their faith in the dollar:

The price of gold is about economic conditions around the world. To understand the price of gold, we have to understand money.

As you can see, gold is more than four times more valuable today than it was in 2001.

The reason is simple: There is a finite pool of gold. The amount added to the total every year is minimal. On the other hand, the number of new dollars in circulation is unlimited. The stated goal of most governments today is to create inflation. They do that by flooding the world with currency.

Think of the volume of gold in the world as a big pie. There are only so many pieces of that pie. The more money we add, the smaller the slice of the pie you can afford becomes. On the other hand, if you already have a slice, it becomes worth more and more money.

That’s why owning some amount of gold is critical for every investor. It’s insurance against inflation. It doesn’t have to be bars or coins either. Jewelry makes a great investment … and it looks nice too.

Good investing,

Matt Badiali
Editor, Real Wealth Strategist

In this exciting NEW VIDEO, Wall Street legend and former multibillion hedge fund manager Paul Mampilly pulls back the curtain on the biggest investment opportunity in the market today. What insiders are calling “The Greatest Innovation in History,” this revolution will mint more millionaires and billions than any technology that came before it. Right now, the current market for this technology is just $235 billion, but given how fast this technology is moving experts predict it will soar to $19 trillion by 2020. But 8,000% growth is just the beginning—and now’s your chance to get in on the action. [CONTINUE TO VIDEO]

Source: Banyan Hill

Amazon Is Going to Crush This Entire Group of Companies

Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) is about to strike at a new target.

“It’s a matter of when, not if,” David Larsen told clients in a report last Thursday.

Larsen is an analyst at Leerink Partners, an elite boutique brokerage firm that’s an expert on health care stocks.

From my 20 years on Wall Street, I know that Leerink’s analysts are top-notch.

When they say something, you pay attention … which is exactly what many of you need to do now.

Because if Amazon enters this market, it would pose an immediate threat to many of your stocks.

 These are popular, dividend-paying stocks that I’m certain many of you own.

And that’s terrible news for you and your portfolio.

See, here’s what happens when Amazon targets your stock…

First, they start going down.

Second, as the business that your stock controls gets “Amazoned,” it keeps going down.

In this case, it’s a business that’s seen as safe. It has many barriers to entry, according to one of the CEOs who’s being targeted.

However, an analyst at a consultancy believes otherwise.

“They are disruptive instantly if they do it differently,” says Linda Cahn at Pharmacy Benefit Consultants.

So, what’s the business that Amazon is getting ready to disrupt?

Ripe to Be Amazoned

It’s the prescription drug market.

You may not have known this, but before you get your drugs from your local drugstore, they go through quite a wild ride.

Just take a look at this infographic to see what I’m talking about:

drug-middlemen-pbms

(Source: USA Today)

This convoluted pipeline enriches middlemen. It also makes drugs more expensive by as much as 36%.

This is a big deal. Total prescription drug spending in the U.S. was $457 billion in 2015. And it’s set to skyrocket to $610 billion by 2021, according to recent research.

The current system is a gold mine for the middlemen — companies like Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS) and Express Scripts Holding Co. (Nasdaq: ESRX) get rich off of us.

That’s because in the end, all the extra cash comes from you and me, most directly through higher copays at the pharmacy and from rising health insurance rates. Finally, we also pay through our taxes when we pay for government programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

In other words, this group of companies is ripe to be Amazoned.

Transparency and Efficiency

You see, Amazon specializes in bringing price transparency and efficiency to the businesses it goes after. That’s because these are businesses that make their money because they lack transparency and efficiency.

“Amazon could bring transparency into a marketplace that is entirely lacking,” says Cahn.

Amazon poses a real, direct threat to the big drugstore companies, according to Leerink Partners.

I agree. And the stock market is noticing and beginning to price in this threat.

Already, the stock of CVS is down 28% from its high point hit in May 2016. Walgreen is down 27% from its high in August 2015. Finally, Express Scripts is down 37% from its high point in July 2015.

I believe that these companies are going to get destroyed by Amazon. That’s because their only true competitive advantage is information.

It used to be hard to get information about drug prices and pharma spending. However, this is no longer true.

This information is now available widely. And in Amazon’s hands, it’ll become a flamethrower that destroys the profits these middlemen businesses generate.

Death Traps for Your Money

When Amazon enters this business, it’ll cut prices. We know this because of other businesses that have been Amazoned. It’s also the first thing that Amazon did when it got control of Whole Foods, which it recently acquired.

With that, the profits margins of CVS, Walgreens and Express Scripts are going to be crushed. Their stocks will follow.

Now, many of you are going to be tempted to buy these stocks. They are going to look cheap. And they’ll keep looking cheap. But don’t be lured into them.

I believe these companies are death traps for your money. They are doomed. Amazon and innovative companies like it are going to crush them until they are gone.

Regards,

Paul Mampilly
Editor, Profits Unlimited

Right now, an untapped ocean of energy—found underneath all 50 states—is about to transform the world’s energy industry. In fact, there’s enough of this energy in the first six miles of the earth’s crust to power the United States for the next 30,000 years. Wanna know this untapped energy source? Learn NOW! And as companies rush to extract this energy from the ground, they’ll need the help of one Midwestern company’s technology to make use of it. This is your chance to take advantage of John D. Rockefeller-type fortunes. Early Bird Gets The Worm...

Source: Banyan Hill

Bitcoin Feels the Pain as Stocks Inch Higher

Stocks moved slightly higher on Thursday in a quiet holiday session. Bitcoin provided a dose of excitement, however, with prices falling back below $14,000 in the wake of reports of a possible regulatory crackdown in South Korea — including requiring exchanges to verify user identities to fight money laundering activity — and work of another “hard fork” before the end of the year.

In the end, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%, the S&P 500 gained 0.2%, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.2% and the Russell 2000 gained 0.3%. Treasury bonds declined, the dollar fell, gold gained 0.4% and crude oil added 0.5%.

Defensive telecom stocks led the way with a 0.5% gain while consumer staples were the laggards, down 0.2%. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) gained 3.5% in an attempt to push back up and over its 50-day moving average. Altria (NYSE:MO) fell 1.6%. When Netflix and cigarettes are the height of the action, you know Wall Street is mostly shut down.

Conclusion

The overbought situation just keeps getting more and more ridiculous, with the weekly RSI indicator hitting levels not seen since the late 1950s as risk and worry fade away; replaced by ebullience and extreme confidence.

There is evidence that some areas of the market are braced for a possible changing of the tide come January, with the yield curve collapsing to its flattest levels since 2007, utility stocks rolling over, and the Nasdaq suffering mid-day sell-offs as traders exit crowded big-cap tech stock positions.

Get up to 14 dividend paychecks per month from safe, reliable stocks with The Monthly Dividend Paycheck Calendar, an easy-to-use system that shows you which dividend stocks to pick, when to buy them, when you get paid your dividends, and how much.  All you have to do is buy the stocks you like and tell them where to send your dividend payments. For more information Click Here.


Source: Investor Place

3 “Sleeper” Funds Poised to Soar in 2018

If there’s one thing I love, it’s picking up on a “sleeper” income opportunity that first-level investors have walked right past.

And today I’m going to show you not one but three. And one of these stealth buys yields a safe, stable 9.5%.

So a $100,000 investment in this unloved fund would hand you a nice $9,500 in 2018, or a steady $2,375 when its dividends drop into your account every quarter.

I’ll have more to say about these 3 funds—all of which are managed by a real, live human—shortly, including why they’re a better way to go than a “dumb” index fund.

But right now, I will reveal that all 3 of these funds are in the utilities sector, which has itself been a sleeping giant in 2017. Even the “dumb” utility index fund, the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (XLU) has had a terrific year!

Utilities Pop in ’17

Note the two different numbers here. The blue line is XLU’s market price, or how much the price of a share has changed in 2017. The orange line is the total return price. As you can see, that’s a good 3.7 percentage points higher.

Why? Because a lot of XLU’s returns come in the form of dividends.

The fund’s 3.1% yield is high by today’s standards, but the nice thing is that utilities raise their payouts in the long run. That’s why XLU’s dividends did this in the last 20 years:

Payouts Keep Rising

This soaring dividend is possible because the companies XLU holds keep raising their payouts to shareholders. Take a look at this chart showing the dividends of the 3 biggest utility firms in America: NextEra Energy (NEE), Duke Energy (DUK) and Dominion Energy (D):

Payouts Rise—But the Ride is Bumpy

Notice how Duke Energy’s dividend actually collapsed in the mid-2000s? This isn’t because of a crisis in the utilities industry. This was a case of mismanagement—and that’s why picking individualutilities is risky.

It also shows the drawbacks of investing in utilities through an index fund like XLU. Because Duke is such a massive utility, the fund had to include the company in its portfolio, even if XLU’s managers thought it might run into trouble.

Luckily, we’ve got a third option: the 3 actively managed, utility focused closed-end funds (CEFs) I’ll show you now. Each one has an experienced pro (or team of pros) at the helm, giving us a muchbetter chance of avoiding dividend disasters. (If you’re unfamiliar with CEFs, click here for a complete primer on these high-yield investments.)

Better yet, we can get a much bigger income stream, like the fund I mentioned off the top that pays 9.5% now (it’s pick No. 3 below).

So without further ado, here are the 3 funds that should be on your list if you’re looking to add some utility exposure to your portfolio.

Fund #1: Big Total Returns and a Nice Discount

The first fund to consider is the Reaves Utility Income Fund (UTG).

This fund holds a ton of utilities and is well run, with a 9.6% annualized total return over the last decade, the best of all utility-focused CEFs. Plus, UTG pays a 6.1% dividend yield—a solid cash stream that’s nearly double what XLU gives us.

The best part? UTG has crushed the index:

Beating the Dumb Money

This strong outperformance shows UTG’s managers are more than earning their 1.7% fees (the returns of this fund, and all funds I show you, are after fees are paid out). That makes it a good fund to consider for utilities exposure.

Fund #2: Strong Returns on Sale

I wrote about the Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund (UTF) back on November 24, and since then shareholders have gotten a couple of treats. The first is the special dividend that shareholders are going to get at the end of the year, which boosts the fund’s forward yield to a juicy 8.8%! Despite those generous payouts, UTF has grown its net asset value (NAV, or what its underlying portfolio is worth) by 24.1% in 2017 on a total-return basis, far more than XLU’s 17% NAV gains for the same period.

UTF is also undervalued, with a market price that’s 9.3% lower than its NAV—but the fund traded at half that discount just a few months ago:

A Buy Window for UTF

A 20% capital gain isn’t out of the question for this fund in 2018, on top of its healthy income stream. That definitely makes UTF a utility CEF to consider now.

Fund #3: Bet on World Growth and Get 9.5% Income

Finally, let’s take a look at that fund I mentioned off the top—the one that pays out a 9.5% dividend yield. It also trades at a nice 4.8% discount to its NAV.

Why so cheap?

One reason, and one reason only: the market is stuck in the past. This fund, the Macquarie/First Global Infrastructure Fund (MFD), has had lackluster returns in the last few years due to the US dollar. The income from its investments is sound, but the US dollar had been getting stronger, which meant the foreign currency–based income MFD earns has been worth less and less in US-dollar terms.

Now take a look at this:

Weaker Dollar, Stronger Gains

The recent weakness in the US dollar has helped MFD’s income strengthen throughout 2017, and that’s resulted in more money flowing into the fund. But the weakness in the greenback isn’t over, which means MFD’s income stream is going to get stronger.

How do I know the US dollar isn’t poised for a turnaround?

Simple: the government said so.

Not only has President Trump said he supports a weaker US dollar, but the Federal Reserve has repeatedly said it wants to encourage more risk-taking investment in the American economy.

That means the Fed wants companies to take the dollars they’re sitting on and put them to use through building, investing and hiring. This lowers demand for the greenback, as we’ve seen throughout 2017. Expect this trend to continue—and expect MFD to benefit.

4 More “Sleeper Hits” With Dividends Up to 10.4%

Just a couple weeks ago, I released a fully updated FREE Special Report on my 4 favorite funds for 2018—and I made one last-minute addition I think you’ll love.

It’s a totally ignored CEF that boasts an incredible (and easily sustainable) 10.4% dividend payout! So a $100,000 investment would hand us a safe $10,400 a year in dividend payouts—or $2,600 every quarter!

Just imagine what that could do for your retirement.

There’s more: this unsung CEF is ridiculously undervalued—I’m talking about a 5.3% discount to NAV here. That doesn’t sound like much until you realize that this fund usually trades at a 1.7% premium.

That simply means we’ve got a nice gain already baked in when that “normal” premium returns—as it’s already starting to do!

That’s to say nothing about the “bonus” upside this 10.4%-paying income titan has, thanks to its other secret weapon: its top-notch management team.

In short, this crew has an eye for bargains unlike any I’ve ever seen: this CEF’s portfolio is made up of a basket of stocks with an average P/E ratio of 17.5—way lower than the S&P 500’s nosebleed 25!

Add it all up, and this unsung fund is lined up for EASY 20% price gains “on the side” in 2018.And I’ll say it again: we’ll still be collecting that 10.4% income stream along the way!

Editor's Note: The stock market is way up – and that’s terrible news for us dividend investors. Yields haven’t been this low in decades! But there are still plenty of great opportunities to secure meaningful income if you know where to look. Brett Owens' latest report reveals how you can easily (and safely) rake in 8%+ dividends and never worry about drawing down your capital again. Click here for full details!

Source: Contrarian Outlook

Like All Bubbles, This One Will End Badly

Stock market crashes always seem to come out of nowhere. But, in hindsight, we realize that all the elements for a crash were in place months before prices fell. There will, of course, be another crash, and we can already see many of the black swans lining up to cause the crash.

A black swan is a rare event that no one seems to be able to predict. It could be a housing crash after prices soar to unsustainable levels and are propped up by lax mortgage-underwriting standards. Or a black swan could be a surge in inflation or a geopolitical crisis.

When we study the black swans after the fact, they seem obvious. There were clues, but investors ignored the clues because they were caught up in “irrational exuberance.” Sometimes, investors can remain irrational for years. That’s what happened in 1996, the last time Alan Greenspan issued a warning.

Greenspan was chairman of the Federal Reserve at the time. He famously asked: “How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions as they have in Japan over the past decade?”

Analysts at the time thought Greenspan was warning of a stock market bubble. He was, but the bubble lasted until early 2000, and the S&P 500 more than doubled before the bubble popped. Internet stocks recorded even bigger gains.

This time, Greenspan thinks we’re in a different kind of bubble…

 The Bond-Market Bubble Will Burst

For now, Greenspan thinks the stock market is in good shape. But he believes higher interest rates will cause a bear market someday.

Greenspan recently spoke to Bloomberg and confirmed what almost everyone who isn’t in the Fed believes: “By any measure, real long-term interest rates are much too low.”

In his view, the bond-market is in a bubble. And like all bubbles, the bond-market bubble will end badly.

“The real problem,” he said, “is that when the bond-market bubble collapses, long-term interest rates will rise. We are moving into a different phase of the economy — to a stagflation not seen since the 1970s. That is not good for asset prices.”

Many of us are too young to remember what the stock market was like in the 1970s. The chart below shows Greenspan was right. It was not a good time for asset prices, and investors suffered large losses.

Greenspan thinks the stock market is in good shape but that bonds are in a bubble. And like all bubbles, the bond market bubble is going to end badly.

The early 1970s was a time of relatively low inflation. The annual change in the Consumer Price Index is the red line in the chart below. The blue line shows the interest rate on 10-year Treasury notes.

Inflation jumped suddenly in 1973, and the Fed was slow to react. It kept interest rates too low for too long, and inflation roared toward 15%.

Greenspan thinks the stock market is in good shape but that bonds are in a bubble. And like all bubbles, the bond-market bubble is going to end badly.

(Source: Federal Reserve)

Eventually, the Fed raised interest rates and broke the inflationary spiral. But consumers endured high unemployment and high inflation while the Fed learned to battle inflation.

Maybe this time is different, and the Fed won’t allow inflation to accelerate. But that seems unlikely. We already have half of the stagflation formula in place with a stagnant economy.

Greenspan is warning that an unexpected spark will set off inflation. He’s probably right, because the Fed is in uncharted territory and has created a bubble in bonds. The bubble will burst … we just don’t know when. We do know, as Greenspan notes, that that will not be good for asset prices.

Regards,

Michael Carr, CMT
Editor, Peak Velocity Trader

In this exciting NEW VIDEO, Wall Street legend and former multibillion hedge fund manager Paul Mampilly pulls back the curtain on the biggest investment opportunity in the market today. What insiders are calling “The Greatest Innovation in History,” this revolution will mint more millionaires and billions than any technology that came before it. Right now, the current market for this technology is just $235 billion, but given how fast this technology is moving experts predict it will soar to $19 trillion by 2020. But 8,000% growth is just the beginning—and now’s your chance to get in on the action. [CONTINUE TO VIDEO]

Source: Banyan Hill 

7 Hot Healthcare Stocks Set to Double in 2018

For investors looking for huge returns, these healthcare stocks to buy may well be the answer. While these stocks are inevitably risky with a lot riding on key clinical results, the results can be spectacular if trials succeed. For example, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDGL) shares are up over 500% in the past six months following stunning Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) data.

But the riskier the stock, the more important it becomes to check all possible data signals. Here we used TipRanks stock screener to pinpoint healthcare stocks with a “Strong Buy” analyst consensus rating. Applying these filters (“Strong Buy,” healthcare sector) led to an extensive list of hot stocks.

You can easily hone in on stocks that stand out from the crowd by looking at the average analyst price target. I scanned for stocks with recent “buy” ratings and upside potential of over 100% for 2018. In fact, all these healthcare stocks to buy ended up also having 100% Street support, as you can see from the screenshots below.

Let’s now dig further into just why these stocks make such intriguing investing opportunities right now:

Healthcare Stocks to Buy: TherapeuticsMD

Source: Shutterstock

This unique biotech specializes in women’s health issues. It’s potentially on the cusp of a big breakthrough with its softgel capsule, TX-004HR, for post-menopausal pains. The stock is currently trading slightly lower on the FDA’s announcement that it will take six months rather than two to review TX-004HR. The PDUFA crunch date for approval/ rejection now falls on May 29, 2018.

Crucially, analysts remain bullish on TherapeuticsMD, Inc. (NYSE:TXMD) outlook even after this setback. Noble Financial’s Caroline Palomeque reiterated her buy rating on December 20. She says the ‘stock pullback provides buying opportunity’ and notes that the six-month classification is due to regulatory process rather than clinical issues.

“Following the acceptance of the NDA resubmission for TX-004HR, the stock was down ~5% pre-market, in our view, due to the NDA resubmission being classified as a Class 2. We note that the overall news was positive, as the company was given a PDUDFA date by the FDA. The slight pullback may provide an entry point for investors.”

In the last three months, this ‘Strong Buy’ stock has scored an impressive seven “buy” ratings from the Street. These analysts have an average price target on the stock of $16.33, which indicates huge upside potential of over 165%.


Click to Enlarge

Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Synergy Pharmaceuticals

For investors who like risk, I recommend checking out Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(NASDAQ:SGYP). This gastrointestinal biopharma is heading for a critical January with multiple catalysts on the horizon. First, the FDA will announce whether Synergy’s key Trulance drug is approved for IBS-C (irritable bowel syndrome with constipation) on Jan. 24. The drug is already on sale for chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC).

So far, Trulance’s clinical trial results for IBS-C are very encouraging. Top Cantor Fitzgerald analyst William Tanner says “In our view, Synergy is likely to experience a significant acceleration in sales growth once it obtains a label extension … We believe it highly likely the FDA approves the indication [for IBS-C].” He has a $10 price target on the stock.

At the same time, SGYP must also demonstrate that it has $128 million in the bank on Jan. 31. The company needs this to receive the second tranche of its debt facility in February. Again, it is likely that SGYP will be able to secure the funds — but the risk is still worth noting.

Overall the stock has 100% Street support in the last three months. Five analysts have published SGYP buy ratings with an $8.60 average price target. Given the stock is trading at just $2.25, this suggests an eyebrow-raising 282% upside potential from the current share price.


Click to Enlarge

Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT)

Source: Shutterstock

Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBT) is one of my favorite stocks right now. And I’m not alone. Top Needham analyst Danielle Brill recently raised her price target on GBT to $70, saying the company is her top pick going into 2018. GBT is currently developing its late-stage product candidate, voxelotor (previously called GBT440), for the treatment of sickle cell disease.

Brill speaks of her “conviction for a positive outcome from Part A of the Phase 3 HOPE trial” in 1H18 after the latest data updates as voxeletor’s safety and efficacy profile remain encouraging.  Plus, Cowen & Co analyst Ritu Baral notes that a clinician presenting data ‘passionately underlined the large impact that the drug has had in these terminally-ill patients from a quality of life standpoint.’

With 5 buy ratings in the past three months, this healthcare stock has a firm ‘Strong Buy’ analyst consensus rating on TipRanks. Meanwhile, the $74.74 average analyst price target works out at 100% upside from the current share price. Indeed, with shares slightly off their $45.70 peak at $37.45, now is a good opportunity to buy.


Click to Enlarge

Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Alder Biopharmaceuticals (ALDR)

Source: Shutterstock

Good news for migraine sufferers- Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALDR) is currently developing antibody-based treatments for migraine prevention. Its lead candidate, eptinezumab, has already passed a Phase 3 trial, PROMISE 1, for frequent episodic migraine. Now the drug is in a second Phase 3 trial, PROMISE 2, for chronic migraine with results due in 1H18.

The stock has pulled back 50% over the last year because the benefit compared to placebo was less than hoped. But Canaccord Genuity’s Sumant Kulkarni is still confident that the stock has outsized potential. He tells investors to buy the dip because of three key reasons:

  1. ALDR’s product is 100% bioavailable and starts acting within a day, while competitors appear to take longer to act. The product is dosed via quarterly infusions versus most competitors that are monthly injections.
  2. Physicians could be incentivized to administer ALDR’s IV product due to its procedure-based reimbursement.
  3. The migraine prevention market is worth a whopping $7.5-10 billion per year based on 36 million US migraine sufferers, of which ALDR expects to target about 5 million.

But he warns that big competitors could pose a headache for Alder- although it is still too early to be sure. Overall this ‘Strong Buy’ stock has scored five buy ratings in the previous three months.

These five analysts are projecting (on average) upside potential of 110% from the current share price to $23.


Click to Enlarge

Healthcare Stocks to Buy: TG Therapeutics (TGTX)

Source: Shutterstock

If you’re looking for a ‘Strong Buy’ stock with over 200% upside potential, look no further than TG Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:TGTX). This biopharma is focused on developing novel treatments for B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Raymond James analyst Reni Benjaminrecently attended an investor event with TGTX. He left the event bullish and released a note maintaining his ‘Strong Buy’ rating on the stock.

“The key ttakeawaysfrom the analyst event in our opinion include: 1) Dr. Owen O’Conner’s analysis of the space leads to one conclusion: PI3K delta’s have robust clinical activity and that TGR-1202 represents the best in class when it comes to tolerability. In our opinion, both are important when it comes to combining with other therapeutic modalities approved for CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia)” says Benjamin.

TGTX scores an impressive five “buy” ratings in the last three months — and no hold/ or sell ratings. Overall these five analysts anticipate that the stock will hit $25.83 from the current $8.40 share price.


Click to Enlarge

Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Achaogen (AKAO)

Source: Shutterstock

This innovative biopharma is working on treating serious multi drug-resistant infections. And Achaogen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAO) has just announced that it has a new CEO to lead key drug Plazomicin to fruition.

“We see the management transition as a positive for Achaogen, especially given Mr. Wise’s experience in scaling and leading commercial organizations. As Achaogen prepares for the potential commercialization of Plazomicin, we see this as a move in the best interest of the company” writes top Mizuho analyst Difei Yang.

She says Plazomicin has greater potential than rival drugs and boasts impressive survival benefits.

Achaogen has received only buy ratings in the last year- with five buy ratings in the last three months alone. As the stock is now trading at $11, the average analyst price target of $26.20 works out at 138% upside from the current price.

Indeed, Needham’s Alan Carr wrote in November, “stock is undervalued at current levels. Reiterate buy.”


Click to Enlarge

Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Five Prime Therapeutics (FPRX)

Source: Shutterstock

Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:FPRX) is a clinical-stage biotech company discovering and developing novel protein therapeutics. The company is initially focusing on cancer and inflammatory disease. Shares tanked back in November after investors spooked out about before the release of clinical results for pancreatic cancer. However, the results actually revealed better-than-expected response rates.

Five-star Wells Fargo analyst Jim Birchenough reiterated his buy rating on the stock on November 7. He says a 10% response rate in 2nd-line+ pancreatic cancer, with 13% 6-month control rate, represents an impressive result beyond that seen in chemotherapy. The analyst notes that this is in a patient population not responsive to anti-PD1 therapy alone.

Similarly, top Nomura Instinet analyst Christopher Marai says the recent selloff in shares of Five Prime Therapeutics appears unfounded. The data highlights “remarkable durable responses in patients not expected to respond,” Marai tells investors in a research note.

Five Prime is still a ‘Strong Buy’ stock according to the Street, with four recent “buy” ratings. These analysts believe (on average) the stock is capable of spiking over 230% to hit $73 in the next 12 months.

Can a $10 Bill Really Fund Your Retirement? The digital currency markets are delivering profits unlike anything we’ve ever seen. ​23 recently doubled in a single week. And some like DubaiCoin have jumped as much as 8,200X in value in 18 months. It’ unprecedented... but you won’t receive any of the rewards unless you put a little money in the game. Find out how $10 could make you rich HERE. ​



Source: Investor Place

Tesla Is Going to Embarrass Warren Buffett

“I’ll meet you at Pilot” my future wife said to me before hanging up the phone.

She was explaining to me how to get to her parents’ house. (This was before our phones were a GPS device.)

But by meeting me at the Pilot gas station, I knew exactly where that was.

In the town she grew up in, it was a local landmark. Right off the highway, Pilot always had the cheapest gas and was a spot everyone knew of.

That was over 10 years ago, though.

 Now it’s just another gas station along the Interstate 40/Interstate 85 corridor in the middle of North Carolina.

However, even though it is just one of many gas stations with competitive gas prices across the country, legendary investor Warren Buffett felt the value was now ripe for an investment.

Last Tuesday, he announced his company, Berkshire Hathaway, would buy a 38.6% stake in Pilot Flying J, which operates the little truck stop I was meeting my future wife at.

To me, Warren Buffett is clearly going against one of his investing rules — never buy a stock you are not comfortable owning for 10 years.

And if you typically follow Buffett’s investments, this is one you should pass on. Here’s why.

Warren Buffett: The Oracle of Omaha

I have a lot of respect for the Oracle of Omaha. Who wouldn’t? Warren Buffett is the world’s third-richest person, and his success story is one of the greatest.

Many investors idolize him and simply buy whatever he buys.

However, I think he is making a mistake on his latest acquisition, Pilot Flying J.

It actually goes against one of his main rules, if you ask me.

I have used his No. 1 rule before, which is to never lose money, but he has a few other rules to invest by. One of them is to never buy something you don’t want to own for 10 years.

That’s his investment time frame in a nutshell. “If you aren’t willing to own a stock for 10 years, don’t even think about owning it for 10 minutes.”

But Buffett’s latest acquisition is one I am uncertain about in just five years, and I question its existence 10 years from now.

Still, that hasn’t stopped investors from chasing his trade.

TravelCenters of America LLC (Nasdaq: TA) jumped 10% on the news, without even knowing the financial details of the transaction. That’s partly because the announcement of the Pilot acquisition mentioned Berkshire Hathaway’s capital and ability to expand, and TravelCenters may be one acquisition it is eying.

However, I doubt the usefulness of a truck stop/gas station in a future that is going electric and self-driving.

Going Electric

I find it extremely ironic that Warren Buffett made this acquisition in the same month that Tesla planned to unveil its electric, self-driving semitruck. Granted, it is several years away from being operational, but the fact remains that in five years, almost all of the new cars being released will be electric, as indicated by the major automobile manufacturers.

I’m sure Buffett has thought about this, and still finds the real estate that Pilot owns to be a worthy acquisition. But to me, in just five years this is a company that will be searching to find its place in a world that is going electric and autonomous.

Does Pilot just become a place to stop on long trips and use the restroom? Somewhere to get junk food? Or will it be branded as a completely different use? I don’t know.

But I do know that when major manufactures like Ford, General Motors and BMW make the shift over the next few years to an almost entirely electric and automatic fleet, the amount of charging stations will multiply. And I may be five years off, but that brings up Buffett’s 10-year time frame, and I don’t know what a gas station will be like in 10 years.

I just know it won’t be your typical gas station anymore. Because instead of having to stop at a gas station before you get home, you’ll simply charge up at your house.

And instead of having to stop for gas after a 300-mile trip, you’ll simply pull into the hotel and charge up while you stay there.

So this is not an investment I would want to own for the next 10 years. And I think trading TravelCenters is a risky bet at the moment too.

If you buy it, you’re hoping Berkshire Hathaway has its sights set on that company. Because if it doesn’t, TravelCenters will likely fall back. But betting against it is too much of a risk because of the possible acquisition.

For now, this is simply not the investment to follow Warren Buffett on. And I don’t say that often.

Regards,

Chad Shoop, CMT
Editor, Automatic Profits Alert

In this exciting NEW VIDEO, Wall Street legend and former multibillion hedge fund manager Paul Mampilly pulls back the curtain on the biggest investment opportunity in the market today. What insiders are calling “The Greatest Innovation in History,” this revolution will mint more millionaires and billions than any technology that came before it. Right now, the current market for this technology is just $235 billion, but given how fast this technology is moving experts predict it will soar to $19 trillion by 2020. But 8,000% growth is just the beginning—and now’s your chance to get in on the action. [CONTINUE TO VIDEO]

Source: Banyan Hill 

8 Bitcoin Stocks That You Won’t Lose Your Shirt Over

Bitcoin may not have the trust of Wall Street institutions just yet, but millennials are all in. Blockchain Capital recently conducted a study of 2,000 millennials (aged 18-34) and asked them to make a theoretical choice between owning $1,000 in bonds or stocks and $1,000 in bitcoin: Thirty percent chose bitcoin…

These days, a single bitcoin goes for more than $12,900. That’s a gain of nearly 1,550% since the beginning of the year. It seems millennials are laughing all the way to the decentralized blockchain.

The price of bitcoin keeps skyrocketing because people believe its price will keep shooting higher. It’s such an incredible gain, in fact, that C-suite execs can no longer afford to ignore bitcoin and its underlying technology — blockchain. Neither can you.

The following bitcoin stocks aren’t pure plays on the cryptocurrency and that’s what makes them attractive. Once bitcoin is no longer “cool,” there will be a massive correction, but not in companies that are diversified. And Blockchain, for what it’s worth, is another thing entirely.

That’s why the following stocks are all much safer bets on the digital money craze than bitcoin, ethereum or any other digital currency. And you won’t end up like this guy for owning them.

Bitcoin Stocks: Microsoft

Source: Shutterstock

Bitcoin Stocks: Microsoft

Blockchain, the technology behind bitcoin, could be the most monumental shift in our culture since the internet, which is why Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) invested in it.

Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing arm, hopes to be the first to mainstream blockchain-to-enterprise businesses. Billed as a distribution ledger, Microsoft is selling businesses a new infrastructure from which to do business, offering several different blockchain apps for companies to create their own “network topology:”:

“Rather than spending hours building out and configuring the infrastructure, we have automated these time-consuming pieces to allow you to focus on building out your scenarios and applications. You are only charged for the underlying infrastructure resources consumed, such as compute, storage, and networking. There are no incremental charges for the solution itself.”

Companies that will benefit the most tend to rely on third-party intermediaries, with multiple parties sharing and updating data between firms. Blockchain simplifies this process and allows everyone to have access to the same data at all times. Nothing can be deleted.

The difference between Microsoft’s blockchain and bitcoin’s, however, is that bitcoin is a public blockchain while Microsoft’s is specifically designed for enterprise. And it’s not the only company that has found an enterprise use for bitcoin’s secret sauce …

Bitcoin Stocks: IBM

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), like Microsoft, is targeting enterprise with blockchain technology, and it has several solutions for businesses small and large.

IBM is focusing on democratic applications of blockchain. That is, it allows users to create networks, determine governance rules, invite network members and validate transactions.

Its “blockchain workshop” provides consultation on how to best use the technology and successfully create your own blockchain network. While “blockchain accelerator” helps guide businesses through the legal and technical ramifications of blockchain networks.

What’s more, IBM is continually dreaming up new applications for blockchain as “untold more” exist that will change the future of business for the better. Enter Hyperledger — IBM’s open source collaboration to improve blockchain across all industries.

More than 130 members spanning industries such as finance, manufacturing and technology are working to create a distributed ledger framework that is open and standardized.

Bitcoin Stocks: Pfizer (PFE)

Source: Shutterstock

Bitcoin Stocks: Pfizer

Big Pharma has been plagued by supply-chain fraud and blockchain is the answer to all its problems.

The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), established in 2013, is weighing on the pharmaceutical industry to find a solution and Big Pharma is betting on blockchain to create an interoperable system to stamp out rampant counterfeiting.

To this end, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) joins with several Big Pharma cohorts in the “MediLedger Project,” a collective of pharmaceutical companies working on a program to track drugs through a blockchain.

Basically, if a shipment of drugs “falls off the truck,” the data stored on the blockchain would show who last touched the shipment. Any stolen goods would be harder to unload in bulk, too, as blockchain makes it easier to prove authenticity.

Such a system could slow the bleed of counterfeit drugs, which hit $75 billion this year, and that could only be good for Pfizer’s bottom line.

Bitcoin Stocks: Overstock (OSTK)

Source: Overstock.com

Bitcoin Stocks: Overstock

The past few months have been good to Overstock.com Inc (NASDAQ:OSTK), which has gained 280%-plus since the beginning of August. Not bad for an outlying e-commerce stock that scrambles for light under Amazon.com, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) shadow.

The reason for this is Medici Ventures, Overstock’s blockchain-focused division that has been in the works secretly for the past three years. Medici, according to its website, focuses on “six key areas of emerging crypto-industries” — capital markets, money and banking, identity, land, voting and underlying tech. The firm has a number of companies in its portfolio dedicated to advancing blockchain applications, but the most prominent is tZero.

TZero is planning an initial coin offering (ICO) to fund the development of trade “tokens” for an SEC-compliant alternative trading system. Essentially, it’s a stock offering in the parlance of blockchain.

According to at least one analyst, OSTK stock could gain more than 60% if it sold its retail business to focus solely on its blockchain ventures.

Bitcoin Stocks: Square (SQ)

Source: Via Square

Bitcoin Stocks: Square

Square Inc (NYSE:SQ) CEO Jack Dorsey hasn’t been shy on the topic of blockchain, describing the technology as “the next big unlock,” but he cautions against blanket approaches.

Does this mean that Square, or Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), won’t soon take advantage of blockchain? Not necessarily. Until then, Square stock is primed to have a first-mover advantage in the bitcoin marketplace space, which isn’t a bad place to be.

Square just hopped on the bitcoin train in November, and not a minute too soon. In the past three months alone, the price of bitcoin has soared nearly 340%. SQ stock gained 2% on reports of it testing a bitcoin marketplace in its Square Cash app, as user Zach Miles revealed through Twitter:

As this bitcoin-buying feature begins rolling out to more of Square’s user base, SQ stock could benefit from fees it generates from people buying and selling the cryptocurrency.

And more people could flock to bitcoin as Square gives the digital currency a mainstream legitimacy.

Bitcoin Stocks: JPMorgan (JPM)

Source: via Wikimedia

Bitcoin Stocks: JPMorgan

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon isn’t one to mince words, dubbing bitcoin a “fraud” and questioning the intelligence of the people who buy it. Blockchain, however, is another story.

Which is why JPM just launched a new payment processing network that uses blockchain in collaboration with the Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) and the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group.

Blockchain has proven especially valuable for finance, and JPMorgan has poured millions into its blockchain effort, Quorum, which it hopes will simplify its processes and lower its costs.

For instance, international money transfers would reach their beneficiaries much more quickly (and much more securely) when done through blockchain than through traditional means. This will be especially true as more banks join in.

Bitcoin Stocks: SAP

Another company listed in the Reality Shares Nasdaq Blockchain Economy Index is SAP SE (ADR) (NYSE:SAP). SAP revealed its blockchain-as-a-service product earlier this year, a fee-based service accessible in the SAP cloud.

As more businesses begin to use emerging technologies like blockchain, it’s SAP’s job to leverage that into a business model. Enter SAP Leonardo, a product line that includes machines learning, Big Data, Internet of Things, analytics and blockchain services.

SAP Leonardo is crucial to SAP’s growth and ability to adapt to an increasingly digital world as businesses seek out new technologies to better serve the customer.

SAP is also spearheading a blockchain co-innovation initiative to cement blockchain into IoT, manufacturing and digital supply chains.

Bitcoin Stocks: Accenture (ACN)

Source: Shutterstock

Bitcoin Stocks: Accenture

Accenture Plc (NYSE:ACN) recently found itself listed in the new Reality Shares Nasdaq Blockchain Economy Index as it seeks to solve what it considers “inefficiencies around money transfers.”

ACN is a consulting firm that works with clients to improve their business. As such, Accenture has blockchain experts that go around from business to business to help them implement a blockchain strategy.

They do this through a number of services, including strategy assessment (basically determining whether blockchain is right for a particular business), blockchain solution design (a “holistic” process for blockchain operations), blockchain bootcamp (workshops for training employees), blockchain sandboxes (hands-on development with blockchain toolsets) and more.

Their goal? The swift adoption of a distributed ledger system. That can only be good for every company on this list.

Can a $10 Bill Really Fund Your Retirement? The digital currency markets are delivering profits unlike anything we’ve ever seen. ​23 recently doubled in a single week. And some like DubaiCoin have jumped as much as 8,200X in value in 18 months. It’ unprecedented... but you won’t receive any of the rewards unless you put a little money in the game. Find out how $10 could make you rich HERE. ​

Your Big Forecasts for 2018

As 2017 comes to a close, my suitcase is calling to me. See, at the end of every year, I like to skip town for a little R&R after celebrating the holidays.

It’s become sort of a tradition with me. (This year, it’s Peru.)

I’m sure you have some of your own unique holiday traditions as well. Maybe it’s going around your street caroling, taking a night to see the Nutcracker, buying three Christmas trees at once … or just making sure the entire extended family can get through a night without the police getting involved.

Here at Banyan Hill Publishing, we also have an “end of the year” tradition: Our editors like to take this time to look ahead to the new year and make their big stock market predictions.

These are the main insights you’ll want to know when you ring in the new year.

So this time, we decided to share those stock market predictions in a week-long special series in Sovereign Investor Daily and Winning Investor Daily. Each editor shared their prediction on what the big movers and shakers are going to be in 2018 — and how you can take advantage of them.

 In case you missed those important nuggets, some of those stock market predictions included…

Paul Mampilly: Our tech expert Paul Mampilly is forecasting Apple’s fall next year. As he wrote, “2018 is the year where I believe you’ll start to see that this once-great American company has peaked.”

And it’s because of one big reason…

It’s a big call, so if you missed it, be sure to read the forecast by clicking here.

Matt Badiali: Our expert in all things natural resources, Matt Badiali, sees one unexpected metal rising in 2018 — platinum. As he says, “In 2018, demand for platinum will rise 2% to 8 million ounces. Supply will fall by 1% to 7.75 million ounces … It wouldn’t surprise me to see platinum prices rise 25% next year.”

To read more, click here.

Ted Bauman: Meanwhile, our asset protection expert let you in on 12 ways you could save on your taxes before the end of the year. His handy list is your one-stop shop to prepare you before the tax law changes in 2018.

You can read about it right here.

To read the rest of our editors’ stock market predictions— on everything from bitcoin to the overall market — just click here.

Now, as you might remember from last week, I also asked you to make some stock market predictions for 2018. Here are a few examples of what was on your minds:

  • A political shake-up is in the works … Some of you said there’s going to be a big shake-up in Washington. Fisher Y. writes: “I believe President Donald Trump will be ousted sooner or later in the 2018.”

 

  • Next year, a sell-off is coming … Vic G. writes: “I believe that we may very well find the markets off of their current levels by 10% to 20% or more by the end of 2018. There is too much political smoke coming from Washington. Though the market remains solid, the threat of bad news causing an immediate sell-off is real. Especially with stocks at an all-time high and investors continuing to chase the bull market. Merry Christmas, and thank you to the entire staff at Banyan Hill. I’ve had a very profitable year and look for that to continue in 2018.”

 

  • Cryptocurrencies are going to be big … Lastly, we saw a huge amount of interest in the cryptocurrency market’s next move. Francis K. writes: “Finding just one good crypto currency to invest in and hold for three to four years might be extremely profitable.”

Thanks to everyone who wrote in! And keep it coming. You can always reach us at SovereignInvestor@banyanhill.com, or you can leave a comment at BanyanHill.com!

With all that said, I hope you get to kick back, relax and enjoy the holidays with those closest to you. It’s been a great year, and I can’t wait to see what 2018 brings for us all.

Regards,

Jessica Cohn-Kleinberg

Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

In this exciting NEW VIDEO, Wall Street legend and former multibillion hedge fund manager Paul Mampilly pulls back the curtain on the biggest investment opportunity in the market today. What insiders are calling “The Greatest Innovation in History,” this revolution will mint more millionaires and billions than any technology that came before it. Right now, the current market for this technology is just $235 billion, but given how fast this technology is moving experts predict it will soar to $19 trillion by 2020. But 8,000% growth is just the beginning—and now’s your chance to get in on the action. [CONTINUE TO VIDEO]

Apple Is Doomed

Apple is doomed. And 2018 is the year where I believe you’ll start to see that this once-great American company has peaked and the Apple stock price is ready to decline.

Truthfully, I’ve been wrong on Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) stock for a year now.

Driven by Warren Buffett’s huge buying spree — over $20 billion in shares — the Apple stock price has gone up, up and up.

This has happened despite its business being stagnant or in slight decline, depending on which quarter you look at.

 To me, most people buying Apple stock are buying into a memory.

That memory is of Steve Jobs introducing truly revolutionary products.

Like the iPod in October 2001, which by allowing you to carry tens of thousands of songs in your pocket transformed the way you listen to music.

Like the iPhone in June 2007, which shrunk a computer so that you could have access to everything you used to use your desktop computer for.

Like the iPad in April 2010, which perfected the tablet computer as an alternative to laptops.

But then Jobs died in October 2011. Since then, Apple has introduced no new revolutionary products.

Instead, Apple now tinkers with models, sizes and colors. Apple sells five different models of its iPhone. You can get them in six colors and in multiple sizes.

Apple’s latest phone, the iPhone X, has facial recognition and an OLED display.

Some people think this is a big deal. Steve Wozniak, one of the co-founders of Apple, thinks it’s no big deal at all.

“I’d rather wait and watch that one. I’m happy with my iPhone 8, which is the same as the iPhone 7, which is the same as the iPhone 6, to me,” says Wozniak.

Now there’s an even bigger thing happening. One that guarantees that Apple’s future is one that’s going to disappoint the people who have been buying its stock.

An Incredible Red Flag for the Apple Stock Price

That thing is the Chromebook. A Chromebook is a cloud-based computer that uses Google’s software.

Chromebook sales are on fire in a market that Apple used to dominate: schools.

Chromebooks now have an astonishing 58% market share in K-12 schools.

Even my kids use Chromebooks. Their school uses Google’s cloud-based word processing, spreadsheet and presentation apps.

People looking at the Apple stock price through the eyes of iPhone sales are going to miss this incredible red flag.

You see, Apple’s brand, reputation and customer loyalty begin with kids using its products.

I believe that Apple’s seeding schools with computers set the platform for Apple’s success. By the 2000s, those kids had jobs and money, and had formed a connection to Apple because their first exposure was through the company’s computers.

Steve Jobs confirmed this in a 1995 interview:

One of the things that built Apple IIs was schools buying Apple IIs. … We realized that a whole generation of kids was going to go through the school before they even got their first computer, so we thought the kids can’t wait.

Now Google is forming that relationship with kids. Already my kids and their classmates are learning to use Google by using voice commands instead of typing.

Amazon is forming that relationship with kids as well through the use of its Echo devices and Alexa platform.

The Innovation Race

Using voice instead of a keyboard is a revolutionary shift in how we use computers. This is a revolution you can see unfolding slowly right now through the sales of speakers that connect to cloud platforms like Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.

Apple had the lead in this market when it introduced Siri in October 2011. However, since then, it stopped innovating and improving Siri. It let Amazon and now Google overtake it.

And I believe that because Apple’s focusing on tinkering rather than innovation, Amazon and Google’s lead are only going to increase while the price of Apple stock declines.

Apple wiped out the old cellphone leaders — Nokia, BlackBerry and others — because those companies sat on their lead and tinkered instead of innovating. I believe the same thing is going to happen to Apple.

Now, the Apple stock price continues to go up because investors like Warren Buffett are willing to bid it up. Plus, the company is buying back billions of dollars in stock each quarter.

However, this doesn’t change the fact that Apple is now losing “mind share” among the customers of the future — kids — and losing the innovation race by falling behind in the next wave of computing, which is going to be in voice-based cloud platforms. Watch in 2018 for the decline in the Apple stock price.

Regards,

Paul Mampilly

Editor, Profits Unlimited

Right now, an untapped ocean of energy—found underneath all 50 states—is about to transform the world’s energy industry. In fact, there’s enough of this energy in the first six miles of the earth’s crust to power the United States for the next 30,000 years. Wanna know this untapped energy source? Learn NOW! And as companies rush to extract this energy from the ground, they’ll need the help of one Midwestern company’s technology to make use of it. This is your chance to take advantage of John D. Rockefeller-type fortunes. Early Bird Gets The Worm...

Source: Banyan Hill

Stock Research Made Simple