Whether it’s a business loan or a personal loan, there are several common loan application mistakes that many businesses and individuals often make when applying for a loan. Avoiding loan application mistakes is your most valuable tool in being approved on a loan. The following common loan application mistakes can interfere with loan approval.1. Being unaware of your credit rating.Before even attempting to get a loan, know where you stand. Request copies of your credit reports from Experian, Equifax, and Transunion, which are the three major credit reporting agencies. Your reports will show whether or not you’ve made your payments on time, or if you’ve defaulted on a loan, declared bankruptcy, or had any other financial problems. Additionally, it will show positive items, such as when you’ve paid your bills one time, or when you’ve paid a loan in full. Consistently paying your bills as scheduled shows that you’re worthy of a loan, and is very attractive to a lender. If your credit has undesirable listings, be aware of them, and be prepared to explain them to the lender.2. Not understanding the loan terms before signing.Avoid the most common loan application mistake, and make sure that you read and fully understand everything involved with the loan before signing. Not only should you take the time to read the fine print in its entirety, but you should also ask questions about anything and everything that you don’t fully understand. This is a common loan mistake because individuals are often so anxious to get the loan that they fail to pay attention to the details. Don’t assume that the terms on this loan are the same as for “any other loan.” Know what you are signing before you sign.3. Continuously searching for a lower interest rate.Interest rates change often. If you feel you’ve found a great rate, lock in before the rate increases to avoid this loan application mistake. People quite often make the loan application mistake of getting greedy, opting to see if rates will drop even farther before locking in on that rate. This loan application mistake of continuing to search for an even lower rate often works against you, rather than in your favor, especially if you have to wait longer to obtain the loan that you perhaps need immediately, or worse, if the interest rates actually increase rather than drop.4. Not explaining the details for needing the loan.Yet another common loan application mistake of not fully explaining how the loan will be used. For example, if the loan is to be used for business purposes, explain the details of how you will use the money. Lenders want to see that you know exactly how you will use the money, and how this loan will meet your needs.5. Make major loan application changes.Show the potential lender that you are stable and can make solid decisions. Don’t apply for a business loan, for instance, and submit a loan proposal, only to call the lender a while later and tell them that you’ve reconsidered and plan on using the money differently than stated in your paperwork. Make your decisions prior to this, and don’t make this loan application mistake of being unsure when you apply. Submit your proposal only in the event that you are 100 percent sure of your actions and will not change your mind.6. Apply only to the most convenient lender.While heading to the bank in which you do business with is an obvious reaction, avoid the loan application mistake of not shopping around with other lenders. Check into obtaining a loan with a credit union, and if you’re searching for a small business loan, consider investigating programs offered through the Small Business Administration. This loan application mistake is also easily corrected by making just a few phone calls to lenders’ check rates and offers.7. Not having current finances in order.Whether you’re in need of a personal loan or a business loan, don’t apply for a loan without proper financial documentation for the lender. This loan application mistake can either delay the loan process, or cause the lender to immediately turn you away.8. Failing to have equity.Especially for a business loan or a home loan, having some equity, such as a down payment, can significantly increase your changes of securing a loan. While this loan application mistake is sometimes unavoidable, be aware that lenders are not as enthusiastic to offer loans to those without equity, especially loans for large amounts or for individuals with less than desirable credit scores.9. Having no collateral.As with equity, no collateral gives no assurance to the lender that the loan will be repaid. Having collateral increase your chances of having the loan approved. Collateral can come in many forms such as automobiles, savings accounts, home equity, certificates of deposit, (CDs) and anything else that the lender considers to have value.10. Not having a business plan if the loan is for business.Not having a business plan in place, or employing a poor business plan, is an inexcusable loan application mistake, yet can be easily corrected. If you’re starting a business, or wish to obtain funding to expand on an existing business, you need to demonstrate to the lender how the business will operate and make money. A business plan is essential for a lender to see your goals and see how you plan to reach those goals.11. Not avoiding hidden loan costs.Avoid signing a loan that requires hidden costs. This loan application mistake might include fine print stating that annual fees, bank charges, closing costs, commissions, and balloon payments are required. Be informed, and don’t sign anything without being completely sure what it means.

You’ve probably been inundated recently with macro forecasts on the growth of digital media, artificial intelligence, mobile communications, videos, drones and more. But, as a small or midsize B2B, B2C or nonprofit marketer, what forecasts should you actually pay attention to, and which might be used to improve your profitability and ROI?I believe 2018 will be a bumpy ride and hope that my forecasts will smooth out the journey for you. Here goes:Improving Marketing And Marketing Communications By Paying Attention to These1. Considerable thought and time will be spent creating new website language to meet the explosive use of voice activated Internet searches. Voice activated searches, using “personal assistants”, accounted for twenty percent of searches in 2016 (ComScore) and are projected to reach fifty percent in 2020. Your website pages need to understand and reflect how people actually speak.2. Greater attention to brand transparency, complete truth and face-to-face interaction with customers and prospects will take center stage. Cybersecurity breaches, as well as eroding trust in media and institutions, has led to a significant and wide spread quest for truth. Events and interactions at the point-of-purchase provide opportunities to build (or re-build) brand trust.3. Reducing merchandise returns by e-commerce consumers will receive increased focus and require new strategies. While online sales are growing at about three times the rate of those for brick and mortar stores (in part, because of free shipping), almost one-third of e-purchases are sent back (versus nine percent for stores). As shipping is twenty to sixty-five percent of an e-retailers cost of goods (UPS), it’s all hands on deck to reduce this cost.4. While digital marketing will continue to grow, there will have to be significant improvements made for its continued development. Consider the following:- P&G has challenged Google, Facebook, YouTube and others to adapt safeguards against the existing fraudulent traffic reporting and inappropriate content by the end of 2017 or they will stop advertising with them; P&G has already pulled $140 million from them in 2017.- Walmart is also no longer advertising on YouTube.- Facebook claims it can potentially reach 101 million 18 to 34-year olds, but the Census Bureau counts only 76 million of this demographic.- The ANA is attempting to start a six-month, $50 million pilot study with 35 marketers in a test of 30 premium online publishers to determine their actual value.- Added to these, there have been accusations of social media kickbacks, while over 600 million consumers worldwide have ad blockers installed.It is clear dramatic improvements must be made and made quickly.5. As another outgrowth of the mistrust in the marketplace, employees, reps and distributors will become the new marketing communications “influencers”. Of necessity, these people will become “the brand”, and management will recognize the importance of an engaged workforce. In their quest to develop brand champions at every level, savvy leaders will foster authentic and open internal communications.6. Although it might seem to be a throwback, direct mail will receive renewed emphasis. According to Compu-Mail, average response rates for direct mail (5.1%) is far higher than for email (0.6%), paid searches (0.6%), social media (0.4%), or online display ads (0.2%). In fact, direct mail is even stronger among millennials, with response rates of 12.4% among those aged 18 – 24. Data also suggests that direct mail is better than email for generating longer term customer engagement.7. Bloggers will continue to be a factor, but writing longer posts, spending more time crafting them, and publishing less frequently (Orbit Media). Specifically, posts went from 808 words in 2014 to 1,142 words in 2017, with the average post taking nearly 3 ½ hours to create. The current regimen shows 3 percent posing daily, 22 percent posting weekly and the majority posting only several times a month or less often.Changing Your Strategy, Planning And Tactics1. Marketers will recognize that – in the face of a changing marketplace – the most important aspect of profitable growth and improved ROI is developing a meaningful marketing and marketing communications strategy. Having experimented in recent years with a vast variety of tactical resources (in large part because they’re easy to grasp), marketers have learned that, without any realistic measurement of their worth, these efforts may have been counterproductive. Putting tactics before strategy never works… “ready, fire, aim” comes to mind.2. Marketers, in fact, will spend much more time determining whether their marketing communications tactics are working. Admitting that clicks don’t inherently lead to increased profitable revenue, they will establish strict measurement and ROI of digital marketing the same way they do with traditional marketing.3. Beyond a focus on the efficiency of an advertising medium, considerably more thought will be built into selecting a specific medium based on consumer trust of the medium. A recent study of 1,030 consumers by Clutch showed television/broadcast video as the advertising medium most trusted (61%) and social media and online mediums as the least trusted (38% and 41%, respectively). Trust of all mediums is strongest among millennials and weakest among baby boomers.4. There will be a focus on transitioning from a marketing specialist environment, to generalists who can integrate and lead these specialists into an ROI driven team (Korn Ferry). This will be challenging as there is a shortage of marketing talent with broad experience, leadership and capability that can gain the trust of specialists who work together for the brand and not their specialty.Using Consultants For Improving Marketing And Marketing Communications ROIMost probably you’ve already put a lot of hard work into developing your 2018 plan. But perhaps these forecasts have raised some questions and concerns that you may not have thought of, and perhaps you don’t have the experience, time or staff to address them. If you’re concerned about marketing, you’re not alone. In fact, Infusionsoft surveyed 1,000 small business owners and found that nearly two-thirds feel that they “don’t know if their marketing strategies work” or “know that their strategies aren’t working”. So, what can you do?Consider tapping into an established, media neutral consultancy or person, with broad experience across industries, companies and nonprofits, both large and small, who are also willing to “tell it like it is”. Don’t settle for someone selling you one particular marketing discipline or experience in just your niche or industry. What is needed in these complicated times is not a “this is the way we’ve always done it” mentality, but rather a broad view of your business and opportunities.Like trained accountants and lawyers, a marketing professional will bring you fresh eyes, apolitical candor and a disciplined approach to today’s uncertain and untrusting marketing environment. Trust is the new black, and a knowledgeable consultant can help you build a meaningful and profitable business.But remember, “Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who put them into action are priceless.”

The goal of being realistic when seeking new commercial loans and working capital financing will help commercial borrowers avoid a number of commercial finance problems. With proper preparation business owners should be in a better position to obtain new financing despite the difficult challenges impacting most working capital loans and small business financing. Nevertheless it should be anticipated that terms of financing will be different from prior commercial financing. Because of recent commercial lending difficulties, business owners actively assessing the most effective options for their small business finance decisions are likely to find the smoothest path to business loan success.In view of volatile conditions which have recently impacted credit markets, this will not be a simple task. A very common example of the problem is illustrated by how much misinformation and confusion there has been about business financing and working capital availability. Getting more accurate information about what is realistically possible can be one of the most difficult challenges for commercial borrowers.When seeking to identify realistic choices in a confusing working capital management climate, a number of harsh realities must be confronted by all small business owners. For most current commercial financing decisions by business owners, there are several major factors to anticipate. In the first example, additional small business loan collateral is being requested by most commercial lenders. Second, many regional and local banks have discontinued lending for business financing and working capital. In a third example, businesses which are not currently profitable or not current in their debt payments will have extensive difficulties. Fourth, business construction funding currently is very limited in most areas. In a fifth example, lenders are eliminating unsecured business lines of credit for most small business owners.Despite the new business financing limitations just noted, there are practical working capital options for small business owners to consider. An increasingly effective commercial financing option in the midst of an uncertain economy is a merchant cash advance program based on credit card processing activity. Even though this commercial funding option has been available for a few years, it has not been used by most small businesses. For most businesses which accept credit cards, merchant cash advances should be evaluated as an important tool for improving business cash flow. Small business owners wanting to pursue this financing option should consult a business financing expert who is knowledgeable about this working capital management approach as well as other small business loans.Even though working capital loans are not as widely available as they were just a few months ago, this kind of small business financing is still in fact obtainable. Since some of the largest providers have stopped making these business loans, the main change for business borrowers is the likelihood that they will be dealing with a different commercial lender. Small business owners will benefit from finding an experienced and candid business financing expert to assist in evaluating realistic options because the most effective working capital financing providers are not aggressively marketing this capability.As stressed above, when making commercial financing decisions it is becoming increasingly important for business owners to first determine their effective business finance funding options. Because of recent volatility in financial markets, this task is likely to be much more difficult than most commercial borrowers realize. It is advisable to explore commercial finance options that might be necessary if economic conditions change even further even for business owners who are satisfied with their current working capital financing arrangements. The use of Plan B contingency financing is an important tool to assist commercial borrowers in this process.

If you are a business owner and you want to take advantage of the convenience and wide reach of the internet, you can actually bring your business online and experience a wider reach of your market. To help you facilitate it, here are some tips and suggestions in doing business online.Creating your websiteWhether you are selling products or services online, your website will serve as your online store. You can present all your products there, offer your services and everything that you want to offer for sale to your customers. However, keep in mind that in doing business online, it is not enough to have a website. You have to work on making that website visible to your market.The design of your website should be a consideration, not only in making it appealing to your potential customers but also in making it friendly for the search engines. In the online world where people want fast and almost instant processes, you have to consider a website design that will load fast so your viewers will not easily leave your site. Customizing your site design so that the search engines will easily index your site will also help a lot in making your site rank high in the search engines, and will be more visible to online viewers.Aside from your design, you have to make sure also that you have good content. Your website should be able to give information that answers the most common questions of potential customers. Of course, the more their questions are answered, the higher the chance that they will patronize your business.Advertising.Online advertising is also a must in doing business online. For sure, you don’t want your business’ website to be buried deep in the millions of websites available online. You can strive to reach out to your market by several internet marketing techniques.Among the techniques you can use are pay per click advertising, where you post your ads in other websites and pay the website owner for every potential customer generated by the ad; affiliate marketing – where you give commissions to individuals online who can make a sale of your product. You can also indirectly promote your business by generating more online visitors to visit your site and thus making your business more available to those who need it.You can also promote your business by having individuals online write reviews for your products or write promotional as well as general information articles about your product or the business you are into. You can also hire internet marketing experts to help you promote your business online as well.Goods exchange and payment schemesIf you sell products that you can ship to online customers, you have to also set up a payment scheme online. You can arrange for credit card payments or through online payment methods like PayPal.You have to consider also that doing business online means wider market and if you are willing to cater to customers in certain countries, you have to consider the shipping cost of your products as well. You can offer free shipping cost or make your customer understand about shouldering the shipping cost as well.Start with these basic things in doing business online and you will make a good start in getting more customers for your business.

The lifestyle of urban Indian is rapidly changing. The burgeoning Indian middle class is now the target customers of the major multinationals. With the increase in disposable income in the hands of young India, changes have been noticed in the expenditure pattern. What was the luxury in the nineties, in the 21st century that becomes the necessity. With the increase of sales of brown, white and grey goods, the consumers appliances sectors is also witnessing an unprecedented growth. Needs and dreams come as a part of every-body’s life. You want to buy a refrigerator and you have to save for months to get it. You want to go for a holiday vacation, but then you don’t have enough money to reach your dream destination. You might feel the need to utilise all your savings in buying a new house and now there is nothing left for furnishing it. But nowadays financial institutions can fulfil all your needs by providing loans. Personal Loans in India alleviate most of the hassles that come with conventional loans – delay in sanctioning and disbursement, lots of paper work, necessity of a guarantor and hypothecation of the asset financed.A personal loan is an all-purpose loan for one’s own personal use. In fact this kind of loans can be used for any legitimate purposes whatsoever. This type of loan is unique retail loan product offered by a number of banks. In India the personal loans can be of two forms – secured and unsecured. Both secured and unsecured loans are provided by banks to its esteemed customers. The main purpose of such a loan is to meet any kind of need or expenses.There are various types of personal loans available in India. These are Festival Loans, Marriage Loans, Pension Loans, Consumer Durable Loans and Personal Computer Loans. Festival loans are a type of personal loan in which a very cheap interest rate is being offer. This cheap personal loans interest rate is very convenient to those people who want to have a small loan which they can repay early but do not want to pay interest at the exorbitant rates. This kind of loan is given from the amount of Rs. 5000 to Rs. 50000 and the loan is generally restricted for 12 months. Consumer durables loans are the unique loans which attracts more customers. Right from Television to Refrigerator to Music players, you can buy anything. The quantum of these kind of loans vary from bank to Bank. However, most Banks offer loans from the amount of Rs. 10000 to Rs. 100000. Marriage loans are gaining popularity nowadays in both rural and urban areas. In this kind of loan the maximum amount depends on a few criteria like repayment capacity of the borrower, security/collateral offered by the customer, age of the borrower etc. Pension loans is a term loan which is available to pensioners till the age of 70. The maximum amount of pension loan sanctioned is normally 7-10 times of the amount of last pension received. The amount is generally vary from individual to individual depending upon his repayment capacity. Finally, with the huge booming of Information Technology in India computers have replaced manual work in every sector. With the growing demands of computers the concept of Personal Computer loans have come. Under this category of loan, Banks provide a loan up to Rs 100000 for computer hardware and software. On the other side there are some banks which provides a separate software loan to a maximum of Rs. 20000.There are several banks in India which are much popular among people when it comes to personal loans. Some of these Banks and their offered personal loan schemes are State Bank of India – Loan For Personal Expenses, ICICI Bank – Available Loan For Personal Use, HDFC Bank – HDFC Bank Personal Finance, Bank of India – Star Personal Scheme, Bank of Baroda – Baroda Personal Financial Offer, Standard Chartered – EMI Refund Program Scheme,IDBI Bank – IDBI Personal Expense Finance, HSBC Bank – Smooth Personal Loan Repayment, Development Credit Bank – DCB Personal Vantage Plan and United Bank of India – United Personal Schemes.

It all started in 1769 with the creation of steam engine automobiles and now, cars have become an inevitable part of our life. In our culture, owning a car is getting closer to the American dream. But, cars are getting expensive and even though the economy is getting on its feet again, it is difficult to buy a car without auto loans.Most experts say you can really improve your chances by getting a down payment. Down payment is the initial upfront amount that you pay to the dealer. When you put money down, you automatically reduce the lender’s risk by lowering the loan amount. You also increase the lender’s trust in you and your financial ability.But, is getting a down payment easy? Most of us are dreaded by the word of it. We get an auto loan because we are short of cash. Then, how is making a down payment possible for us? One may argue that a down payment amount is only 10%-20% of the total cost of the car. Nonetheless, it is a big amount for all of us because we have just suffered the blows of a recessionary economy.So, what’s the inexpensive alternative to a down payment? The answer is simple. You can avoid putting money down by opting for a no money down auto loan. Yes, these automobile loans are very much possible today. Demand is rising in the auto industry and this year has been the best since 2008. With the European crises, German and Italian auto makers are also pushing car sales. The delinquency rate is at its lowest since 1999. TransUnion reported that delinquencies fell to 0.36 percent from 0.46 percent of last quarter of 2011. So, lenders are now more confident of getting their money back. As a consequence, getting innovative loan options like no down auto loans is very much reality. You are no longer required to hold back your dreams because of lack of down payment.What Are No Money Down Auto Loans?No money down auto loan is a simple type of loan. Like in any other auto loan option, your car will be used as collateral. The lender can sell your car if you stop making payments. As he is in a comfortable position, you can get reasonable interest rates without any trouble. Once you pay-off the loan, the lien is removed as the lender loses financial interest in your car.Now, in other car loans, a down payment is almost mandatory. But, with no down auto loans, you get the option of not making a down payment and thus, saving your money. You don’t need to spend your life-savings or break the college fund to get a car. And, all these benefits for just few extra bucks. Seems a good deal, isn’t it?How to Get No Money Down Auto Loans?Applying for a no down auto loan is very easy. All you have to do is search a lender who offers this option. Once you find a reputed lender, online or otherwise, apply with him. Absolutely anyone who needs a car loan can apply for this loan. Poor credit is not an issue if you can convince the lender that you are not a high risk borrower. For this, a stable income and employment will play a major role.What Documents Are Required for Availing No Down Payment Auto Loans?An uncomplicated car loan process makes sure that your car buying process is gratifying.Getting a car loan without down payment is simple and easy because there is nothing extra that needs to be done. The application process is simple and not different than other loan options. Even the list of required documents is the same.1. Recent pay stubs or W-2 Form can be used as income proof by those who are employed. For self-employed and independent contractors, there is Form 1040.2. Utility bills like phone bill and rent is used for determining the amount of time you have spent at your current residence.No money down auto loans can be your chance of buying the car that you have always wanted. It is time to say no to huge down payment amounts. Welcome your new car without dreading about anything. Do not waste any more time in applying for this incredible option!

Key Insights
The strong pullback in the U.S. dollar provided significant support to stocks.
Treasury yields have pulled back after touching new highs, which served as an additional positive catalyst for S&P 500.
A move above 3730 will push S&P 500 towards the resistance level at 3760.
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Pfizer Rallies After Announcing A Huge Price Hike For Its COVID-19 Vaccines
S&P 500 is currently trying to settle above 3730 as traders’ appetite for risk is growing. The U.S. dollar has recently gained strong downside momentum as the BoJ intervened to stop the rally in USD/JPY. Weaker U.S. dollar is bullish for stocks as it increases profits of multinational companies and makes U.S. equities cheaper for foreign investors.

The leading oil services company Schlumberger is up by 9% after beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Schlumberger’s peers Baker Hughes and Halliburton have also enjoyed strong support today.

Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna gained strong upside momentum after Pfizer announced that it will raise the price of its coronavirus vaccine to $110 – $130 per shot.

Biggest losers today include Verizon and Twitter. Verizon is down by 5% despite beating analyst estimates on both earnings and revenue. Subscriber numbers missed estimates, and traders pushed the stock to multi-year lows.

Twitter stock moved towards the $50 level as the U.S. may conduct a security review of Musk’s purchase of the company.

From a big picture point of view, today’s rebound is broad, and most market segments are moving higher. Treasury yields have started to move lower after testing new highs, providing additional support to S&P 500. It looks that some traders are ready to bet that Fed will be less hawkish than previously expected.

S&P 500 Tests Resistance At 3730

S&P 500 has recently managed to get above the 20 EMA and is trying to settle above the resistance at 3730. RSI is in the moderate territory, and there is plenty of room to gain additional upside momentum in case the right catalysts emerge.

If S&P 500 manages to settle above 3730, it will head towards the next resistance level at 3760. A successful test of this level will push S&P 500 towards the next resistance at October highs at 3805. The 50 EMA is located in the nearby, so S&P 500 will likely face strong resistance above the 3800 level.

On the support side, the previous resistance at 3700 will likely serve as the first support level for S&P 500. In case S&P 500 declines below this level, it will move towards the next support level at 3675. A move below 3675 will push S&P 500 towards the support at 3640.

Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio

By Rob Isbitts

Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.

The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.

SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.

Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.

Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense

Segment: Inverse Equity

Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500

Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)

Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)

Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.

Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.

Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.

Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.

Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.

Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy

Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy

Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.

ETF Investment Opinion

SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.

Your stocks to watch for the week ahead are Cheniere Energy (LNG), S&P 500 biotech giant Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), Cardinal Health (CAH), Steel Dynamics (STLD) and Genuine Parts (GPC).

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While the market remains in correction, with analysts and investors wary of an economic downturn, these five stocks are worth adding to watchlists. S&P 500 medical giants Vertex and Cardinal Health have been holding up, as health-care related plays tend to do well in down markets.

Steel Dynamics and Genuine Parts are both coming off strong earnings as both the steel and auto parts industries report optimistic outlooks. Meanwhile, Cheniere Energy saw sales boom in the second quarter as demand in Europe for natural gas continues to grow.

Major indexes have been making rally attempts with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 testing weekly support on Friday. With market uncertainty, investors should be ready for follow-through day breakouts and keep an eye on these stocks.

Cheniere Energy, Cardinal Health and VRTX stock are all on IBD Leaderboard.

Cheniere Energy Stock
LNG shares rose 1.1% to 175.79 during Friday’s market trading. On the week, the stock advanced 3.1%, not from highs, bouncing from its 21-day and 10-week lines earlier in the week.

Cheniere Energy has been consolidating since mid-September, but needs another week to forge a proper base, with a potential 182.72 buy point formed on Aug. 10.

Houston-based Cheniere Energy was IBD Stock Of The Day on Thursday, as the largest U.S. producer of liquefied natural gas eyes strong demand in Europe.

Even though natural gas prices are plunging in the U.S. and Europe, investors still see strong LNG demand for Cheniere and others.

The U.K. government confirmed last week that it is in talks for an LNG purchase agreement with a number of companies, including Cheniere.

In the first half of 2021, less than 40% of Cheniere’s cargoes of LNG landed in Europe. That jumped to more than 70% through this year’s second quarter, even as the company ramped up new export capacity. The urgency of Europe’s natural gas shortage only intensified last month. That is when an explosion disabled the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia that had once supplied 40% of the European Union’s natural gas.

In Q2, sales increased 165% to $8 billion and LNG earned $2.90 per share, up from a net loss of $1.30 per share in Q2 2021. The company will report Q3 earnings Nov. 3, with investors seeing booming profits for the next few quarters.

Cheniere Energy has a Composite Rating of 84. It has a 98 Relative Strength Rating, an exclusive IBD Stock Checkup gauge for share price movement with a 1 to 99 score. The rating shows how a stock’s performance over the last 52 weeks holds up against all the other stocks in IBD’s database. The EPS rating is 41.

Vertex Stock
VRTX stock jumped 3.4% to 300 on Friday, rebounding from a test of its 50-day moving average. Shares climbed 2.2% for the week. Vertex stock has formed a tight flat base with an official buy point of 306.05, according to MarketSmith analysis.

The stock has remained consistent over recent weeks, while the relative strength line has trended higher. The RS line tracks a stock’s performance vs. the S&P 500 index.

Vertex Q3 earnings are on due Oct. 27. Analysts see EPS edging up 1% to $3.61 per share with sales increasing 16% to $2.2 billion, according to FactSet.

The Boston-based global biotech company dominates the cystic fibrosis treatment market. Vertex also has other products in late-stage clinical development that target sickle cell disease, Type 1 diabetes and certain genetically caused kidney diseases. That includes a gene-editing partnership with Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP).

In early August, Vertex reported better-than-expected second-quarter results and raised full-year sales targets.

S&P 500 stock Vertex ranks second in the Medical-Biomed/Biotech industry group. VRTX has a 99 Composite Rating. Its Relative Strength Rating is 94 and its EPS Rating is 99.

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Cardinal Health Stock
CAH stock advanced 3.2% to 73.03 Friday, clearing a 71.22 buy point from a shallow cup-with-handle base and hitting a record high. But volume was light on the breakout. CAH stock leapt 7.3% for the week.

Cardinal Health stock’s relative strength line has also been trending up for months.

The cup-with-handle base is part of a base-on-base pattern, forming just above a cup base cleared on Aug. 11.

Cardinal Health, based in Dublin, Ohio, offers a wide assortment of health care services and medical supplies to hospitals, labs, pharmacies and long-term care facilities. The company reports that it serves around 90% of hospitals and 60,000 pharmacies in the U.S.

S&P 500 stock Cardinal Health will report Q1 2023 earnings on Nov. 4. Analysts forecast earnings falling 26% to 96 cents per share. Sales are expected to increase 10% to $48.3 billion, according to FactSet.

Cardinal Health stock ranks first in the Medical-Wholesale Drug/Supplies industry group, ahead of McKesson (MCK), which is also showing positive action. CAH stock has a 94 Composite Rating out of 99. It has a 97 Relative Strength Rating and an EPS rating of 73.

Steel Dynamics Stock
STLD shares shot up 8.5% to 92.92 on Friday and soared 19% on the week, coming off a Steel Dynamics earnings beat Wednesday night.

Shares blasted above an 88.72 consolidation buy point Friday after clearing a trendline Thursday. STLD stock is 17% above its 50-day line, definitely extended from that key average.

Steel Dynamics’ latest consolidation could be seen as part of a larger base going back six months.

Steel Dynamics topped Q3 earnings views with EPS rising 10% to $5.46 while revenue grew 11% to $5.65 billion. The steel producer’s outlook is optimistic despite weaker flat rolled steel pricing. STLD reports its order activity and backlogs remain solid.

The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based company is among the largest producers of carbon steel products in the U.S. It engages in metal recycling operations along with steel fabrication and produces myriad steel products.

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STLD stock ranks first in the Steel-Producers industry group. STLD stock has a 96 Composite Rating out of 99. It has a 90 Relative Strength Rating, an exclusive IBD Stock Checkup gauge for share-price movement that tops at 99. The rating shows how a stock’s performance over the last 52 weeks holds up against all the other stocks in IBD’s database. The EPS rating is 98.

Genuine Parts Stock
GPC stock gained 2.8% to 162.35 Friday after the company topped earnings views with its Q3 results on Thursday. For the week GPC advanced 5.1% as the stock held its 50-day line and is in a flat base.

GPC has an official 165.09 flat-base buy point after a three-week rally, according to MarketSmith analysis.

The relative strength line for Genuine Parts stock has rallied sharply to highs over the past several months.

On Thursday, the Atlanta-based auto parts company raised its full-year guidance on growth across its automotive and industrial sales.

Genuine Parts earnings per share advanced 19% to $2.23 and revenue grew 18% to $5.675 billion in Q3. GPC’s full-year guidance is now calling for EPS of $8.05-$8.15, up from $7.80-$7.95. The company now forecasts revenue growth of 15%-16%, up from the earlier 12%-14%.

During the Covid pandemic, supply chain constraints caused a major upheaval in the auto industry, sending prices for new and used cars to record levels. This has made consumers more likely to hang on to their existing vehicles for longer, driving mileage higher and boosting demand for auto replacement parts.

Fellow auto stocks O’Reilly Auto Parts (ORLY) and AutoZone (AZO) have also rallied near buy points amid the struggling market. O’Reilly reports on Oct. 26.

IBD ranks Genuine Parts first in the Retail/Wholesale-Auto Parts industry group. GPC stock has a 96 Composite Rating. Its Relative Strength Rating is 94 and it has an EPS Rating of 89.

Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
My Dad repaired most of our shoes believe it or not, I can hardly believe it myself now. With 7 pairs of shoes always needing repairs I think he was quite clever to learn how to “Keep us in shoe Leather” to coin a phrase!

He bought several different sizes of cast iron cobbler’s “lasts”. Last, the old English “Laest” meaning footprint. Lasts were holding devices shaped like a human foot. I have no idea where he would have bought the shoe leather. Only that it was a beautiful creamy, shiny colour and the smell was lovely.

But I do remember our shoes turned upside down on and fitted into these lasts, my Dad cutting the leather around the shape of the shoe, and then hammering nails, into the leather shape. Sometimes we’d feel one or 2 of those nails poking through the insides of our shoes, but our dad always fixed it.

Hiking and Swimming Galas
Dad was a very outdoorsy type, unlike my mother, who was probably too busy indoors. She also enjoyed the peace and quiet when he took us off for the day!

Anyway, he often took us hiking in the mountains where we’d have a picnic of sandwiches and flasks of tea. And more often than not we went by steam train.

We loved poking our heads out of the window until our eyes hurt like mad from a blast of soot blowing back from the engine. But sore, bloodshot eyes never dampened our enthusiasm.

Dad was an avid swimmer and water polo player, and he used to take us to swimming galas, as they were called back then. He often took part in these galas. And again we always travelled by steam train.

Rowing Over To Ireland’s Eye
That’s what we did back then, we had to go by rowboat, the only way to get to Ireland’s eye, which is 15 minutes from mainland Howth. From there we could see Malahide, Lambay Island and Howth Head of course. These days you can take a Round Trip Cruise on a small cruise ship!

But we thoroughly enjoyed rowing and once there we couldn’t wait to climb the rocks, and have a swim. We picnicked and watched the friendly seals doing their thing and showing off.

Not to mention all kinds of birdlife including the Puffin.The Martello Tower was also interesting but a bit dangerous to attempt entering. I’m getting lost in the past as I write, and have to drag myself back to the present.

Fun Outings with The camera Club
Dad was also a very keen amateur photographer, and was a member of a camera Club. There were many Sunday photography outings and along with us came other kids of the members of the club.

And we always had great fun while the adults busied themselves taking photos of everything and anything, it seemed to us. Dad was so serious about his photography that he set up a dark room where he developed and printed his photographs.

All black and white at the time. He and his camera club entered many of their favourites in exhibitions throughout Europe. I’m quite proud to say that many cups and medals were won by Dad. They have been shared amongst all his grandchildren which I find quite special.

He liked taking portraits of us kids too, mostly when we were in a state of untidiness, usually during play. Dad always preferred the natural look of messy hair and clothes in the photos of his children.