My Outlook for Tech Stocks (and One 6.2%-Paying Fund) in 2024

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The first week of 2024 was a rough one for stocks—and that, oddly enough, suggests we might see a good year for stocks in 2024.

But as we’ll discuss below, recent market moves also suggest some parts of the technology sector are starting to look just a little overbought now—especially one 6.2%-yielding tech-focused closed-end fund (CEF).

I know that’s a lot to lead off with, so let’s break it down.

A week and a half before Christmas, and before last year’s Santa Claus rally, I wrote that we didn’t want a Santa Claus rally to end ’23. That’s because these year-end market bounces have historically led to the following year to be weaker for the markets.… Read more

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Today I want to go over what the economic data is telling us about the future of the financial markets in 2024.

Truth is, we are likely inching toward a recession, which means it’s time to be a bit more cautious. But at this point I only see us “backing into” a recession—and likely not till 2025, 2026 or maybe even later.

The upshot here is that when a recession does hit, we’ll want to make sure we have a steady income stream so we can keep on collecting our high payouts right through to the other side. As part of this strategy, we’re going to “lock in” the 8%+ yields (often paid monthly) available on some of our favorite closed-end funds (CEFs) while they’re still cheap.… Read more

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Today I want to go over what the economic data is telling us about the future of the financial markets in 2024.

Truth is, we are likely inching toward a recession, which means it’s time to be a bit more cautious. But at this point I only see us “backing into” a recession—and likely not till 2025, 2026 or maybe even later.

The upshot here is that when a recession does hit, we’ll want to make sure we have a steady income stream so we can keep on collecting our high payouts right through to the other side. As part of this strategy, we’re going to “lock in” the 8%+ yields (often paid monthly) available on some of our favorite closed-end funds (CEFs) while they’re still cheap.… Read more

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Today I want to show you three funds that are highly unusual in a way that matters a lot to many folks: all three are free from a management-fee perspective.

In fact, these three funds—closed-end funds (CEFs), to be precise—are more than free: they have negative management costs!

What do I mean? Well, usually index funds sell themselves on being cheap. Fees on the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), for example, are just 0.03%, or $300 in annual fees for every $1 million invested, in other words.

There are even funds out there that cost nothing, like the Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund (FZROX), which has no expenses at all.… Read more

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Closed-end funds (CEFs) really are the “Swiss army knife” of investments: with one click, they let us grab big income (the average CEF yields 7.9%), diversify (within and beyond asset classes) and buy their holdings for cheap!

But let’s be honest, when it comes to CEFs, it’s all about the dividends.

On that front, there’s a lot to say. For one, many CEFs pay monthly, making managing our income easy: CEFs’ high yields mean we could potentially replace a $6,500 monthly paycheck with less than $1 million invested and live on dividends alone.

And check out these discount and dividend stats from across the CEF space:

  • A third of all CEFs yield over 10%.

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It’s no secret that stocks—especially tech stockshave soared this year. And today I’m going to show you a contrarian dividend play I see as the perfect way to take advantage.

And before you ask, no, we’re not too late here, even though it may look like we are, in light of the NASDAQ’s 40% rise in half a year.

The key to unlocking tech-driven gains is not buying overbought darlings like Meta (META), Alphabet (GOOGL), Apple (AAPL) and Amazon.com (AMZN). Instead we’re buying through a closed-end fund (CEF) yielding an outsized 10.6% and trading at a 15.7% discount to net asset value (NAV, or the value of its underlying portfolio).… Read more

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We’ve seen a big bounce (and 12%+ dividends!) in one particular type of closed-end fund (CEF) this year—and all of my buy indicators suggest this profitable play is still in its early stages.

Specifically, I’m talking about tech-focused CEFs—which we’re getting a nice second chance to buy thanks to last week’s earnings whiffs from the likes of Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet (GOOGL).

Buying a tech CEF is like buying an ETF that focuses on technology, but with two key differences:

  • Big dividends: the CEF we’re going to analyze today yields 12.1%—and it pays dividends monthly, too. You and I know that both of these things are unheard of in the world of “regular” stocks and funds.

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There’s a quiet shift happening in closed-end funds (CEFs)—and it’s primed to give those who buy now some very nice upside in 2023.

And that’s in addition to the rich 7%+ dividends CEFs hand us.

That trend is a shift toward share buybacks, which you likely know about from the stock world. Buybacks work similarly with CEFs, but with an extra punch: they keep CEFs’ discounts to net asset value (NAV) from getting too wide—and they can even narrow those discounts, slingshotting the share price higher as they do.

In other words, by helping close CEFs’ discounts, managers have some control over the fund’s market price in a pullback, and they can amplify its gains when the market turns higher.… Read more

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We’re in one of the trickiest times I’ve seen in my investing career: inflation is receding and we’re well positioned for gains next year. Yet after the year we’ve had, many folks are still hesitant to jump into the market.

Even the 12%+ dividends we’re seeing in our favorite high-yield investments, closed-end funds (CEFs) haven’t been enough to tempt many of them.

I get it.

This period reminds me of the early months of 2009, when “green shoots” were appearing in the economy and markets, but investors were still too scarred by the preceding plunge to get in. But those who did buy then—around the bottom in early March 2009—have done very well:

Buying in Times of “Investor Shell Shock” Pays Off

We’ve got a similar opportunity now.… Read more

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Savvy contrarians know that when markets crash, the most beaten-up sectors are often the ones that lead the (inevitable) surge higher.

It’s one of the most reliable trends in investing. With their valuations (and dividend yields) crushed, these stocks are tempting bait for bargain hunters who like to run against the herd.

The 2008 financial crisis is a great example. Financial stocks, which were pummeled as millions of mortgages went bust, went on to soar after the market bottomed in ’09. So did real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Which is why I’m looking to roughed-up tech stocks, and tech-focused closed-end funds (CEFs), to lead the way in 2023.… Read more

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