Categories: Stock Market NewsThe Alpha Investor Letter Hotlines

Locking in Double- and Triple-Digit-Percentage Gains and Pruning Your Portfolio

U.S. stock markets resumed their upward march last week, with the S&P 500 up 2.73%, the Dow Jones rising 3.5% and the Nasdaq recovering 3.06%. The MSCI Emerging Market Index also jumped 2.05%.

The market has run up substantially since the Nov. 8 U.S. election.

All major U.S, indexes are also as technically overbought as I can ever remember them.

A correction over the coming weeks is almost inevitable.

This also means that it is an ideal time to tighten your stops to lock in some of your bigger gains.

This week, I am recommending that you raise your stops in the following positions:

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) to $152 to lock in a 100% gain.

Albemarle (ALB) to $89.85 locking in a 5% gain.

Vanguard Russell 2000 Index (VTWO) to $108.00, locking in a 20% gain.

Alphabet (GOOGL) to $750, locking in a 30% gain.

Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Index (RSP) to $85.50, locking in a 5% gain.

PayPal Holdings (PYPL) to $36.85 to lock in a 10% gain.

Guggenheim Spin Off Index (CSD) to $43.65, locking in a 10% gain.

Philips 66 (PSX) to $86 to lock in 20% gain.

NVDA Corporation (NVDA) to $85.50 to lock in an 80% gain.

In addition, I am recommending that you sell the following positions:

Vanguard Global ex-US Real Estate Index (VNQI)

iShares MSCI Philippines Index (EPHE)

Van Eck Vectors Biotech ETF (BBH)

NVDA: Same

Portfolio Update

In column one, you will find the latest closing price of your position (“Last”).

In column two, you will find your position’s performance over the previous five trading days (“5D %Chg”).

In column three, you will see whether your position is above or below its current 50-day moving average (“50D MA”).

A position is a BUY if it is trading above its 50-day moving average and is highlighted in GREEN.

A position is a HOLD if it has dropped below the 50-day moving average and is highlighted in RED.

Finally, in column four, I am including your positions’ performance over the past month (“1M %Chg”).

Click here to view the Portfolio Update table.

Sincerely,

Nicholas A. Vardy

Nicholas Vardy

Nicholas Vardy has a unique background that has proven his knack for making money in different markets around the world. He was the Editor of The Global Guru, a free weekly e-newsletter, and also edited the trading services Momentum Trader Alert, which focused on making short-term profits in the hottest markets in the world, and The Alpha Algorithm, which was designed specifically to deliver big, fast triple-digit winners, month after month. He was also the editor of Smart Money Masters, a monthly service focused on longer term investments recommended by the brightest minds in the business. Mr. Vardy has been a regular commentator on CNN International and the Fox Business Network. He has also published articles in The New Republic, The World and I, and The Baker & McKenzie Legal Review. The Global Guru/Nicholas Vardy has been cited in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Fox Business News, CBS MarketWatch, Yahoo! Finance, and MSN Money Central. Mr. Vardy graduated from Stanford with a B.A. — with honors and distinction — in both Economics and History, and he also earned an M.A in Modern European Intellectual History. After winning a Fulbright Scholarship, he earned a J.D. degree at Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard International Law Journal. When not uncovering investment opportunities for his subscribers and investors, Mr. Vardy is a keep-fit enthusiast and an avid student of classical music.