Which Of Workhorse Or Nikola Stock Would Grow The Most
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 5:22 pm
By Benzinga. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Every week, Benzinga conducts a sentiment survey to find out what traders are most excited about, interested in or thinking about as they manage and build their personal portfolios.
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We surveyed a group of over 300 Benzinga investors on whether shares of Workhorse Group Inc (NASDAQ:WKHS) or Nikola Corporation (NASDAQ:NKLA) stock would grow the most by 2025.
Over the next five years, which stock will have the largest percentage gain: Workhorse or Nikola?
A majority of traders and investors, 59.1% to be exact, told us shares of Workhorse would grow more in the next 5 years.
Workhorse vs Nikola Stock
One respondent told us the potential for Workhorse to secure the USPS contract is the main reason they believe Workhorse has potential through 2025.
“The EV hype will continue to grow over the next few years. The ideas and plans that Workhorse has for last-mile delivery truck platforms are incredible. Nikola will be competing against several companies. Relative to Nikola, Workhorse has very little competition and I believe they will win the USPS contract.”
If Workhorse is indeed in a strong position to win the USPS contract for upgrading its delivery fleet of 165,000 vehicles, it would be a preeminent source of revenue for the EV company valued at $6.3 billion.
40.9% of respondents told us Nikola will grow the most in the next 5 years.
Nikola-GM Deal
Our Benzinga EV analysts recently reported: Nikola is in talks with General Motors (NYSE: GM) since September and the latter has promised better clarity around the status of the deal before the Dec. 3 deadline. The terms of the deal revolve around the production of the pickup truck — Nikola Badger, and a fuel cell supply agreement.
More than anything, investors told us they have lingering concerns regarding legal proceedings involving Nikola and founder Trevor Milton. Both Nikola and Milton were recently subpoenaed by the Department of Justice, regarding claims of short selling in September.
This survey was conducted by Benzinga in November 2020 and included the responses of a diverse…
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These are the top 10 stocks Americans want to invest in
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 4:57 pm
By Michelle Jones. Originally published at ValueWalk.
There’s a whole universe of stocks to invest in, but with a little bit of research, we can determine the top 10 stocks Americans want to invest in. Most of the names on this list are no surprise, although one or two may be a bit unexpected. Here are the top 10 stocks Americans want to invest in, based on internet search data. Invezz.com analyzed data from Ahrefs to come up with this list.
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Top 10 stocks Americans want to invest in
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Moderna
In tenth place is Moderna, which has made headlines for its COVID-19 vaccine, with 750,000 internet searches per month on average. The company is expected to release the final data on its vaccine trial in a matter of days. If the injection is just as effective as it appeared to be from the preliminary data, then things could start moving very quickly.
Moderna will suddenly move from having no product sales to over $13 billion in revenue in 2021, according to Goldman Sachs analyst Salveen Richter. Americans are clearly interested in getting a piece of this company early in its life and capitalizing on one of the COVID-19 vaccines that’s in the works. Modern has already said its vaccine is over 90% effective in preventing the coronavirus.
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Nio
Number nine on this list of the top 10 stocks Americans want to invest in is the Chinese EV maker Nio, which had 781,000 monthly searches on Ahrefs. Electric vehicle stocks in general have been hot this year, and Nio is one of many of them that have soared in recent months.
Nio recently reported earnings results that beat consensus estimates. The EV maker’s third-quarter revenue skyrocketed 146% to $628 million as it delivered more than 12,000 vehicles. Many investors are drawing comparisons between Nio and Tesla, especially because Nio’s results show it is in about the same position now that Tesla was in four years ago.
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Facebook
Facebook has rallied nicely since the March selloff, climbing even higher than it was before the market rout. The social network has been a favorite of investors…
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Crescat November 2020 Commentary: As Good As It Gets
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 4:23 pm
By Jacob Wolinsky. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Crescat Capital commentary for the month of Novembver 2020, titled, “As Good As It Gets.”
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Buying Opportunity Caused By The Run-Up In Equity Markets
Crescat Global Macro and Crescat Long/Short hedge funds are having a pullback month to date. We wanted to bring this to your attention because we think it presents an excellent buying opportunity for those considering adding money to Crescat for the end of this month. The buying opportunity is being caused by the recent run-up in equity markets. We show below a set of timing indicators that are as good as they get against the long stock crowd. We strongly believe that the fundamental, macro, and now technical reasons, never looked so appealing to capitalize on short positions in a select basket of highly overpriced securities that Crescat has identified via its fundamental equity model.
In our November research letter, we shared a Crescat macro model that combines 15 fundamental valuation factors to show how US stocks have recently reached their most overvalued levels since 1900. The problem with speculative excess and the risks it poses to unprepared investors is simple to understand. Ultra-easy financial conditions create major manic tops in markets. As we show in the chart below, with both the tech bubble of 2000 and the housing bubble of 2007, the GS Financial Conditions Index reached cyclically low levels that distinctly marked these market tops. Financial conditions today, driven by historic low interest rates and tight credit spreads, are the loosest of the past thirty years, at the same time as valuations and leverage are the highest.
These excesses are clearly unsustainable and mark a potentially timely setup for a major market reversal. According to Bank of America, over the last two weeks, already fully-invested retail investors had their largest inflows into the stock market ever. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs showed this week that hedge funds have their highest leverage since right before Volmageddon (250%) and are their most net long (84%) since they have been tracking the data (five years). Goldman also reported that the median short interest as a percent of market cap for the S&P 500 just plunged to the lowest it…
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Nikola stock tanks as GM deal hangs in the balance
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 3:53 pm
By Michelle Jones. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Nikola stock tumbled after CEO Mark Russell failed to convince investors that they would be able to finalize a deal with GM. He also failed to reassure them that founder and former chairman Trevor Milton wouldn’t start unloading his shares next week when the lockup on them ends. Milton is Nikola’s biggest single shareholder.
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Nikola deal with GM still up in the air
CNBC reports that in an interview on Mad Money with Jim Cramer, Nikola’s CEO said the talks for a $2 billion deal with GM were ongoing, but he wouldn’t provide any other comments beyond that. The negotiations between GM and Nikola are for fuel cell and battery technologies and manufacturing for the Badger pickup truck.
Referring to GM’s technologies, Russell said they are “interesting to us” and that Nikola remains in talks with GM about those things. However, he also said that if a deal isn’t finalized by Dec. 3, either company can simply walk away. Nikola announced the deal with GM in September, but a short seller’s report issued two days after that announcement triggered an investigation and may be causing GM to reconsider.
JPMorgan analyst Paul Coster said in a report today that he is “skeptical” that Nikola will be able to finalize a deal with GM to produce the Badger. He predicts that the companies will renegotiate the $2 billion agreement they previous reached without the Badger. Coster expects the new deal to be for GM to supply Nikola with fuel cell and battery technologies for its commercial trucks.
Concerns about Milton selling shares
Russell also wouldn’t say anything about what Milton plans to do with the 91.6 million shares of Nikola stock he owns after the lockup period that kept him from cashing out that equity ends on Dec. 1. With about 360.9 million shares outstanding, Milton is Nikola’s largest single shareholder.
Milton stepped down as chairman in September after short seller Hindenburg accused Nikola of being a fraud. In response to Hindenburg’s report, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice started investigating. The firm accused Milton of making false statements about Nikola’s technology for the purpose of growing the company and…
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The Philippines Faces A Major Decrease In T-Bills
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 2:55 pm
By Ankur Shah. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Recently it was reported that treasury bills (T-bills) in the Philippines have decreased below 1% across the board and the downward tendency still continues. The news is important for the economy considering that it’s the record-low policy rate in the country. The reason for this is the high liquidity in the financial system among investors and problems the central bank currently faces which is why the YT-bills may remain unchanged or slightly move.
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Now the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) is going to take some steps to respond to this fall and for this, they plan to offer 20 billion Philippine Peso in T-bills from which P5 billion is for 91-day and 182-day debt papers and P10 billion for the securities for the whole year.
Now investors believe that the trend is going to continue downward movement because of the high domestic liquidity which indicates the ability to pay debt obligations without raising external capital or taking out loans. This is exactly what was predicted by the National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon that expected short-dated securities on the market as the inflation had been growing at a fast pace in the previous month. Probably now the interest rates from the central bank of the Philippines will encourage more demand for short-term debts and this especially applies to the 91-day tenor. Therefore, investors are willing to better the possibilities of economic growth.
Considering the fact that the economic environment in the country is quite uncertain for the given moment, mainly because of the increased number of coronavirus cases, investors prefer to have shorter tenors. This is why T-bills rates are likely to continue falling slightly. The central bank is going to release the exact schedule of t-bills this week, while bonding auctions are planned for the next month because of the low-interest rates.
Will changes in T-bills affect the Peso?
T-bills or treasury bills are short-term fixed income securities dominated by the peso, the national currency of the Philippines, and several Latin American countries. It is created by the Republic of the Philippines via their Bureau of Treasury. Investors usually receive great benefits by investing in treasury bills…
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The Importance Of A License In The Financial Sector
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 2:31 pm
By Anna Peel. Originally published at ValueWalk.
When we talk about a license we mean a document that is created to regulate the activity of a particular sector. It could be a financial, political, or any other one. Without a license, it is very hard to say that a company is fully eligible to conduct business.
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License is especially important in the financial sector. A lot of financial entities are created almost every month and most of them lack decent licenses or have no license at all. Of course, this could become a problem in the future.
Licensing is a requirement for financial conduct. The procedure is required to pass a number of companies, including banks, credit unions, factoring companies, pawnshops, investment funds, currency exchange offices, etc. In this article, we will talk about the importance of a license in the financial sector.
Legitimacy
You cannot trust a company if it does not have a legal framework and laws that can protect the client. Legitimacy and reliability is especially important in the Forex industry – another very big part of the financial sector. In a modern world where everything is sophisticated and people encounter various Forex broker scams having a high-quality license is an utmost priority. There have been cases where the absence of a license from the regulatory entity caused a huge problem.
Ability to attract more people
When a financial company is created it is also looking forward to attracting more customers, which will bring revenue. Without a proper license, it is difficult to think of new customers, because people’s psychological mindset is always paying attention to a trustworthy company.
Licenses and authorizations
Almost in every country in the world, a national financial regulator is the authorized body for issuing such documents. Only the license of the regulator allows institutions to conduct activities related to assets. There is a legally approved procedure, which is required to pass absolutely all companies. If the organization deals with assets without a license for financial activities, it will face a serious fine.
In order to obtain a license for financial services, it is necessary to apply to the regulator with a package…
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Slack stock rips higher on report of talks with Salesforce
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 2:21 pm
By Michelle Jones. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Shares of Slack Technologies have skyrocketed after a report that Salesforce is negotiating to buy the company. Citing sources familiar with the talks, The Wall Street Journal reports that any potential deal with Salesforce would probably value Slack at more than its previous $17 billion market capitalization.
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After the WSJ’s report, shares of Slack surged more than 20%, carrying the company’s market cap up past $20 billion. Meanwhile, shares of Salesforce slumped by almost 3% on the news about Slack. Microsoft shares also dipped slightly on the possibility of a combination of the two companies. Salesforce and Slack both compete with Microsoft, which previously considered acquiring Salesforce, although no agreement was reached.
Details on the talks between Salesforce and Slack
If Salesforce reaches a deal to buy Slack Technologies, it would signal an even more aggressive push into office communication for Salesforce. The company already has two communication tools, which are Quip and Chatter. They can be used together with Salesforce’s customer management tools.
The Wall Street Journal said the talks are still in the early stages, and an agreement is not guaranteed because the negotiations could fall through. Neither of the two companies was talking to the press about the report.
According to Business Insider, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said during the company’s last earnings call in August that he didn’t “really see an M&A environment.” He also said they were more focused on integrating their other big acquisitions this year.
Acquisition spree
If the acquisition is completed, it would be Salesforce’s largest so far, according to CNBC. The company has been on an acquisition spree in recent years, snapping up growing companies by taking advantage of its own growing market cap.
Salesforce paid $6.5 billion to acquire MuleSoft in 2018, which was its biggest deal at the time. Then last year, the company paid more than double that amount to acquire Tableau Software for $15.3 billion. This year Salesforce has made some smaller acquisitions, including Vlocity for $1.3 billion in February and The CMO Club for an undisclosed sum in March.
If Salesforce does finalize an agreement with Slack, it would…
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Thanksgiving Could Lead To Another COVID Infection Spike
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 2:19 pm
By Gorilla Trades. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Commenting on the free of COVID infections spreading during Thanksgiving and today’s trading, Gorilla Trades strategist Ken Berman said:
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COVID Infections Could Spike During Thanksgiving
The major indices are all trading lower at midday following a choppy but active morning session on Wall Street. The S&P 500 and the Dow both pulled back in early trading after hitting new all-time closing highs yesterday, but they remain just a tad below their record levels despite the mounting worries regarding the short-term economic outlook. The U.S. COVID picture remains grim ahead of Thanksgiving Day, and experts fear that the holiday could lead to another spike in the number of infections in the coming weeks.
Today’s economic calendar was full of key releases, and the higher-than-expected new jobless claims number has been weighing on cyclical issues this morning. The decline in the number of continuing claims also slowed down amid the rapid spread of the virus, while personal income missed as well. On a positive note, personal spending, new home sales, and durable goods orders all beat the consensus estimates in October, and the second reading of the third-quarter GDP print confirmed the record-breaking pace of the recovery.
Market Wrap
Dow: 29,818, – 197 or 0.7%
S&P 500: 3,625 – 11 or 0.3%
Nasdaq: 12,037, -1 or 0.01%
Russell 2000: 1,838, – 15 or 0.8%
Market breadth has been relatively weak this morning, with decliners outnumbering advancing issues by a 7-to-3 ratio on the NYSE at midday. Only 3 stocks hit new 52-week lows on the NYSE and the Nasdaq, while 89 stocks hit new 52-week highs. The major indices have been trading below their daily VWAPs (Volume-Weighted Average Price) for most of the morning session, pointing to intraday selling pressure.. The trends of the past couple of days reversed this morning at the level of the key sectors, with cyclical issues and the hardest-hit industries losing ground and the traditionally defensive sectors and tech stocks showing relative strength, but as volatility remains muted, the vaccine rally is likely still intact. Stay tuned!
The post Thanksgiving Could Lead To Another COVID Infection Spike appeared first on ValueWalk.
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NCRC Statement On OCC’s Proposed CRA Thresholds
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 2:19 pm
By Anna Peel. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Yesterday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released a proposed rule for establishing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) evaluation measure thresholds, retail lending distribution test thresholds, and community development minimums under the general performance standards set forth in the agency’s 2020 final rule. Rather than proposing the promised thresholds, the OCC is instead launching a data collection effort to obtain the very data that should have been the basis of its final rule.
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Statement On The Proposed CRA Thresholds
Jesse Van Tol, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, made the following statement:
“When the OCC pushed through its final CRA rule back in May, it did so during a pandemic and economic downturn with little to no community and bank support. At that time, the OCC promised additional data and analysis would be coming in the form of another proposed rule for CRA benchmarks and thresholds. But what it released yesterday contained neither of those things.
“Once again the OCC has shown that it lacks the data and factual basis for making its CRA final rule revisions. We have sought this data numerous times through FOIA requests, but the OCC has not produced adequate data to be able to properly evaluate the impact of its final rule. From our review, the final rule will decrease retail lending, investing and bank services in underserved communities – the exact opposite of what we need right now to rebuild and recover from the pandemic. It will make it easier for banks to pass, while actually doing less for their communities.
“Continuing to push through its disastrous and unsubstantiated rule changes is irresponsible. With a 60-day comment period, this is a lame duck proposed rule. We will call on the incoming Biden Administration to withdraw this proposed rule, rescind the 2020 CRA final rule and commit to an interagency rulemaking using the Federal Reserve Board proposal released earlier this year as a starting point.”
The post NCRC Statement On OCC’s Proposed CRA Thresholds appeared first on ValueWalk.
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Market Leadership Shifts As Growth Gap Widens (Plexus Corp)
by ValueWalk - November 25th, 2020 1:20 pm
By Pierre Raymond. Originally published at ValueWalk.
The Broad Market Index was down 0.77% last week and 72% of stocks out-performed the index. It was a light week for financial statement updates from the third quarter with only 61 companies reporting; lifting the update to 91% complete. These are mostly companies with fiscal years ended September (annual financial statements have a later filing deadline). Still to be seen is the larger population of companies with fiscal quarters ended October and they (mostly retailers) will report financial statements in the next two weeks.
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Evidence is accumulating that we are in a growth leadership shift as industrial companies record improvements and technology companies record declines in growth. The growth gap between industrial (and commodity) companies and technology companies has widened to the largest ever.
The virus has exaggerated both sector trends and pushed many companies into insolvency. Emergency cost cutting responses are very frequent now and especially among stressed companies. By sharply reducing costs and capital expenditures these stressed companies are adding to the economic and labor force weakness.
Higher Market Volatility Awaits
The effect of this leadership shift with companies in crisis mode is overall reduced capacity both existing and planned. Those decisions also extend the time required to recover capacity so that when demand recovers with capacity reduced, commodity prices will move up. Keep in mind, it is very early in the cycle trough and shares are broadly extended now. Historically, cycle troughs are associated with higher market volatility. Stay tuned as there will be plenty of future opportunities to identify the stronger companies.
Risk-Taking As Asset Values Increase
Meanwhile, there has been a substantial increase in risk-taking as the huge increase in asset values (and the associated decrease in interest rates to new historical lows) has pushed back bad memories. Sales of houses and autos are high and rising. These trends are now unusually extended and both greatly exaggerated by the virus.
There is plenty of uncertainly both short term (post vaccine recovery) and long term (reversal of 30 years of money stimulus) that will make markets very volatile as we trace out the current downtrend.
Keep a healthy cash position and avoid the weak…
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Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...
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