Back in September of 2011, multi-millionaire trader and investor Vince Stanzione predicted that the Dow Jones Industrial Average would reach 14,200 by the first half of 2013. "A lot of people laughed at that," says Stanzione. "They're not laughing now." On March 6, 2013, the Dow hit an all-time high of 14,296 - a nearly 100-point spike that occurred well within Stanzione's projected time range.
Stanzione hastens to add that the Dow's record high does not mean the end of the economic woes that have plagued the US and world economies for several years. He points to the previous all-time Dow high of 14,198, set back on October 9, 2007. "That was right before the financial crisis hit, and the bottom fell out," he says. Even so, he feels vindicated by the Dow's performance this week, and he sees good things ahead for US stocks in particular.
When Stanzione was making his rosy projections in 2011, it was considered foolhardy at best to be bullish on Wall Street. But Stanzione insisted at the time that he saw great opportunities for those who were brave enough to invest, claiming his own independent track record was spot-on. He also cited tobacco and foods company Philip Morris. "Back in 2000, Philip Morris was hated by the Street," he said. "But the company went on to become Kraft, Atria, and Philip Morris International, returning over 500% steady dividends in the following decade."
Born in the UK, Vince Stanzione is a self-made multi-millionaire now based in Monaco and Mallorca, Spain. He's been an entrepreneur for most of his life. After starting his own software business at the age of 14, he landed his first city job as a junior in the FX dealing room for Nat West at the age of 16. Though he lost his savings in the 1987 stock market crash, that was only a temporary setback; he set up a car phone business in 1989, and in 1991 he sold it for over 1.3 million pounds. After that he returned to trading and investing, and built up a fortune from trading and financial spread betting.
Using his own market model, which tracks seasonality, dividend yields and sentiment, Stanzione was able to see that the Dow Jones Industrial Average would reach an all-time high within the first six months of 2013. He didn't expect everyone to agree with him, but that was fine with him. "History has shown that the best time to invest is when everyone hates stocks," he noted at the time.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Stanzione is looking ahead to what's next. He has had great success in investing in tobacco, beverages, gaming and fast food stocks over the last decade, and has also been an early investor in commodities. Overall Stanzione remains positive on US stocks. "You would be foolish to bet against the US," he says, adding, "Financial, housing, and auto related stocks are all showing strong signs of recovery. I also see a continued stream of takeovers, mergers, and stock buybacks as companies have large cash balances which they need to put to work."
He continues, "Even after the run up in stocks, my proprietary indicators still show the majority of the public is not invested in stocks - and many professional advisors have missed out on the recent gain, which means that prices can still push higher as investors play catch up."
And although Stanzione is sure that there will be more bumps along the way, Dow 15,000 by year's end is not out of the question, he says. "Looking further out, the US remains in a strong position with a boost and competitive advantage from the new shale energy and gas finds. Biotech and healthcare stocks also have a very bright future, and the US leads this field."
What doesn't he like? "Gold is looking weaker," he says. "I see better opportunities elsewhere." The point, Stanzione says, is that opportunities abound for those who are willing to step outside the bounds of conventional wisdom. He says he has made a successful career out of doing exactly that, and now teaches others what he describes as his simple trading and investing strategies. "The good news," he says, "is that it's possible to profit from up, down, and even sideways markets."
For more information, visit http://www.fintrader.net.