Tiempo para actuar victima del panico, todo lo contrario
Los inversionistas no deben dejarse guiar por el panico
Las utilidades de las corporaciones siguen robustas, 80% han superado las expectativas del mercado. Las ganancias son 13% mas altos que el anio anterior.
El PE es 13.15 comparado con el promedio de 16 historico.
Otra alternativa es enfocarse en las companias que pagan dividendos.
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Time to Panic? Just the Opposite By DAVE KANSAS
It is only natural to be a bit scared by Thursday's market rout. But investors shouldn't let fear guide their decisions.
With the Dow Jones Industrial Average down more than 10% from its recent high—officially a correction—many investors expect more trouble ahead. Whiffs of panic and plaintive cries for more intervention from the Federal Reserve underscored the market's suddenly fragile sentiment on Thursday. Only three of the stocks in the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rose.
It is times like this, when the selling stampede gets the loudest, that shrewd investors need to step back and examine the situation with steely cool. From mayhem, opportunity can arise.
That is easier said than done, of course. In the U.S., the Big Debt Deal reached this week didn't mollify investors; instead it sparked fears that spending cuts could curtail growth. Recent data have hinted that the economic recovery already could be stalling.
Over in Europe, speculators are starting to bet that Italy, the third-biggest economy in the euro-zone, might face funding problems. Given Europe's inability to deal with minnows such as Greece, a flopping big fish could present existential questions for the common currency.
Safe havens, meanwhile, are flourishing. Some short-term Treasury debt has sporadically traded at negative yields, meaning investors are paying to hold them.
In short, it is all a big chocolate mess.
Or is it?
Corporate profits remain robust. Around 80% of S&P 500 companies have reported quarterly results and the average positive surprise is 4%, double the average of the past 25 years. Moreover, aggregate corporate earnings and revenue are both up about 13% from the year-ago period, according to Yardeni Research.
On top of that, corporate cash balances are at record levels and a growing number of companies are buying back shares and raising dividends.
American corporations have shown that they can make a lot of money even if the economy isn't sprinting. And Wall Street analysts believe they will continue to do so. In the last week of July, they raised earnings estimates for all 10 S&P 500 sectors.
Strong profits may seem like white noise as the stock market cascades lower. But at a certain point, the fury subsides and fundamentals come back into focus.
Investors would be wise to consider three strategies in this tumultuous environment: valuation-focused investing, dividend-yield investing and, yes, a bit of safety investing.
In terms of valuation, the run of strong earnings combined with declining stock prices translate into some attractively priced stocks. The S&P 500's price/earnings ratio, based on forward earnings, stood at 13.15 on Thursday, compared with a long-term average closer to 16.
While a company like Apple might not leap out as a value play, it is trading at 14 times forward earnings after its stock has slid 4% since the sell-off began two weeks ago. Apple is sitting on $76 billion in cash, so a dividend could be in its future. And in the last quarter it sold every iPad it could make, not to mention zillions of iPhones.
Intel is trading at 9 times forward earnings, and is buying back shares and promising strong revenue growth. General Electric is trading at 12 times earnings, IBM at 13 times and Ford at just 6 times.
Decent valuations don't always spell instant success. Several companies that appear cheap face major challenges. Ford, for instance, needs folks to start buying more new cars once again,, something that depends on the job market perking up.
Another strategy is to focus on dividends—getting paid to wait for the market to recover. The downdraft has caused a lot of robust yields, especially when compared with the 2.44% yield on 10-year Treasurys.
Pfizer, which trades at 8 times forward earnings, is paying a 4.5% dividend yield. Merck, also trading at 8 times forward earnings, boasts a 4.7% dividend yield. Verizon, trading at 15 times forward earnings, is yielding 5.5% and AT&T, trading at 12 times forward earnings, is yielding 5.9%.
Electric utilities are another traditional yield play, and those stocks have held up better than most during the recent selloff. American Electric Power, Southern Co. and Duke Energy all sport yields around 5%.
Given the recent volatility, focusing a bit of your tactics on safety also makes sense. While gold dipped 0.4% on Thursday, it has been breaking records all year, and J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs and others think that will continue as Western governments deal with their debt challenges.
While gold has made a great run, the gold miners have trailed. J.P. Morgan believes the miners are due to make up for lost ground and it likes Goldcorp, Kinross, Newmont Mining and Barrick Gold.
So, as the markets crater around you, keep a cool head and look for opportunities that make sense. As Warren Buffett says: "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. No shortage of fear out there on Thursday.
Write to Dave Kansas at
dave.kansas@wsj.com