The Goldman Guide

Goodbye January and good riddance! Wow that was ugly. Instead of re-hashing all of the things you have heard or read, there are some major trends occurring under the radar that will require you to put certain stocks on your trading list. We have been all over the trends of late, calling them perfectly I am proud to say. For example, Plandai (OTCQB – PLPL)) might be the best performer of the year, reaching $2.99 on Friday after ending the year around $0.45 – 0.50.  It has become the proxy for medical marijuana. Also, last week we recommended a play on Valentine’s Day that rose nicely (1-800-Flowers – NASDAQ - FLWS) despite the big market drops.

In addition to the continuation of the marijuana stock upward trends this week, see why these two eyeglass makers are poised to rock and why this wine stock will run dry. The trends are undeniable and the market has not yet priced them into the shares just yet, presenting a great opportunity to take advantage of investors’ falling asleep at the switch.

There is no other way of saying it. The market is ugly. We called it two weeks ago but through it might not happen until this week. Alas, we at least may get a strong sense of what lies ahead for the rest of the quarter, by simply looking at the calendar. Read on to see how the calendar could answer many of our questions about what your investments will look like a few months from now.

In addition to the big picture, we have identified 1 retail stock to buy that has jumped every year for 3 straight years, in the weeks before Valentine’s Day. Plus, here are 2 stocks to sell including one that is the source of a recent tragedy. Frankly, it might be a good short as the Street may not wise up as to its problems for a while.

In today’s edition of The Goldman Guide we have 4 important points of interest:

1. See why what we call The Marijuana Bowl, otherwise known as the upcoming Super Bowl will have some investors that follow The Super Bowl Indicator for stocks, spooked. Plus, see why the news really isn’t all bad, if you just lift up the hood and look at the indicator’s numbers.
2. President Obama said that marijuana is not as dangerous as alcohol and clearly all medical marijuana companies are loving life as a result. This sector and stocks related to it are thus primed to remain high for a while, especially given the Super Bowl’s participants and the heavy dose of marijuana press that will result from it.
3. There are 5 reasons to buy NASDAQ-listed RMCF which is a combination of a valuation, Valentine’s Day, marijuana, dividend, and earnings announcement play. FYI, our pick last week quickly rose 19% and RMCF could see similar returns over the next few weeks.
4. Finally, we are introducing a new, unnamed mystery contributor sure to make you laugh or scream.

We are two weeks into the New Year and with few exceptions the market appears to be directionless. Overall volume is not really a concern but a poor start to the early earnings season or reduced expectations could crack the fragile state of stocks. See why the market is telling you to avoid retail stock at all costs and why speculators are all over the biotech space right now. Nonetheless, the current macro and market situation tell us why tech stocks are the place to be. To make due diligence easier, we highlight a sub-$5 NASDAQ – listed tech stock that made a big move last week but is set to keep on truckin’.

Some investors are already fretting about the stock market’s direction. We are not concerned and you should not be, either. After all, our industry themes such s 2013 stocks out of favor, health care plays and industrials are making moves higher.

Looking to generate string January returns? Today, we highlight 3 unique plays to accomplish this objective.

1. A tech play where the CEO bought $2.5M worth of shares 10 days ago at a price 16% higher.  Buying such a large amount at year-end is a great indicator of the stock’s real value and readers would be wise to consider it.
2. One niche, nascent industry is under big accumulation and it looks like it finally has some legs. Stocks in the space carry great risk but could offer great short term rewards.
3. This industrial stock has traded higher on huge volume, reached a new high, but still trades at a pittance, compared to its price/revenue multiple.

We are in the midst of the famous January Effect and given its strong start, investors should look for big moves in small caps to continue well into the month of January. In this week’s issue we take a close look at Bitcoins and the lone stock that serves as a proxy for the Bitcoin market and appears to be a strong NASDAQ play that has huge upside.

Today we provide our top-year end listed stock pick that leverages one of the most important industry themes for 2014. The stock is strong thematically, fundamentally and technically, and closed at its year high on Friday.

We have only 16 trading days left in the year and some really good values and small cap buys abound, particularly 3 stocks that are former 30-30 winners. They include 1 gaming stock, an Asian-based tech stock that should nearly double EPS next year, and a well-known retail name. Plus, we highlight a stock that ran like crazy for all of the wrong reasons on Friday that could crumble and crash.

Recent events in particular have prompted real concerns about the stock market’s direction and what potential events could torpedo the current rise. We remain bullish on stocks’ prospects but are admittedly worried that the government will ruin the party for everyone with its economic, domestic and foreign policy gaffes. See how the government’s mistakes may cost you money next year.

There may be a seemingly endless series of negative articles and stories about Obamacare. Nonetheless, you and other investors could be direct or indirect beneficiaries of changes in the law’s implementation. Read on to see how and what stock in particular could be in play.