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MarketWatch rounds up 10 of its most interesting topics over the past week.
1. You might regret taking Social Security early
Whether you decide to receive payments early or later, the Social Security Administration expects to pay you roughly the same amount of money, based on life expectancy data. But people who take Social Security payments early are far more likely to wind up impoverished.
2. What have we learned from Equifax’s failure to protect consumer data?
It has been a year since Equifax EFX, -0.02% disclosed a data breach that affected well over 100 million people. Here are lessons learned, advice to keep your data safe and industry developments.
More on Equifax and protecting your personal financial data:
As the bull market gets longer in the tooth, dividend stocks can cut your risk
Here’s a list beaten-down stocks of companies paying high dividends that are well supported by cash flow. Meanwhile, Tim McIntosh predicts long-term interest rates will pull back from here, providing support to prices of real estate trusts and other stocks with high dividend yields.
4. This is how President Trump has been good for the environment
Meredith Jones — MarketWatch’s new columnist covering ESG investing (which considers companies’ environmental and social policies and the quality of corporate governance) — explains how investors have reacted to President Trump’s policies.
5. Stock alternatives to Nike
Shares of many companies that make expensive leisure equipment or athletic apparel are cyclical, which means that accelerating economic growth and low unemployment may be a “buy” signal. Highflying Nike NKE, -0.01% dominates headlines in the leisure space, but here are seven stocks that might be excellent alternatives.
Nike coverage:
6. Worried about midterm elections?
Control over the House of Representatives is in play, making this midterm election seasons exciting for political junkies. The S&P 500 index SPX, -0.18% has returned 40% since Donald Trump was elected president in November 2016 with Republican majorities in the House and the Senate. If you are concerned as an investor about Trump’s potential loss of support, read this.
7. Momentum stocks keep driving the market…
The trend for big-name technology stocks to lead the market continues, with the exception of Facebook FB, -0.10% Here’s a look at the stock market’s best strategy of recent years and its risks.
8.…Or is it a tech bubble bursting?
A decline in technology stocks has led to the worst decline since March for the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -0.08%
More on a possibly overheated tech stocks:
9. Careful with smokin’ stocks
Marijuana stocks have the potential to be an explosive area for investors who get in early on a trend of increasing legalization. Cannabis industry stocks are rallying, but investors need to be careful and avoid scams.
10. Virtual reality and internet freedom
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Philip van Doorn covers various investment and industry topics. He has previously worked as a senior analyst at TheStreet.com. He also has experience in community banking and as a credit analyst at the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.
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