Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing

Real Estate Trends We're Watching FedEx CEO Fred Smith may not fit the traditional definition of "Visionary CEO" that we've come to accept, but he saw an industry where none previously existed. (00:20) Jason Moser discusses: - McCormick's 1st-quarter results being fueled by the B2B part of the company - Why executives are optimistic about the rest of the fiscal year - Fred Smith stepping down afte...

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Academy Awards. That single moment overshadowed everything else during the event, including how a single award altered the landscape for streaming video businesses. (00:20) Tim Beyers discusses: - Ripple effects of Apple becoming the 1st streaming service to win Best Picture - Overall spending on content increasing  - How things are going today at the o...

Looking to brush up your language skills when it comes to financial stocks? Motley Fool senior analyst Jason Moser and Matthew Frankel dive deep into the metrics they use to judge financial companies, and provide comparison guidelines for investors to watch. They discuss: - Why the P/E ratio is less important than you may think - The nuance of judging a bank’s efficiency - One metric to watch for...

Before the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday, we're taking a closer look at the battle between streaming services and some of the bitter rivalries in entertainment history.  Chris Hill is joined by Maria Gallagher, Catie Peiper, and Mac Greer, as they discuss: - The Academy’s tenuous relationship with Netflix and other streamers - Warner Brothers' history of trying to recreate Disney’s magic - Unexpec...

The S&P 500 rose for the 2nd week in a row, giving investors more reasons for optimism. Are we the only ones who believe the narrative for investors is shifting away from fear and towards increasing confidence? (0:45) Jason Moser and Andy Cross discuss investor sentiment, as well as: - Google striking an app-store deal with Spotify - Uber teaming up with New York City taxis - Reports that Apple is...

If you think Chairman Powell and some of the Federal Reserve governors are sounding more hawkish, you're not alone. (00:18) John Rotonti discusses: - Why investors should expect more interest rate hikes this year - The increasing attractiveness of companies with pricing power and strong ROIC - Balancing growth stocks with profitable businesses that can self-fund their operations - Three stocks he...

Offering guidance to Wall Street analysts can be a tricky proposition. There are downsides to being either too vague or too specific. (00:22) Tim Beyers discusses: - Adobe's 1st-quarter results and the $75 million hit to its business in Russia and Belarus - How worried Okta's corporate customers should be - Why no one should expect Okta's public communications on its recent security breach to be h...

If you want to soothe supply chain woes, try cutting out the middleman. Nike’s direct-to-consumer sales now make up more than 40% of the company’s revenue. (00:18) Auri Hughes joins Asit Sharma to discuss: - Nike’s earnings beat and global strategy - Okta’s hack, and what it means for the cybersecurity company - How rising fertilizer prices could cause wider-spread inflation.   (10:44) Alison Sout...

After six years Warren Buffett finally pulled the trigger. Berkshire-Hathaway is buying insurance company Alleghany for $11.6 billion. (0:20) Jason Moser analyzes: - The reaction from investors - Berkshire-Hathaway's increased exposure to the insurance industry - Potential for another acquisition in the next few years - Buffett's patience and relentless focus on price, and what it can teach all in...

Few people know Instagram better than Bloomberg News tech reporter Sarah Frier. Author of the award-winning book No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram, she talked with Ricky Mulvey about: - How parent company Meta Platforms affects Instagram’s user experience today - CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s role in company acquisitions - The company’s shift into the metaverse Want more background on investing in...

You probably can’t meet with the CEO of a company on your watch list, but you have some tools to evaluate them. Motley Fool Senior Analyst John Rotonti talks with fellow analysts Auri Hughes and Alyce Lomax about how to spot great business leaders. We also break into our archives to share a 2012 interview with former Costco CEO Jim Sinegal. Both conversations discuss: - Identifying great corporate...

For the first time since 2018 the Federal Reserve raised interest rates. Not only did everyone survive, but investors actually seemed to embrace the first of what will probably be several rate hikes this year. (0:45) Ron Gross and Jason Moser discuss the impact on the stock market, as well as: - GameStop's 4th-quarter loss - FedEx weathering challenges to get through its latest quarter - Williams-...

Russia's stock market was supposed to open this week. Even if you don't own Russian stocks directly, you may own them through global funds or ETFs.  (0:20) Bill Mann discusses: - How Russia's market remained closed - Potential for Russia to default on its debt - The one thing every U.S. investor should do if they have exposure to Russian stocks - Chinese stocks suddenly rebounding on comments from...

Kevin Johnson surprises almost everyone by announcing his retirement, with Howard Schultz returning (again) to run Starbucks. (0:20) Jason Moser discusses: - The company's board of directors taking their time in searching for the next permanent CEO - Why Walgreens' CEO Roz Brewer should be at the top of the board's list of candidates - Starbucks' plan to reduce the use of disposable cups by 2025 (...

The SEC is threatening to delist several U.S.-listed ADRs of Chinese companies. What does this mean for American investors? (0:20) Bill Mann discusses: - Why China's government is happy with the SEC's threat - How a quick and easy end to this impasse is difficult to see - How the NCAA basketball tournament can help your approach to investing better - Why hoops programs with a history of winning re...

It's nice (among other things) to see that even investing legends like Warren Buffett face skepticism from shareholders. (0:20) Jason Moser discusses: - A Berkshire-Hathaway shareholder proposal to have Buffett be replaced as chairman - Focusing on numbers instead of a company's story - Comcast getting into live sports in a bigger way - The "sports media rights" bubble remaining firmly intact (16:...

Best-selling author Ben Mezrich has captured the attention of millions of readers with his true-life books about Facebook ("The Accidental Billionaires") and Las Vegas ("Bringing Down The House"). In this conversation with Dylan Lewis he revisits his 2015 book “Once Upon a Time in Russia” to talk about the rise of the oligarch and his experiences with Russia’s billionaire class. They discuss: - Th...

A company's financials are more than just a set of numbers. They can tell a story that helps us understand the core of a business and where its growth opportunity lies. John Rotonti talks with fellow Motley Fool senior analyst Auri Hughes about the financials to watch before putting your money into a publicly traded company. They discuss: - Profit drivers in a company’s balance sheet - The portion...

Last month is was Alphabet. This week Amazon became the latest mega-cap company to announce a 20-for-1 stock split. (0:45) Ron Gross and Jason Moser discuss how Amazon, without changing their underlying businesses, has found a way to strengthen ties with one of their key stakeholders (employees), as well as: - DocuSign's strengthening business in the face of a declining share price - Enthusiasm fo...

That's how Bill Mann describes the importance of the oil & gas industry in Russia. (0:20) As we take stock of where we are at this moment, Bill discusses: - Ripple effects for European countries - Whether seizing property of Western companies would spell the end of foreign investment in Russia - Why Energy Secretary Granholm's recent comments give him hope - Rising raw material costs affecting com...

The hour-long event gave Apple the chance to highlight multiple upgrades to their devices, but some were more noteworthy than others. (0:20) Tim Beyers discusses: - How the new iPhone SE indicates Apple's unwillingness to cede market share to anyone - Pricing the Max Studio desktop for a small consumer base - The "super chip" powering the Max Studio - Live sports being added to Apple+ - Netflix ta...

On this day in 2002, The Motley Fool launched its first subscription service: Stock Advisor. To celebrate we're not breaking out champagne and cake. Instead, we've gathered three members from our investing team (Andy Cross, Asit Sharma, Emily Flippen) to share some of the most important lessons learned over the past two decades, including: - The idea that sometimes the best place for new money is...

Before you buy that stock, have you thought about why you're buying it? It can help (in part, for future reference) to go through the process of writing out your investment thesis. (0:25) Jason Moser discusses: - Recognizing short-term catalysts - Why home improvement is "one of the most obvious long-term trends out there" - Travel and return-to-work being two trends worth watching (15:45) Using l...

Motley Fool co-founder and CEO Tom Gardner interviews Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy, an enterprise software and business intelligence company. Saylor has put billions of his company’s money into Bitcoin and hundreds-of-millions of his personal wealth into the cryptocurrency. They discuss: - Bitcoin as a hedge against an increasing money supply - Environmental implications of mining cryptocu...

Buying any stock starts with an idea, but where do you find them? Consider this a starting spot for investors. John Rotonti talks with fellow Motley Fool analysts Auri Hughes and Yasser El-Shimy in a discussion about finding stock ideas and what to look for once you've found them. They discuss: - Using 3rd-party research tools to discover new companies. - What to look for in investor letters and 1...