The Dogs of the Dow is a well-known trading strategy. There are a number of variations, but last year I explained how to use call options to capture triple-digit gains from the Dogs. The results are now in for 2013, and a $1,089 investment grew to over $3,000 with my… Read More
Amber Hestla is Lead Investment Strategist behind Profitable Trading's Income Trader, Profit Amplifier and Maximum Income. She specializes in generating income using options strategies that minimize risk by applying skills she learned on military deployments and intelligence training to the markets.
While deployed overseas with the military, Amber learned the importance of analyzing data to forecast what is likely to happen in the future, a skill she now applies to financial markets. Prior to that, Amber studied risk management working undercover. While risk management is no longer a matter of life and death, she believes it is the most important factor in long-term trading success.
And although she makes her living in the markets, she continues to study the markets and trading daily. Her writing has been featured in trading magazines including the Market Technicians Association newsletter, Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities and Stocks, Futures and Options in the United States, and Shares, a weekly trading magazine published in the United Kingdom.
Analyst Articles
The S&P 500 has been on fire in 2013 — up an impressive 24%. But the question I’m getting the most from readers right now is, “Is the market about to correct?” And judging by the action over the past two weeks, it’s for good reason. The S&P 500 shed… Read More
Wall Street is famous for creating new products. Sometimes, these products prove to be disastrous, like derivatives on subprime mortgages were in 2008. At other times, new products turn out to be beneficial to individual investors. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are an example of a Wall Street innovation that helped individual… Read More
Warren Buffett has been a source of wisdom for many investors. Every year, Buffett shares some of his investment philosophy in the Chairman’s Letter of the annual report for Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B). Among the many important lessons he has provided over the years is the advice to only invest… Read More
Being prepared for a bear market takes many forms. In some cases, it can become an obsession. Some investors always seem to be looking for a market top and forecasting a major decline is only days away. While there have been two significant bear markets since 2000, these investors have… Read More
For 41 weeks in a row, the options trades I’ve recommended to my Income Trader readers have been profitable. And on average, my readers are collecting 7.5% Instant Income every 48 days. And so far, we’re 33 for 33 when it comes to closed trades. How am I doing it?… Read More
For 41 weeks in a row, the options trades I’ve recommended to my Income Trader readers have been profitable. And on average, my readers are collecting 7.5% Instant Income every 48 days. And so far, we’re 33 for 33 when it comes to closed trades. How am I doing it?… Read More
News seems to create volatility in the stock market. Statements from the Federal Reserve, for example, can lead to large price moves. For individual companies, earnings announcements or news about their sector can lead to volatility in prices. Volatility can help or hurt investors. Traders tend to like stocks with… Read More
Income investors often set a minimum dividend yield as a requirement for their buy decisions. That eliminates a number of stocks from consideration. This requirement could also increase market risk since it tends to limit investments to just a few sectors. A diversified portfolio should hold more than large drug… Read More
Bear markets are as inevitable as bull markets. Unfortunately, neither market holds to a predictable schedule. The next bear market could start tomorrow, or a year from now, or maybe not for five years. While this might seem like it makes it impossible to prepare for a bear market, the… Read More
Over the long term, value stocks tend to be winners. There are a number of ways to define value. My preferred approach is to use the PEG ratio. This metric compares the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio to the earnings growth rate. A PEG ratio of 1 indicates the P/E ratio is… Read More
Over the long term, value stocks tend to be winners. There are a number of ways to define value. My preferred approach is to use the PEG ratio. This metric compares the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio to the earnings growth rate. A PEG ratio of 1 indicates the P/E ratio is… Read More