And you can find such stocks in lists like the IBD 50, Sector Leaders, IBD Big Cap 20, IBD Long-Term Leaders, and IPO Leaders. For example, fast-growing semiconductor designer and artificial intelligence (AI) stock Nvidia was featured on the IBD 50 before it surged 750%. And Apple has been featured on various IBD lists as it has made big moves in recent years. While, of course, not every stock featured on an IBD list will make the type of moves that Nvidia and Apple have made, it does show why it pays to regularly update your list of stocks to watch using these S&P 500-beating screens.
Choosing the right stock can be a fool's errand, but investing in high-quality stocks such as blue chips and dividend-yielding ones are often good strategies. One reason investors opt for blue chips is because of the potential for growth and stability and because they produce dividends - these include companies such as Microsoft (ticker: MSFT), Coca-Cola Co. (KO) and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG). Coco-Cola, for example, generates a dividend of 2.9%, and the stock is less volatile as its share price has hovered between $44 and $55 during the past 52 weeks. Dividends can generate much-needed income for investors, especially higher-dividend ones.
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When you buy a stock, you should have a good reason for doing so and an expectation of what the price will do if the reason is valid. At the same time, you should establish the point at which you will liquidate your holdings, especially if your reason is proven invalid or if the stock doesn’t react as expected when your expectation has been met. In other words, have an exit strategy before you buy the security and execute that strategy unemotionally.