PowerTalk
Welcome to another edition of PowerTalk. I’m your host Chris Versace, editor of the investment newsletter PowerTrend Profits and portfolio manager of the Thematic Growth Portfolio at Fabian Wealth Strategies, and these are my 1-1 conversations with the movers and shakers in the business world that take you behind the scenes and in the know. Be sure to check out ChrisVersace.com for more on PowerTrends and past editions of PowerTalk as we'll as FabianWealth.com for more on my Thematic Growth Portfolio.
 
Over the last year we’ve had a number of guests on PowerTalk to discuss the growing threat of cybersecurity. We’ve approached it from a number angles, but no matter how you slice it — we all know the threat of cyber attacks are growing as we become an increasingly connected society. 
 
This week on PowerTalk, we’re getting a different perspective on cyber attacks. No,’m not talking with anyone from Anonymous or another known hacking group. Rather, I’m talking with NSFOCUS, an enterprise grade network security company that is headquartered in Beijing, China. Now, much like me when I was first introduced to the company, you’re probably wondering “based in China?”  “Hasn’t that been a source of attacks?” and the like. Those were my first thoughts as well. 
 
With operations in United States, Japan, Europe, China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East serving telecom carriers, data centers, financial companies, and Internet companies, I was curious about NSFOCUS. I thought they could offer a different perspective that could prove insightful. And it did. 
 
Joining me on the program from NSFOCUS is Frank Ip, Vice President of US Operations for the company. During our time together, Frank addresses the notion of “it’s just China” and points out that in order to really address the threat of cyber attacks, the private sector as well as cyber and network security companies need to come together rather than rely on government sponsored efforts. 
 
We also talk about NSFOCUS are of expertise and its Anti-DDoS System (ADS) that helps customers find and fend off a wide variety of attacks, from simple network layer attacks to more sophisticated and potentially damaging application-layer attacks; all while letting legitimate traffic get through to critical systems. 
Direct download: 02-25-14_NSFocusPOWERTALK.mp3
Category:security -- posted at: 11:53am EDT

 
Welcome to another edition of PowerTalk. I’m your host Chris Versace, editor of the investment newsletter PowerTrend Profits and portfolio manager of the Thematic Growth Portfolio at Fabian Wealth Strategies, and these are my 1-1 conversations with the movers and shakers in the business world that take you behind the scenes and in the know. Be sure to check out ChrisVersace.com for more on PowerTrends and past editions of PowerTalk as we'll as FabianWealth.com for more on my Thematic Growth Portfolio.
 
It seems that no matter where you look today, someone you know is on a smartphone or tablet:
 
  • Checking email, sending a message or a tweet on Twitter (TWTR) or taking a selfie to upload on Facebook (FB)
  • Trading stocks on TD Ameritrade (AMTD), paying bills or depositing a check or two to Bank of America (BAC) or Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (BBVA).
  • Streaming a movie on Netflix (NFLX),  shopping on Amazon (AMZN), downloading a game or getting directions
  • They may even be making a phone call or a video call via Microsoft’s (MSFT) Skype or Apple’s (AAPL) FaceTime 
 
When you think about it, it is pretty amazing how mobile technology has transformed our lives.
 
What’s even more amazing is that the change we have seen thus far has really been due to three devices — the mobile phone, the smart phone and the more recently the tablet. 
 
When I take a step back and see how increasingly reliant we are on mobile technology , it looks more and more akin to electricity or water…it’s booming a greater part of out lives and you can’t live without it. That makes mobile a key cornerstone of my Always On, Always Connected PowerTrend
 
Joining me on PowerTalk to talk about the state of the mobile industry today and where it’s headed is longtime friend Bill Davidson from Qualcomm, Inc. (QCOM), a key technology company in the mobile revolution. Bill is a Senior Vice President of Strategy and Operations at Qualcomm Technologies and he also heads up Qualcomm’s Investor Relations. I’ve know Bill for more than a decade and I’ve found him to be a fountain of information and insight over the years. During our conversation, we talk about the existing mobile markets and why there is plenty of growth left in smartphones and tablets. We also discuss a number of the up and coming mobile markets — The Connected Car, The Connected Home, wearables, mHealth, mobile payments and more. With all of these new markets coming on stream, you’re right to think that this will put a huge burden on mobile operators like Verizon, AT&T and others, but as Bill shares Qualcomm is already tackling that particular pain point. 
 
After today’s PowerTalk that truly takes you behind the scenes and in the know when it comes to mobile and to Qualcomm, you’ll see that we are still only in the early innings of the mobile revolution.
 
Disclosure: Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) shares were recommended to subscribers of my investment newsletter PowerTrend Profits last April at $64.01
Direct download: 02-17-14_QUALCOMMPOWERTALK.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:33am EDT

Live From The NYSE With Keith Bliss -- What's Next For Stocks Other Than Volatility?

 

Welcome to another edition of PowerTalk. I’m your host Chris Versace, editor of the investment newsletter PowerTrend Profits and portfolio manager of the Thematic Growth Portfolio at Fabian Wealth Strategies, and these are my 1-1 conversations with the movers and shakers in the business world that take you behind the scenes and in the know. Be sure to check out ChrisVersace.com for more on PowerTrends and past editions of PowerTalk as we'll as FabianWealth.com for more on my Thematic Growth Portfolio.

 

I think it’s very fair to say the start to the stock market in 2014 has caught many by surprise with its sharp move lower in late January. I talked all about with you last week when I shared my PowerTalk conversation with Lou Dobbs with you.

 

We’ve seen some life in the stock market since then and even though the stock market may snap back on a technical basis, economic and industry growth concerns remain and that combination will make for a more challenging stock market in 2014 compared to 2013. The strong stock market in 2013 meant it was hard for investors to go wrong, but as we are seeing 2014 is setting up to be a very different stock market….more of a stock pickers market. 

 

Joining me on PowerTalk this week to discuss the recent pullback in the stock market and where it is likely to head both near-term and longer term is my good friend Keith Bliss. Keith is a Senior Vice President at Cuttone & Company, the floor broker with the largest operation at the New York Stock Exchange. I've known Keith for many years now and this is the kind of conversation that he and I have on a more than periodic basis. It’s an inside baseball conversation about the stock market and I think you’ll find it very timely.

 

As Keith points out, investors will be dealing will volatility in the stock market as the Federal Reserve continues to taper its stimulative QE efforts. Alongside that…economic data, corporate commentary and other tea leaves will determine the direction of the stock market. After talking with Keith, I think you will be more than surprised by what he has to say.

 

That said, we both agree there are pockets of opportunity to be had -- pain points such as cyber security and the current drought situation as well as opportunities, such as the intersection of mobile, the Internet and computing that is reshaping industries and business models around us. Keith and I also discuss a looming pain point in the US  - this increasingly older US population that is looking like it will not have enough retirement savings to last its golden years. Data from a number of sources reveals 44% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, the average 401K balance is only 64,000 and the payroll to population ratio in January was just 42%. 

 

 

Make no mistake, there will be some long-term pain felt. The question you should be asking yourself is how do YOU profit from it?

Direct download: Square_PowerTalk_Logo.jpg
Category:general -- posted at: 10:41pm EDT

Welcome to another edition of PowerTalk. I’m your host Chris Versace, editor of the investment newsletter PowerTrend Profits and portfolio manager of the Thematic Growth Portfolio at Fabian Wealth Strategies, and these are my 1-1 conversations with the movers and shakers in the business world that take you behind the scenes and in the know. Be sure to check out ChrisVersace.com for more on PowerTrends and past editions of PowerTalk as we'll as FabianWealth.com for more on my Thematic Growth Portfolio.

It’s been a rough time of late - questions are being raised about growth prospects, both for the global economy and the stock market. We’ve had more companies issue negative outlooks than we have had in some time while the latest round of economic data has been weaker than expected. All of this has taken a toll on the major stock market indices leaving the Dow Jones Industrial Average down over a 1,000 points from where it was just two weeks ago. Also down big are the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite Index. At times like these I’m looking at investment opportunities that solve looming pain points be it in cybersecurity, drought, or other areas. You can sit back and be frustrated or you can look at the situation with the glass half full and look for opportunities that will bring you long-term profits. 

Joining me today on PowerTalk is a person who really needs little to no introduction. He’s an anchor on Fox Business as well as a New York Times best-selling author. That’s right, today I’m talking with Loud Dobbs! 

Many of you know him from Lou Dobbs Tonight,  where he dissects the latest on politics, the economy, business and other topics. We’ll be touching on a number of those topics on PowerTalk today as well Lou’s new book - Upheaval. 

With the tag line “winning back the country with knowledge that empowers, ideas that matter and solutions that work” you know it’s going to not only be a timely read, but since its from Lou Dobbs it’s a great one as well. Full of facts and figures that will probably surprise you and challenge at least some of the conventional thinking that you’ve been programmed to believe. 

It was a pleasure talking with Lou, he’s both a gentlemen and a scholar. More importantly, his viewpoint is similar to the one I was talking about a little while ago — not just the glass half full, but one that looks for answers and solutions to the problems we face….solutions to the coming upheaval.

Direct download: 02-04-14_DOBBSPOWERTALK.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:10pm EDT

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