Head "South of the Border" for a Cool 40% Gain

You owe me a hug... February 3, 2015 Archives | Unsubscribe     Head "South of the Border" for a Cool 40% Gain   You owe me a hug... A new burger in town Plus: The definition of insanity   Greg Guenthner coming to you from Baltimore, MD... "Hi, can I have a super-size Big Mac combo meal, please?" "OK, sir, that'll be one selfie and two hugs. Drive around to the next window, please." Huh? Yeah, well, starting this week, McDonalds is accepting a new form of payment. No, it's not bitcoin, kids. I'm talking about some kind of marketing stunt here... In a sickeningly sweet Super Bowl ad, McDonalds claims it will "let some customers pay for their food with different forms of what McDonald' s calls 'lovin', which could include selfies and hugs," explains Business Insider. Appropriately enough, this gimmick runs until Valentine's Day. But it won't be enough to turn things around for the fast food giant, and we've got our sights trained on the next "fast food" king... OK, I admit this lovey-dovey McDonald's campaign made me nearly toss my nachos--and not just because of how ridiculous and sappy it is. If you've been paying attention over the past year, you know I've been grilling Mickey D's over its terrible performance and absurd business strategy in a world where fresh, organic food is taking the casual dining and fast-food segments by storm. Umm...Mom? Can we please just eat lunch now? Even the folks at McDonalds have admitted that challenges in their business are "more formidable than expected." Yeah, no kidding. And it's not just healthy food that's pushing its way into McDonald's turf. A popular little burger stand called Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK) just IPO'd last week. Before the offering went live, folks were expecting this one to price around $14. But guess what? Shares screamed past $50 when they hit the open market Friday. That's completely insane, of course (and I don't think you should run out and buy SHAK at these levels). But it goes to show you just how powerful the anti-McDonalds trade is right now. I don't care that McDonalds has a new CEO now. Or that they have a flashy new ad campaign. Unless new management can somehow completely erase the old-school fast-food stigma, this stock won't ever show investors returns like it did back during its golden age. Oh, and if you think the lines are too long at Chipotle today, just wait a couple of years. The made-to-order, high-quality, "make-your-own-choice" fast food model is just getting started. But hey, if you can spare a selfie and a hug or two, you might want to head over to Mickey D's for some free grub.         [Free Book] You have no idea what you can get away with First-class seats on a free flight (to your dream location)... Free VIP treatment on a tropical cruise... Free ways to make money in your spare time... And much more. Click here to learn how to claim your free copy now.           Rude Numbers Targets, Predictions and Wild Guesses   196 points were added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Monday. Let's see if the market can post gains two days in a row... $51.10 buys a barrel of oil today. Crude is rocketing higher, posting its first meaningful rally in months... $1,281 is where you'll find gold futures this morning. The yellow metal is up about $4 in early trading... $2.58 is the price of copper this morning. Even poor ol' Dr. Copper is catching a bid today. It's up 3.5% on the day... 2,025 marks the spot for S&P futures before the morning bell. Stocks are looking to open in the green today...     Rude Trends When to Buy... When to Sell   "What you had to say today made a lot of sense to me," a reader says regarding yesterday's plea to slow down your trading in this choppy market. "I have been doing way to much option trading and not doing too well. Your 'don't lose, don't lose, don't lose and slow down' advice is maybe the kick in the butt that I needed right now." Glad you're keeping it together after a tough few weeks. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting to get different results. When our trading strategies begin to fail, it's always a good idea to take a step back from the market action to try and figure out what the heck's going wrong. It's almost impossible to force trades (successful ones, at least). Let's take what the market gives us and go from there... [Ed. Note: Send your feedback here: rude@agorafinancial.com - and follow me on Twitter: @GregGuenthner]     Ignore At Your Own Peril Today's Must Read Links   World's Most Valuable Tech Companies for 21-Cents? Ex-corporate Banker Reveals Wall Street's Secret Code Invest Alongside the Queen [must read]     BE SURE TO ADD rude@agorafinancial.com to your address book.       Additional Articles & Commentary: Join the conversation! Follow us on social media:         The Rude Awakening is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We do not rent or share your email address. By submitting your email address, you consent to Agora Financial delivering daily email issues and advertisements. To end your Rude Awakening e-mail subscription and associated external offers sent from The Rude Awakening, click here. Please read our Privacy Statement. For any further comments or concerns please email us at rude@agorafinancial.com. If you are you having trouble receiving your Rude Awakening subscription, you can ensure its arrival in your mailbox by whitelisting The Rude Awakening. © 2015 Agora Financial, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. 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