Novichok nerve agents are deadly chemical weapons developed by Russian scientists. These are binary compounds meaning they can made by combining two compounds that are safe to handle and can be made on demand. Exactly how lethal these agents are unknown. There are antidotes to these agents.
The below infographic shows that Novichok agents are and their effects on humans:
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Source: Compound Interest
When investing in stocks it is important to consider if a company is paying a dividend or not. Dividend payers are relatively safer than non-dividend payers. Well established and profitable firms usually pay a dividend. Unlike other numbers that can easily be manipulated using financial magic dividends usually come out of profits are hard to fudge. While many companies pay dividends, those that raise it year after year are even better for the long-term. Dividend raisers are cream of the crop. Not all firms that pay out dividends can manage to increase them consistently over many years.So investors looking for relatively stable growth with decent yields have to seriously consider adding consistent dividend raisers. With that said, the following table shows 10 dividend raising companies with 9 of them from the US and 1 from Canada.
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Source: International share swaps: 12 alternatives to UK shares, Money Observer
Of the stocks listed above, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has increased dividend 56 years, a truly great achievement to say the least. Other such as Verizon(VZ), AT&T (T), Exxon Mobile(XOM), etc. are also excellent blue chip stocks that deliver above average yields to investors consistently. Canadian telecom giant(TU) is also a good choice.
Disclosure: No Positions
Corporate taxes have been falling many developed countries for years. The following chart shows the decline of corporate tax rates in major developed countries from 1998 thru 2018. The UK has the lowest rate and is projected to fall to 17% in 2020.
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Source:Tax War: Will Global Competition to Lower Taxes Lift Growth?, Schwab
Investing in stocks risks just like many other asset classes. Stocks can go up or down for any number of reasons. In a bull market, equities go high and higher for many months or years in a row. The same thing occurs in the other direction in bear market. The duration of a bull or a bear market varies every time. If a bear market drags on for years then an investor that needs to take out their capital from the market may be in a difficult situation. Selling stocks when markets are down can lead to substantial losses. I came across the following infographic that shows:
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Source: Charles Schwab