SPDN: An Inexpensive Way To Profit When The S&P 500 Falls

Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio

By Rob Isbitts

Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.

The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.

SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.

Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.

Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense

Segment: Inverse Equity

Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500

Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)

Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)

Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.

Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.

Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.

Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.

Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.

Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy

Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy

Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.

ETF Investment Opinion

SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.

Alternative Financing Vs. Venture Capital: Which Option Is Best for Boosting Working Capital?

There are several potential financing options available to cash-strapped businesses that need a healthy dose of working capital. A bank loan or line of credit is often the first option that owners think of – and for businesses that qualify, this may be the best option.

In today’s uncertain business, economic and regulatory environment, qualifying for a bank loan can be difficult – especially for start-up companies and those that have experienced any type of financial difficulty. Sometimes, owners of businesses that don’t qualify for a bank loan decide that seeking venture capital or bringing on equity investors are other viable options.

But are they really? While there are some potential benefits to bringing venture capital and so-called “angel” investors into your business, there are drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, owners sometimes don’t think about these drawbacks until the ink has dried on a contract with a venture capitalist or angel investor – and it’s too late to back out of the deal.

Different Types of Financing

One problem with bringing in equity investors to help provide a working capital boost is that working capital and equity are really two different types of financing.

Working capital – or the money that is used to pay business expenses incurred during the time lag until cash from sales (or accounts receivable) is collected – is short-term in nature, so it should be financed via a short-term financing tool. Equity, however, should generally be used to finance rapid growth, business expansion, acquisitions or the purchase of long-term assets, which are defined as assets that are repaid over more than one 12-month business cycle.

But the biggest drawback to bringing equity investors into your business is a potential loss of control. When you sell equity (or shares) in your business to venture capitalists or angels, you are giving up a percentage of ownership in your business, and you may be doing so at an inopportune time. With this dilution of ownership most often comes a loss of control over some or all of the most important business decisions that must be made.

Sometimes, owners are enticed to sell equity by the fact that there is little (if any) out-of-pocket expense. Unlike debt financing, you don’t usually pay interest with equity financing. The equity investor gains its return via the ownership stake gained in your business. But the long-term “cost” of selling equity is always much higher than the short-term cost of debt, in terms of both actual cash cost as well as soft costs like the loss of control and stewardship of your company and the potential future value of the ownership shares that are sold.

Alternative Financing Solutions

But what if your business needs working capital and you don’t qualify for a bank loan or line of credit? Alternative financing solutions are often appropriate for injecting working capital into businesses in this situation. Three of the most common types of alternative financing used by such businesses are:

1. Full-Service Factoring – Businesses sell outstanding accounts receivable on an ongoing basis to a commercial finance (or factoring) company at a discount. The factoring company then manages the receivable until it is paid. Factoring is a well-established and accepted method of temporary alternative finance that is especially well-suited for rapidly growing companies and those with customer concentrations.

2. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Financing – A/R financing is an ideal solution for companies that are not yet bankable but have a stable financial condition and a more diverse customer base. Here, the business provides details on all accounts receivable and pledges those assets as collateral. The proceeds of those receivables are sent to a lockbox while the finance company calculates a borrowing base to determine the amount the company can borrow. When the borrower needs money, it makes an advance request and the finance company advances money using a percentage of the accounts receivable.

3. Asset-Based Lending (ABL) – This is a credit facility secured by all of a company’s assets, which may include A/R, equipment and inventory. Unlike with factoring, the business continues to manage and collect its own receivables and submits collateral reports on an ongoing basis to the finance company, which will review and periodically audit the reports.

In addition to providing working capital and enabling owners to maintain business control, alternative financing may provide other benefits as well:

It’s easy to determine the exact cost of financing and obtain an increase.
Professional collateral management can be included depending on the facility type and the lender.
Real-time, online interactive reporting is often available.
It may provide the business with access to more capital.
It’s flexible – financing ebbs and flows with the business’ needs.
It’s important to note that there are some circumstances in which equity is a viable and attractive financing solution. This is especially true in cases of business expansion and acquisition and new product launches – these are capital needs that are not generally well suited to debt financing. However, equity is not usually the appropriate financing solution to solve a working capital problem or help plug a cash-flow gap.

A Precious Commodity

Remember that business equity is a precious commodity that should only be considered under the right circumstances and at the right time. When equity financing is sought, ideally this should be done at a time when the company has good growth prospects and a significant cash need for this growth. Ideally, majority ownership (and thus, absolute control) should remain with the company founder(s).

Alternative financing solutions like factoring, A/R financing and ABL can provide the working capital boost many cash-strapped businesses that don’t qualify for bank financing need – without diluting ownership and possibly giving up business control at an inopportune time for the owner. If and when these companies become bankable later, it’s often an easy transition to a traditional bank line of credit. Your banker may be able to refer you to a commercial finance company that can offer the right type of alternative financing solution for your particular situation.

Taking the time to understand all the different financing options available to your business, and the pros and cons of each, is the best way to make sure you choose the best option for your business. The use of alternative financing can help your company grow without diluting your ownership. After all, it’s your business – shouldn’t you keep as much of it as possible?

How to Know the Best Network Marketing Company

Without any doubt if you are an advocate of financial freedom or a person open to new business opportunities, chances are you have heard about multi-level marketing (MLM), direct selling, or network marketing business opportunity and your problem is to know the best network marketing company to join as there’re varieties to choose from.You may probably have an image firmly planted in your mind of what network marketing is, based on the seemingly endless debate over whether these companies and programs are legitimate business opportunities or not. You may have been in the industry for some time, shifting from one company to the other searching for the best company to join.This article will give you the real scoop about network marketing and how to know the best company to join in MLM. I strongly believe that the entire industry is poised for explosive growth and can be one of the most significant solutions to any country’s youth unemployment crisis. The biggest problem in the industry is amateur networkers coming into the industry without proper training about network marketing and the leaders in the industry are not doing much to train the upcoming and aspiring network marketers.Those who are in the industry are not willing to invest in their education to know the right way to do the business, that is why “The beauty of MLM is the low cost of entry and the bad thing in MLM, is also the low cost of entry. People fail to invest in their education once they join any MLM company and expect to be successful in the industry and once they are not getting the result they anticipated thy move to another company because the money they spent in joining the previous company is something they can forget without a fight.If they spend a fortune to start it, they will do everything possible to make it work; they will invest in their education, give their time because the money involves cannot go down without them looking for ways to recover it. But in network marketing they expect more from the little investment and if they don’t see that in few weeks they will start screaming SCAM. One thing network marketing does is to expose you to your weaknesses and require you to address them through education or you quit. Many leave the company once that weaknesses showed up and label that company fake.In every company business presentation the presenter will say they are the best and their distributors will go out to say the same to their prospects. I will not blame them for that as any company that puts money in your pocket is the best company to you. To be successful in any network marketing company require a renewal of your mind, you must have a positive mental attitude towards network marketing.I cannot list a number of Good network marketing companies, below are some of the factors that make up a good network marketing company and it will help you choose wisely.Check The Registration and Ranking Status: In the Network Marketing and Direct Sales industry there is an organization called the Direct Selling Association (DSA) http://www.DSA.org. There are thousands of Network Marketing Companies in the world, only about 200 or a few more of them are registered with DSA. The reason is because every member company must abide by high strict business ethics given by the organization which include on how they deal with their distributors. It does not mean that any other company that is not registered with them is not legit, but you will be on the safe side working with a company registered with them because they belong to a regulatory body that check-mate their excesses. For ranking check mlmrankings.com and businessforhome.org search on the company to know if they have been featured or rank on these sites. Check an honest review of the company through Goggle and YouTube to know what distributors and online network marketing coaches and writers have been saying about the company. I know there are companies out there with good intentions that are not registered with DSA, so explore every other means below to make your choice.How old is the company in business? You may hear terms like “ground floor company” or “start-up opportunity”. This entirely means the company is brand new. Statistics show that high percentage of new companies fail within their first five years because they are still in their formation stage. Every company started new and those that play the gamble of joining at the formation 5 years are the one reaping most of the dividend today therefore If you are OK with joining a new company in hopes that it will still be around after five years and you are one of the few that “got in early” then this should not be a problem for you.Check the Integrity of the Management Team. If the company is relatively new and you want to go ahead with it, check the integrity of the management team, the experience of the CEO and the team in Network Marketing Industry, their backgrounds and reputations. How many years’ experience they have in the industry and have they been successful in other companies in the network marketing industry. Their experience will help them shape the company to last a very long time than a money bag that just want to take advantage of the industry to amass wealth.If you can, talk to people that are currently involved with the company. Ask the person that is presenting the business opportunity to you if they can introduce you to other members, preferably members not in their team and listen to their stories about their real life experience with the company.Check Their Products or Services: This is a business, and just like if you were running a franchise or a storefront you must take a franchise of a product you know you can sell easily. Find out the features and benefits of their products to see if it will meet the need of the people you want to introduce into the business and those that will be your customers, will they use it and need more of the products?Examine the Compensation Plan. Compensation plans come in all shapes and sizes. Some are extremely complex to understand and others are very simple. You must know how fair and generous the overall distribution is. This is really important as the pay plan represents exactly how you’ll get paid–or not get paid. If you don’t understand the pay plan how are you supposed to know how much effort will be required for a certain level of pay?Sincerely Compensation explanation is complex subjects that cannot be explain fully in this article, even when you are explaining a simple compensation plan, but you must know the basis before starting your own network marketing business.There are five types of compensation plans used in Network Marketing industry, with many variations of each. There is probably no one plan that is perfect or right for everyone at every time. What may be the best plan for you today could change due to regulations, your experience in the industry and/or the type of product, even new technology. And, it’s those variations that can make the difference.Let’s take a look at the 5 different types of plans in their most basis forms, they are…

Stair Step Break A Way {Board Breaking etc)

Uni-Level

Matrix

Australian

Binary
Most new aspiring network marketing business owners always ask, which of these network marketing compensation plans is best. There is no one sentence that fits the answer to this question. It depends a lot on your personality and what you want to achieve from your network marketing business. The thing to remember is that, apart from retail profit where applicable, a network marketing compensation plan pays you for a combination of product sales and sales management. So if you are more of a traditional salesperson who can move tons of products, it may be advisable to go with the company that pays more for product sales than for managing sales teams. If you really want to make it big in network marketing, study the compensation plan of any company before signing up.Online Marketing: Make sure the company policy allows you to utilize the internet as a marketing tool and they must have system in place that will help you do that, such as your replicated website, online payment system, online product delivery system etc. People are utilizing the internet as their main marketing tool because of the automation on the internet that has allowed a much more consistent method of following up.The only reason why some companies don’t accept online marketing is due to people who utilize it to spam and that can give a very bad reputation not only to the distributor, but also to the company you’re working with.In conclusion, the best company in network marketing is the one that has a realistic pay plan, which is a compensation plan where the incentives given to members are achievable by the company through their product and services. You must also take notice of some of the points listed above to make your choices.