Chrysler, GM sales jump, Ford falls 1%

Chrysler and General Motors recorded April sales increases of 14% and 7%, respectively, while Ford sales fell 1%.

Total industry new-vehicle sales, combining the Detroit results with tallies from European and Asian brands, were 1.39 million, up 8.1% from April a year earlier.

The annual sales pace translated to 16.04 million, according to Autodata, up from a pace of 15.19 million a year ago.

Automakers viewed April as a key test of consumer confidence after sluggish sales during the brutal wintry months to start the year, which delayed many consumers' trips to the showroom.

STORY: Asian brands strong, though Honda sags

STORY: Euro brand results mixed

For GM, an 8% increase in retail sales may calm fears that a highly publicized ignition switch recall could hurt sales. GM CEO Mary Barra said last week that the situation has had "no meaningful impact" on sales so far. The April numbers bear that out.

Chevrolet, whose discontinued Cobalt compact is at the heart of the recall, reported a 5% increase. Cadillac sales also rose 5%, Buick's were up 12%, while GMC sales increased 13%.

"Retail demand was steady in April, and truck sales and transaction prices were especially strong," said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of sales operations, in a statement. "As we expected, the economy continues to strengthen. In addition, our award-winning new products are performing well, we have more on the way and our dealers are winning accolades for outstanding service."

Chrysler's monthly sales rose from a year earlier for the 49th consecutive month. Ram trucks (up 22%) and Jeep SUVs (up 52%) led the way.

Sales were flat for Dodge and tumbled 21% for the Chrysler brand, which offers only two cars and one minivan.

"The spring selling season is heating up as our Jeep brand had its best monthly sales ever," said Reid Bigland, head of Chrysler's U.S. sales, in a statement. "Both of our minivans had a strong April and the Ram pickup truck had its best April ever."!

Despite its sales decline for the month, Ford's F-series truck line, the most popular vehicle in the U.S., rose 7% to 63,387 units. Average industry incentives on full-size trucks fell $680 for the month, while Ford's fell $380 to about $3,700 per truck, according to sales officials.

Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickup trucks rose 12% sales collectively. But sales of several small and midsize cars fell, including the Chevrolet Sonic, Cruze and Malibu.

GM truck incentives rose 16% for the month, while Ram truck incentives fell 22% and Ford truck incentives were down 9%, according to Barclays.

"There's been a lot of volatility between some of the various different automakers in terms of making adjustments to the incentive spend," said Erich Merkle, Ford's sales analyst.

"Sales also are supported by improved credit availability, low interest rates and attractive lease offers," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book, in a statement.

U.S. consumers continue to favor crossovers and SUVs over cars. Sales of small crossovers and SUVs increased an estimated 22% in April to 179,000 compared with a 5.3% increase for mid-size sedans to and estimated 216,000.

Here’s the Other Side of 3D Systems’ Stock Decline

Shares of 3D Systems (DDD), a leader in the three-dimensional (3D) printing market, plummeted 9.1% after it reported a mixed first quarter results and provided a softer-than-expected fiscal outlook. Year to date, the company's stock dropped more than 50%. What is the reason for the stock price fall? Let's zero in, but before that a quick quarter review would be essential.

Quarter Snapshot

Maintaining the trend of double-digit revenue growth for the past consecutive 17 quarters, 3D Systems' revenue jumped 45% year over year to $147.8 million during the quarter. A broad-based growth across its product and service segments led the revenue to beat the Street's expectation.

But the revenue growth was not reflected in the profitability. Adjusted earnings of $0.15 per share dropped 28.6% year over year, although it was in line with the Street's expectations. The primary reason behind the drop was significant cost rise. Let's find out what led to the cost hike.

Surging Cost

Dealing in 3D printing has been a costly affair, not only for the end-users, but for manufacturers as well. 3D Systems, which has experience of 25 years in this field, is also fighting to keep costs under control.

As seen in the chart below, research and development (R&D) expense has far outpaced the revenue growth and other expenses.

Source: 10K (2013 & 2012), Chart made by the author.

The 3D printing industry and rapid technological change go hand in hand. No wonder companies have to be on their toes to develop new and enhanced products to meet growing demand from various industrial segments. This requires huge investment in R&D programs, without which launching new products suiting the industrial sector and latest trend will get difficult.

In the past quarter 3D Systems invested heavily in R&D, which grew roughly 165% year over year, and launched nine new products. As a result, revenue from new product during the quarter surged 71% year over year.

Huge R&D and investment expenditure have put some pressure on the profitability margins that has drawn investor concern. But they need not worry as such spending is opening up avenues for further revenue growth.

But growing operating expenses is not the only concern....

Growing Number of Acquisitions

3D Systems has supplemented its growth with more than 50 acquisitions over the past three years. Last year, it completed 11 acquisitions and has already taken over two more companies to date.

Last month, 3D Systems bought Medical Modeling, a pioneer in developing personalized surgical treatment and medical devices. It is expected that the acquisition will help it expand its presence in the extremely potential healthcare vertical.

There's no doubt that the addition of the companies has helped 3D Systems to add new product lines, increase geographical reach, and expand exposure into many industrial sectors. But contribution from the inorganic segment (acquired units) needs to grow significantly. Only then, proper synergies from the acquisitions can be achieved and will be accretive to the company's profitability. Last quarter, the company reported organic growth of 28%, while inorganic growth was only 17%.

But as the scope in the 3D printing arena is growing, it is expected that the company will get enough opportunity to grow its inorganic revenue.

3D Printing Outlook

Market experts opine that spending in the extremely potential 3D printing market would amplify in the coming years. According to Researchandmarket.com, global 3D printing materials market could grow at a compounded annual growth rate of ~20% between 2013 and2018.

In order to capitalize on the opportunity, Stratasys (SSYS), the second biggest player in the industry, acquired three companies last month. On the other hand, computing giant Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) is also attempting to pounce in the market with its years of rich experience in the 2D printing market. This suggests that 3D Systems is not the only one looking for meaningful acquisitions; other players are also preparing their arms to make the most of the 3D printing market.

Parting Thoughts

Indications are clear that competition is going to intensify in the 3D printing space in the coming years. However, 3D Systems seems to be on the right track with its massive R&D investments. But it may have to be selective with its acquisition strategies to monetize them quickly. Once its investments start paying off and synergies from the acquired units are achieved, 3D Systems can grow its market share as well as secure profitability.

Currently 0.00/512345 Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

Edmunds: Micromanaging can stifle employees

Hi Gladys: My wife and I often debate on how to deal with employees. I say that employees can often behave like children and I have to keep my eye on them and make certain that they do things the way I want things done. I am the head of our family construction company that was started more than 50 years ago by my late father. My wife works in the administrative office of the company and she accuses me of micromanaging. According to her, employees must learn to manage themselves and my job is to tell them what their duties are and I should step back and let them do their jobs. What do you think? — A. N.

Self-management is important. Micromanaging can waste both the time and energy of the manager and ultimately can become debilitating to the employee. This combination can create a lot of tension in the workplace for all parties and will most likely spill over to your customers, clients and even vendors.

When we talk about self-management, I believe that a person's strengths and weaknesses must be taken into account. How do you identify the strengths of your employee and how do you go about developing those strengths? Keep in mind that if we want our staff to self-manage then that has to be a part of our agenda during the hiring process.

I am the first to admit that managing a company and its employees is not an easy task. And I have made my own share of blunders.

I once managed my company like the proverbial mother hen. I watched everything my employees did and found myself correcting them when it wasn't going the way I would have done whatever the job was. Thank goodness I was shown the error of my ways. One day while having lunch with an older and wiser entrepreneur who I had designated as my mentor, he mentioned his concern for my management style.

He said he had observed me communicating to my staff before leaving for lunch. And he said that if I wanted to have continued success in business I should take his comments to heart.

He said: The boss's job is to det! ermine the objectives and goals of the company. Once that's done we must lead our employees in a way that meets our goals. In leading our staff in the right direction we must understand that each person brings to the company his or her own skills and talents. And it is our job to learn what those skills are and help the employee to develop them. When you succeed in recognizing an employee's strengths and make a point to give the kind of input that helps the employee develop, everyone wins. But, when you fail to develop a staff person and not allow them a chance to do the work you eventually erode confidence.

I have never forgotten that insightful luncheon. I make a point to follow his sage advice and it has served me well.

Management is not an easy task and there are many ways to approach it. However keep in mind that you don't want your management styles to become a roadblock between you and continued success.

Consider helping your employee to become the best that they can be and it's possible that you will see business increasing.

Gladys Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is an author and coach/consultant in business development. Her column appears Wednesdays. E-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com. An archive of her columns is here. Her website is gladysedmunds.com.

A Beaten-Down Apparel Stock to Try on for Profits

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- The apparel sector is heating up at as other areas of the market, such as biotech and technology, are struggling mightily.

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

Just take a look at the performance of small-cap apparel player American Apparel (APP) over the last month. This beaten-down troubled retail stock has exploded higher during that period by over 50%. Shares of APP bottomed in late March and early April at 46 cents per share, and the stock has exploded higher to an intraday high last week of 82 cents per share. I recently pointed out the opportunity in shares of APP in April 24's "A Small-Cap Stock With Very Big Potential" at around 50 cents per share.

Once a sector comes into play, the money tends to flow from one name to the next as traders look to get ahead of the momentum. Another troubled and beaten-down small-cap apparel player that has put in a strong performance of late is Body Central (BODY), which has ripped sharply higher by 38% over the last month. I flagged shares of BODY in April 8's "Big Funds Love This Small Stock -- Should You?" at around $1.15 a share. Shares of BODY hit an intraday high on Friday of $1.34 a share, and the stock looks likely to head even higher in the near-term if that level gets taken out with volume.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Both Body Central and American Apparel are distressed small-cap retail players with challenging fundamentals and uncertain futures. The market, has at least for now, decided that these small-cap retailers were beaten down to attractive prices that made them worthy buy candidates. Since both of these names are clearly the more risky plays in the apparel space, it's possible the momentum players will start coming after other names that don't carry as much risk.

Don't get me wrong: I still think APP and BODY can trend much higher, but traders need to understand they are high-risk apparel stocks facing tough turnaround situations.

A new apparel name that's starting to catch my eye here is American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), which operates as an apparel and accessories retailer in the U.S. and Canada. Through this company's family of brands, it offers clothing, accessories and personal care products at affordable price through its online channels and at over 900 retail locations. The company's online channels ship its products to around 100 countries across the globe.

American Eagle Outfitters has been hit hard by the sellers over the last six months, with shares off by 21%. This stock has dropped sharply from its six-month high of just over $16.50 a share to its recent 52-week low of $10.83 a share. Most of the reason for American Eagle Outfitters' poor performance is due to the sharp drop in its operating income, which went from $394.6 million in 2012 to just $141 million in 2013. That marks a 64% drop, most of which was due to the wrong product changes and the overall depressed condition in the U.S. apparel market. The company also blamed bad weather, which I never like to see a retailer do, but we must acknowledge 2013's winter was a harsh one across most of the country.

>>5 Mega-Cap Stocks to Trade for Gains

Despite those problems, American Eagle Outfitters is still flush in cash with around $429 million on its balance sheet and little debt. That cash is going to come in handy as the company ramps up sending to build out its online presence and marking and for its international expansion plans. American Eagle Outfitters, along with the rest of the leading retailers, know that falling mall traffic is a trend that can't just be blamed on a touch macro environment, but it's more of a symptom of American consumers' shopping smart online. American consumers might visit a store to get an idea on fashion trends and how a brand fits, but they will browse online to find the best promotions and deals. Once you gain the American consumer's loyalty, a strong online presence can push sales at both the stores and online if the marketing approach is right.

In regards to its international expansion, during the last quarter American Eagle Outfitters opened up 16 new stores in Mexico and took ownership of six franchise stores in China and Hong Kong. That brings its total international footprint to 66 stores in 12 countries. The company also plans to move into the U.K. in 2014, has recently entered the Philippines and plans to enter Thailand. The moves to China and Mexico could start to pay dividends soon for American Eagle Outfitters since both countries have a rapidly growing middle class with expanding disposable incomes. For example, consider the growth in China's middle class, which is expected to help its apparel market hit $220 billion by 2016.

>>5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

The company's e-commerce growth was a source of strength during a tough 2013, with online sales increasing by 24% in the first quarter, 11% in the second quarter and 17% in the third quarter. The company is ramping up spending to develop its omni-channel platform, which is a seamless approach to shopping at all the available channels such as brick-and-mortar stores, mobile, Internet, catalog and more. American Eagle Outfitters also plans to open up a new distribution center in Pennsylvania by mid-2014, which will allow them to ship products to U.S. consumers within two days.

From a technical perspective, shares of American Eagle Outfitters have been downtrending badly over the last six months, with shares falling from its high of just over $16.50 to its recent low of $10.83 a share.

During that downtrend, shares of AEO have been making mostly lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That bearish price action has also driven shares of AEO below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. That said, shares of AEO have started to show some signs its declines could be over with the stock starting to bounce off its 52-week low of $10.83 a share, which also corresponds with its 2012 low near $10.98 a share. That bounce is starting to push shares of AEO within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

Traders should look for long-biased trades in AEO as long as its trending above its 52-week low of $10.83 and then once it breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $11.37 to $11.53 a share and then just above more resistance at $11.75 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that registers near or above its three-month average action of 5.33 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then AEO will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at its 50-day moving average of $12.71 to around $13 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give AEO a chance to tag $14 to $15 a share.

Traders should put shares of AEO on their breakout trading radar here, since the stock could easily catch some of the momentum that's hit other names in the space of late. This stock is beaten down over the last six months, and considering some of the sector strength, a trend change could be developing quickly here for shares of AEO.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>QE5 Is Coming -- Here's What It Means for Your Portfolio

>>4 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves

>>Do You Own These 5 Toxic Stocks? Watch Out!

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

5 Best Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2015

 DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Trading stocks that trigger major breakouts can lead to massive profits. Once a stock trends to a new high, or takes out a prior overhead resistance point, then it's free to find new buyers and momentum players that can ultimately push the stock significantly higher.

One example of a successful breakout trade I flagged recently was electronic control devices maker Taser International (TASR), which I featured in Aug. 15's "5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar" at around $9.75 a share. I mentioned in that piece that shares of TASR had just broken back above its 50-day moving average with strong upside volume. This stock had also just started to move above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $9.05 to $9.30 with strong volume. That action was quickly pushing shares of TASR within range of breaking out above some key overhead resistance levels at $9.80 to its 52-week high at $9.87 a share.

Guess what happened? Shares of TASR didn't wait long to trigger that move since the stock entered new 52-week-high territory the following trading session. This stock has done nothing but continue to uptrend higher since entering breakout territory, with shares tagging a recent high of $12.17 a share. That represents a quick gain of 25% in just a few weeks for anyone who bought the breakout on TASR. I still believe this stock has tremendous upside going forward, but shares could be due for a breather after that big run in August.

5 Best Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2015: FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS)

FactSet Research Systems Inc. provides financial and economic information to investment community worldwide. FactSet offers fundamental financial data on various companies, analytical applications, and client services to the portfolio managers, research and performance analysts, risk managers, marketing professionals, sell-side equity research professionals, investment bankers, and fixed income professionals. The company?s applications provide users access to company analysis, multicompany comparisons, industry analysis, company screening, portfolio analysis, predictive risk measurements, alphatesting, portfolio optimization and simulation, news and quotes, and tools to value and analyze fixed income securities and portfolios. FactSet combines commercial databases, including content regarding companies and securities from various markets into a single online platform of information and analytics. The company?s solutions for investment management professionals include analy zing market, sector, and fundamental series; offering applications for portfolio attribution, risk management, and quantitative analysis; building quant models and calculating risk; analyzing the nuances of the debt-driven market; viewing event transcripts and corporate event calendars; researching and analyzing companies, benchmarks, debt instruments, and economic series; integrating the client?s own data, such as portfolio holdings and research notes; and creating reports and presentations. FactSet?s solutions for investment banking professionals comprise creating models and presentations; tracking market performance and headlines; providing deal analytic and corporate governance servies; researching on public and private companies; auditing financials underlying SEC filings and annual reports; and providing access to reports via wireless handheld device. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon] et researches global market trends and develops analytical tools for investors. Of all of GuruFocus��5-star predictable companies, it has the highest return on assets at 27%. ROA has been increasing over the past several years. The average return on assets for the software industry for the trailing 12 months is 13.07%.

  In 2011, the company�� total assets increased to $657 million from $645 the prior year. Its net income increased to $171 million from $150.

  The All-in-One Screener is a fully customizable stock-searching tool just introduced by GuruFocus. Search for stocks according to your own set of requirements here.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  FactSet Research Systems (NYSE: FDS) reported a 4.8% rise in its fiscal first-quarter profit and issued a weak earnings guidance for the current quarter.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  FactSet Research Systems (NYSE: FDS) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $1.21 per share on revenue of $218.93 million.

  Tower Group International (NASDAQ: TWGP) is projected to post a Q2 loss at $0.52 per share on revenue of $421.10 million.

5 Best Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2015: Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA (FCC)

Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA (FCC) is a Spain-based company, which is primarily engaged, together with its subsidiaries in the construction and environmental services sector. The Company�� activities include the collection, treatment and elimination of solid urban waste, street cleaning, sewer system maintenance, green areas and buildings maintenance, urban transport, treatment and elimination of industrial waste, full-service water supply management and cement manufacture. The Company is also active in the real estate development, as well as in the renewable energy industry. In addition, the Company is a parent of Grupo FCC, a group which comprises a number of controlled entities. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Live Investor]

  What does the FCC have to say? The regulator�� reaction is nothing surprising. After Son met the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to convince them about the prospects of the proposed deal, Reuters reported that FCC chairman Tom Wheeler wasn�� quite impressed and had dubious thoughts on it.

Best Transportation Stocks To Invest In 2015: Yandex N.V.(YNDX)

Yandex N.V., an Internet and technology company, operates an Internet search engine in Russia and internationally. It offers access to a range of information available online; localized homepages for specific geographic markets; and personalized and email services. The company also provides specialized search services comprising news aggregation and information services; and price comparison services, such as product information, price comparisons, and consumer-generated reviews of products and online retailers, as well as other specialized search services, including search services for images, videos, music, theatres, televisions, weather, jobs, transportation, cars, and real estate. In addition, it offers desktop applications consisting of specialized toolbar for Web browsers, Russian-to-English and English-to-Russian keyboard layout switcher, and customized browser versions; and server applications for indexing and searching files in various formats. Further, the compan y provides text-based advertising and display advertising services for advertisers on its Websites and Yandex ad network member Websites; and Yandex.Market, a price comparison service, which offers a platform for retailers to reach consumers in a targeted manner. Additionally, it provides services and tools for businesses comprising Yandex.Webmaster that allows Webmasters to control how their Website is seen by its search engine; Yandex.Metrica, a Web statistics analysis tool; Yandex Site Search, a search tool for Webmasters and Website owners; Yandex.Mail for Domain Owners that allows users to create email accounts with their own domain names; Yandex APIs and Widgets that enable developers to use its technologies in their own businesses; and Yandex.Money, an online payment system. Yandex N.V. was incorporated in 2004 and is based in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mark Hulbert]

  Also receiving at least two buy recommendations from these market-beating advisers are two non-U.S. companies: Yandex (YNDX) �, the Russian search engine, and Qihoo 360 Technology (QIHU) �, the Chinese Internet company. Both also sport P/Es that are well above the market: Yandex�� is 28 and Qihoo�� is 51. Yet their PSRs are also lower than Twitter��, at 12 and 15.9, respectively.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Yandex NV (NASDAQ: YNDX) shares gained 3.97% to $31.20 in the pre-market after the company reported that it has purchased Israeli startup KitLocate.

• [By Sean Williams]

  A stock you can sell right now
  When in doubt, I can always turn to my tried-and-true TMFULOI metric to point out the market's most overvalued companies. Earlier this month I ran such a screen and Russian search engine giant Yandex (NASDAQ: YNDX  ) popped up near the top of my list.

5 Best Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2015: Boingo Wireless Inc.(WIFI)

Boingo Wireless, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides mobile Wi-Fi Internet solutions. The company installs, manages, and operates wireless network infrastructure to provide Wi-Fi services at its managed and operated hotspots, such as airports, hotels, coffee shops, shopping malls, arenas, stadiums, and quick service restaurants in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Its solution includes software for Wi-Fi enabled devices comprising smartphones, laptops, and tablet computers, as well as back-end system infrastructure that detects and enables access to Wi-Fi network. The company provides its solutions to individual users and partners consisting of telecom operators, network operators, cable companies, technology companies, enterprise software and services companies, and communications companies. In addition, it provides billing system and customer support services. Boingo Wireless, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Boingo Wireless (NASDAQ: WIFI  ) has a new president.

  On Monday, the provider of Wi-Fi hotspots at airports, shopping malls, restaurants, and similar locations announced that it has hired away Rubicon Project�Chief Revenue Officer Nick Hulse to become its president. Reporting to CEO Dave Hagan, Hulse will be responsible for maximizing revenue at Boingo.

• [By CRWE]

  Boingo Wireless, Inc. (NASDAQ:WIFI), the Wi-Fi industry�� leading provider of software and services worldwide, reported the launch of its managed Wi-Fi services at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), the second busiest airport in the world, through an agreement with Newbridge Technologies.

5 Best Diversified Bank Stocks To Invest In 2015: SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY)

SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate the price and yield of the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index (the Index). The Index is designed to measure the performance of 50 highest dividend yielding S&P Composite 1500 constituents that have followed a managed-dividends policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 25 years. These stocks have both capital growth and dividend income characteristics.

The Fund utilizes a passive or indexing approach and attempts to approximate the investment performance of its benchmark index, by investing in a portfolio of stocks intended to replicate the Index. SSgA Funds Management, Inc. acts as the Adviser of the Fund.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By J. Royden Ward]

  SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) holds all the companies in the S&P 1500 Index which have raised their dividends every year for the past 20 years. The objective of SDY is to include companies which have increased their dividends consistently. Only 85 qualify out of 1,500 companies!

• [By John Maxfield]

  So what does this mean for investors? To me, this chart reveals the roadmap for a successful investment strategy. Assuming GDP grows at 2% to 3%, your investment portfolio could as well, simply by investing in the SPDR S&P 500 (NYSEMKT: SPY  ) ETF. Want to juice those returns? Go instead for the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (NYSEMKT: SDY  ) , which tracks the S&P High-Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index. And in purchasing these, to control for the variations, it'd be prudent to use dollar-cost averaging -- that is, buying the same dollar amount of the index each month or year come rain or shine.