Mark Lin

Most investors only consider upside potential when choosing stocks to invest in. However, this will be an incorrect approach with respect to investing in gaming companies because of the inherent industry risks. Instead, investors should seek gaming stocks with downside protection like Las Vegas Sands.

Two brands offer more benefits than one. Multi-brand companies have exhibited consistent financial performances, which lends further strength to the argument of picking them over their single-brand counterparts.

Profitable investment opportunities are typically found with industries which have the most pessimistic outlooks, such as the newspaper industry. Newspaper publisher A. H. Belo represents an interesting investment opportunity with its local newspapers, its digital marketing initiatives, and the downside protection provided by its assets.

Notwithstanding the capital intensity and economically sensitive nature of the boat building industry, Malibu Boats remains a good investment candidate.

The best test of any company's resilience in recessions is to examine its financial track record. Hormel Foods pass this test with flying colors, given its consistency in earnings and dividend growth.

Small is the new big. Many small companies in the industrials sector boast superior profitability and higher growth potential than their larger peers. Manitex is one of the notable outperformers.

Investors risk missing out on companies which aren’t affected by the usual challenges that their peers face. One such example is Gentex in the automotive sector.

Michael Porter, a leading authority on competitive strategy, terms companies which don’t deliver either on product differentiation or on low cost strategies as "stuck in the middle". Kohl’s is trying to avoid that label by putting its emphasis back on national brands.

Don’t judge a company by the industry it belongs to -- certain industrial companies stay relatively resilient in an economic downturn, because their services help minimize risks.

As more companies see their businesses disrupted by advancements in technology and changes in customer tastes, the survivors will be those sufficiently flexible to adapt to a ever-changing business landscape. Canadian quick-service restaurant leader Tim Hortons is one role model for its peers.

If you are looking for stocks benefitting from the latest consumer trends, companies serving the needs of bargain hunting customers might also be the ones to consider for your stock portfolio.

People usually miss out on profitable investment opportunities because they are biased by their existing perceptions of certain companies or industries. This could be costly, as the hospitality groups of today have significantly reduced their risks by diversifying their brand portfolios and transitioning to asset-light models.

Buying a target of a proposed or rumored acquisition seems like a sure-fire way of making money. But investors ignorant of the strategic implications and the likelihood of the deal could be in for a rude shock.

When it comes to picking good companies for investments, investors are best advised to ignore the whales or giants, and instead focus on the big fishes in small ponds.

As an increasing number of companies and industries gets disrupted by technology, good old child‘s play remains popular with most kids. In addition, growth opportunities in the developing countries point to decent prospects for the listed toy companies.

If you can’t be cheaper, you have to be different. That’s the retail mantra to which Williams-Sonoma adheres closely.

The only certainties in life are death and taxes...and to a lesser extent, marriages. That suggests that businesses serving such needs will experience stable demand for their products and services, making them perfect investment candidates for conservative investors.

Competing with online competitors is no different from that of fighting brick & mortar peers. You either differentiate your products or sell the same merchandise at lower cost. Pier 1 has chosen the former as an effective strategy of fending off online threats.

Do you pick consumer products up off the shelf without looking at prices? This is the power of brands, something that Flowers Foods has in spades with its bread and bakery products.

If you are spending more money and time on choosing the right kinds of food, you aren't alone. Organic food and premium dairy products are among the fastest-growing food categories, and WhiteWave has a significant presence in both of them.