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Chris Versace

Chris Versace

Chris Versace, the "Thematic Investor," is the director of research at Think 20/20, an independent equity research and corporate access firm located in the Washington, D.C. area. Before Think 20/20, Mr. Versace was the portfolio manager of Agile Capital Management (ACM), a thematically driven alternative investment fund. The groundwork for ACM was laid during Mr. Versace’s tenure as senior vice president of equity research at Friedman Billings Ramsey, where he produced award-winning, differentiated research coverage using an ecosystem perspective of the mobile phone industry and enabling component technologies across various material technologies, including RF semiconductors (RFID, GPS), LEDs and display technologies. During his tenure at FBR, Mr. Versace received honorable mentions in Institutional Investor annual research analyst rankings, was a five-star analyst by Zacks Investment Services and a four-star analyst ranked by Star Mine. Mr. Versace was also an analyst at Donaldson Lufkin Jenrette, as well as Salomon Brothers. Mr. Versace is currently a weekly contributor to The Washington Times. He has been quoted extensively in the Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, The Street.com, USA Today and other publications. He has participated in numerous industry panels, including the Northern Virginia Tech Council, We Media and others, and has appeared on Fox Business, CNBC, CNBC Europe, CNNfn and "America's Morning News." Mr. Versace earned bachelor's degrees in economics and mathematics at Fairfield University before earnings an master of business administration degree in Finance at Fordham University.

Articles by Chris Versace

Trader Jonathan Corpina (right) works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Jan. 10, 2013. (Associated Press)

VERSACE: Worries of 2012 carry into earnings season

We're only a few weeks into 2013 and a number of concerns that held out attention last year are still commanding attention as we head into the gauntlet that is corporate earnings season.

January 17, 2013

VERSACE: Looking back through the year for a 2013 game plan

The second half of December tends to generate a fair amount of reflection on the events of the previous 12 months. That is true for investors as well and often gives rise to a number of questions about the market. Did the economy grow as fast as was expected? Did job growth measure up to economists' forecasts? Will those industries that have been a drag on the economy in 2011, such as housing, start to turn the corner? Did the politicians in Washington come together and tackle the big issues that the country and the economy face? And so on.

December 20, 2012

VERSACE: By the numbers, it’s past time to start cutting back

Well, folks, unless you've been living under a rock since Cyber Monday, you know that the politicians in Washington have not gotten very far in terms of solving the "fiscal cliff" before the end of 2012. When you read this, we'll have 10 business days left before we ring in the New Year. The crux of the dispute seems to be raising revenue – code for "higher taxes" – versus cutting spending.

December 13, 2012

VERSACE: It’s time for investors to take stock of their portfolio

Last week closed out the month of November for the stock market and a quick glance at all the major market indices – the Dow Jones industrial average, the Standard & Poor's 500 index and the Nasdaq composite index – showed modest movement in the month. That's not surprising as we traded the presidential election earlier in the month for the spotlight on the "fiscal cliff." The first few days of December have brought little change on the fiscal cliff with both sides – Democrat and Republican, White House and the House, President Obama and conservatives – digging in their heels.

December 6, 2012

VERSACE: ‘Cliff,’ layoffs make for a not-so-merry Christmas

It's a short week for the stock market this week as we honor one of my favorite holidays — Thanksgiving. I can't think of anyone who doesn't have something to be grateful for and this holiday is a great way to remember and reflect on the blessings each of us has in our lives.

November 22, 2012

VERSACE: October’s figures offer warning sign for future

Normally when we enter a new month, investors both look back as well as forward to gauge what has occurred over the prior 30 days. Looking back, they take stock of the moves in the major stock market indices and any key announcements or events.

November 1, 2012

VERSACE: Portfolio manager navigates choppy markets

The stock and bond markets have been choppy and treading water since mid-September. The summer run-up, weak third-quarter earnings reaction to the Federal Reserve's decision to stand pat, the presidential election – not to mention a looming "fiscal cliff" – have investors wondering which way the markets will turn next.

October 25, 2012

VERSACE: Housing’s good news shaky without jobs upswing

As I predicted last week, this week was frenetic in terms of companies reporting their quarterly earnings, economic data for both the United States and abroad and, of course, the second presidential debate. While there were some positives, the overall picture continues to be mixed, with the manufacturing economy slowing and concerns rising over the technology economy following weak results from Intel Corp., Advanced Micro Devices and Google Inc., to name a few. The domestic housing market continued to improve in September, but will the stronger-than-expected housing market continue?

October 18, 2012

VERSACE: Nervousness lingers behind rising confidence

Early this week, investors saw a modest jump in consumer confidence in September, according to the index compiled by the Conference Board. That brought good news, so-so news and even some bad news.

September 27, 2012

VERSACE: Knowing when to say no

Most if not all investors in the stock market are concerned with picking winning investments. After all, they are spending time researching potential investments and paying trading commissions with the goal of growing their capital. Sometimes that capital appreciation happens quickly and other times it takes time for an investment to pan out. As tends to be the case, every so often it doesn't pan out at all. If you've ever met someone who has invested in stocks or you are that person, then you know that they like to talk all about their winning positions and prefer not to mention those that cost them.

September 20, 2012

VERSACE: One month does not mean a trend

With the Fed eyeing unemployment in the country as a barometer on which to act, Friday's August Employment Report will be closely watched, prodded and dissected.

September 6, 2012

VERSACE: Pessimism in most economic indicators

While same-store August sales figures shared by a number of retailers such as the Gap, Nordstrom Inc., the Limited (which owns Victoria's Secret and Bed, Bath & Beyond) and others were better than expected and the housing market appears to be healing, the overall stock market continues to sit on pins and needles.

August 30, 2012

VERSACE: Facebook hangover a lesson in hopium

This past week, there were two stock market topics that were widely discussed. One was company-specific to a degree, but the action that made the topic fodder among the investment community, talking heads and pundits was one that bears watching no matter what company you may be invested in. The other is far more reaching in terms of the overall market mentality and has many speculating that hopium is fueling the stock market near term. For those wondering what hopium is, it's the combination of hope and opium and is used to convey the addictive nature of hoping that something may happen.

August 23, 2012