Consumer sentiment has been declining in recent months, fueled into overdrive by soaring uncertainty on tariffs and trade. This “soft data” view on consumer sentiment is starting to show up in hard data. That includes monthly sales data from retailers, who are starting to show some weaker demand. For now, this trend could mean retailers trade weakly, but some companies will hold up better than others. For instance, warehouse giant Costco (COST) is seeing declining store visits. However, Costco tends to hold up more strongly than other retailers. Over the past year, Costco has stil...

The market uncertainty this year over tariffs and trade has hit markets hard. It’s been especially hard to tech stocks, which have largely been leading markets higher over the past few years. While the rollout of AI is starting to look like it may slow down, rising tariffs and trade could mean that another key trend accelerates. That trend? Automation. From AI software to advances in robotics, automation trends could move higher to circumvent today’s uncertainty. That may be why shares of Rockwell Automation (ROK) jumped following their strong earnings beat on Wednesday. Rockwell was...

Investors can earn strong, market-beating returns by investing in stocks that are trending higher. This is known as momentum investing. Adding in a company with growing earnings, a growth momentum play is stronger than a weak company that’s rallying. Today, growth has been rampant, particularly in some tech sectors as AI systems have rolled out. While skepticism about AI is on the rise, some companies utilizing AI may still have considerable earnings growth ahead. One such play is Palantir Technologies (PLTR). The big-data analytics company has been a top performer in 2025, handily b...

Consumer spending makes up the bulk of the economy. Changing trading patterns are creating tremendous uncertainty, and there are signs that consumers are pulling back. While the extent of the pullback is unknown, it won’t last forever. And when consumer sentiment does improve, consumers will want to spend more to make up for the reduced spending during uncertain times. As that happens, many out-of-favor opportunities could soar higher. For instance, fears are mounting about a decline in travel and tourism spending. Airbnb (ABNB) noted in its most recent earnings some signs of a decli...

Although the market is now trading back above the April 2 “Liberation Day” price point, many individual stocks have fared differently. Some have done better, and a few have done worse amid wildly swinging markets. Earnings season is also giving companies the opportunity to provide key guidance on the impact that they see. And today’s tariff and trade war fears are also leading to some big swings – but also some potential big opportunities for daring buyers now. One company that looks like the first big casualty of events is payment processing giant Block (XYZ). The fintech giant miss...

While the news cycle has been largely positive on tariffs and trade over the past few weeks, a lot can happen. And the uncertainty now will likely weigh on hard economic data in the months to come. For now investors would fare best by focusing on tariff-resistant companies. That can mean domestic U.S. companies. Or service-related companies that are less impacted by the price of goods. It can also mean virtual companies that exist beyond traditional borders. For instance, video game developer Roblox (RBLX) reported a strong first quarter, with an increase of millions of users. Alt...

Tariff fears have subsided in recent weeks. But that trend isn’t over by a long shot. Investors who expect a quick resolution will likely be disappointed by choppy markets in the weeks and even months ahead. However, tariff uncertainty creates better buying opportunities, particularly for long-term investors. That’s because low prices combined with cheap valuations and underlying fear could spring higher as fears subside and investors are willing to pay higher multiples, particularly for great companies. One company facing tariff fears now is Qualcomm (QCOM). The wireless chipmaker’s...

When it comes to the economy, layoffs are bad. When it comes to a company undergoing layoffs, the result can be a bit more mixed. A company may need to streamline to improve profitability, or simply over-hired during a boom. Or it could be in a long-term decline. Investors who can determine what a company’s layoffs mean may stand to profit. And the market’s initial reaction to layoffs can generally give a hint as to what happens next. For instance, investors cheered the latest layoff announcement of up to 20,000 workers from United Parcel Service (UPS). That reflects lower demand ...

Investing has gotten a lot more challenging over the past few weeks. Rising economic uncertainty makes it difficult for companies and even individuals to make long-term plans. That could mean a pullback in spending, particularly on high-value items. But it also means that more may be spent on smaller, more impulsive purchases that act as little luxuries. And that could benefit some companies strongly in the quarters ahead. One little luxury right now is dining out – or ordering food for delivery. Pizza chain Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) reports that they’re getting higher sales now, all whil...

Market volatility and fear may still be elevated, and might be scaring some away from this market. But for long-term investors, that’s more likely a gift. That’s because market pullbacks tend to bring down nearly all companies. And that creates opportunities to buy great companies at a reasonable price. That even includes some of the big tech companies that have been responsible for the market’s outperformance over the past few years. Among the Magnificent Seven players, Alphabet, parent of Google (GOOG), has been one of the poorer performers, sinking 7% over the past year. But th...