Consumers have made some big shifts in recent years. The pandemic fueled spending on home goods and electronics. Then, consumers shifted away from buying those products in favor of services such as travel and tourism. Today, consumer spending is showing some signs of shifting. That shift indicates that consumers may be more price-conscious following inflation, meaning they’ll want to look for the lowest-priced bargains. That may explain whyeBay (EBAY) is faring well here. The online auction leader just beat earnings and increased its guidance for the year ahead. eBay profits from ...

While stocks are still near all-time highs, many sectors of the market have lagged. Part of that is simply the excitement in the tech space. Another part is that many non-tech companies have high production costs and lower profit margins. Several of these companies now trade at a compelling discount to the overall stock market. And many also pay generous dividends, reflecting the power of their brands and the moderate growth opportunities ahead. For instance,Whirlpool Corporation (WHR) have sunk 22 percent over the past year, a reverse trade compared to the S&P 500. However, t...

The rollout of artificial intelligence (AI) software over the past two years has led to a boom in those who create the software, as well as the hardware needed to run it. For the most part, the rollout has been based on cloud-based or computer services. However, the next iterations of AI will succeed because they’ll be usable on all sorts of devices, including mobile ones. That could mean a surge in chips capable of powering AI programs on smartphones. In this space, the likely winner isQualcomm (QCOM). They manufacture chips for wireless communications, which will be critical for po...

Markets often treat some sectors better than others. Tech often gets the attention, but even in that space, right now AI-related names are attracting the most attention. Other sectors are out of favor with investors, either because of lower perceived growth, or because the market is too interested in what’s hot right now. Either way, that sets up opportunities for investors to buy unloved sectors today. In time, those sectors can come back into favor. Right now, media companies are out of favor. The market spent a few years enamored with the idea of these companies building out their...

Consumer spending data has been mixed over the past year. One of the biggest disconnects is the slowdown in traditional spending while discretionary spending has increased. In the discretionary space, travel demand has remained strong. Consumers still want to travel, and are keeping airplanes full and hotel rooms booked. They’re also showing a strong demand for other niches in the travel and tourism market as well. One beneficiary is the cruise industry. Bookings remain strong, and companies likeRoyal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) are trending higher. The trend has more room to play out...

Earnings season offers investors a number of second chances to buy great stocks. One of the best ways to get an opportunity is when a stock sells off for providing poor guidance. The market likes certainty, and is willing to pay up for it. While guidance may be weak, a company that’s reporting great earnings should head higher over time, no matter what guidance expectations it makes for investors (if any). Cybersecurity stocks stumbled earlier this week after Palo Alto Networks (PANW) reported solid earnings, but gave weak guidance. Even after tumbling, shares are still up 75 perc...

Earnings season shows which companies are able to navigate today’s economy, and which companies are missing out. While the economic data shows strong topline growth, there’s been slowing demand across a number of major sectors in the economy. For instance, the housing market has slowed as interest rates have soared. Homeowners are electing to stay in their existing homes for longer. That should be good for home improvement projects, and companies associated with that trend. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Demand is slowing, as indicated by the latest earnings report from...

Digital assets posted strong returns last year, and are on track for an even stronger return this year. That will likely be driven in part by the new bitcoin ETFs, as well as the upcoming halving of bitcoin. As bitcoin moves higher, other digital assets should also rise in value. And companies that play to that trend should benefit. For now, the best returns are likely to come from industry leaders. As the custodian for a majority of the new bitcoin ETFs, the clear leader isCoinbase Global (COIN). The company reported its first profit in two years last week. Plus, revenues beat forec...

Commodity markets make big moves both higher and lower. Those moves can last for years. Sometimes, there’s a broader trend that can push a commodity market in one direction or another. Right now, the lithium market is out of favor. The biggest driver of demand is for electric vehicles (EVs). With a number of automakers scaling back EV plans, lithium prices have been dropping. But there are some signs of a turnaround. One sign comes from leading lithium producerAlbemarle (ALB). Shares have been hovering near a 52-week low in the $110 range for some time, but can’t seem to break lower....

With so much focus on tech stocks over the past year, other sectors of the market look like a relative bargain. Many companies have been improving their earnings and revenues. But being in an out-of-favor sector means shares may become a better value. One such sector is the defense sector. It tends to perform well over time. And with rising global tensions, it could see further solid returns this year. In the defense space,L3Harris (LHX) looks like a reasonable buy. Shares trade at 16 times forward earnings, a discount to peers. But the company is also getting some activist intere...