Stocks To Buy

Many stocks aren’t near their all-time highs, even as the market headlines are. That could be an opportunity for investors, particularly those who focus on undervalued industry leaders. Leaders will typically lead the rest of the sector higher once a turnaround starts. They also tend to sport the best profit margins. And for dividend-paying sectors, leaders tend to offer the best yields. The restaurant space lagged last year, as rising interest rates weighed on this defensive part of the market. McDonald’s (MCD) ...
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Investing in industry leaders tends to work well for investors over time. But in any industry, upstart companies may work to build themselves up into a leader over time. Finding those growth plays can lead to great investment opportunities. That’s true for sectors that have a low barrier for entry, and where a competitor has the ability to create some big differentiation. These companies can likely see years of growth as they compete to become the industry’s largest. One potential example is ...
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2023 saw the housing market freeze up. Existing homeowners didn’t want to move, as they would have to pay significantly higher for a mortgage than on their existing home. That resulted in a tight housing inventory, which helped keep home prices high. 2024 will likely see interest rate cuts. Mortgage rates have already dropped, and some potential sellers are hitting the markets. With the housing market thawing out, potential sellers may start looking to spruce up their homes. That bodes well for ...
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Last year, the market was obsessed with the AI theme. While there’s been some market rotation, it’s clear that the AI trend is here to stay. But given how much the big players in the space have run, investors may be better off buying smaller names. For the AI hardware stocks, that may be a tall order. However, there are plenty of AI hardware stocks that still have plenty of room to run. One such potential winner is Marvell Technology (MRVL). The ...
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Investors have many ways of looking at a company. Ideally, a company will show growth. But a company can do much to show growth, and even pay up to do so. That could mean a winning share price in the short-term, at the risk of long-term dangers to a company. That’s why investors should look for companies that can grow and improve their profit margins over time. That’s a sign of a company getting better at doing its job, and having ...
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After leading the market for most of last year, big-cap tech plays investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) may take a backseat. That could lead some to think that there was a mini-bubble in AI that is now deflating. However, that’s not how bubbles work. AI is still in its early stages. And it will take years for the trend to play out. That’s why the potential for a bubble exists down the line. For 2024, however, AI stocks may slow. That ...
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Consumer spending shifted last year, with customers opening up their wallets to buy more services like travel and tourism. As a result, less money was available for goods. That trend looks likely to continue. And until it shifts back, spending on dining out at restaurants looks like a trend that will push even higher, even amid concerns of an overall consumer spending slowdown. Restaurant stocks fared well last year. And those that offer reasonable prices can likely continue to improve this year ...
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The job market held up well last year, with unemployment near historic lows. That’s even after rising interest rates weighed on potential economic expansion. And it’s even after many big-cap tech companies announced tens of thousands of layoffs. That trend will likely continue this year. Companies are finding ways to do the same – or more – with fewer employees. Advances in technology such as AI can make that happen. The latest company to announce layoffs is Xerox (XRX). The imaging technology ...
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