Stocks To Buy

The economic data in the past week shows a slowdown in consumer spending. As a major part of the economy, that’s a big deal. Yet retailers are reporting better-than-expected numbers. That suggests there may have been too much pessimism in the short term. It also suggests retailers with a cost advantage can likely fare well in today’s environment. That bodes well for most big box players. But one is king of them all. That winner is Walmart (WMT). Their earnings not only ...
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Most investors didn’t expect the banking sector to get into trouble this year. Generally, rising interest rates are good for banks. They make fewer loans, albeit at higher rates. However, many banks used the low-rate era to invest in Treasury bonds at lower yields. That’s led to the second, third, and fourth-largest bank failures in U.S. history this year. It’s possible that they won’t be the last. But while the banking sector is down, it’s not quite out. Several regional banks are ...
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While stocks have trended higher overall in the past few months, one part of the market has seen major interest from hedge funds and retail investors alike. That area? Artificial intelligence (AI). Companies that have been developing AI programs or otherwise moved towards servicing the growing tech niche have seen their share price rise. That’s a trend likely to continue. And it may give conservative investors some big-cap names to target. One of the biggest players is Nvidia (NVDA). The manufacturer of ...
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Most industries tend to consolidate over time. That’s because they start out with a large number of players. As those who are overleveraged or poorly managed go bust, the better-run companies start to buy up worthy competitors to build their market share. This trend is currently underway in the gold sector. A number of deals have occurred in the past few years that have set records. And this week saw yet another merger announcement that will further keep competition down. The latest ...
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While the stock market has fared well so far this year, investors have been more cautious going into earnings. And most companies have reported a slowdown, but overall it hasn’t been as bad as expected. The wild card is the housing market. Rising interest rates and fewer homeowners looking to sell are creating a tight market, but one where prices could potentially drop. In that environment, homeowners may slow down home maintenance or improvements. That’s the fear going into earnings for big ...
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One of the most powerful long-term investment trends is to invest in a company with a durable competitive advantage. For most companies today, that usually means offering a unique product that’s protected by a copyright or patent. Even though patents are temporary and copyrights won’t last forever, once a brand has been built, it can stand the test of time. And that can lead to higher returns versus investing in generic competitors. In the world of entertainment brands, it’s tough to argue ...
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2023 has been a strong year for stocks so far. Even if the market flattens out from here, it will still be a much better year than 2022. Those looking to buy today won’t get the extreme lows from last October or December for most stocks. Rather than pile into stocks that have done well, investors may do better by focusing on income stocks rather than growth stocks for the time being. Fortunately, many companies have continued to grow their dividends. One ...
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While the overall market has its ups and downs, individual stocks can have more extreme moves. When a company has an extreme rally higher, its shares may be more susceptible to a pullback. The reverse is true when a company has been falling relative to peers. This concept is known as reversion to the mean. And it’s a sign that investors might be able to find buying opportunities in beaten-down stocks. Or traders can find overpriced stocks to target for a ...
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