While the action under the surface was hardly encouraging, in the face of plenty of hawkish headlines from the Fed it was impressive that the S&P 500 gained 1.4%, the Dow rallied 1.44%, and the Nasdaq added 1% last week.

SThe story of the broad market is much the same as it has been in recent weeks. To wit, rotation continues across several industry groups while the major averages remain stuck in a lateral range. Things should start to heat up as we head further into the earnings season, though we’re not advising any major change in stance just yet.

This week’s list includes a nice mix of key industries that are benefiting from major fundamental and economic trends. Our Top Pick is a stock that should get a boost from accelerating interest in online foreign language learning.

It’s possible stocks are stretched, at least in the near term, and the just-underway earnings season will put that to the test in the coming weeks. The next big move may be to the downside, so today we’re adding some more portfolio protection in the form of a mega-cap health insurer that pays a modest dividend but has a history of beating the market. It’s the latest recommendation from Cabot Dividend Investor Chief Analyst Tom Hutchinson.

The goal this week is to add some positive deltas to the portfolio. We took a loss in our DIA bear call spread early last week, which was our first loss since February 2. And while the small setback should be expected (losses will occur) we continue to progress higher as the overall returns remain just under 100%, and remember, this is during what has been one of the more volatile periods in market history, a year when the major indexes were deeply entrenched in negative territory.

The message remains consistent again this week in all five of our open positions: All there is to do at the moment is allow time decay to work its magic.

All five positions are shaping up nicely as we head closer to May 19, 2023 expiration. But with earnings season upon us, as I stated last week, I expect to see several short-term positions (30 to 60 days ‘til expiration) being added to the mix. I’ve been very conservative about adding new positions to the mix and I don’t necessarily think all is clear ahead, but I do think we have an opportunity during this earnings season to add a few selective positions to the portfolio.

As we enter our second week of earnings trades, we are greeted with a plethora of opportunities. My focus this week will be on Morgan Stanley (MS) and American Express (AXP). That being said, there are several other stocks that could garner some attention as well, including Netflix (NFLX) and International Business Machines (IBM). So, given the number of potential opportunities this week, expect to see at least two, if not three, trade alerts as we move throughout the week.

After the recent pullback, the All-Weather portfolio is now up 9.88%, with the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) doing the heavy lifting, up 25.36% since it was introduced to the portfolio back on 6/15/22.

I will be rolling all of our LEAPS positions to the 2025 expiration cycle this week. So, be prepared to make a few trades this week as we increase the duration of our LEAPS while simultaneously continuing to sell more call premium.

While the action under the surface was hardly encouraging, in the face of plenty of hawkish headlines from the Fed it was impressive that the S&P 500 gained 1.4%, the Dow rallied 1.44%, and the Nasdaq added 1% last week.

While the action under the surface was hardly encouraging, in the face of plenty of hawkish headlines from the Fed it was impressive that the S&P 500 gained 1.4%, the Dow rallied 1.44%, and the Nasdaq added 1% last week.

The broad markets have improved nicely in the past month, albeit with a recent pullback. Leading sectors were Communication Services, Consumer Staples, Healthcare, Technology, and Utilities. Style-wise, large-cap growth stocks beat their value peers, gaining 3.64% for the month.

The employment picture remains healthy, with 236,000 jobs added in March, taking the unemployment rate down to 3.5%. This was the slowest job growth in two years, so economists are hoping that will slow inflation—and the Fed’s rate hikes!

So far, this has been a positive year for the market. But an enormous amount of uncertainty remains.

The painful high inflation/hawkish Fed conundrum that caused last year’s bear market appears to be ending. But a high risk of recession is taking over. It will be difficult for stocks to rally into the next bull market without knowing the timing, severity, or duration of a possible recession.

Inflation could remain sticky. A recession could hit in any of the next three quarters. A recovery may be lame when it finally arrives because the Fed may have to keep interest rates high. We don’t know if six months from now we will face more inflation, a recession or even stagflation.

Today, I’m recommending a failed biotech that is undergoing a strategic review.

Key points:
· Based on conservative assumptions, I see 30% to 92% upside within 12 months.
· Low downside risk given stock market cap is 51% of net cash.
· High insider / institutional ownership assures incentives are aligned.

All the details are inside this month’s Issue. Enjoy!

There is this widely held belief that January is a great month for investors. But I always throw cold water on this claim because the fact is, over the past 25 years, it’s been one of the worst months for stocks.

By some measures, Greentech looks more bearish than it has since March last year, with our benchmark Wilderhill Clean Energy Index breaking below support around 70-68.

The U.S. stock market rebounded on Tuesday, following testimony from Chair Powell at his Senate confirmation hearing. Investors liked what he said, implying that the three anticipated quarter-point rate increases, which could start in March, would likely be enough to quell inflation (along with a hoped-for return to normal supply conditions).

So far, 2022 is playing out as expected. But of course, this is only the eighth trading day of the year.

In late December, prior to the holiday, we published the January edition of the Cabot Turnaround Letter. Our first article, “Top Five Stocks for 2022,” we highlighted Credit Suisse (CS), Dril-Quip (DRQ), Lamb Weston Holdings (LW), Nokia (NOK) and TreeHouse Foods (THS).

Stocks failed to even bounce today despite all the selling of late. At day’s end, the Dow was off 171 points and the Nasdaq dropped 19 points.

It’s a new year, and a new attitude. Investors tend to sober up after weeks of holiday slacking and refocus on the market. What are they saying?

The market finished the year strong, with the S&P 500 up 26.9%. And so far, 2022 is off to a good start.

In two days, the S&P 500 has set two new all-time highs. Last year’s momentum is spilling over so far. But will it last?

It’s a new year, and a new attitude. Investors tend to sober up after weeks of holiday slacking and refocus on the market. What are they saying?

It’s the worry that just won’t go away, and while it’s disconcerting to equity investors, gold is clearly benefiting from it.

As we approach the final trading day of 2021, we see a market in a period of relative calm after what felt like a very volatile November and December, especially for those invested in individual stocks.

Porch Group (PRCH) reported yesterday afternoon with results coming in ahead of management guidance and significant contributions from acquired companies. Despite the strong high-level numbers, the stock is selling off today and we’re going to step aside with the modest profit we still have (around 25%).

This bank is innovating with the help of its Laurel Road digital banking platform. It has a current dividend yield of 3.58%, paid quarterly.

This software company posted EPS of $0.16 per share in its recent quarter, beating analysts’ estimates of $0.14 per share. Revenues of $209.74 million also beat by 3.41%.

This tech stock is expected to grow earnings by more than 28% this year. The current annual dividend yield is 2.15%, paid quarterly.

Shares of this utility were recently upgraded by B of A Securities, to ‘Buy.’ The shares have a current annual dividend yield of 3.33%, paid quarterly.

This afternoon we are moving Albertsons (ACI) from BUY to SELL.

ONTF, CRNC and EVBG Report.

Today I want to address our BBWI and VSCO stock holdings, as well as the BBWI1 option from the LB spin-off.

Most of our stocks continue to build bases, so I remain patient, waiting for a renewed advance by the sector. The standout stock in our portfolio is Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR), which broke out to a new high last week after a great report.

These preferred shares are issued by one of the largest banks in the nation. Emerging from some of its legal woes, the bank has a fairly new management team.

Time to Take Some Profit in Nucor

**NOTE: Due to time constraints from the Cabot Wealth Summit, the Cabot Early Opportunities issue scheduled for Wednesday, August 18, 2021 will instead be published on Thursday August 19.**
It’s been a busy earnings season and we have a lot to cover. I don’t have reports on every company that has released results just yet, but I have most of them.

A few Cabot Options Trader subscribers have asked me about ways to protect gains in their portfolios, so I thought I would write to everyone with a couple of strategies using options to hedge your portfolio.

A subscriber recently asked me if I keep a journal of my trades. Many traders keep journals so they can look back at their trades and evaluate what they did right and what they did wrong.

Want to know how the big institutional investors use options? Here is an example of how one trader spent $132 million on three technology stocks.

Options trading has its own vernacular. To know how to do it, you need to know what every options term means. Here are some of the basics.

Our Cabot Momentum Trader’s market timing system consists of two parts—one based on the action of three select, growth-oriented market indexes, and the other based on the action of the fast-moving stocks Cabot Momentum Trader features.