Overall, nothing has changed yet with the major evidence out there, but we continue to think a bottom-building process is playing out in decent fashion so far: Last week, the major indexes sank below their January lows on news of the Russian invasion, but then rallied hugely to close the week all while showing small positive divergences in the broad market (fewer stocks hitting new lows on the Nasdaq, fewer below their 200-day lines, etc.). Moreover, there’s little doubt that sentiment is getting pretty bearish, and believe it or not the intermediate-term trend of growth funds actually isn’t far from a green light. Thus, there are some positives as it attempts to etch a low area to this three-plus-month downturn, so we’re nudging up our Market Monitor, but we need to see the market build on these baby steps before thinking the downtrend may be over.



This week’s list is very heavy on the commodity complex, as that’s clearly where the big money has been flowing. Our Top Pick is a natural gas-heavy play with as good a cash flow story as there is.

With the war in Ukraine taking center stage, it’s very hard to predict what markets will do. But we don’t need to. All we need to do is keep following proven investing systems.
The only change to the portfolio today is the downgrade of Veeco (VECO) to Hold.


As for the new recommendation, it’s probably a household name for folks in the Chicago area, but it’s a new one for me. And it’s a new stock, as well, having just come public in October.


Details inside.

The market plunged today on news of the “official” Russian invasion, but the turnaround was even more impressive, with the buyers pouncing and driving the indexes to solid gains; combined with sour sentiment and an internal positive divergence on the Nasdaq (fewer new lows than at the January lows), and there are a few rays of light. Even so, we need to see more than just that to turn bullish--the main trends of growth stocks, the broad market and the major indexes are all down, so while today was a solid first step, we advise patience while we watch to see if the bulls can really step up.

The overall market may have a challenging year as it grapples with inflation and uncertainty about the Fed tightening.
While most companies struggle, energy and financial stocks actually thrive with inflation and rising interest rates. But there are also lesser-known areas that are also benefitting from this current bend in the road.


In this issue, I highlight a company from the shipping sector. The industry had struggled for the last decade. But the current environment is much more hospitable. Shipping rates have soared in the pandemic recovery. And these rates are likely to stay high in one particular area, container shipping.

I’m not going to sugar coat it: We are in a dodging rain drops type of market as every day a handful of stocks break down, and then continue to fall apart in the days that follow.

The same culprits continue to plague the market: historically heightened levels of inflation, upcoming Fed rate hikes, and escalating geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, with growth sectors taking the brunt of the pain. Last week the Dow lost 1.9%, the S&P 500 fell 1.6% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 1.8%. Year-to-date the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq are lower by 6.2%, 8.8% and 13.4%, respectively.



Until we see some clarity in the areas of concern, the market could be in for some more rocky days/weeks like we have experienced since November, and that’s OK and normal.

The good news about the cannabis sector is that after a year-long decline, the stocks are cheap, and the sector is building a bottom.

The bad news is that we don’t have an uptrend yet.



But I do see a lot of constructive chart patterns, and as fourth-quarter reports are released in the weeks ahead (there’s one tonight), I’m optimistic that buyers will find their way back to the stocks of this great growth industry.



Full details in the issue.



Yours for wealth and wisdom.

Thank you for subscribing to the Cabot Turnaround Letter. We hope you enjoy reading the March 2022 issue.



In what could be a low-return market over the coming decade, stocks of relatively boring companies have a better chance to shine. We highlight five companies with grind-it-out growth, low share valuations and often-generous dividends that could produce significant market-beating returns.



We also discuss six appealing stocks we found by trolling through the 13F/D filings of like-minded institutional investors.



Our featured recommendation this month is Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (GT). An investment in Goodyear is an opportunistic purchase of an average company whose shares have fallen sharply out of favor for what look like short-term reasons.



We note our recent price target increases for Wells Fargo (WFC), Marathon Oil (MRO) and Shell plc (SHEL).

With many people watching the developments on the Ukraine front and the inflation front, my focus is on the broad market’s lows of late January, which serve as a line in the sand that we don’t want to see crossed. And because the market is technically in a downtrend, I continue to focus on lower-risk stocks, and hold a healthy cash position as well.
The only change to the portfolio today is the sale of Oracle (ORCL), which is going the wrong way.


As for the new recommendation, it’s a well-established American brand whose stock has shown great strength recently.


Details inside.

Stocks remain under pressure as a mixture of geopolitical threats and inflation concerns weigh on the market’s growth-oriented segments. Meanwhile, as the major indexes test their January lows, we remain on the lookout for signs of bottoming and constructive setups—particularly in the tech sector. For now, though, we advise caution as this is still very much a stock picker’s market.



This week’s list includes a nice mix of key industries that are benefiting from current economic trends, including a few that have had excellent earnings reactions. Our Top Pick is a stock that should get a boost from a potential increase in travel and vacation demand in the coming months.

More Metals Join the Bull’s Parade
For the first time in recent memory, metals are looking good across most major categories. Base and precious metals are showing varying degrees of strength, while energy metals like uranium and lithium are trying to establish bottoms. Even gold is showing more sustained strength than we’ve seen in several months.

In the portfolio, we just added a new position in a blue-chip gold stock and have initiated an additional new buy in a platinum/palladium closed-end trust.

The potential for an accelerated timetable for the Fed to raise interest rates and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine situation led to volatility this week. As always, other events and news also moved stocks. In particular, Sea (SE), after bouncing back the previous two weeks, was off sharply on Monday following reports that India has banned its popular mobile hit “Free Fire”. The stock has since recovered half of this pullback to close Wednesday trading at 141.

In the February Issue of Cabot Early Opportunities we take a quick look at the big-picture events influencing the current market then dive into five names that keep jumping onto my radar.
This month we take another spin with two names that served us well in 2021 and add a software company that has the potential to be a massive player in the digital economy. We also take half a stake in a watch list name and refresh that list with an exciting IoT company.


Enjoy!

After falling 34% in record time, the S&P 500 has recouped more than half of the losses. As of this writing, the market is down just 15% from the February highs. The S&P 500 is now back to the same level it was at this past October. Clearly the market is optimistic about the speed and strength of the economic restart. And the market usually gets it right.

I’ve been receiving questions recently that essentially ask, “Why did this stock go up when the company reported bad news?” and “Why did this other stock go down when the company reported good news?”

The S&P 500 crossed above its 25-day moving average line on April 6 and is back above its 50-day moving average line today. It is only 16% off its previous high. Granted, under the circumstances that doesn’t seem quite right. But nevertheless, there it is.

Today we are recommending buying and selling insurance stocks.

Analysts expect this biotech company to grow by more than 30% next year.

There are five holdings of this long-term fund.

In the past 30 days, 25 analysts have increased their EPS estimates for this tech company.

Our latest addition reported first quarter of fiscal 2021 results last night that beat on the top line.

Analysts expect this medical device company to grow by more than 75% next year.

Tyler is selling a stock from the portfolio.

This software company is expected to grow by more than 28% annually over the next five years.

One of the market truisms that I learned long ago concerns selling stocks near the end of a strong run-up—and because the odds are growing stronger that we’re nearing such a situation now, I bring it up today.

This portfolio stock reported Q2 results that came in better than expected on the top and bottom lines. Another stock moves to Hold.

The worm continues to turn for growth stocks, which are mostly lagging (at best) or cracking uptrends (at worst) after huge runs.

This electronics company beat analysts’ EPS estimates by $0.72 last quarter.

Our Cabot Top Ten 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 Top Ten features.