The market continues its good news/bad news behavior, with emerging market stocks as a whole not doing well but Chinese stocks performing strongly. So, while we don’t have a formal Buy signal, we’re taking advantage of Chinese strength to inch a little deeper into the market. Today’s featured stock is another old friend that we’ve made money on before that has broken out of a nice consolidation pattern.

We have a great variety of sectors and companies for your review this month, beginning with our Spotlight Stock, a Real Estate Investment Trust, paying a high yield, that operates in non-urban locales—a pretty rare find, indeed—as most REITs concentrate their holdings in large cities.

Today I’m leaning back toward the low-risk end of the spectrum with a recommendation of a stock that is a potential takeover candidate; I think you’ll like the story.

Current Market Outlook


The major indexes and (to a greater extent) leading stocks hit a pothole late last week, but while we see smatterings of abnormal action here and there, the vast majority of stocks are simply undergoing normal rests after what’s been a solid five weeks. Of course, this week has plenty of events on the schedule, including the Singapore Summit Tuesday and the Fed’s likely interest rate hike (and accompanying statement) on Wednesday, both of which could result in some news-driven moves. But we’re just going with the evidence today; the trends of the market and most stocks are up, so we advise sticking with a bullish stance.

As for this week’s list, it’s interesting in that we see a handful of turnaround-type plays that were left for dead until a few weeks ago. A good example is our Top Pick this week: Twitter (TWTR), which just emerged from its first proper launching pad since coming public.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)	82.24	14.2-15.5	12.5-13.2
Coupa Software (COUP)	262.20	57-60	51-53
G-III Apparel (GIII)	45.25	45.5-48.5	41.5-43.5
Kohl’s (KSS)	70.62	74-77.5	67-69.5
Momo Inc. (MOMO)	44.65	49-52	43-45
MongoDB (MDB)	156.56	49-52	43.5-46
Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU)	43.32	44.5-46	40.5-41.5
PTC Therapeutics (PTCT)	0.00	35-37.5	31-32.5
Twitter (TWTR)	40.37	39-41	35.5-36.5
Williams-Sonoma (WSM)	64.96	59-61.5	54.5-56

Wide swaths of the market are still in no man’s land, including a handful of major indexes. But the growth areas of the market are looking great, with individual stocks, the Nasdaq and small-cap indexes hitting new highs.

Bottom line, while the picture isn’t perfect, there’s no question the evidence has improved enough to continue extending our line. In the Model Portfolio, we’re adding one familiar name tonight, bringing our cash position down to 20%, and are looking at more potential buys in the days ahead.

In addition to reviewing all our stocks, in tonight’s issue we also talk a bit about surviving shakeouts, something that has been (and will likely continue to) be key as the bull market progresses.

The introduction features a few international trade issues, including disputes about international court systems within NAFTA and CETA, and a potential sunset clause in NAFTA. I’d go on to itemize which steel companies might benefit or be harmed by the latest round of steel tariffs, but I frankly believe that last week’s newest steel tariffs are simply a temporary negotiating ploy pertaining to NAFTA. Therefore, I thought it might be more useful to discuss what’s currently happening with NAFTA negotiations.

After a brief shakeout last Monday, supposedly on fears that Italy would leave the EU, the market reversed course and has been pushing higher and higher since, supposedly cheering on the continued strong performance of the U.S. economy.

I’m enjoying the ride, and I assume you are, too. But I must remind you that good news is prevalent at market tops, while bad news is what you wallow in at market bottoms. So keep your eyes on the exits—while continuing to hold the best stocks as long as the market supports them.

Current Market Outlook


While the action of most major indexes wasn’t overwhelmingly positive last week (the S&P 500 was up about 0.5%), there was a bunch of constructive action—the major indexes shook off three big worries (Italian and Spanish political uncertainties and new tariff threats) and some pushed above near-term resistance, with growth-oriented stocks leading the way. There are still many potential potholes out there, including divergences (and overhead) in the major indexes and investor sentiment that’s a bit complacent. However, the primary evidence (trends of the indexes and price/volume action of leading stocks) continues to improve. We’re bumping our Market Monitor up a couple of notches into bullish territory and, while you shouldn’t force it, you can look to take a more positive stance going forward.

This week’s list has a ton of growth-y stories, and even those that have more sturdy stories have recently staged excellent breakouts. Our Top Pick is GDS Holdings (GDS), a smaller Chinese firm with an excellent story. The recent pullback looks like a decent entry point.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Alibaba (BABA)	254.81	202-210	188-192
Align Technology (ALGN)	316.20	324-334	295-300
Canada Goose Holdings (GOOS)	46.21	40-42	36.5-38
Cheniere Energy (LNG)	63.82	63-66	58-59.5
Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG)	773.32	430-445	410-416
GDS Holdings Limited (GDS)	80.15	36.5-39.5	32-34
Keysight Technologies, Inc. (KEYS)	97.20	58-60	54-55
Loxo Oncology (LOXO)	186.59	178-186	155-159
Novocure (NVCR)	0.00	28-30	25.5-26.5
Tiffany & Co. (TIF)	132.10	127-131	116-119

While thinking about how to frame this month’s small-cap opportunity I was hit by the memory of a Ted Talk I heard last winter. The talk features organizational psychologist Adam Grant describing what he calls “originals”—thinkers who dream up new ideas and then do what it takes to put them into action.

For value-focused investors, this year’s prologue has been a welcome change from the turmoil experienced in early 2025.

In just the past few weeks, some of last year’s most ignored or underappreciated laggards have posted outsized gains, with rallies that have made even momentum-driven tech stock traders envious. Even more remarkable is the fact that much of that strength has been concentrated in ultra-defensive areas of the market like consumer staples, utilities and healthcare.

The market rotation continues to be the main story out there this week, though rumblings of a potential strike on Iran, an update from the January FOMC meeting, and a slew of earnings reports and economic data releases have been giving investors plenty to think about.

In terms of the rotation, the equal‑weight S&P 500 ETF (RSP) is up 5.5% so far this year, illustrating that leadership is broadening beyond the narrow group of mega‑cap stocks that drove much of last year’s performance.

Year to date, the S&P 600 SmallCap Index is up 8.3% and the S&P 400 Mid‑Cap Index is up 7.9%. Both are comfortably outperforming the S&P 500, which is up just 0.1%, and the Nasdaq, which is down 2.1%.

Happy Chinese New Year! The year of the horse is upon us.

China is expecting an incredible 9.5 billion trips to be made during the 40-day Lunar New Year travel period. Chinese automakers are also on the move as the country’s numerous brands sold nearly 200,000 vehicles in Britain last year, doubling their market share to almost 10%.

As U.S. investors have shifted from risk-on to risk-off mode in recent months, a clear disparity between the “haves” and the “have-nots” has materialized.

Let’s start with the “have-nots.” Financials have fared the worst so far this year (-4.7%), followed by technology (-3.1%), communication services and consumer discretionary (-2.8% each). The downturn in the two tech-related sectors in particular is a stark departure from recent years, when technology led the charge of the current bull market.

Cyclical stocks are soaring and technology is floundering in the transformed market.

The bull market is turned upside down. For most of the first three years, technology, and particularly AI stocks, soared while most other stocks did very little. Now, previously meandering stocks are killing it while technology sinks.

Strong fourth-quarter earnings are confirming what the market was already doing.

Current estimates based on earnings reported so far are for 13.2% overall S&P earnings growth for the quarter. It’s a solid quarter and the fifth straight quarter of double-digit earnings growth. In terms of sector performance, cyclical companies are killing it, and technology is floundering, just like before earnings.

Like many coffee aficionados, I have something of a love/hate relationship with Starbucks (SBUX). My main gripe is that the company’s food and beverage offerings have always been pricey compared to the fare served in most fast-food restaurants and run-of-the-mill coffee houses.

The outperformance of small caps continues.

Through Tuesday’s close, the S&P 600 is up 10% year to date versus just 1.6% for the S&P 500.

All but three small-cap sectors are outperforming their large-cap counterpart. The strongest small-cap sectors are materials (+20%), energy (+23%), industrials (+17%), and tech (+11.4%).

Let’s talk about the power of staying invested.

Sure, when the market turns south – and I’m not even sure last week’s mini-dip qualifies – it makes sense to pare back on your weakest stocks and put a larger portion of your portfolio in cash. But taking your ball and going home – selling out of all of your stocks when times are tough – is not a winning strategy. Here’s why.

NOTE: We’re sending this a day early as I’m soon to embark on a trip with the kiddos over the next week. I will be working a good amount from the road, though, and will have updates if need be. Also, next week’s issue will be published as scheduled.

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WHAT TO DO NOW: The market remains very mixed, with growth measures still generally pointed sideways to down, while the broad market remains in solid shape. What’s interesting, though, is that we’re seeing more growth stocks kick into gear, along with some huge buying action in a few “cyclical growth” names. Tonight we’re making one move—adding a half-sized stake in Macom Tech (MTSI)—but are keeping our eyes open for a broader character change among growth stocks. Our cash position will be around 53%.

Today could be a big day for cannabis stocks.

The reason: We may get an important update on the rescheduling timeline.

Cannabis investors will be watching closely today to see whether Attorney General Pam Bondi offers a rescheduling update when she appears before the House Judiciary Committee. Upbeat comments could spark a sharp cannabis sector rally. The hearing starts at 10 a.m. EST.

I’m excited to share a couple of enhancements to Cabot Early Opportunities —improvements designed to sharpen our focus and better help you stay on top of the stocks we own.

This micro-cap tech company is speculative and trading at a discounted level, but the shares tend to rise rapidly on good news.

We’re waiting on a gold rebound with this Top Pick.

Whirlpool Corp. (WHR 187) is falling today after London investigators concluded that the Grenfell Tower fire started in a Hotpoint fridge freezer, manufactured by a subsidiary of Whirlpool.

A refrigerator made by Whirlpool (WHR) is being cited as the source of the Grenfell Tower fire in London. This kind of disaster can easily punish a stock price for a prolonged period of time.

Both of these Top Picks beat analysts’ estimates in the recent quarter; the first by $0.08 and the second by $0.07.

Both of these Top Picks beat analysts’ estimates in the recent quarter; the first by $0.08 and the second by $0.07.

Oracle (ORCL) has reached its Minimum Sell Price and should be sold. Kroger (KR) is expected to flounder in the 21.5 to 23 area for an extended period of time so it’s a Sell too.

Weibo (WB) shares are down around 10% in pre-market trading. The stock plummeted after news out of China that a regulator had ordered Weibo to shut down its audio and video services.

Here’s an update on the three exchange-traded funds, designed for a rising interest rate scenario.

Updates on two stocks and a rating change on another.

This company is transforming itself into a player in the automotive, avionics, and B2B arena.

This chemical company has a ‘1’, or strong buy rating by Wall Street analysts. The shares recently crossed over their 50-day moving average, a bullish indicator.

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.