Current Market Outlook


While the major indexes took another hit last week, we actually saw a few encouraging signs from the market—the broad market, for instance, continues to display some positive divergences (i.e., it’s in better shape now than back in February, when the indexes were at a similar level) and many leading stocks held key support (often near their 50-day lines), with a few actually shooting to new highs. All of that is a good reason to keep your antennae up—but with the major indexes still in intermediate-term downtrends, we’re keeping our Market Monitor in neutral territory. If this is the start of a sustained rally, there will be plenty of opportunities to jump on, but right now it’s best to mostly stand pat, holding resilient stocks but also keeping some cash on the sideline.

This week’s list is a mixed bag, with lots of turnarounds and some growth stocks sprinkled in. Our Top Pick is Etsy (ETSY), which, despite a big run, has refused to budge during the market’s latest downdraft.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
BofI Holding (BOFI)	42.93	39-41	36.5-38
Delek (DK)	0.00	39.5-41.5	36-37.5
Etsy (ETSY)	112.97	26-27.5	23.5-24.5
Kirby (KEX)	0.00	79-81.5	73.5-75
LGI Homes (LGIH)	86.04	69-73	64-66
NetApp (NTAP)	0.00	61-64	56-58
New Relic (NEWR)	103.70	72-74.5	65.5-67
Planet Fitness (PLNT)	0.00	37-39	34-35.5
Proofpoint (PFPT)	113.79	113-118	104-106.5
Urban Outfitters (URBN)	0.00	36.5-38.5	33.5-35

There are roughly 200 million commercial vehicles in the world. They’re all trying to get to the right place, at the right time, at the lowest possible cost, without crashing. Managing these fleets probably isn’t as stressful as being an air traffic controller, but it’s right up there!
To help get the job done, fleet managers are increasingly turning to fleet telematics solutions. This specialized hardware and software can improve driver safety records, reduce accidents and theft, and reduce operating costs. Dramatic increases in fleet efficiency boost an organization’s bottom line. The bigger the group is, the bigger the potential opportunity.
All the details are inside this month’s issue of Cabot Small-Cap Confidential. Enjoy!

The major market indexes have talked themselves off the ledge over the past couple of days, not exactly roaring back to health, but showing signs that buying interest isn’t completely gone. Headlines about a trade war between the U.S. and China have been a major disruptor, and I have some thoughts about that in this week’s commentary. I also have a Chinese stock that’s been ignoring the market’s wobbles and etching a great rally.

Today, most major indexes have pulled back to nearly their early February lows, so short-term, a bounce from here would be quite normal, though longer-term, further weakness cannot be ruled out. But we don’t need to know where the market is going. We only need to know what it’s doing now—and watch carefully what our own stocks are doing—and react appropriately. Today that means selling two stocks, downgrading one to hold, and upgrading one to buy. Details inside.

I don’t tend to get very worked up about stock market volatility, and instead prefer to buy stocks during market dips. The S&P 500 keeps bouncing at 2,600, which means there’s good price support there that gives me confidence to buy low. Keep buying high quality stocks while the prices are low, so that your capital gain potential during market run-ups can get a head start!

Current Market Outlook


The major indexes bounced decently last week, though that was quickly given back today as the sellers reappeared. Day-to-day volatility is likely to remain high as the market remains news-driven (the 50-day average of the VIX volatility index is the highest in two years), but the bottom line for the overall market is simple: All of the major indexes we track are below their key intermediate-term moving averages, so until proven otherwise, the trend is down and you should remain cautious. As for individual stocks, many are still in good shape, but with the sellers in control, any buying should be kept small and all stops should be honored. We’re nudging down our Market Monitor another notch to reflect the growing selling pressures we see.

This week’s list does contain a bunch of solid charts despite the market’s carnage, which is an encouraging sign. Our Top Pick is Lululemon (LULU), which is one of many resilient retail names and has just gapped up on earnings.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Energen (EGN)	77.04	59-61	55-56
Five Below (FIVE)	134.58	70-73	64.5-66.5
Guess (GES)	0.00	19.5-20.5	17.5-18
Kohl’s (KSS)	70.62	61-63	56-58
Lululemon Athletica (LULU)	304.69	85-88	80-82
Okta, Inc. (OKTA)	148.41	37.5-39.5	34.5-36
Petrobras (PBR)	14.78	13.2-14.2	12.1-12.8
Shutterfly (SFLY)	94.71	76-79	70-72
Smart Global (SGH)	0.00	46.5-49.5	42-44
Wix.com (WIX)	302.53	74-77.5	68-71

Market action has gotten hairy, but it’s no reason to panic. In today’s issue I suggest some defensive moves, plus I have a new, nearly-bulletproof recommendation for dividend growth investors.

The market has taken a turn for the worse during the past week—the February/March rally attempt is over, and now we’re even seeing the sellers come around for growth stocks, which had been resilient. It’s not a time for panic, but we’re taking action, having sold three stocks during the past couple of weeks and, tonight, half of another, leaving the Model Portfolio with around 44% in cash.

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.

==

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.

Here’s a comprehensive analysis of one of our holding’s Q1 earnings and some very interesting commentary from management regarding something I speculated about back in mid-January.

The top five holdings of this fund are Amazon.com Inc (AMZN, 2.96% of assets); Alphabet Inc C (GOOG, 2.31%); Tesla Inc (TSLA, 1.89%); SM Investments Corp (SVTMF, 1.63%) and Roper Technologies Inc (ROP, 1.49%).

One of our stocks reported Q1 results this morning that came in better than expected. Even though the stock ran up 20% in the week leading up to the earnings report, shares blew through their prior all-time high following the report. Shares are trading between 10% and 15% higher at mid-day today, which pegs our current gain at 30% to 35%.

We have non-urgent news and price action today: a few trading ideas, and a possible new CEO.

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) reached its Minimum Sell Price of 35.69 today. First-quarter sales and earnings were strong, which sent the stock higher. Now is a good time to take profits.

This company, helmed by legendary investor Warren Buffett, is a conglomerate that owns and invests in dozens of other businesses.

One of our stocks reported results on Thursday and investors didn’t care for the results.

Here are earnings updates on three of our stocks, including a rating change, plus minor updates on three others.

A recent Reuters survey of 24 brokerage companies showed strong support for the shares of this medical products company, with 79% of analysts giving it a ‘Buy’ rating, and 21% rated the shares a ‘hold.’

This global business beat analysts’ estimates by three cents last quarter.

This home improvement retailer beat Wall Street’s estimates by $0.07 last quarter, posting EPS of $0.86 per share.

Tivo (TIVO) reported non-GAAP $0.40 EPS vs. the consensus estimate of $0.27. News agencies reported all of the following incorrect EPS numbers: (0.29), $0.22, $0.29, $0.30 and $0.45. Here’s the full story.

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.