After notching an all-time high earlier in the week, the S&P 500 and its index peers came under intense selling pressure to close the week. By week’s end, the S&P 500 fell by 1.7%, while the Dow and Nasdaq both lost 2.5%.

The market remains relatively mixed from a top-down perspective, but growth stocks remain a different story -- some still look fine, but the action is very hit or miss, and recently, more have come under pressure, with air pockets appearing all over the place this week. That doesn’t portend doom -- in fact, some things like sentiment are encouraging, and the indexes aren’t in bad shape -- but we’ve pared back this week and will look to reinvest the proceeds once big investors decisively step up to support growth stocks.

The February 2025 Issue highlights a variety of both new and familiar names across the software, delivery, MedTech, appliance and land management markets.

As always, this Issue should have something for everyone.

Despite early-week wobbles on inflation worries, the market again held its ground and in fact advanced as the week wore on. By week’s end the S&P 500 had gained 1.5%, the Dow had risen by 0.5%, and the Nasdaq had added 2.6%.

Most of the overall evidence out there is the same as it has been for weeks, but there is one factor that is very encouraging for the bulls: Earnings season, which continues to produce a good-sized batch of gaps higher in growthy names, with another round of winners this past week; as things stand now, there should be plenty of leadership for the market to ride ... if big investors finally click the buy button. We’re far from flooring the accelerator, but we’ll nudge up our Market Monitor to a level 7.

As an example of what we just wrote, seven of this week’s Top Ten gapped on earnings last week, and while some still need a little work, all should have good potential if the market kicks into gear. Our Top Pick has reemerged after a long base-building effort last year and as some industry worries fade into the background.

The market’s resilience in the face of bad headlines (tariffs, higher inflation, an increasingly cautious Fed, etc.) continues to impress. And with the major indexes currently trading near their 2025 highs despite all the outside attempts to derail them, perhaps the next big market move will be up. With that in mind, today we add to our growth stockpile in the form of a former market (and Cabot) darling that was recently recommended by Mike Cintolo to his Cabot Growth Investor audience. After a rough stretch in mid-2024, the stock is soaring again.

Details inside.

Despite early-week wobbles on inflation worries, the market again held its ground and in fact advanced as the week wore on. By week’s end the S&P 500 had gained 1.5%, the Dow had risen by 0.5%, and the Nasdaq had added 2.6%.

Despite early-week wobbles on inflation worries, the market again held its ground and in fact advanced as the week wore on. By week’s end the S&P 500 had gained 1.5%, the Dow had risen by 0.5%, and the Nasdaq had added 2.6%.

In his Fed semiannual testimony before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said, “Labor market conditions have cooled from their formerly overheated state and remain solid. Inflation has moved much closer to our 2% longer-run goal, though it remains somewhat elevated.”

Yes, it has. This morning, it was reported that stubborn inflation, as denoted in the CPI index, rose to 3.0%, a bit higher than the 2.9% economists had predicted.

Centrus Energy (LEU) shares rocketed 40% this past week and have surged 78% so far in 2025 while newcomer American Superconductor’s (AMSC) shares jumped 18% this week.

You may also have noticed that our BYD (BYDDY) recommendation is already up 24% in 2025 and has increased about 80% over the last year. This highlights an important trend in China that is unlikely to reverse.

In China, a consumer preference for multinational brands from everyday items like coffee to luxury markets was clear for decades, boosting the sales and value of companies like LVMH (LVMUY) and Starbucks (SBUX). Since the pandemic, however, preferences have shifted. Which brings us to today’s new recommendation.

Other stocks are picking up the slack while technology is wobbling. The grossly lopsided performance that dominated this market for so long couldn’t last. And there’s more to the story than just sector rotation. Earnings are catching up.

I’m still bullish on the portfolio AI stocks. But other sectors of the market are overdue for stronger relative performance. These stocks are taking over and likely to post much better relative performance over the course of the year.

Healthcare is perhaps the best of all sectors that aren’t technology. It’s an all-weather industry that offers a very seldom-found combination of safety and growth. Plus, these stocks are poised ahead of the megatrend of the rapidly aging population. Healthcare demand is skyrocketing. And the best stocks should get a great ride.

In this issue, I highlight four healthcare stocks currently in the portfolio. Despite the lopsided bull market returns so far, a couple of these stocks have been among the very best performers. And now they should be poised for a strong run in 2025.

The volatile and sloppy start to 2025 continued last week as the indexes fell hard on Monday, recovered in the middle part of the week, and then lost ground again on Friday. For the week the S&P 500 fell 0.2%, the Dow lost 0.5%, and the Nasdaq declined by 0.5%.

Since Halloween, the last seven times I have made a call in Cabot Cannabis Investor to buy the AdvisorShares MSOS 2X Daily (MSOX) in sector weakness, the exchange-traded fund has gone up 68% on average over the next one to seven weeks.

The last time I made a trading call to buy the cannabis sector was on May 29.

Since that was less than two weeks ago and the maximum time to profit after trading calls is seven weeks, I am not too concerned about the flat performance of cannabis stocks since then.

It’s a new high! April was down. May was up. And June has been an up month so far. Hopefully, June will follow through and be another good month, but I’m still expecting a flatter market for a while.

The market goes back and forth with the interest rate narrative. But I don’t expect a resolution on that issue any time soon, or at least for the rest of the summer. Either the economy has to slow, or the Fed is going to at least leave rates where they are. But investors still insist on expecting rate cuts before the end of the year even though the economy looks strong.

Earnings season is largely over, so there were no companies that reported earnings this past week. However, we do have at least one company reporting next week – Ammo, Inc. (POWW). And the next earnings season is frankly just around the corner, with Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) announcing they’ll release their next round of results the last week of the month.

WHAT TO DO NOW: With the market’s intermediate-term evidence mixed, you should take things on a stock-by-stock basis—holding what’s working but selling what’s not, while holding some cash as we wait for the market and growth stocks to show their hand. Our Cabot and Growth Tides remain neutral and our Two-Second Indicator is iffy, so even though we do see a few tempting names, we’re going to hold our 35% cash position tonight and see if the bulls can step up for more than a few hours. We have no changes tonight.

It’s been a great market for a while. But it has leveled off since the middle of May. I expect more of the same going forward.

The S&P 500 pulled back in early April after a five-month rally as sticky inflation soured the interest rate narrative. The index then recovered to new highs in the middle of May on an improved interest rate outlook. But stocks have since leveled off as the interest rate outlook got stuck in the mud.

The market has leveled off since the middle of May. I expect more of the same going forward.

The S&P 500 pulled back in early April after a five-month rally as sticky inflation soured the interest rate narrative. The index then recovered to new highs in the middle of May on an improved interest rate outlook. But stocks have since leveled off as the interest rate outlook got stuck in the mud.

Duluth Holdings Inc. (DLTH) reported its fiscal first-quarter 2024 results, with revenues of $116.68 million, missing estimates by 2.52% and down from $123.76 million a year ago. The company posted a net loss of $7.9 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $1.8 million. Despite sales challenges, CEO Sam Sato highlighted improved inventory management and successful customer engagement campaigns. The company ended the quarter with $6.8 million in cash and updated its fiscal 2024 outlook to net sales of $640 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $39 million.

It’s been another week of small caps getting pulled around by moves in the 10-year yield, which is largely a function of Fed speaker commentary.

First it was Neel Kashkari (non-voter) sounding off with hawkish comments (yields up, small caps down), though it’s the inverse today after Raphael Bostic (voter) said he still thinks the Fed will be in position to cut rates in Q4.

Next up are NY Fed President John Williams (12:05 ET) while Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan speaks after the close today.

As we approach the end of May, the S&P 500 is still up 10% for the year, including a 4.6% gain so far in May. But the market was off yesterday as bond yields creep upwards. It was a lackluster week for Explorer stocks as well.

U.S. stocks trade at a P/E ratio over 21x earnings while European stocks trade at a cheaper 14x earnings on average. U.K. stocks look even more compelling at just 12x earnings.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the presidential election.

No, I’m not going to touch the political ramifications of Biden vs. Trump, Round 2 with an 11-foot pole. For investors, that doesn’t matter. What matters is what typically happens to the stock market in election years. In the 20 presidential election years since 1944, the S&P 500 is up an average of 7.2% - not terrible, but well shy of the average 10% annual gain in the benchmark index.

The market has been good for a while. The S&P 500 is up roughly 11% YTD and about 30% since late October. But I expect choppier waters ahead.

The main driver of the S&P has been the technology sector, which is being driven higher by the artificial intelligence catalyst. Most of the rest of the market seems to be at the mercy of the interest rate narrative. And that seems to change every couple of weeks nowadays.

V.F. Corporation (VFC) reported a 13% revenue decline to $2.4 billion, missing expectations. Sales were down across the company’s brands, with North Face sales down 5%, Vans 26%, Timberland 14%, and Dickies 15%, with all regions seeing declines, led by a 22% drop in the Americas. Adjusted operating margin fell to -2.1%, with EPS at -$0.32 vs. $0.17 a year ago. On a slightly better note, inventory fell $382 million from Q4, and net debt is down to $5.3 billion. While CEO Bracken Darrell emphasized ongoing turnaround plans and leadership rebuilding, analysts downgraded the stock as the company’s $1.7B in debt maturities could lead to potential asset sales and dividend cuts.

We have the opportunity to sell premium one more time before we close out our position for 2023.

In the Buffett’s Patient Investor portfolio, we currently own the TXN January 17, 2025, 135 call LEAPS contract at $53.05. You must own LEAPS in order to use this strategy.

After SPY’s historic, 8.9% rally in November (which resulted in a few subsequent losses), I want to sell a bear call spread in SPY going out to the January 19, 2024, expiration cycle. We continue to stick with the probabilities knowing that losing trades will come from time to time. We don’t play on the fringes of the bell curve. Anomalies will occur, and when they do, oftentimes when selling premium using a high-probability approach, losses follow. That’s understood. And that’s why we diversify the strategies (a.k.a. poor man’s covered calls) we employ. But when considering November saw the second-best November since 1980, behind only the pandemic-driven rebound in 2020, remaining disciplined to invest within “the curve” by using a high-probability approach is key.

We are recommending shares of CNH Industrial (CNHI) as a new Buy. The company is a major producer of agriculture (80% of sales) and construction (20% of sales) equipment for customers around the world and is the #2 ag equipment producer in North America (behind Deere). It also provides related supplies, services and financing.

In the Yale Endowment portfolio, we currently own the EEM January 17, 2025, 29 call LEAPS contract at $12.15. You must own LEAPS in order to use this strategy.

As part of the Income Wheel approach, we allowed our KO calls to expire in the money at expiration last week. As a result, our shares were “called” away at the price of 55.

AMGN is currently trading for 262.97.

We currently own the AAPL January 17, 2025, 135 call LEAPS contract at $48.00. You must own LEAPS in order to use this strategy.

Today, a whopping eight Profit Booster positions will expire. Most are “slam-dunk,” full-profit trades, while others will go down to the wire.

The big takeaway, before we dive in, is we are going to let the situation play itself out, and come Monday/Tuesday of next week we will revisit our profits, as well as how we will manage the remaining positions.

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 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.