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Is the worst of this late-winter selloff over? Or are there lower depths still to plumb? A lot may depend on what the Fed says this week. Or the next bit of tariff news. Or who knows what. There’s a lot of uncertainty out there. And the market hates uncertainty. But after a month of almost nothing but selling, there are some encouraging signs of life.

Still, the wise move is to stick to safety, so this week we add a safe dividend stock that’s in about as reliable a business as there is: trash collection. It’s a new recommendation from Cabot Dividend Investor Chief Analyst Tom Hutchinson.

Details inside.

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. That applies to the stories of companies as much as to tales of people. My advice? Know your sources, do your due diligence and don’t send either flames or glurge to your email contacts without confirming things for yourself, no matter how satisfying they are.

Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and Lululemon Athletica (LULU) both look promising.

What do you do with a McMansion that nobody wants? I’m serious. There are a bunch of 4,000 sq. ft. (and larger) houses out there that were quite appropriate for a time of growing families, big paychecks and two SUVs in the driveway. For all I know, there are lots of families who still love their super-sized abodes and wouldn’t trade them for anything. But I’ve seen a couple of stories about how much these castles cost to heat in the winter and cool in the summer, and to clean all year long. If people don’t want to pay to heat a place, and cool it, and make the payments on it, they move out and find a bungalow of manageable size. Then what happens to the big one?

There are tremendous alternative energy sources here in the U.S. to replace that diminishing oil supply. Quite simply, the U.S. is its own Green power Saudi Arabia.

Jay Gould was the original Wizard of Wall Street. The self-proclaimed 21st-century version turned out to be an imposter. Here is his story.

Ulta Salon (ULTA) has been recommended several times in Cabot newletters in recent months.

“Disruptive” technologies are not new. But nowhere have disruptive innovations had as much impact as in the technology industry.

The volatility continues but we’ve seen most of our stocks hold above previous lows (so far). The S&P 600 Small Cap Index is also holding above its lows from last week.

The market’s bounce off support last week was encouraging, and while we remain in a news-driven, choppy environment, our current cash level is too high given the mostly positive evidence. Thus, tonight, we’re adding two new stocks leaving us with a cash position of 20%.

Remain cautious. The market is doing more chopping than declining in recent weeks, and because of that, a couple of good days on the upside could actually turn the intermediate-term trend up.

Stay bullish. We’ve seen an improvement in the evidence during the past week, with growth stocks acting well and more names hitting new highs. We’re moving one of our positions back to buy and our cash position stands at 27%.

Given the generally improving health of the broad market, I’m putting General Motors (GM) and CVS Health (CVS) back on Buy today. We have no other changes to the portfolio.

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.

With the passage of recent legislation, changes are coming to the student loan landscape; federal loans are still available, but it’s never been more important to understand your other options for paying for a higher education. This month, let’s look at some of those options—from grants and scholarships to 529s and savings accounts—to help you crack the code on paying for college without blowing up your budget.

This is the worst market we’ve seen in a while. And the ugliness could last a while.

Tariff talk is all the rage. The economy is slowing. Nobody is sure about inflation or interest rates. It all adds uncertainty. The market had been riding high for more than two years. A comeuppance has arrived. How long will it last and how deep will it be?

During times of maximum uncertainty like this, healthcare stocks are a great place to be. That was the topic of last month’s exquisitely crafted issue. But there is another industry with both defensive and growth characteristics that’s ideal for uncertain times – garbage.

We live in the garbage capital of the world. This country generated 292 million tons of waste in 2018, up from 251 tons in 2012, and nearly double the waste produced in 1980. That’s enough waste to produce a pile long enough to go to the moon and back – 29 times. And that’s every single year. Waste services are big business. In 2023, the U.S. waste management services industry generated $145 billion in revenue. That was up from $137 billion the prior year and that number is likely to keep rising.

Garbage will continue to pile up regardless of where interest rates go, the level of economic growth, or the fallout from tariffs. The market could soar, or the world could go to Hell in a handbag. Either way my wife will nag me every week to take out the garbage.

Bank on a company with certain earnings and revenue in uncertain times. Defensive stocks tend to outperform during and after volatile markets. In this issue, I highlight a company that is the unquestioned leader in waste services. The stock has a strong track record which could get even better in the years ahead.

The market and some growth stocks held their own around year-end and popped to start the year, but last week was a bad one, with the sellers hitting most everything. There are tons of crosscurrents out there, and we’re starting to see some oversold measures really get stretched, so we’re not hibernating in a bear cave. But the bottom line is that the intermediate-term trend of most indexes, sectors and stocks are down so we continue to favor being cautious. Our Market Monitor now stands at a level 5.

This week’s list has something for everyone, with a lot of good setups for if/when the market does turn up. Our Top Pick has hung in there very well in recent weeks despite the market’s tumble.

Today’s featured recommendation is a low-risk financial stock that will give the portfolio some stability (and income). And since the portfolio doesn’t currently own a bank stock, this will provide some healthy diversification.

Today’s stock is a name you’ll know. The company was born in the early days of the internet and today it’s all grown up—a major player in the world of financial transactions.