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With the market under pressure because of the war in Ukraine (not to mention lurking inflationary influences), defense continues to be important.
Today the portfolio is selling two stocks and downgrading two to hold.


But there’s always something to buy, and today it’s energy stocks, as I add our third energy stock to the portfolio.


Details inside.

With the market in a downtrend—though possibly ready for a rally—the prudent course is to continue to focus on strong sectors (like energy) and cheap stocks, which is what we’re doing with today’s recommendation.



As for the current portfolio, we’re down to 15 stocks, from a maximum of 20, and selling none of them today.



Details inside.

Stocks rebounded nicely last week, giving hope that the 2023 stock market may be far more resilient than the 2022 market – which could eventually get us out of this bear market malaise. That makes it a good time to buy one of the blue-chip tech stocks that were infamously beaten into submission by last year’s indiscriminate selloff in all things technology. Fortunately, Tyler Laundon is recommending just such a stock – a name this is familiar to all, and yet is embarking on some exciting new ventures that the general public might not be fully aware of. Today, we add this mega-cap technology giant to the Stock of the Week portfolio.

All is well with the market so far this year. The S&P is up 6.7% in less than two months. It’s a continuation of the 23% rally that started at the end of October and a more than 40% rise from the bear market low in late 2022.

But recent news may jeopardize the current market dynamic. January CPI was higher than expected and indicated that the current problematic inflation isn’t dead yet. Sure, it’s way down from the 9.1% peak in mid-2022 to 3.1%, but it has been rising for several months and is still well above the Fed’s 2% target.

We remain in a confirmed bear market, so caution is still appropriate. But the bear may end soon, and when it does, we’ll get back to more aggressive investing.
This week’s recommendation is a healthy company that pays a very large dividend and has a solid future serving one of our country’s strongest energy sectors.


As for the current portfolio, there are no changes.


Details in the issue.

Amazon.com (AMZN) has completely changed the retail landscape, and it’s creating cheap investments along the way. Here are six that hold particular value.

Not all stocks are falling in this volatile market. The stock prices of leading companies operating in stable industries generally hold steady during market declines. I advise investing at least 50% of your portfolio into ultra-safe stocks and ETFs. I have assembled a list of 12 ultra-safe companies for your review.

The influx of immigrants into the U.S. has been great for business. And investors can profit from immigration with these two stocks.

Dividend payments are the traditional avenue for income investors, buy stock buybacks have been attracting investors at a higher rate in the last year.

Although trade talks are underway and global conflict has seized the headlines, the U.S.-China rivalry is as intense as ever. Here are the stocks to buy and avoid, plus resources to learn more.

Datadog (DDOG) and Dynatrace (DT) are my two favorite cloud computing stocks. Which is the better buy now? Let’s break it down.

Stocks finally had a bad week on the heels of a two-month, off-the-bottom rally that hadn’t relented since mid-June. One bad week doesn’t mean we’re destined to return to the kind of selling we saw in the first half of 2022. But the retreat was sharp enough to sell three of our weakest performers and add some safety in the form of another dividend stock. But the newest addition to the portfolio, courtesy of Tom Hutchinson, isn’t some stodgy utility company. It’s a fast-growing technology company whose stock is starting to regain traction with investors.

Details inside.

Things look good for 2024. Inflation is down, interest rates have likely peaked, and there is no sign of recession. But you never know. It’s a tough game to predict the future of the market. However, certain trends are likely to persist.

It’s a good bet that interest rates have peaked. Sure, they could edge higher from here. But they are unlikely to soar to new highs past 5% for the 10-year Treasury. The situation would have to completely reverse for that to happen. Meanwhile, stocks that have been dragged lower by rising interest rates have come alive again.

These stocks, which have strong track records of market outperformance, are at historically cheap valuations, have established upward momentum, and are positioned ahead of a likely slowing economy.

Also, artificial intelligence is here to stay. Businesses must spend on it not only for competitive advantage, but as a matter of survival. The new technology will continue to be a strong growth catalyst for technology stocks. And the trend will continue regardless of what the Fed does, or the state of the economy, or who is elected president.

In this issue, I highlight a fantastic dividend stock whose long record of strong performance has been interrupted these last two years. It’s also a company that focuses on technology and will surely benefit from the proliferation of AI in the years ahead. The timing for this stock should be outstanding.

The market looks great right now. Inflation is falling fast, the Fed is just about done hiking rates, and there is no recession in sight. It looks like we will get through the steepest rate-hike cycle in decades without much economic pain.

But nothing is certain. Inflation could rise again. The Fed may keep rates high for longer than the market expects. The economy may turn south in the quarters ahead. There could be more trouble with bank failures or the war in Ukraine. S&P earnings have been contracting for three straight quarters.

We’ll see if the market can add to the 30% rally from the low, or if it turns south again. A reasonable argument can be made for either scenario. Instead of trying to guess the possible short-term gyrations, let’s look to investments that should be longer-term winners no matter what.

In this issue, I highlight a stock that diversifies the portfolio into the consumer space. The company operates in an incredible niche market that has provided earnings growth for 31 consecutive years and enabled the stock to outperform the market in every measurable period over the last 15 years. The company is positioned for strong growth in the years ahead and the stock has a long track record of delivering stellar returns in all kinds of markets.

These are confusing times in the market. It looks like a soft landing for the economy is more likely. But that’s no guarantee. We could still have a recession next year. The bull market could rage on or pull back. Instead of betting on the economic cycle, it’s a time to focus on individual stocks.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) exploded onto the market scene in a huge way in May when semiconductor company Nvidia (NVDA) blew away earnings expectations citing much higher demand for AI chips than anyone expected. It added another leg to the bull market as AI-related stocks soared.

In an otherwise miserable year of nonstop inflation, recession, the Fed, and a bear market, an opportunity is emerging for opportunistic investors. Attractive rates on conservative fixed-rate investments have reemerged. There is a chance to lock in rates not seen since the decade before last.

In this issue, I highlight an investment grade rated fixed income security that currently yields nearly 6%, and the income offers tax advantages to boot.

Earnings are saving this floundering market. The market was turning south again after a big rebound. But a promising earnings season stopped the slide.

It’s still early. But it appears that earnings will once again exceed expectations. That’s big. Not only are earnings what it’s all about. But it reminds investors that this economy is still strong, and much stronger than the current headlines indicate.

It’s one step forward and two steps back in this crummy market.
The indexes seem to stage an impressive rally at some point every week. But the S&P 500 has fallen for seven consecutive weeks, the longest such streak since 2001. It came within a whisker of a bear market (down 20% from the high on a closing basis) before the latest temporary rally on Monday.

The market is bouncing around a lot on a road to nowhere.

It rallies one day and then sells off again the next. The indexes fell into correction territory when Russia invaded Ukraine and have bounced around the same level since. The invasion didn’t cause much of a selloff. But the market can’t get any real traction as long as the uncertainly remains.