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The broad market remains strong, while the cannabis sector remains stuck in the mud—in general.

I’ve received a bunch of questions regarding the Visa IPO this week. Many believe, because MasterCard (MA) turned out to be such a good investment, that Visa is probably a good buy. My answer to that is ... maybe. From a technical perspective, the game plan is obvious: Do not buy the Visa IPO, but do keep an eye on the stock. If it can form a relatively tight consolidation and if the market can show real signs of turning up, then you could consider taking a position on a breakout. It takes some work, but the rewards can be worth it.

The market’s three-day rally has been solid, but even better than that has been the action of growth stocks, many of which have zoomed to new highs.

The undercurrents we felt in the market last week bubbled to the surface this week as value-oriented sectors opened a modest performance gap as compared to growth-oriented sectors.

Given the mixed evidence, we think the Model Portfolio is in a proper stance, with about one-third in cash, but also holding onto a bunch of attractive stocks that could be leaders of the next upturn.

Thank you for subscribing to the Cabot Value Investor. We hope you enjoy reading the January 2024 issue.

We review the stock market’s remarkable performance in 2023 and highlight our recommendations that produced notable gains along with our clunkers. Our view on the 2024 market is that stocks will have an average year, with the Magnificent Seven producing flat/modest returns at best. Readers should keep in mind quotes from Yogi Berra and Warren Buffett when considering market forecasts. Onward to 2024.

Please feel free to send me your questions and comments. This newsletter is written for you and the best way to get more out of the letter is to let me know what you are looking for.

Recent days have seen substantial selling pressures in the broad market, with growth stocks being particularly hard hit. But the good news is that stocks in the marijuana sector, which had previously corrected 50% from their February peak to their bottom in late March or early April, are not seeing the same selling pressures.

Investor attention is rotating from the mega-cap growth stocks to the rest of the market which means other stocks, like these solid dividend payers, are set to outperform.

The incredible rally from the March lows has been disrupted. After soaring a remarkable 60% from the March lows, the S&P has pulled back more than 8% from the high. The selloff was long overdue and frankly healthy. It couldn’t continue the torrid pace higher forever.

The recent pullback has put several high quality stocks back in the buy range. In this issue, I highlight one of the very best large companies on the market. The recent turbulence has caused a rare pullback in the price that presents a buying opportunity in a stock that is rarely ever cheap. It also generates substantial call premiums and fantastic income potential.

Today, markets are rallying as much as they fell on Monday ahead of the Fed meeting this afternoon.

Before we dive into this morning’s Weekly Review, I wanted to bring to your attention to the schedule for this holiday week. I will be working/trading as normal Monday through Wednesday, and then will be off Thursday through Monday morning, which means we won’t be sending a Daily Watchlist or the Week in Review on Monday, November 27. Have a great Thanksgiving!

After a negative start to the week last Monday, the market surged higher on Wednesday, following what many traders view as a “less hawkish” speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

The market has been searching for direction this week and we’ve seen an uptick in “the crazy.” If you don’t know what I mean just Google “Short Squeeze GME” and read about the likely collective impact of retail investors teaming up on some stocks to put pressure on those with significant short interest.

These tools are based on what has worked over and over again in the past 50 years.

Despite recession fears, the U.S. consumer is still resilient, and that’s boosting the fortunes of these retailers.

Current Market Outlook


The market had become vulnerable to a short-term pullback in recent weeks, and now the normal post-Fed wobbles have turned into an abnormal selloff after the new round of Chinese tariffs, with today’s market plunge decisively cracking the intermediate-term uptrends of the major indexes and many leading stocks. Bigger picture, this is still a bull market until proven otherwise, but after some huge runs, many stocks that have been running for months likely need time to repair the damage. Interestingly, the fresher stocks (those that got going in May, June and July) are mostly hanging in there, and we’re not opposed to nibbling on them if you have some cash on the sideline. But at this point, your focus should be more on preserving capital (honoring stops, holding cash, cutting back on new buying) and waiting for bottoms to be formed. Our Market Monitor is back down to a level 4.
This week’s list is full of those fresher names, if you feel like taking a stab at a name or two. Our Top Pick is Inphi (IPHI), a high-potential stock that’s holding up well after earnings.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM)	79.05	53-55.5	48.5-49.5
Anaplan (PLAN)	47.52	51-53.5	46-48
Casey’s General Store (CASY)	165.73	159-162	147-149
Inphi (IPHI)	120.16	59-61	51.5-52.5
MasTec, Inc. (MTZ)	66.65	55.5-58	50.5-52
PagSeguro Digital (PAGS)	35.09	41.5-43.5	37.5-38.5
Pinterest (PINS)	35.86	32-34	28-29
SunPower (SPWR)	12.26	12.4-13.4	10.7-11.2
Survey Monkey (SVMK)	19.97	17.5-18.5	15.8-16.4
Twitter (TWTR)	40.37	39-41	36-37

Small business owners are largely being left out of the inflation conversation, but they’re feeling the pain nonetheless. Fortunately, you can take steps to combat inflation in your own small business.

While it’s certainly garnered headlines, is Elon Musk’s involvement in Twitter enough to make it a turnaround candidate?