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Here is your summer issue of Cabot’s 10 Best Marijuana Stocks, with updates on the industry as a whole as well as all the important fundamental developments regarding the stocks in the portfolio.

In general, I remain very bullish on the marijuana sector long-term. I’m impressed by both the creativity demonstrated by the management of these companies, and the appetite for investment in the sector, by both individual investors and private equity. The future is bright.

The market had what amounted to a halfway decent eight-day rally, but the sellers pounced on that move, with most major indexes testing or reaching new correction lows today. From here, we’ll be watching to see how this short-term retest phase goes—given the very negative sentiment and obvious reason for the selling (tariffs), a super-powerful rally from here would be intriguing, especially if some resilient stocks (those that are holding well above their lows from a couple weeks ago) take flight. Over time, this decline will set the stage for a buoyant advance with lots of new leadership, but until that payoff arrives, continue to practice patience. As always, though, we just go with the here and now; we’ll yank our Market Monitor back down a notch to a level 3.

This week’s list is again very well rounded, though not surprisingly, there’s fewer go-go growth names, as more well-situated outfits are favored. Our Top Pick has both growth and defensive characteristics, and the stock is holding up very well.

The Financial Times reported this morning that this portfolio stock was in talks, in late December, to possibly be acquired by AIG, Prudential Financial Group or Prudential Financial.

Several portfolio stocks recently reported earnings and move to Strong Buy.

Emerging markets are seeing a boost from positive news out of Hong Kong and on the U.S.-China front. Our Emerging Markets Timer has raced higher in recent days, putting it within striking distance of a new buy signal. Our new recommendation comes from an unexpected country, but a well established semi-monopoly industry.

The market’s action of two weeks ago gave evidence that the bulls were taking control…but last week’s volatility tells us the bears still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. All told, this remains a tough market, so your best move is to keep some of your powder dry while focusing on specific stocks and sectors that are in their own, private bull markets. That means focusing on commodities, especially oil, as well as a few emerging growth-oriented leaders. Just remember that earnings season is beginning, so you should have a game plan in place on how you want to handle your stocks before they report. This week’s Top Ten is similar in structure to many of the past few weeks, but contains a couple of new names to consider. Our favorite of the week is Mechel (MTL), a company that has its hands in all the right cookie jars—steel, iron ore and coal. The stock powered ahead on big volume last week, and we think you can take a position now.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
MTL (MTL)	0.00	130-150	-
NFLX (NFLX)	0.00	34-37	-
POT (POT)	0.00	165-175	-
XCO (XCO)	0.00	18-21	-
APA (APA)	0.00	123-129	-
CLR (CLR)	0.00	34-37	-
CSIQ (CSIQ)	0.00	22-25	-
FDG (FDG)	0.00	57-60	-
KEX (KEX)	0.00	53-56	-
MTH (MTH)	0.00	19-21	-

It goes without saying that a big part of being a turnaround investor is having a contrarian bent. Let’s face it, we’re a hardy bunch who typically shun the crowd and buy what are, in most cases, stocks that are completely out of vogue with the typical market participant.

If you invest in the stock market through mutual funds, you know the year-end distributions can be taxable. Here’s how to minimize that.

According to Gallup, having enough money for retirement is the most common financial concern in the U.S. In the 2014 survey, Gallup found that 59% of Americans are worried about not having enough money for retirement. That’s actually down from a few years ago, when over 66% of Americans were concerned about funding their retirements.

Second Careers and Side Hustles

Alternative Energy Stocks Can Make You Rich

Avoid these Sector ETFs in October

2 Genetic Sequencing Stocks to Consider

4 Exercise Stocks for the Getting-in-Shape-at-Home Era

3 Trends that Point to Another Market Rebound

2 Under-the-Radar Japanese Stocks to Buy

8 Companies that Could be the Next Tesla

The Math Doesn’t Work When You Try to Short Stocks

Ford v. Ferrari: The Sequel

What Does this Massively Bullish Option Trade Mean?

With the market on edge we’re going with a slightly larger company than normal with this month’s Cabot Small-Cap Confidential selection. But we’re not being overly conservative. Shares of this software stock have been climbing steadily after a breakout move in May. The reasons? Growth is reaccelerating, profit margins are climbing, and the proportion of recurring revenue is going up.

Energy stocks are thriving, and some of them have risen into the stratosphere. I never recommend that people chase stocks that just rose 20% to 50% without resting. Let them rest, then jump in to catch the next run-up. On the flip side, financial stocks are just now emerging from a resting period. Many of my favorites appear ready to not only retrace their recent highs, but to surpass them as well!

As the dividing line between the public and private sectors becomes increasingly blurred, it’s readily apparent that long-term investment decisions must now be evaluated through a new lens. And that means asking a simple question: “Could the financial asset I’m interested in acquiring be potentially influenced through direct federal intervention?”

Despite all the current issues, the market is doing gangbusters.

The S&P 500 is up over 12% YTD. And the year isn’t even half over. The index has also rallied more than 20% from the bear market low in October. That’s the definition of a bull market.

But things aren’t as rosy as they seem. This is the thinnest rally I’ve ever seen. Just ten stocks account for the entire YTD rise in the S&P 500 index. The other 490 stocks have collectively gone nowhere.

Over the past month Tesla (TSLA) has struggled as continued price cuts have boosted sales but narrowed profit margins. It is also failing to live up to its brand as more than just a maker of electric cars (EVs).

Higher interest rates are eating into EV demand. Competition is catching up as Tesla last launched a new passenger vehicle in 2020. In October, BYD (BYDDY) outsold Tesla for the first time.

The technology-oriented Nasdaq Composite closed yesterday 10.7% below its all-time closing high, set in November. Some technology- related stocks are facing headwinds for multiple reasons. Many trade at high valuations. Most do not offer dividends to buffer the impact of higher interest rates. Some companies are showing great revenue growth but no profits. We are adjusting by selling two positions and adding an international story with enormous promise.

Here are two companies that fit my screening criteria for undervalued stocks with low volatility.

The market hit an air pocket last week but has since stabilized. It didn’t hurt that revised U.S. GDP figures for Q4 came in 0.2% higher than previously reported. That improvement bumped growth up to 2.1%. On the back of that good news, small caps regained their 50-day moving average line (they’re now up four straight days).

There are no ratings changes today. My stance is cautiously optimistic, and favors resisting the temptation to chase stocks. Action is going to pick up next week as we have Blackbaud (BLKB), LogMeIn (LOGM) and Mitek (MITK) reporting. I’m expecting good things from all.