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A lot has happened with our marijuana stocks in recent weeks, with the most important being the release of excellent quarterly reports by all the major U.S. multi-state operators that explained why the sector had been so strong in recent months.

However, growth stocks in general—and marijuana stocks in particular—have now begun a well-deserved correction, so I’m now getting a bit more cautious.



Full details in the issue.

As we near the end of 2020, I’m thankful that 2020 was so very good to the leading marijuana stocks, and that we managed, overall, to ride the trend quite profitably.

As I write, the uptrend is intact and we remain fully invested, but as the calendar turns to 2021, there’s a chance that the trend (and the trend of the broad market as well) might turn down.



Thus I’m on alert.



But I learned long ago not to argue with the trend of the market, so until the trend changes, I recommend staying heavily invested.



Full details in the issue.

The long-awaited pullback appears to have arrived, with fears and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus and its impact on economic growth bringing out the sellers; our Cabot Tides, in fact, are now on the fence. In the near-term, the odds favor some more pain being dished out, not necessarily because of the virus, but as the market consolidates its strong four-month advance. Big picture, though, this is still a bull market, so while we’ve trimmed a bit, we’re aiming to hold our strong, profitable stocks, thinking higher highs are likely once this pullback does its work.

In the Model Portfolio, we took partial profits on DocuSign and ProShares S&P 500 Fund earlier this week, which lifted our cash position to around 20%. And from here, we’ll just take it as it comes, as we explain in tonight’s issue.

This week’s update includes our comments on earnings from Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) and Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) as well as commentary on several stocks.

Five of the largest mega-cap stocks have a combined weight that accounts for nearly a quarter of the S&P 500. And right now, they’re saving the market.

A surge in new investors on the Robinhood trading application isn’t what’s driving this rally. But it could signal a Robinhood top is near.

Last week, our issue was titled “Decision Time,” and after the Federal Reserve’s disappointing report, the market made the decision to go down with force—not only have the major indexes broken their intermediate-term trend lines, but tons of stocks have been nailed as the selling pressures intensify. Yes, there are still many decent-looking names out there, but the market is the elephant in the room at this point; it’s best to hold plenty of cash and do little new buying until stocks find their footing.

The good news from a stock picker’s standpoint is that it’s easiest to spot strength in a weak market; if a stock is holding up well in this environment, it deserves some extra attention. This week’s list has many stocks that fill that bill; our favorite is Infoblox (BLOX), a young, rapidly-growing networking firm. Just be sure to keep any positions small if you decide to buy.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Yelp (YELP)	41.30	28-30	26-27
The ExOne Company (XONE)	0.00	48-50	42-43
Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)	818.87	93-103	85-88
SodaStream (SODA)	142.91	65-69	60-61
Charles Schwab (SCHW)	0.00	19.5-20.5	18-18.5
RH Inc. (RH)	252.93	67-71	60-62
Colfax (CFX)	0.00	48-50	46-47
Infoblox Inc. (BLOX)	0.00	27-28	23-24
ANGI Homeservices Inc. (ANGI)	14.81	25-26	23-24
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals (ACAD)	47.84	16-17.5	13.5-14

In the market, it’s not the news that counts, but the market’s reaction to the news—and that makes last week’s trading noteworthy: Middle East attacks along with a dockworkers strike (that was quickly put off for a few months) could easily have sent risk-on assets reeling, but instead, most indexes took the news in stride and, somewhat surprisingly, we’ve seen defensive stocks hit the skids. Now, to be clear, there are still flies in the ointment out there, including the possibility of a counterstrike overseas (rumblings of that today), rising Treasury rates, and a lot of indexes, sectors and stocks are still rangebound. There’s no question there remain many stocks that act well (including tons of Top Ten names), but we’re staying in the same stance as we wait for upside confirmation from more of the market—we’re encouraged, but we’re leaving our Market Monitor at a level 7 as we wait for the buyers to truly flex their muscles.

This week’s list is another one with something for everyone in terms of stories and setups. Our Top Pick is a firm that has its hands in many nuclear power cookie jars; the stock just emerged from a multi-month rest on big volume.

Remember the 3D printing stocks that were hot back in 2012 and 2013? 3D Systems (DDD) soared from 9 to 97, while Stratasys (SSYS) zoomed from 18 to 130. Some of the advance was certainly justified. Both companies had demonstrated their ability to grow earnings year after year, and in 2012 and 2013, both companies enjoyed many quarters when revenues boomed more than 50%. But look at the stocks today.

Chief Analyst Jacob Mintz presents advanced options trades including iron condors and risk reversals—always with a focus on limiting risk, providing leverage and profiting in both up and down markets.

Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Investor is suitable for long-term investors seeking to profit based on the time-tested systems developed by Benjamin Graham

While the market continues to move forward, The “Buffett Indicator,” which takes the broadest Wilshire 5000 Index and divides it by the annual U.S. GDP, is now at a record high. In doing the math, the Buffett Indicator stands at about 194%. This figure is well above the 159% seen just before the dot-com bubble.

The market is mixed so far today—as of 1145 am, the Dow is off 44 points and the Nasdaq is up 25 points, though many growth stocks are again acting well. In recent issues and updates we’ve written repeatedly about the market’s on-again, off-again, tricky and challenging environment, while at the same time seeing a lot of potential multi-month setups among growth stocks. Oftentimes, what such an environment “needs” is a shakeout on some scary headline news to clear the decks.

Despite emphasis on closing the gender wealth gap, women in (and approaching) retirement still face significant challenges. Not only do women live longer than men and thus need to stretch their retirement dollars further, they also have, on average, half the retirement savings and can expect to receive a smaller amount from Social Security. This month, we’ll tackle strategies that everyone can use to build a bigger nest egg, cut down on expenses, and achieve their retirement goals.

For value-focused investors, this year’s prologue has been a welcome change from the turmoil experienced in early 2025.

In just the past few weeks, some of last year’s most ignored or underappreciated laggards have posted outsized gains, with rallies that have made even momentum-driven tech stock traders envious. Even more remarkable is the fact that much of that strength has been concentrated in ultra-defensive areas of the market like consumer staples, utilities and healthcare.

As traders grappled with the moves in the bond market (expectations of rate cuts coming soon have faded), the market moved violently day-to-day, though big picture the indexes were mixed. By week’s end the S&P 500 had fallen 0.35%, the Dow was mostly unchanged, and the Nasdaq had lost 1%.

As traders grappled with the moves in the bond market (expectations of rate cuts coming soon have faded), the market moved violently day-to-day, though big picture the indexes were mixed. By week’s end the S&P 500 had fallen 0.35%, the Dow was mostly unchanged, and the Nasdaq had lost 1%.

WHAT TO DO NOW: The market tried to rebound today after Nvidia’s earnings last night—but big investors stepped up to sell, driving the market and many growth stocks into the red. Our Cabot Tides have now joined the Two-Second Indicator in negative territory, which has us remaining cautious and holding plenty of cash. In the Model Portfolio, we’re going to book partial profits in the ProShares S&P 500 Fund (SSO), selling one-third of our stake and holding the rest. That will leave us with a cash position of 62%. Details below.

The market’s momentum continued last week as a benign inflation print and another round of solid earnings backed up bullish sentiment—with virtually all of the major indexes moving higher. For the week the S&P 500 rose 0.7%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.8%, the Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.2%, but the Russell 2000 slipped 1.4%.