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The market is beginning to more fully anticipate a post-Covid environment and economy. As such, investors are looking to slower/normalized/sustainable growth following the bulge from the pandemic stimulus programs and pent-up demand, higher interest rates, and a relenting of supply chain issues.

New technology is driving huge demand growth in old technology. The growth of artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and semiconductor manufacturing will generate huge growth in electricity.

After being stagnant for most of the last two decades, electricity demand is soaring. Most of the increasing electricity demand (from data centers, EVs, and chip manufacturing) is coming from climate-conscious technology companies that will likely try to secure carbon-friendly power sources whenever possible.

Companies that can provide low-carbon electricity generation should be the primary beneficiaries of this increasing electricity demand. Opportunity is being created for certain companies that also tend to be very recession-resistant at a time when the economy is slowing.

But there is one utility that stands above all others in terms of the current opportunity. And it is highlighted in this month’s issue.

The title sounds counterintuitive. After all, the market has been terrific. And technology stocks, which rarely pay dividends, are leading the charge.

The S&P 500 has spent much of this year making new all-time highs. The index has rallied 27% since late October and 46% from the low in October of 2022. But most of those gains have been driven by the technology sector, which represents an outsized portion of the S&P. Returns for the rest of the market have been rather lame.

A new era has begun.

Most of the last two years have been an environment of rising and high interest rates and technology sector dominance. Now, we are entering a period of falling interest rates and a slowing economy. The new stage will bring different winners and losers.

The previously beleaguered interest rate-sensitive stocks and defensive stocks ignited and began to lead the overall market higher as technology pulled back. Since the summer, this new trend has been confirmed. And it is unlikely to be a mere short-term gyration but rather the beginning of a new environment that should last for some time.

In this issue, I highlight a great monthly income stock. The yield is massive, and it provides a high income in an uncertain market. The stock also can provide great price performance when the interest rate cycle goes its way. This point in the cycle provides a great opportunity to get a high income and total return on the right side of a pronounced market shift ahead.

The market looks great. But the indexes are teetering around the highs while uncertainty is still swirling around.

Fortunately, some of the highest dividend paying stocks are still reasonably priced ahead of an increasingly promising future. Midstream energy stocks have been flying under the radar while paying some of the highest dividends on the market. These stocks are also well suited for whatever lies ahead.

Midstream energy stocks have provided a high income and a solid return throughout most market cycles. And that makes them ideal for the current unpredictable environment. But that was before. Things are changing for the better. The environment for energy is undergoing a radical transformation that could make these stocks better than ever before.

The growing demand from utilities and exporters will provide an unprecedented runway for growth in the years ahead that historical performance doesn’t reflect. In this issue, I highlight one of the very best midstream energy companies on the market.

I’m bullish for 2026. But I’m not confident about the next few weeks.

Last week’s much-anticipated earnings report from AI bellwether Nvidia (NVDA) and the overdue September jobs report were expected to provide answers to the recent angst. Both reports were great. Stocks plunged anyway. That’s a bearish sign.

The market is always unpredictable in the near term. But it seems the greater likelihood over the next several weeks is choppy at best, with a good chance of further downside. But things can change between now and the December issue, and new stocks could be highlighted in weekly updates or via trade alert.

In this issue, I highlight a covered call on a stock that has been flying high over the past month. It has enough momentum to make the call premium huge. It’s a good time to secure a high income on a stock that may have peaked in a market that looks dicey over the rest of the year.

There’s no doubt the evidence has improved during the past three weeks, with the major indexes living above their 50-day lines, the broad market returning to good health and with some leadership names perking up, too. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect out there—defensive-type indexes and stocks have been outperforming, earnings season has been very tricky and we’re even starting to see some hot and heavy action in speculative names, which usually isn’t a great sign. All in all, the evidence is certainly more good than bad, so we’ve extended our line a bit but are also looking to be “pulled” into a more heavily invested position should more leadership names emerge. For now, we’ll leave our Market Monitor at a level 7.

This week’s list has something for everyone, with a lot of charts showing power, usually following earnings. For our Top Pick, we’re going to the cyclical side of the market, with a name that has out-of-this-world earnings and is just emerging from a tight area.

Stocks have been very resilient. The market has proven a lot of naysayers wrong. But prices are high, and uncertainty abounds.

Tariffs won’t be a disaster, but there will still be more headlines and uncertainty in the months ahead. The economy is okay, but it’s not great. Interest rates are still stubbornly high. And now the Iran conflict is thrown into the mix along with the tariffs and the economy. Meanwhile, the market indexes are hovering near the high and most stocks are pricey.

Several portfolio positions have had strong rallies in the recovery and are generating high call premiums. The high strike prices guarantee a strong total return if the stocks are called. The high premiums provide a great way to lock in the recent market good fortune by generating a high income from call premiums.

Let’s take what the market is giving. Right now, it’s giving a high income. Tomorrow, who knows? In this issue, I highlight a covered call in Qualcomm (QCOM). It is the sixth call sold on the position since the stock was added to the portfolio four years ago. It’s a great time to prime the pump for income once again.

On the one hand, there are still a decent number of stocks that act well and are generally advancing, but on the other hand, more and more names across a variety of areas are hitting air pockets or simply falling by the wayside. To us, the divergence tells us the risk of a big character change is elevated, and that’s why we continue to advise holding a decent chunk of cash—but with plenty of stocks still acting well, we’re also OK with selective buying in names that are under strong accumulation. We’ll again leave our Market Monitor at a level 7, though we remain flexible and will adjust exposure if need be.

This week’s list is another eclectic one, with an increasing number of turnaround-type stories. Our Top Pick is a bigger outfit that’s very cheap but is starting to see some AI benefits—and the stock has shown exceptional power of late.

This country has a massive shortage of housing.

It is estimated that the current demand for homes exceeds the national supply by a whopping 4.5 million. The shortfall has caused the median U.S. home price to double since 2011 and soar a staggering 40% just since the pandemic. In many areas, prices have increased a lot more.

High prices combined with the highest mortgage rates in decades have made housing unaffordable. Zillow estimates that only 15.1% of current non-homeowner households can afford a typical mortgage.

But there is reason to believe the housing problems will get a lot better in the years ahead.

Mortgage rates are falling. The average U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rate has fallen to 6.6% from 7.2% this past May and 7.8% a year ago. And rates are likely to continue to trend lower from multi-decade highs in the years ahead. Prices are coming down too. The average U.S. home price has declined about 7% since the beginning of last year.

While the situation is likely to improve, the supply/demand imbalance will likely remain for several years. That’s a problem for the housing market and economy to work through. But it’s good news for homebuilders. New homes should be in high demand for years to come, and sales should increase with the improving conditions.

In this issue, I highlight one of the best homebuilders on the market. The stock has been a stellar performer as investors realize the opportunity. But it is still reasonably valued and has momentum. It should provide a covered call opportunity soon.

We’ve been writing for a few weeks that many secondary indicators were near levels normally associated with the market lows, so if something actually went right in the world, the market could respond powerfully—and we’re optimistic that process is now underway as interest rates have fallen off and the market popped beautifully last week. In response we’re bumping up our Market Monitor ... but only to a level 5 at this point, as the intermediate-term trend still isn’t up. Long story short: We’re OK throwing a couple more lines in the water, but we want to see constructive action from here (tame pullbacks, more breakouts, etc.) before turning truly bullish.

This week’s list has charts in a few different places (some coming off the lows, some near new highs, etc.), but a ton of them reacted well to earnings and most should do well if the market follows through on its rally. Our Top Pick is a stock that, after many months of tedious action, appears to be ready to resume its major upmove.

One of my readers recently took my advice and negotiated his options rates with his brokerage provider. I thought I would share with you his results.

The Energy Strategist, unearths the most profitable opportunities in this booming sector and outlines the interrelated economic and geopolitical forces that drive these markets. The Energy Strategist includes plenty of advice and counsel for the cautious and the conservative. Whether your style is aggressive, conservative or somewhere in between, The...

The U.S. has one of the best freight railroad systems and one of the worst passenger railroad systems.

In my mind, the future is likely to bring something new to America, and for lack of a better term, I’m going to call it the Great Shrinkage. In this Great Shrinkage, as I ventured before, credit will shrink and equity will increase. In this Great Shrinkage, the number of colleges will shrink, as fewer parents choose to borrow the big bucks required. States and municipalities will cut non-essential services. Savings rates will climb ... but with demand so high, returns from savings will stay extremely low.

I have interest in stocks that held up well during the brief selling and are now perched at or near new highs.

The two best small-cap medical device stocks are BioTelemetry (BEAT) and iRhythm (IRTC). Which one is better? You might not have to choose.

One conversation reminded me of a column I’d written a few years ago describing factors that hampered progress in this country.

I’ve been traveling between New York and Boston frequently for over three years. The transportation options between the two have definitely improved since I moved here; now I can choose the Bolt Bus or the Megabus, both of which have WiFi and electrical outlets. But I’ve also taken the Fung...

With the market bouncing around in the first two weeks of the year on more speculation about Fed rate cut magnitude/cadence (economists are now thinking slower and fewer of them) and mounting geopolitical risks, small caps as an asset class have begun to trail the broader market.

That said, on a stock-specific basis there’s been a lot of positive motion in small caps in the MedTech and software space, which is where we concentrate.