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All Cabot’s market timing indicators have now flashed green lights, so I continue to recommend that you work to get more invested.
With today’s recommendation, we return to the U.S. with a medical technology stock that addresses a mass market and is growing fast—though it’s not booking profits yet.

Given how tenuous the market looked heading into August, it’s hard not to be pleased with how the month turned out—the wild volatility of May, June and July subsided, leadership emerged and most stocks moved higher. We latched onto more than a few solid winners, which we’re pleased with. But now, with the market having pushed back toward its springtime highs, the rubber is likely to meet the road—the set-ups are there for the indexes and many leading stocks, it’s a matter of whether big investors back from vacation are willing to push stocks higher. Right now, the evidence remains bullish, so we remain optimistic that higher prices are ahead.

This week’s list has many of those set-ups; several stocks have tightened up during the past two or three weeks after bullish earnings reactions. Our favorite of the week is Eagle Materials (EXP), one of many housing-related stocks that look to be near good entry points.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Agrium (AGU)	0.00	96-98	-
Apple (AAPL)	248.94	640-660	-
Cirrus Logic Inc. (CRUS)	0.00	39-41	-
Cooper Tire (CTB)	31.50	19-20	-
CYT (CYT)	0.00	66-68	-
Eagle Materials Inc. (EXP)	0.00	41-43	-
The Flowserve Corporation (FLS)	54.70	122-126	-
Medivation (MDVN)	0.00	105-111	-
Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL)	0.00	31.5-33	-
Zillow (Z)	76.64	40-41	-

Growth stocks had worked to set themselves up nicely in recent weeks, but all of that has fallen by the wayside, with names getting obliterated this week before and after earnings.

Despite an already-cautious stance, we’ve sold three more stocks this week, though we are nibbling on one new name in tonight’s issue. Even so, we’re content to remain defensive until the bloodletting stops.



In tonight’s issue, we write about one of the factors that thankfully kept us cautious of late, as well as dive into the energy sector, where the bullish thesis is playing out

The evidence has clearly improved during the past week or two, and that’s a good thing; we’re putting another couple of toes back into the water tonight, adding two half-sized positions in what we think can be leaders of the next uptrend. That said, we’re content to go slow for now, mostly because, while selling pressures have eased, buying power really hasn’t shown up yet, and until it does, there’s a chance the bears could reappear.

Still, overall, we’re increasingly optimistic, so we think putting a little money to work and then listening to the market’s clues makes sense. Get all the latest inside tonight’s issue.

In most cases, the market acts in a way that surprises the majority, but during the past couple of weeks, stocks have actually behaved as we expected—the major indexes have calmed down to digest their huge post-June 24 run, while volatility among individual stocks has increased as earnings season produces all sorts of big moves up and down. Overall, the bulls remain in control, and while you have to watch your step during earnings season, we’re seeing some new leadership emerge, which is a good sign.

This week’s list includes a few recent earnings winners; powerful gaps up on a firm’s quarterly report usually lead to higher prices. Our favorite of the week is Facebook (FB), which had a coming out party last week after blowing away expectations. It’s extended, but we think you can start small here and look to build a position should the stock advance.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Yandex (YNDX)	0.00	30-31.5	27-28
TripAdvisor (TRIP)	55.14	70-73	62-64
Pharmacyclics (PCYC)	0.00	100-104	92-93
ManpowerGroup (MAN)	90.84	64.5-66	60-61
Illumina Inc. (ILMN)	289.74	79-82	72-73
Finisar (FNSR)	0.00	18-18.5	15.5-16.5
Facebook, Inc. (FB)	0.00	33.5-35.5	30-31
E*Trade Financial (ETFC)	0.00	13.5-14.5	12.5-13
Dana Holding (DAN)	0.00	20.5-21.5	18.5-19.5
Celgene (CELG)	0.00	139-143	127-129

Cyclical or open-up stocks are on fire, and for good reason.

The U.S. economy has far exceeded expectations at every phase of the recovery so far. The vaccines promise to end the remaining lockdowns and restrictions. With the shackles removed, the economy will kick into high gear. Even several normally dour economists are predicting the highest GDP growth in decades this year.



In anticipation, cyclical financial stocks are on fire. The Financial Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) is up 45% just since the vaccine announcement in early November. Yet, many financial stocks are still undervalued ahead of what should be an ideal environment for the sector.



In addition to the bright near-term prospects for financial stocks in general, there is also an incredible growth trend in a particular niche area, alternative investments. These include investments outside of the stock and bond markets. Individuals and institutions desperate to diversify are piling in. And massive growth in this arena is accelerating.



In this issue, I highlight a company I believe to be the very best player in alternative investments. Stock performance has far exceeded its peers and there is every reason to believe the outperformance will continue going forward.

Current Market Outlook


The market had another decent week, with the major indexes finishing above key moving averages, though all are still stuck in multi-month ranges. But the calm action hid another round of vicious rotation beneath the surface, with most growth-oriented stocks at least taking on water, if not unraveling altogether. With few stocks in sustained uptrends and the major indexes effectively trending sideways, we continue to advise a mostly cautious stance, with small new positions and plenty of cash on the sideline. That said, you shouldn’t stick your head in the sand, either—we continue to see a good number of setups out there, and we believe a lot will come down to earnings season. A spate of breakouts would be encouraging, but as usual, we have to see it first.

This week’s list is mostly full of the steady growers and special situations that the market is favoring these days. Our Top Pick is Tempur Sealy (TPX), which looks like a solid turnaround situation, with surprisingly big growth numbers to boot.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Arconic (ARNC)	17.00	26-27	24-24.5
Cabot Microelectronics (CCMP)	156.17	143-148	129-131
Fastenal (FAST)	37.08	35-36	32-32.5
Kansas City Southern (KSU)	176.54	140-144	129-131
Nike (NKE)	89.77	92.5-94.5	85-86
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM)	78.41	48-50	44-45
TAL Education (TAL)	50.49	38-39.5	34.5-36
Target (TGT)	124.77	109-112	100-102
Tempur Sealy (TPX)	85.53	79-82	71.5-73.5
TJX Co. (TJX)	59.24	58-60	53.5-54.5

Thank you for subscribing to the Cabot Undervalued Stocks Advisor. We hope you enjoy reading the November 2021 issue.



Rivian Automotive’s (RIVN) initial public offering, which arrives next week at a likely $60 billion valuation, has us thinking more deeply about General Motors (GM). Investors are assigning little value to its EV and other advanced technologies, which strikes us as incompatible with the valuations of Tesla, Rivian and other EV start-ups. But, perhaps this is right, due to the enormous capital spending that GM has committed to. These vast cash outflows may eliminate the present value of the EVs. We share some of our thinking on this.

Volatility has resurfaced in the market, which means it’s time to protect your portfolio. These two all-weather stocks should do the trick.