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After a fairly quiet March, emerging markets came to life this week after the revelation of unexpectedly strong manufacturing growth in China, progress on trade talks and lower interest rates—which always help emerging markets.

This week we have a new recommendation that helps power emerging market consumer spending, a key driver as these markets transition from exports to consumer spending to fuel their growth.

We’re adding a new 5.3% yielding stock to the High Yield Tier. Most of our other positions are rated Buy as well, and the market is strong, so if you’re underinvested, it’s time to put some money to work.

Our main Cabot Cannabis Investor portfolio has vastly outperformed this year, with a 38% gain as of the March 26 close. That was 15 percentage points better than the 22.8% gain for the New Cannabis Ventures Global Cannabis Stock Index. We’ve done 31 percentage points better than the 7.1% gains this year in the S&P 500.

Our Cabot Cannabis Plus Insider Portfolio is up 42.6% since I launched it on March 29 last year. That’s more than twice the 16.8% gain in the Russell 2000 index over the same time.

Most stocks on the Cabot Undervalued Stocks Advisor recommended list had strong performance this past week. Part of the strength was perhaps due to money managers’ general optimism that seems to brighten with turn of the calendar. With last year’s bonuses firmly in the bag, professional investors often view January as the start of a new clock. This translates into a higher tolerance for risk-taking, as there are nearly 12 months ahead to make up for any mistakes. Cyclical and value stocks tend to be major beneficiaries of this optimism.

Last week’s much-awaited pronouncement by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) turned out to be a big “nothing burger.” I did not personally expect a cut in the fed funds rate.

Despite a number of domestic and international geopolitical concerns, the market continues to act well. The S&P 500 is within a stone’s throw of its February all-time high.

This month, we add two high-growth tech names and place three additional compelling opportunities on our Watch List.

WHAT TO DO NOW: Hold your dry powder for now. The elevated near-term risk for the market we had mentioned is beginning to play out, with the indexes pulling in, many stocks taking hits and, importantly, our Two-Second Indicator giving a warning sign. We’re not anxious to sell here, but we also want to see how this plays out given a couple of yellow flags that are out there. Tonight, we’ll stand pat with our good-sized (38%) cash position and will watch how things unfold.

It is always a good time to review your retirement planning to make sure you’re making the best use of the retirement options that are available to you.

U.S. stocks, buoyed by positive earnings, continued their move higher this week with the S&P 500 within striking distance of the 5,000 milestone.

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) shares performed even better, surging another 26% this week alone, and are now up over 100% in 2024. I suggest that you seriously consider taking some partial profits and letting the balance run. Super Micro is a leveraged play on Nvidia (NVDA) and other advanced chips for AI since it sells to the servers and systems that incorporate and support those premium chips in data centers.

While Cabot Top Ten Report is often seen as being for more aggressive investors, some of its picks have turned out to be great longer-term investments. The key is finding stocks that have appeared multiple times in the Report, often as Editor’s Choice.

Dividend growth is an income investor’s dream. Here are the 10 best dividend-paying stocks for dividend growth investors.

When choosing an investment advisory you need to consider many things. The tables below will help you choose the best one for your situation.

Broadly speaking, the market has been sketchy. Small caps have been trending down since early October, and the pace of the decline accelerated over the past week. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t surprising. The September advance was incredibly strong, and a pull-back to the small cap index’s 50-day line isn’t remotely alarming.

Today’s note includes ratings changes, earnings updates on six companies and the podcast.