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The market has begun 2019 with a bang, and it well could go on longer—though prediction is a fool’s game. It’s far better to simply follow proven systems of investing, whether growth or value or hybrid, and continually work to maintain a portfolio of high-potential stocks.
This week’s recommendation, for example, is a solid grower, nothing fancy. But the stock withstood the selling of December and is now at an attractive entry point, primed to break out to new highs in the weeks or months ahead.

This week, Dow (DOW) and Nokia (NOK) reported earnings. The deluge for our companies starts next week with twelve companies reporting.

Next week, we will publish the November edition of the Cabot Turnaround Letter on Wednesday and our proprietary Catalyst Report on Friday.

The market held its own last week and we’re now even seeing the worst areas out there bounce as a bit of stability shows up in the banking sector. That said, on the charts, not much has changed—some growth stocks are acting resiliently but the broad market is still buried. We’re open to anything, including the scenario where an easier Fed combined with limited bank reverberations leads to a sustained advance. Right now, most of the market is hanging in there, but we need to see continued buying before changing our stance. We’ll leave our Market Monitor at a level 5 today.

This week’s list is a bit broader with some turnaround situations out there. Out Top Pick is an old pandemic darling that, after crashing, has spent months bottoming out and is now perking up

With a powerful moat, insider buying, and activist investor support, this undervalued railroad stock may be poised for long-term growth.

In the August Issue of Cabot Early Opportunities, we continue to lean into the market rally, be it bear market rally or new bull. We step up to the plate with a partial position in a biotech stock I’ve been eying, jump into a rapid-growth security software name and also a fintech company in a recovering industry. Two more conservative growth ideas are added to our Watch List and may fit the bill down the road should the market soften.
Enjoy!

There’s not much to say when it comes to the market—the downturn that started in late August continues, with the major indexes back down to their May/June lows, keeping the intermediate- and longer-term trends pointed down. Moreover, after last week’s Fed meeting, the sellers finally came around for many resilient names, causing a bunch to crack support. Today, we’re staying cautious and continuing to hold plenty of cash, but we’re keeping an open mind as we see how this retest phase plays out. Our Market Monitor is down to a level 3.



This week’s list is mostly names that have taken on water (like everything else) but are still acting “normally.” Our Top Pick is a name that’s acting very unusually good, and it has a good story and excellent growth, too.

Today I’m introducing a new series highlighting the Best Canadian Dividend Stocks to Buy Now.

Volatility has increased and minor divergences are beginning to appear, but the market’s major trend remains clearly up. Thus our Market Monitor remains in bullish territory, and we continue to advise heavy participation. However, with some small cracks beginning to appear, we remind you that cutting losses short is critical, and that buying smart—ideally on high-potential set-ups—is the best way to avoid having to take a quick loss.

Among sectors that are attractive today, we find quite a few in the medical industry, where the Affordable Care Act is beginning to affect the marketplace; in addition to drug companies, health care REITs are strong! Energy remains robust. Retail is very healthy. And numerous Internet-centric firms are thriving, from the leading consumer photography site, to the leading business networking and employment site to a leading provider of fuel cards and related services for commercial vehicle fleets. Our Editor’s Choice today, though, is benefiting from the wholesale shift in mortgage servicing from big banks to smaller, specialized companies. It’s not Nationstar’s (NSM) first appearance here, and it’s probably not the last.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Zillow (Z)	76.64	44-46	-
Shutterfly (SFLY)	94.71	41.5-43	-
Omega Healthcare Investors (OHI)	0.00	26.5-27.5	-
Nationstar Mortgage (NSM)	0.00	37.5-40.5	-
LinkedIn Corporation (LNKD)	0.00	158-167	-
FleetCor Technologies (FLT)	0.00	67-70	-
Five Below (FIVE)	134.58	39.5-41	-
BioMarin Pharmaceutical (BMRN)	0.00	56-58	-
Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI)	0.00	32-34	-
HomeAway, Inc. (AWAY)	0.00	28-31	-

With the stock market regularly surging to record highs, it may seem like an unusual time to focus on valuation. After all, many stocks are remarkably expensive on traditional measures, and even somewhat lofty on non-traditional measures. But valuation still matters, especially if the market loses its current luster (assuming that is even possible)!

Risk has been rising for a while, and this week, we’ve seen some wild action along with some abnormal selling. That said, we haven’t seen a rash of breakdowns, either, so we’re moving gradually--we pared back some earlier this week, leaving us with 27% in cash, but we’re also willing to give our stocks a bit of rope as we wait to see how this plays out. As always, we’re flexible when looking ahead, and are willing to put money to work if this morphs into yet another shakeout, or pare back further if the sellers stay at it.

In tonight’s issue, we go over all our stocks in depth, write a piece about the marijuana industry and talk about a couple of intriguing individual stocks that have been setting up for months and could be ready to go if the market can find support.

In the December Issue of Cabot Early Opportunities we look at five companies growing nicely and with share prices that have held up reasonably well in recent months.

Our top pick this month is a small-cap biopharma stock that just made a timely acquisition this week. I also feature a potential biotech superstar, an emerging MedTech name, a solar energy specialist and an online retailer that we’ve seen before.

As always, there should be something for everyone in this month’s Issue!

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?”

Multiple signs suggest that the bottom is in and that now is a good time to buy weakness. Here are the signals I follow closely and the best sectors to buy.

Current Market Outlook


The major indexes continue to whip around, with last Monday’s dip followed by a strong recovery, and now a renewed drop. By our measures, the intermediate-term uptrend is on the fence, and it’s clear that large chunks of the broad market are falling apart (gold, silver and oil shares are especially weak). And, at the very least, it’s obvious the environment remains very choppy and making big money is difficult. Of course, we’ve seen repeated shakeouts followed by recoveries, but the evidence tells us to pull in our horns; we’re shifting the Market Monitor back toward neutral while we wait for the buyers to return.

When doing buying, the key is to focus on what’s working and this week’s list has a good batch to consider. Our Top Pick is Parexel (PRXL), a steady grower in the medical testing field that is just getting going after a couple of big corrections during the past year.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
XPO Logistics (XPO)	0.00	36-38	33.5-34.5
Steel Dynamics (STLD)	0.00	23-24.5	21.5-22
Salix Pharmaceuticals (SLXP)	0.00	155-160	144-146
Charles Schwab (SCHW)	0.00	29-30	27.5-28
Parexel Corp. (PRXL)	0.00	59-61	55-56
Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCLH)	0.00	35.5-37	33.5-34
Gilead Sciences (GILD)	75.10	101-105	94-96
Canadian Solar (CSIQ)	0.00	35.5-37	32.5-33
Spansion (CODE)	0.00	22-23	20.5-21
Archer Daniels (ADM)	0.00	50-51	47-48

Current Market Outlook


The breakdown of the Greek debt negotiations hit the markets this morning before some support appeared (partially on news that Greek talks were back on). Our main advice right now: Keep your eyes on the action of the market, not on the headlines. So far, the major indexes remain in a sideways range, while a few stocks are still in choppy uptrends. Thus, despite the news, not much has changed, and so we’re keeping our Market Monitor in neutral territory and sticking with the game plan of holding some cash and being choosy on the buy side, while honoring stops and booking partial profits on the way up.

This week’s list has some names that haven’t appeared in months (if ever) as some new leadership attempts to firm up. Our Top Pick, though, is a familiar name—Gilead Sciences (GILD) is cheap, flush with cash and just emerging after a long rest.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Charles Schwab (SCHW)	0.00	32-33	30-30.5
Signature Bank (SBNY)	0.00	140-145	133-135
Netflix, Inc. (NFLX)	423.92	635-660	570-580
Men’s Wearhouse (MW)	0.00	60-62	56-57
Mobileye N.V. (MBLY)	0.00	47.5-50.5	44.5-45
JD.com (JD)	39.58	35.5-37.5	33.5-34
The IMAX Corporation (IMAX)	0.00	41-43	37-38
Illumina Inc. (ILMN)	289.74	209-216	198-199
Gilead Sciences (GILD)	75.10	115-119	106-107
FireEye (FEYE)	0.00	50-52.5	45-46

Current Market Outlook


There’s little question the overall market environment remains bullish—the intermediate- and longer-term trends are up, most stocks and sectors are in the same boat and we’re spotting more set-ups (either pullbacks or longer bases) out there. Short-term, though, nothing would surprise us—most major indexes haven’t made any progress since mid-December, we’re entering the thick of earnings season and some sentiment measures have gotten extended, indicating investor complacency. We’re not advising any drastic change in stance; our Market Monitor remains in bullish territory at a level 8 out of 10, and we’re looking to latch on to any new leadership that lifts off. But just be sure to have your plan in place, both on the buy side and sell side, as earnings season revs up.

This week’s list is a mixed bag and includes a few stocks that are reporting earnings within a couple of weeks. Our Top Pick is Coherent (COHR), a little-known laser company that’s benefiting from an uptick in OLED demand and from a major acquisition that’s just closed. Try to buy on dips.

Stock Name	Price	Buy Range	Loss Limit
Alaska Air Group (ALK)	0.00	90.5-93.5	84-85.5
Charles Schwab (SCHW)	0.00	39.5-41	36.5-37.5
Coherent, Inc. (COHR)	0.00	138-145	128-130
Glaukos Corp. (GKOS)	67.84	37.5-39.5	35-36
HealthEquity, Inc. (HQY)	70.70	45-48	40-42
Incyte Corporation (INCY)	76.98	112.5-118	102-104
MSC Industrial (MSM)	0.00	95-98	91-89
Rio Tinto plc (RIO)	57.05	40-42	37-38
Tesaro (TSRO)	0.00	148-153	134-137
Univar (UNVR)	0.00	27-28.5	25-26