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MarketBeat Week in Review – 03/31 - 04/04

Key Points

  • The announcement of the Trump administration's tariff plans battered markets; the NASDAQ is officially in bear market territory.
  • Not even a strong March jobs report wasn’t enough to bring the buyers off the sidelines.
  • The next catalyst for stocks may come when banks start to report earnings next Friday. 
  • Five stocks we like better than Broadcom.
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The sell-off in equities was not what investors expected when the Trump administration declared April 2 as "Liberation Day." The proposed tariffs instead sent the VIX index soaring into extreme fear territory. Technology stocks were hit hard, particularly the Magnificent Seven stocks. However, there is some evidence that this is as much of a sector rotation as a sell-off, with some consumer staples stocks moving higher.

The March jobs report was a bright spot, with the private sector adding significantly more jobs than forecast. However, that backward-looking data wasn’t enough to dilute the clear and present risk that a trade war presents to the global economy. 

Next week will mark the start of a new earnings season. Reports from banks like JPMorgan Chase & Co. NYSE: JPM will be in focus next Friday and could set the short-term direction for stocks. In the meantime, risk-tolerant investors are looking for stocks to buy, and the MarketBeat analysts are here to help. Here are some of our most popular stories from this week. 

Articles by Jea Yu

To say it’s been a busy week would be an understatement. However, prior to the tariff news on Wednesday, some investors may have wondered if it was time to buy the dip in the S&P 500. Jea Yu looked at that question this week and highlighted a couple of key technical indicators that could indicate a market entering a recession.

Even before Liberation Day, stocks of U.S. steel companies were rallying due to the previously announced tariffs. That’s putting Japan's Nippon Steel's potential acquisition of United States Steel Co. NYSE: X back on the front burner. Yu outlined the state of play for investors and whether investors should count on the merger going through.

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Yu also wrote about the move in CAVA Group Inc. NYSE: CAVA stock after a slight earnings miss. That news is outweighing the company’s addition to the S&P 400, which should increase institutional investment. Yu explained the pros and cons of buying this dip in CAVA stock

Articles by Thomas Hughes

At a time when some investors are panicking, Thomas Hughes explained why the current movement in the S&P 500 is a reset, not a reversal. In fact, Hughes noted that many analysts still believe the S&P is on track for single-digit gains in 2025.

Hughes also highlighted five growth stocks that look like strong buys in April. To help explain his bullish sentiment, Hughes noted the solid results these companies have delivered and the support they are getting from analysts and institutions.

And if value is more your style, Hughes looked at five stocks that were showing signs of forming a bottom before the tariff turmoil. Buying on the lows is always a good strategy when it comes to buying quality companies, which is where Hughes placed his focus. 

Articles by Sam Quirke

If you thought that chip stocks were still overvalued, you might be getting a better entry point. If so, you’ll want to read Sam Quirke’s analysis of NVIDIA Corp NASDAQ: NVDA and Qualcomm Inc. NASDAQ: QCOM. Quirke explained each company’s strengths and weaknesses as investments and concluded that the best buy may depend on whether investors are looking for growth or value. 

Prior to the tariff-fueled sell-off, Quirke wrote about Amazon.com Inc. NASDAQ: AMZN stock being at a key support level. That means that if the stock was a value before, it may be a steal now. You’ll want to read Quirke’s analysis of why AMZN stock could be at a multi-year support level. 

Tesla Inc. NASDAQ: TSLA is making negative headlines for several reasons. However, TSLA stock is starting to show signs of life after falling for much of the first quarter. Quirke wrote before the company’s delivery report about what investors should expect and why mixed analyst sentiment is cloudy but generally bullish

Articles by Chris Markoch

Many investors are concerned that Palantir Technologies Inc. NASDAQ: PLTR will see a decline in business as the Trump administration’s DOGE committee zeroes in on defense spending. However, Chris Markoch wrote this week that the company’s new contract with Everfox is likely to keep it on the leading edge of modern warfare. 

Markoch also wrote about the downturn in Microsoft Corp. NASDAQ: MSFT after the company announced it was cutting back on some of its data center spending. However, with double-digit revenue growth still likely, Markoch explained why investors may be getting a steal as the stock starts to display a more attractive valuation.

Momentum stock investors love seeing stocks near their 52-week highs, as that can be a sign that the stock has more room to run. Markoch highlighted three stocks for which that is the case and gave investors the catalysts that could lead to more upside in each.

Articles by Ryan Hasson

During a week like this, it’s important to see the big picture in stocks you have a long position in. Ryan Hasson wrote about bullish developments, including a $5.6 billion National Security Space Launch Phase 3 contract, that should make Rocket Lab USA Inc. NASDAQ: RKLB attractive even after this week’s sell-off. 

Homebuilder stocks really didn’t need any more bad news. But that’s what they got with this week’s tariff news. However, Hasson focused on two upcoming catalysts that could provide cautious optimism for the sector and why investors may want to choose the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF NYSEARCA: XHB as a way to manage their risk. 

It’s been a rough two months for technology stocks. However, investors realistically know that this is where the growth is likely to be. Hasson highlighted three technology ETFs as solid choices for investors who want to avoid the high-risk/high-reward model associated with investing in individual tech stocks. 

Articles by Gabriel Osorio-Mazilli

One tried-and-true strategy for investing success is to buy stocks of fundamentally solid companies that are trading near 52-week lows. This week, Gabriel Osorio-Mazilli highlighted three such stocks and gave investors reasons to support why each appears to have strong rebound potential. 

Investors have also heard advice on buying what smart money is buying. Well, there’s smart money, and then there are mega investors who can move stocks with a single buy. Osorio-Mazilli highlighted three technology stocks that these Mega investors are eyeing right now, which could mean the sell-off is coming to an end. 

A new earnings season starts next Friday, and as is tradition, JPMorgan Chase will be among the first to report. As if the company wasn’t already a leader in its sector, Osorio-Mazilli explained why the bank is becoming known as “the NVIDIA of the banking sector” due to its exposure to quantum computing implementation for its trading and banking business. 

Articles by Leo Miller

The subreddit forum WallStreetBets gained prominence in 2021 as a place where meme stock investors discussed stocks like GameStop Corp. NYSE: GME and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. NYSE: AMC. However, the forum is about more than meme stocks, as you can see in Leo Miller’s article this week, which focused on three stocks that have been getting the most mentions by members of the group. 

Miller also looked at some bullish developments for Rivian Automotive Inc. NASDAQ: RIVN. The stock is moving lower after the Trump tariff announcements, but when the dust settles, Miller explained why the electric vehicle (EV) maker may be well-positioned for future growth.

Another stock that looks ready for a comeback is that of Broadcom Inc. NASDAQ: AVGO, but maybe not for the reasons that some investors believe. Miller explained why the company’s recent acquisition of VMware is allowing Broadcom to rapidly grow its software business, which could be a driver of future growth.

Articles by Nathan Reiff

Investing in quantum computing continues to be about looking at the opportunities that could exist in the future. Nathan Reiff outlined this for investors who are considering buying D-Wave Quantum Inc. NASDAQ: QBTS. The company recently made news for achieving quantum supremacy, but a couple of recently announced use cases could be the real long-term drivers of the company’s growth.

If you’re looking for sectors to invest in during this time of volatility, healthcare and natural gas are two solid choices. This week, Reiff focused on three healthcare stocks that can give investors exposure to different aspects of the sector.

And while oil stocks may be lagging the market, demand for natural gas is growing rapidly. That makes this a good time to look at natural gas stocks. But rather than picking individual names, Reiff pointed investors to several natural gas ETFs that have different methodologies for investing in the sector.

Articles by Sarah Horvath

Sarah Horvath also examined the healthcare sector this week and gave investors four of her picks for healthcare stocks that have already made impressive gains and look to have more upside.

Although Microsoft has thrown a little cold water on the data center sector, Horvath explained why this is still an area that investors shouldn’t ignore. And for risk-tolerant investors, she provided three names that continue to lead in the AI infrastructure buildout.

Finally, this week, as investors flee to safety, it looks like consumer cyclical stocks are gaining attention. Horvath gave investors three stock picks that offer impressive upside with low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios that suggest they are undervalued.

Should You Invest $1,000 in Broadcom Right Now?

Before you consider Broadcom, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Broadcom wasn't on the list.

While Broadcom currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here

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Companies Mentioned in This Article

CompanyMarketRank™Current PricePrice ChangeDividend YieldP/E RatioConsensus RatingConsensus Price Target
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)
4.8818 of 5 stars
$210.09-8.1%2.67%10.64Moderate Buy$254.83
United States Steel (X)
3.8262 of 5 stars
$38.30-1.7%0.52%25.70Moderate Buy$41.32
CAVA Group (CAVA)
3.8329 of 5 stars
$75.30-10.5%N/A163.70Moderate Buy$130.25
NVIDIA (NVDA)
4.8833 of 5 stars
$94.31-7.4%0.04%37.12Moderate Buy$169.89
QUALCOMM (QCOM)
4.9276 of 5 stars
$127.46-8.6%2.67%13.62Moderate Buy$205.32
Amazon.com (AMZN)
4.8338 of 5 stars
$171.00-4.2%0.12%30.92Moderate Buy$260.53
Tesla (TSLA)
4.7304 of 5 stars
$239.43-10.4%N/A117.37Hold$312.65
Palantir Technologies (PLTR)
1.3996 of 5 stars
$74.01-11.5%N/A389.55Reduce$75.19
Microsoft (MSFT)
4.8825 of 5 stars
$359.84-3.6%0.92%28.97Moderate Buy$508.86
Rocket Lab USA (RKLB)
3.3112 of 5 stars
$16.37-8.5%N/A-44.24Moderate Buy$23.06
SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB)N/A$92.87+1.1%0.83%12.26Moderate Buy$92.87
GameStop (GME)
1.7855 of 5 stars
$23.34+10.6%6.51%129.68Sell$11.50
AMC Entertainment (AMC)
3.3405 of 5 stars
$2.67+0.9%1.50%-1.66Reduce$4.76
Rivian Automotive (RIVN)
2.5111 of 5 stars
$11.21-2.8%N/A-2.37Hold$14.38
Broadcom (AVGO)
4.9682 of 5 stars
$146.29-5.0%1.61%119.32Moderate Buy$231.48
Compare These Stocks  Add These Stocks to My Watchlist 

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