MarketBeat: Week in Review 11/30 - 12/4

The markets were keeping their eyes on jobs and stimulus. On the jobs front, the news was mixed. On the one hand, weekly jobless claims fell by 75,000 more than expected. However, the excitement over that number was dashed in the monthly Jobs Report that showed 245,000 jobs gained in November, the slowest pace since May and significantly less than the 432,000 expected.

On the other hand, hopes are rising that a new Covid-19 relief package may be possible before the end of the year. This aid will likely be targeted to the unemployed and struggling businesses.

This only confirms that while the hope of a vaccine(s) is propping up the markets, the novel coronavirus will remain a risk factor for the market well into 2021. And the MarketBeat staff continues to actively track the market and recommend stocks that can help you manage that risk.

Articles by Sean Sechler

We’re now in the home stretch of 2020 and Sean Sechler gave investors three stocks to buy in December. In addition to including a work-from-home stock in Slack (NYSE:WORK), Sechler was also looking at Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) and retailer Costco (NASDAQ:COST). On the topic of semiconductors, Sechler wrote about Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:TSM) and gave investors three reasons to put the stock in their portfolio. Sechler was also examining the biotech sector and giving investors a list of three stocks for risk-tolerant investors.

Articles by Jea Yu

Jea Yu was giving investors some speculative stocks to consider. The first was FuelCell (NASDAQ:FCEL). Alternative energy stocks have enjoyed a speculative boom this year and FuelCell benefited from that boom. This play on hydrogen fuel cells is still in the narrative stage, but the stock is trailing behind its competitors and looks attractive at current levels. Yu was also introducing some investors to Avaya (NASDAQ:AVYA) an up-and-coming company in the cloud sector. The stock has been in a powerful rally and Yu is advising investors look for an opportunistic pullback. Turning his attention to stocks that will benefit from a Covid-19 vaccine, Yu reminded investors about the opportunity that exists in trivago (NASDAQ:TRVG).

Articles by Thomas Hughes

Despite its lingering negative effects, the pandemic has delivered winners. And Thomas Hughes directs investors to three pandemic winners that look to be on track for long-term growth. That’s largely because each company already had systems in place that allowed them to take advantage of a socially distanced society. Cannabis stocks have gotten a lift since ballot initiatives were approved in November. Hughes writes about three cannabis stocks that look set to boost portfolio’s in 2021. And Hughes was also looking at the stock of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE). The stock has fallen out of favor but is making a comeback in the cloud and edge computing sectors. While value-oriented investors wait, they can still get an attractive dividend yield.

Articles by Nick Vasco

Nick Vasco was giving investors two retail stocks that are telling different stories. For risk-tolerant investors who are seeking a potential diamond-in-the-rough, Vasco pointed them to Revolve (NYSE:RVLV). The online fashion retailer’s business model has been fundamentally affected by the pandemic. However, the stock has recently reached its 52-week high as investors may see a light at the end of the tunnel. On the other hand, Wayfair (NYSE:W) has been a pandemic winner until recently. However, as Vasco writes, it appears the correction may be over and the stock may be ready for another leg up. And Vasco was also writing about Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) and suggesting that investors may want to give the social media stock a second look as it begins to embrace innovation while remaining true to its identity.

Articles by Sam Quirke

Sam Quirke was looking at a couple of financial stocks that are set for a strong breakout in 2021. One of those is Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC). The bank’s stock has been beleaguered and not without reason but is showing some impressive growth that makes it a solid momentum stock. Quirke was also looking at Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW). The stock is at two-year highs and continues to grow revenue despite its commission-free trading. And like Jea Yu, Quirke was recommending a travel stock set to benefit from a Covid-19 vaccine. In this case, Quirke likes TripAdvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) which is ripping higher to become one of the best performing stocks in the S&P 500.

Articles by Steve Anderson

Nio (NYSE:NIO) has been one of the most talked-about electric vehicle stocks in 2020. From near bankruptcy earlier in the year, the stock is at new highs and keeps on delivering positive news. Steve Anderson writes that Nio stock faces some potential headwinds with both the U.S. and Chinese governments, but for now it looks like a buy. Another stock on Anderson’s list of stocks to buy is Verizon (NYSE:VZ). The telecom company is already considered among the best-in-class and the company’s stock is moving higher on an improved analyst’s recommendation. Anderson was less excited about Stitch Fix (NASDAQ:SFIX). Shares of the direct-to-consumer retailer are declining as analysts are souring on the stock.

Additional Editor’s Picks

The MarketBeat staff reminded investors that defense is the best offense and suggested three retail stocks that are considered defensive stocks. This means that in addition to being pandemic winners they each have a business model that should hold up well in what looks to be a weak economy at the start of 2021. However more aggressive investors are always looking to keep their foot on the accelerator. With that in mind, our staff provided three momentum stocks that are showing strong price movement. Our staff was also keeping an eye on Disney (NYSE:DIS). Investors are selling the stock on news of layoffs that, while expected, are a reminder that the pandemic is not likely to end as quickly as consumers would like. Nevertheless, Disney remains a long-term stock to watch as it has many paths to growth.