MarketBeat: Week in Review 2/28 – 3/4

The Russian war on Ukraine continues to be the primary story that is directing equity prices. One obvious area that affects investors and consumers is a surge in oil prices. This is reflected in the price that consumers pay at the pump. And that inflation is the other major story in the market. The market received a bit of good news with a strong February jobs report. But even that report showed that the raise of wage increases is not keeping up with the rate of inflation. Investors will be eyeing the CPI report out next week to make their final prediction of what the Federal Reserve will do regarding interest rates. This is a time when facts have to govern your investment decisions. And you can count on the MarketBeat team to track the stocks and sectors that are moving the market.

Articles by Sean Sechler                                                                                                                                                                

As part of their flight to safety, investors may be looking at blue-chip stocks. These stocks produce historically consistent results regardless of prevailing economic conditions. And as Sean Sechler writes, they’re even more attractive now with so much uncertainty. Many of these stocks are currently trading at attractive valuations and Sechler gives investors three blue-chip stocks to keep your eye on. Another way to invest in the current market is to invest in sectors that are likely to benefit from the current conflict. One of those areas is likely to be defense stocks and Sechler gives investors three defense stocks to consider for their portfolio. However, some investors are still willing to take risks. For those investors, Sechler points to three high-risk, high-reward stocks that may pay off if investors can stomach the short-term risk.  

Articles by Jea Yu

Jea Yu was writing about three stocks that have compelling long-term stories if investors are willing to overlook a painful short-term narrative. For example, PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) is down nearly 60% from its highs. Investors are concerned that the slowdown in e-commerce will continue, but at this price, opportunistic investors should look to take a position. A similar narrative is playing out with Pinterest (NYSE:PINS). The platform saw engagement surge during the pandemic as users were staying at home. As the economy reopens and more people return to work in whatever form that takes, monthly active users (MAUs) are declining. Still, Yu sees management’s focus on quality over quantity making a difference. A third beaten-down stock with a compelling turnaround story is Pilgrim’s Pride (NYSE:PPC). The company is being affected by rising producer prices and supply chain disruptions. But new pricing contracts, rising interest rates, and continued strong demand is helping anchor the stock which Yu believes should recover from a post-earnings dip.           

Articles by Thomas Hughes

Thomas Hughes has advice for those who wonder if they’ve missed the run on oil stocks. The message is oil prices are heading higher and he gave investors three high-yield oil stocks that are offering attractive dividend yields to go along with stock price growth. For investors who are looking for value stocks, Hughes recommends considering Best Buy (NYSE:BBY). The company reported lackluster earnings but is reinvesting in the business and increasing shareholder equity while showing a strong balance sheet. That’s a combination that bodes well for the BBY stock price particularly as economic activity is expected to improve in the second half of the year. Hughes was also looking at Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) which is forecasting up to 20% higher long-term growth on the back of a strong quarter.

Articles by Sam Quirke

Sam Quirke was writing about two stocks that prove sometimes investors have to trust their instincts when evaluating the long-term opportunity for a stock. One example was Zoom Video (NASDAQ:ZM). This was a “no-brainer” stock during the pandemic, but has since given up nearly all its gains. Even after a strong earnings report, ZM stock continues to drop. However, as Quirke notes, so far Zoom has been able to retain customers even with the growth of platforms like Microsoft Teams. If that trend continues, ZM stock may become more attractive. A second stock Quirke was looking at was Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN). The simple truth is that as long as cryptos behave like a risk-on trade, COIN stock will remain under pressure. However, if you believe in the long-term outlook for cryptocurrencies, the stock may be a bargain.

Articles by Chris Markoch

If you’re looking to look for sectors outside the energy sector that are likely to benefit from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Chris Markoch pointed investors to the cybersecurity and semiconductor sectors. Few investors would question the cybersecurity market as many of these stocks were showing strong growth even before the invasion. And Markoch gave investors three cybersecurity stocks to consider even as they look overvalued. However, the chip market still faces a muddy outlook. Still, Markoch points out three semiconductor stocks that are outperforming the benchmark index.

Articles by Melissa Brock

With all the focus on oil stocks, Melissa Brock reminds investors that this is a good time to consider natural gas stocks. Brock gives investors three natural gas stocks that are good candidates to rise along with the price of natural gas which is expected to climb up to 29% by 2040. Another sector that is showing strong growth is the glass market. As Brock points out, just a casual look around your living space will remind you that demand for glass will remain strong and Brock gave investors three glass stocks to buy now. And the textile /apparel industry may not be top of mind as a growth target for investors. However, as Brock points out, the trend towards recyclable fabrics is generating more interest in this sector. Brock gave investors three choices for textile and apparel stocks to buy now.