MarketBeat: Week in Review 7/12 – 7/16

All three major indexes are closing the week down. Gold is down as well. But the VIX index is up. And if you look at all three of those in tandem, you see a picture of a market that remains volatile. Investors were hoping to get more clarity on inflation. Instead they are exiting this week more confused after Fed Chair Jerome Powell gave remarks that, charitably, were out of sync, with the CPI and PPI data released this week. On a positive note, earnings season is off and running and the news so far is bullish for the markets. Next week, earnings season will move into high gear. And the MarketBeat team of writers will stay on top of the stocks and stories that are moving the market. Here’s a look at some of the stocks they analyzed this week.

Articles by Sean Sechler                                                                                                                                                                

With earnings season kicking off, stocks are officially in the second half of the year. This is a good time to reassess your portfolio. However, as Sean Sechler points out, with the S&P 500 Index up 17% for the year, investors need to be selective. With that in mind, Sechler gave readers three stocks to buy for the second half of the year. The beginning of earnings season means that investors get to hear from the big banks. Despite posting generally good earnings, several of the big bank stocks are dropping. And Sechler gave readers three big bank stocks that are ideal candidates to buy on the dip. However, if you’re still looking to buy tech stocks, Sechler gave investors the name of three software stocks that look ready to make a significant move to the upside.

Articles by Jea Yu

Investing in a stock that went public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is only for risk-tolerant investors. Nevertheless, when you find a company that is well positioned for current trends, as Jea Yu did with Indie Semiconductor (NASDAQ:INDI) it can make for a profitable trade. INDI stock is a sound investment in the megatrends that are emerging in the automotive space, particularly autonomous driving and user experience. Another chip company that Yu likes is Himax Technologies (NASDAQ:HIMX). Himax manufactures semiconductor chips for display imaging processing and has been a pandemic winner that will continue to enjoy high demand from its technology as the digital future continues to take shape. And if you’re looking for another stock with an intriguing story, Yu suggests you look at Yelp (NASDAQ:YELP). During the pandemic, there wasn’t much need for a social media review site. But that is changing as entertainment venues reopen, which is making Yelp look like an attractive recovery stock.

Articles by Thomas Hughes

The hospitality industry has been a big winner as Americans are rediscovering the simple pleasure of dining out. This is great news for restaurant stocks that are drawing the attention of the analyst community. Thomas Hughes gave readers three restaurant stocks that analysts believe will climb significantly higher in the second half of the year. On a more speculative note, Hughes was eyeing a turnaround story for Organigram (NASDAQ:OGI). The Canadian cannabis company took a hit on earnings while it was revamping its product line. But it looks to be in a good position in its home country and may be getting a lift if the United States Congress follows through on signals that it is looking to legalize cannabis. And Hughes is usually on the lookout for a good dividend stock or two. This week, one of his top picks is ConAgra (NYSE:CAG) which has managed to keep revenue strong during the pandemic even as it update its product portfolio.

Articles by Chris Markoch

One of the most successful investing strategies is to follow trends. When a stock is trending that means it has support from both retail and institutional investors. Chris Markoch gave readers a list of the 10 most searched for stocks on the MarketBeat site for the month of June. Turning his attention to this week’s earnings reports, Markoch was writing about one of “the rest” when it comes to the big banks. In this case, it was Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) which saw its stock drop after a mixed earnings report. However, Markoch suggests there’s more good than bad in the report and patient investors should look at this as a buy the dip opportunity. And with oil stocks on the rise, it’s a good time to seek out quality stocks in the sector. Chevron (NYSE:CVX) fits that bill. However, as Markoch points out the company is well positioned for the “both/and” approach that will define the sector in the near term.

Articles by Kate Stalter                                                                           

Investors eagerly anticipate earnings season because a positive report will usually send stocks higher. Kate Stalter reminds investors that isn’t always the case. However, she does give readers three stocks that have gapped up after posting strong earnings reports. Stalter was also reminding investors that a good way to use a stock screener is to hunt for stocks that are posting accelerated revenue and earnings. Ok, that’s obvious. But Stalter points out that those are the stocks that tend to garner interest from institutional investors who tend to scale into their positions. With that in mind, Stalter gave readers three stocks that are showing both growing earnings and growing support from institutional investors. For growth investors, Stalter was looking at three stocks that have gone public in the last year. While these aren’t three of the most recent, Stalter reminds readers that stocks can still be considered “young stocks” for several years after going public. And that means you can take your time in performing your due diligence. Stalter gave readers three of these “still-young” stocks to consider for their portfolios.