The United States economy is full of innovation. It has to be. Manufacturing industries that dominated the economy decades ago - textiles, televisions, even automobiles to a large degree - have moved overseas, where labor and materials costs are lower. Yet the U.S. economy, even during the pandemic and the current period of high inflation, has expanded to record levels. If U.S. corporations weren't innovating, creating new products (such as vaccines and AI) and services (such as Zoom calls) and moving into new markets, the domestic economy would not be growing, and capital would not be flooding into the country. The current high level of the U.S. dollar relative to currencies around the world attests to the confidence that global investors have in the durable and innovative U.S. economy.

Weekly Tee Up: Walmart and Nvidia

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

Stocks edged lower on Friday morning as investors weighed more 3Q earnings reports along with new housing market data. Gap Inc. reported much stronger than expected adjusted 3Q EPS, sending the shares up nearly 30%. However, management warned of softer consumer spending in the coming quarters, echoing recent comments from Walmart and Target. On the housing front, the Commerce Department said that single-family housing starts edged up 0.2% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 970,000, while overall starts rose 1.9% to an annualized 1.372 million, above the Reuters consensus of 1.35 million. The Dow fell 0.1%, the S&P 0.1%, and the Nasdaq 0.2%. Crude oil traded near $75 per barrel, while gold fell to $1985 per ounce.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

Innovation may be hard to define. But to borrow from former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, you know it when you see it. The United States economy is full of innovation. It has to be. Manufacturing industries that dominated the economy decades ago - textiles, televisions, even automobiles to a large degree - have moved overseas, where labor and materials costs are lower. Yet the U.S. economy, even during the pandemic and the current period of high inflation, has expanded to record levels. If U.S. corporations weren't innovating, creating new products (such as vaccines) and services (such as Zoom calls) and moving into new markets and applications, the domestic economy would not be growing, and capital would not be flooding into the country. The current high level of the U.S. dollar relative to currencies around the world attests to the confidence that global investors have in the durable and innovative U.S. economy.

Crude oil (WTI) is trading around $84.65 and is approaching the top of its range going back to late last year. The recent pullback was small and turned right at the important 50-week moving average. Breakouts from sideways consolidations start in the upper one-third to one-half of a price range, not from the bottom of the range -- so oil is starting to look interesting. WTI needs to clear the recent high near $85 with some conviction. That would open the door for a number of upside targets in the near- to intermediate-term window.

Stocks were largely flat on Friday morning, steadying after several days of sharp losses, as investors continued to focus on economic weakness in China, rising bond yields, and the Fed's next interest rate decisions. The CME Group's FedWatch Tool currently projects just a 10% chance of a rate hike in September, but a higher 30% chance of an increase at the November meeting. However, based on recent economic data and the FOMC meeting minutes earlier this week, many investors also expect the Fed to delay any rate cuts and leave high current rates in place for longer in 2024. The Dow rose 0.2%, the S&P was flat, and the Nasdaq fell 0.2%. Crude oil rose slightly to $81 per barrel, while gold rose $6 to $1922 per ounce.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Stocks gave up early gains on Friday morning on news of a setback in the debt ceiling negotiations between the Biden administration and House Republicans. Representative Garret Graves of Louisiana, the lead negotiator on the Republican side, said that it was time to 'press pause' because the negotiations were not productive. On the earnings front, Deere & Co. reported stronger-than-expected fiscal 2Q EPS and raised its full-year guidance. On the negative side, footwear retailer Foot Locker plunged 27% after reporting disappointing 1Q results and cutting its sales and earnings forecasts. The Dow fell 0.3%, the S&P 0.1%, and the Nasdaq 0.2%. Crude oil fell to $71.50 per barrel, while gold traded near $1982 per ounce.

Innovation may be hard to define. But to borrow from former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, you know it when you see it. The United States economy is full of innovation. It has to be. Manufacturing industries that dominated the economy decades ago - textiles, televisions, even automobiles to a large degree - have moved overseas, where labor and materials costs are lower. Yet the U.S. economy, even during the pandemic and the current period of high inflation, has expanded to record levels. If U.S. corporations weren't innovating, creating new products (such as vaccines) and services (such as Zoom calls) and moving into new markets and applications, the domestic economy would not be growing, and capital would not be flooding into the country. The current high level of the U.S. dollar relative to currencies around the world attests to the confidence that global investors have in the durable and innovative U.S. economy.

We recently raised our rating on the Technology sector to Over-Weight from Market-Weight. As interest rates start to fall, IT demand in enterprise and data center markets is holding up. And mounting interest in ChatGPT could herald the age of AI, which could be a huge industry driver. Over the long term, we expect the Technology sector to benefit from pervasive digitization across the economy, greater acceptance of transformative technologies, and the development of the Internet of Things (IoT). Healthy company and sector fundamentals are also positive. For individual companies, these include high cash levels, low debt, and broad international business exposure. The sector is outperforming the market thus far in 2023, with a gain of 12.4%. Tech underperformed the market in 2022, with a loss of 28.9%, and outperformed in 2021, with a gain of 33.4%. The P/E ratio on projected 2023 earnings is 23, above the market multiple. Earnings are expected to grow 14.5% in 2023 after having fallen 3.3% in 2022. Earnings rose 37.9% in 2021 and 7.7% in 2020. The sector's debt ratios are below the market average, as is the average dividend yield of 0.5%. Here is how we use our analysts' Technology sector ideas in our Focus List and Model Portfolios.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

The stock market held in there on Monday after some ugly early action that saw the S&P 500 (SPX) down about 1.3%. The index rallied almost 100 points by late morning before selling off over the balance of the day. It was a great session for day traders, but created more agita for the rest of us. The morning low coincided with chart support in the 3,780-3,810 region from the late-December low.

Weekly insider-sentiment data from Vickers Stock Research continues to crawl, agonizingly, in a less-bearish direction. But the crawl is indeed slow and the data - while better than it was a few weeks ago - remains clearly bearish. Meanwhile, in the weeks since we started calling out alarming insider sentiment, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen by about 6%.

Stocks fell sharply on Thursday as investors weighed new inflation, employment, and housing market data. Producer prices rose more than expected, raising concerns about continued aggressive rate hikes, while weak housing starts and building permits showed the impact of high mortgage rates. Meanwhile, weekly unemployment claims pointed to a still strong labor market. The Labor Department said that first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 1,000 to 194,000 for the week ended February 11, below the Reuters consensus forecast of 200,000. The Dow fell 1.26%, the S&P 1.38%, and the Nasdaq 1.78%. Crude oil traded near $78 per barrel, while gold rose $3 to $1848 per ounce.

In the short-term, all the major indices appear to be tracing out small bull flags -- which are often seen during uptrends, as stocks take a breather to get recharged. During an advancing market, stocks and indices will pull back to their 10- or 21-day exponential moving averages (EMAs), and generally the retracements are very mild. At times, a stock or index pulls back to its 50-day, which is a bigger move.

Monday Tee Up: Retail and Tech Earnings, FOMC Minutes

Innovation may be hard to define. But to borrow from former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, you know it when you see it. The United States economy is full of innovation. It has to be. Manufacturing industries that dominated the economy decades ago - textiles, televisions, even automobiles to a large degree - have moved overseas, where labor and materials costs are lower. Yet the U.S. economy, even during the pandemic and the current period of high inflation, has expanded to record levels. If U.S. corporations weren't innovating, creating new products (such as vaccines) and services (such as Zoom calls) and moving into new markets and applications, the domestic economy would not be growing, and capital would not be flooding into the country. The current high level of the U.S. dollar relative to currencies around the world attests to the confidence that global investors have in the innovative U.S. economy.

Stocks recovered from early losses on Thursday, rallying strongly despite disappointing inflation data. The 6.6% increase in the core consumer price index, excluding food and energy, marked a 40-year high and set the stage for another 75-basis-point rate hike at the Fed's next meeting. On the employment front, first-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose by 9,000 to 228,000 for the week ended October 8, slightly above the Reuters consensus estimate. The Dow rose 2.83%, the S&P 2.60%, and the Nasdaq 2.23%. Crude oil rose more than 2% to $89 per barrel, while gold fell $4 to $1673 per ounce.

Stocks fell on Friday morning, led by sharp declines in the Consumer Discretionary, Materials, and Financial sectors. On the earnings front, Deere shares fell 2% after the farm equipment maker posted mixed fiscal 3Q results and lowered its full-year earnings forecast. Bed Bath & Beyond plunged 40% after meme stock investor Ryan Cohen sold his 9.8% stake in the company. The Dow fell 0.8%, the S&P 1.2%, and the Nasdaq 2.0%. Crude oil rose slightly to $91 per barrel, while gold fell $10 to $1761 per ounce.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

In this edition, advertisers give Meta a like, we look at the power behind European utilities, and we follow the thread of re-selling in retail fashion; and James Hardie, Applied Materials, and Daifuku.

Stocks continued to fall on Friday morning after giving up early gains. The selloff was led by the Consumer Discretionary and Industrial Sectors, though all sectors were down. The S&P 500 remained on track for its seventh straight weekly loss. On the earnings front, Deere shares fell more than 11% despite the company's better-than-expected fiscal 2Q earnings and higher full-year guidance. The Dow fell 0.7%, the S&P 0.7%, and the Nasdaq 0.9%. Crude oil rose slightly to $113 per barrel, while gold traded near $1844 per ounce.

Innovation may be hard to define. But to borrow from former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, you know it when you see it. The United States economy is full of innovation. It has to be. Manufacturing industries that dominated the economy decades ago - textiles, televisions, even automobiles to a large degree - have moved overseas, where costs are lower. Yet the U.S. economy, even during the pandemic, has expanded to record levels. If U.S. corporations weren't innovating, creating new products (such as vaccines) and services and moving into new markets and applications, the domestic economy would not be growing, and capital would not be flooding into the country. Consider that U.S. GDP was approximately $1 trillion in 1930 but was more than $24 trillion at the end of 2021. That's growth of 24-times. Meanwhile, the U.S. population has grown less than three-times during that time span, to 320 million from 120 million. The delta between GDP growth and population growth has been driven, in large part, by innovation.

The final trading day of 2021 is here, and the S&P 500 is positioned for its best gain since...two years ago, in 2019. Still, 20%-plus gainer years on the S&P 500 are not all that common. Since the millennial turn in 2000, the index has posted a gain of at least 20% just four other times: in 2003, 2009, 2013, and 2019.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Stocks were mixed on Friday morning after Austria reimposed a full lockdown to combat soaring cases of the Delta variant and the German government contemplated similar measures. Investors also weighed prospects for the Biden administration's social spending and climate change bill, which was narrowly approved by the House but faces a difficult path in the Senate. The Dow fell 0.7%, the S&P fell 0.1%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.5%. Crude oil fell nearly 3% to $77 per barrel, while gold rose slightly to $1863 per ounce.

The S&P 500 and the broad market closed a terrific week with a Friday surge following positive employment data. The "500" finished at yet another all-time high.

Stocks declined broadly last week, as positive retail sales data and a better-than-expected inflation (CPI) report were unable to offset mounting investor concerns. These concerns include the still-heavy toll from COVID-19, signs of moderating economic growth, and worries on either side that a new tax bill will pass (the GOP) or won't make it through Congress (the Democrats).

Stocks declined broadly last week, as positive retail sales data and a better-than-expected inflation (CPI) report were unable to offset mounting investor concerns. These concerns include the still-heavy toll from COVID-19, signs of moderating economic growth, and worries on either side that a new tax bill will pass (the GOP) or won't make it through Congress (the Democrats).

The Technology sector started slowly in 2021 as investors focused on value stocks. But the sector has come on strong in recent months (up 22% year-to-date) and now is outperforming the market (up 20.7%) as well as value sectors such as Consumer Staples (+8%), Utilities (+10%), Materials (+17%), and Industrials (+18%). The sector is the largest in the U.S. market and now accounts for more than 28% of the S&P 500. Over the long term, we expect the sector to benefit from pervasive digitization across the economy, greater acceptance of transformative technologies, and the development of the Internet of Things (IoT). Healthy company and sector fundamentals are also positive. For individual companies, these include high cash levels, low debt, and broad international business exposure. We have an Over-Weight ranking on the Tech sector and think investors should look to allocate up to 30% of their diversified portfolios to the group. Here is how we use our analysts' Tech sector ideas in our Focus List and Model Portfolios.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Stocks edged lower on Thursday morning after comments from two Fed regional presidents suggested that the central bank could begin tapering bond purchases well before the end of the year. Markets were also rattled by reports of two explosions near the Kabul airport as the U.S. and other Western nations prepared to wind down their evacuation efforts. On the employment front, the Labor Department said that first-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose to 353,000 for the week ended August 21, up from 349,000 a week earlier and above the consensus forecast of 350,000. The Dow fell 0.1%, the S&P 0.3%, and the Nasdaq 0.3%. Crude oil fell 1% to $68 per barrel, while gold traded near $1797 per ounce.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

The coming trading week straddles the end of June and the beginning of July, and will be capped off on Friday with the June nonfarm payrolls report. Economists are forecasting a gain of more than 650,000, after a just-right reading of 589K for May. The market has prospered in June, partly because of the strong (but not too strong) May payrolls report and the FOMC post-meeting commentary that confirmed the Fed is on track with its lower-for-longer approach to short-term rates.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Stocks were mixed on Friday morning following a positive manufacturing activity report and new housing market data. IHS Markit said that its flash manufacturing PMI rose to 61.5 in the first half of May, up from a final reading of 60.5 in April and above the consensus forecast. The National Association of Realtors said that U.S. existing home sales fell 2.7% in April to an annualized 5.85 million, below the consensus of 6.09 million. At the same time, the median existing home price rose 19.1% from the prior year to $341,600. On the earnings front, Deere shares rose more than 3% after the farm equipment maker posted strong fiscal 2Q results and raised its full-year earnings guidance. The Dow rose 0.7%, the S&P rose 0.3%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.1%. Crude oil traded near $64 per barrel, while gold fell $6 to $1876 per ounce.

With April winding down, you can count on someone, somewhere saying, "sell in May and go away." That pronouncement is mainly popular because it rhymes. While it is true that summer is typically a period of relative underperformance, market timing rarely works. And sometimes summer is a good time for stock performance.

With April winding down, you can count on someone, somewhere saying, "sell in May and go away." That pronouncement is mainly popular because it rhymes. While it is true that summer is typically a period of relative underperformance, market timing rarely works. And sometimes summer is a good time for stock performance.

Stocks fell on Monday morning, led by the Technology and Communication Services sectors, as investors awaited the first 1Q earnings reports from major banks on Wednesday. Earnings from S&P 500 companies are expected to rise 25% in the first quarter, according to data from Refinitiv. On the M&A front, Microsoft said that it would acquire AI and speech recognition company Nuance Communications in a $19.7 billion deal. The Dow fell 0.2%, the S&P 0.2%, and the Nasdaq 0.5%. Crude oil traded near $60 per barrel, while gold fell $12 to $1733 per ounce.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

The first quarter was good for stocks, as the S&P 500 increased more than 6.0%. The average stock in the Argus Fundamental Universe of Coverage advanced more than 13%, and the median stock gained 9.6%. The average BUY-rated stock increased 12%, while the average HOLD-rated stock rose 16%. Will investors continue to favor value and small-cap? Given low interest rates, we expect growth stocks to outperform over time, but think that 2021 may be the "one-in-five years" that value leads. Investors seeking value are encouraged to focus on dividends and look for yields in the 3%-4% range. For small-caps, the vaccine is encouraging as these companies typically don't have the gilt-edged balance sheets of large-caps and are more dependent on a strong U.S. economy. Small-cap valuations remain depressed despite the recent run, and this group continues to look well positioned in 2021.

The stock market has been wracked by rising interest rates, escalating inflation fears, and sharp selling among last year's winning stocks. And for all that, the S&P 500 closed on 3/12/21 with a 5.3% quarter-to-date gain. If that holds, the index in 2021 will more than double its average 2.1% first-quarter gain since 1980. 'If it holds' is a big if, given that stocks staged selloffs in the final weeks of both January and February.

The stock market has been wracked by rising interest rates, escalating inflation fears, and sharp selling among last year's winning stocks. And for all that, the S&P 500 closed on 3/12/21 with a 5.3% quarter-to-date gain. If that holds, the index in 2021 will more than double its average 2.1% first-quarter gain since 1980. "If it holds" is a big if, given that stocks staged selloffs in the final weeks of both January and February.

When the investing environment is potentially undergoing a major trend change, investors find themselves deciding if good news is good or bad, and if bad news is bad or good. The current major trend change encompassing the investing environment is the rise in interest rates; and the good news/bad news event was the February nonfarm payrolls report.