Stocks rose Thursday, erasing earlier losses. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq reached record highs. Fed Chair Powell said that he expects interest rates to come down this year. The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged, as expected. The bank revised its inflation projections down for 2024, mainly as a result of energy prices, and expects to hit the target of 2% inflation by the end of 2025. The S&P 500 finished at 5157, the Nasdaq at 16,273, while the closed at 38,791. Crude oil traded just below $79 per barrel while gold was up $7 to $2166 per ounce.

This weekend, in Vegas, it's the Chiefs versus the 49ers. Usher is the halftime show; Tom Brady appears in a commercial; and Taylor Swift fans add a whole new demographic to the fan base. But aside from all that, there is big money at stake. For our list this week, we present possible ways to invest in the Super Bowl.

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. The retailers are out in force, with a massive marketing push to win dollars during this prime shopping time during the holidays. Just like retail, some stocks are seemingly at a big discount right now. Yes, we have our own Black Friday on Wall Street. But shop with care. We look for quality companies with solid books, proven track records, and strong management. This week, we used the Argus screening tool to create a list of companies that have clean balance sheets, high levels of profitability, and that we think are also undervalued and offer possible buying opportunities. We sorted the Argus stock universe for companies with a BUY rating, a market cap over $8 billion, and the highest financial strength ratings. Then we looked for those that are furthest away from their 52-week highs, and thus likely offering the deepest discounts. The resulting list is weighted towards Financial. That's not surprising based on the beating that the Financial sector took earlier this year after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Here is our list of recommended Black Friday Stock Deals for November 2023.

Stocks fell on Thursday morning as investors weighed a new round of earnings reports and weekly employment data. Walmart shares fell nearly 8% despite strong 3Q results after the company warned of a slowdown in consumer spending. Network gear maker Cisco also fell sharply after lowering its FY24 guidance. On the employment front, first-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose by 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 231,000 for the week ended November 11, above the Reuters consensus of 220,000. The Dow fell 0.4%, the S&P 0.1%, and the Nasdaq 0.1%. Crude oil fell sharply to $73 per barrel, while gold jumped $22 to $1986 per ounce.

Stocks fell again on Thursday morning, a day after a sharp selloff prompted by the Fitch downgrade of U.S. government debt. On the earnings front, Qualcomm shares dropped 10% after the chipmaker reported mixed fiscal 3Q results and offered disappointing 4Q guidance. PayPal also fell sharply on concerns about weak operating margins and rising loss provisions. The Dow fell 0.3%, the S&P 0.5%, and the Nasdaq 0.5%. Crude oil rose 1% to $80 per barrel, while gold fell $5 to $1971 per ounce.

Stocks were mixed on Monday morning as investors weighed the takeover of failing First Republic Bank by JPMorgan. JPM shares rose nearly 3% on news of the acquisition. Investors also awaited the Fed's interest rate decision and economic commentary later this week. A 25-basis-point rate hike is widely expected. The Dow rose 0.2%, the S&P rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.2%. Crude oil fell to $75.50 per barrel while gold fell $8 to $1992 per ounce.

Monday Tee Up: Barrage of Retail Earnings

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. The retailers are out in force, with a massive marketing push to win consumer dollars during this key holiday shopping season. One dubious gift from 2022 is much lower stock prices. Just like retail merchandise, stocks seemingly are at a big discount right now. But investors must shop with care, focusing, in our opinion, on quality companies with solid finances, proven track records, and strong management teams. This week, we used the Argus Screening Tool to find a list of companies that appear to be low risk, have strong balance sheets, and seemingly represent undervalued opportunities. Specifically, we screened the Argus Universe of Coverage for companies with a BUY rating, a market cap over $8 billion, and with a HIGH financial strength rating from Argus. Then we sorted for those furthest away from their Argus 12-month target price (suggesting a deep discount). The following list is weighted towards Technology -- which is not surprising after the beating the sector has taken so far this year.

After a drubbing on Wednesday, November 9, the major indices were flat-to-lower for that week-to-date as the market was dealing with a plethora of issues -- from politics, to poor EPS, to the crypto implosion, to worries about the then-pending CPI report. But there are times when the stock market takes a stance only to be surprised by something out of the blue. Indeed, stocks saw an historic day on Thursday, November 10 -- and then added to those gains the next day.

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 mostly higher on Thursday morning amid more signs of moderating inflation. The Labor Department said that its producer price index for final demand fell 0.5% in July, down from a 1.0% increase in June. The reading was the first negative number since April 2020 and below the Reuters consensus forecast, which called for an increase of 0.2%. The Dow rose 0.5%, the S&P rose 0.4%, and the Nasdaq was flat. Crude oil rose 1.5% to $93.50 per barrel, while gold rose $8 to $1806 per ounce.

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 finished mostly lower on Thursday after paring sharp early losses. Investors weighed more hot inflation data, though producer prices did show slightly slower year-over-year growth in April than in March. The Labor Department reported that its PPI for final demand rose 11% from the prior year in April, down from 11.5% in March but above consensus. On the employment front, first-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose to 203,000 for the week ended May 7, up from a revised 202,000 a week earlier and above the consensus estimate. The Dow fell 0.33%, the S&P fell 0.13%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.06%. Crude oil traded near $107 per barrel, while gold fell $32 to $1822 per ounce.

The Insider Index from Vickers Stock Research continues to reflect improving sentiment, having recently moved into the neutral zone (from bearish) for the first time since October 2020. As of this week, the index sits at -12.62, its strongest reading since September 2020. While only recently neutral, current sentiment from this long-term (six months) barometer is in stark contrast to the extremely bearish readings seen in early July 2021, when the index was at its most-bearish level since it was created in 1987. Elsewhere, the volume of insider transactions remains strong, with this being a third consecutive week of over 1,800 insider buy and sell orders that meet the criteria for inclusion in Vickers' Weekly Insider Report.

Stocks edged higher on Monday morning, led by gains in the Energy, Materials, and Financial sectors. Data on inflation expectations from the New York Fed was mixed. Consumers surveyed in October expected prices to be up 5.7% in one year, up from 5.3% in September and the highest reading since the start of the survey in June 2013. However, medium-term expectations for inflation in three years held steady at 4.2% after three months of increases. The Dow rose 0.2%, the S&P was flat, and the Nasdaq rose 0.1%. Crude oil rose to more than $82 per barrel, while gold traded near $1826 per ounce.

Stocks edged higher on Monday morning, led by gains in the Energy, Materials, and Financial sectors. Data on inflation expectations from the New York Fed was mixed. Consumers surveyed in October expected prices to be up 5.7% in one year, up from 5.3% in September and the highest reading since the start of the survey in June 2013. However, medium-term expectations for inflation in three years held steady at 4.2% after three months of increases. The Dow rose 0.2%, the S&P was flat, and the Nasdaq rose 0.1%. Crude oil rose to more than $82 per barrel, while gold traded near $1826 per ounce.

The Portfolio Selector features the Argus Focus List, a group of 30 "best idea" stocks generated and regularly updated by Argus' analysts and investment policy committee. It also includes the director of research’s monthly investment strategy column, stock recommendations and sector picks, economic forecasts, and an asset allocation model. This month, the Focus List additions are Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN); Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR); Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM); Cloudflare Inc (NET) and the Focus List deletions are Sanmina Corp (SANM); EBay Inc. (EBAY); Coca-Cola Co (KO); Pinterest Inc (PINS).

Stocks rose on Thursday morning, led by the Energy and Industrial sectors. On the employment front, the Labor Department said that first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell to 340,000 for the week ended August 28, down from 354,000 a week earlier and below the consensus forecast of 345,000. The Dow rose 0.4%, the S&P 0.3%, and the Nasdaq 0.3%. Crude oil rose nearly $2 to $70 per barrel, while gold traded near $1811 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.

Stocks edged higher on Thursday afternoon, led by the Healthcare and Technology sectors. On the employment front, first-time jobless claims fell to 375,000 for the week ended August 7, down from the prior week and in line with the consensus forecast. Continuing claims fell to 2.866 million from 2.980 million a week earlier, and were also below consensus. After the close, Disney posted strong fiscal 3Q results, helped by better-than-expected growth in Disney+ subscribers and a recovery in the theme parks business. The Dow rose 0.04%, the S&P 0.30%, and the Nasdaq 0.35%. Crude oil fell to $69 per barrel, while gold rose slightly to $1755 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.

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.

April 2021 lived up to its billing as the best stock month of the first half. During April, the S&P 500 appreciated 5.2%, better than any month so far this year; March was closest with a 4.2% gain. Through the end of the fourth month, the S&P 500 is up 11.3% year-to-date.

The U.S. housing market has been a positive contributor to the economic recovery. The National Association of Realtors recently reported that existing home sales are near a two-year-high at a 6.22 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, recovering from a 3.9 million rate in May 2020. The Commerce Department reported that new home sales, which were down 33% in April 2020 from January 2020, had recovered to 10-year-high levels of more than 1 million sales per year last August. They remained elevated at 775,000 in February. Building permits were up 70% in February 20201 compared to April 2020, according to the Census Bureau. Though most of these indicators have cooled, housing prices have not. The S&P/Case-Shiller National Home Price Index for January 2021 showed that prices gained 11.2% year-over-year, up from 10.4% in December. Meanwhile, inventory levels are tight: currently there is a low 4.8-month supply of existing homes for sale (the average range is 4.5-7.5 months). On the other side of the pandemic, we expect demand for homes -- with yards between neighbors and plenty of space -- will remain solid, though current trends may continue to cool a bit as interest rates rise.

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.

Argus has published its latest Portfolio Selector, which features its popular Focus List. Each month, Director of Research Jim Kelleher, CFA, surveys the team of Argus Research industry analysts for their timeliest recommendations out of the company's fundamental universe of approximately 500 stocks. The Focus List includes 30 stocks: turnover is high, as Director of Research Kelleher typically adds three or four new stocks per month. Below are the latest additions, all of which are rated BUY at Argus.

The Portfolio Selector features the Argus Focus List, a group of 30 "best idea" stocks generated and regularly updated by Argus' analysts and investment policy committee. It also includes the director of research’s monthly investment strategy column, stock recommendations and sector picks, economic forecasts, and an asset allocation model. This month, the Focus List additions are Dell Technologies Inc (DELL); Weyerhaeuser Co. (WY); EBay Inc. (EBAY); Southwest Airlines Co (LUV) and the Focus List deletions are Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM); Dominos Pizza Inc (DPZ); Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN); AGNC Investment Corp (AGNC).

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 fluctuated on Thursday in choppy trading as investors weighed weekly employment data, a continued decline in new U.S. coronavirus cases, and a warning from President Biden about challenges from China. The Labor Department reported that both first-time and continuing unemployment claims fell from the prior week, though both readings were above consensus forecasts. After the close, Disney posted an unexpected fiscal 1Q profit amid strong growth in Disney+ subscribers. The Dow fell 0.02%, the S&P rose 0.17%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.38%. Crude oil fell more than 1% to $58 per barrel, while gold fell $17 to $1826 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.

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.

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.