Z-SYMBOLS

Time to add an airline stock? I’d say yes: Adding Delta to Jubak Picks

Time to add an airline stock? I’d say yes: Adding Delta to Jubak Picks

When airline stocks come off a bottom, they come off fast and big. And I think that’s what we’re going to see over the next few quarters of 2022. Which means it’s time to buy. I could be early but the extreme volatility of stocks in the sector means that if you wait too long, you’ll miss the juiciest gains. Tomorrow, February 1, I’ll be adding shares of Delta Air Lines (DAL) to my JubakPicks Portfolio with a target price of $46. That’s just below the 200-day moving average and slightly further below the March 7, 2021 high of $49.83 highlighted in my last revision of the Dip-O-Meter this morning, January, 31.

Is the trend turning in favor of big tech growth stocks?

Is the trend turning in favor of big tech growth stocks?

It’a always dangerous to construct a trend from Friday’s trading. Especially when the earlier part of the week has been so strong in one direction or another. (In this case, down, down, down.) Ahead of the weekend, stocks often reverse the trend from earlier in the week as sellers (in this case) decide that they don’t want to be quite so bearish until the market opens on Monday. So it’s not surprising that stocks gained today on nothing especially qualifying as news. But with all those caveats, I still found today’s action “interesting” and “perhaps” indicative of a future trend. Not only were stocks as a whole strongly higher–the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 2.44% on the day–but technology stocks led the move to the upside.

On second look market decides Microsoft earnings were good news

On second look market decides Microsoft earnings were good news

The reaction to Microsoft’s (MSFT) earnings report yesterday after the market close tells you that this market is poised at an earnings inflection point. Earnings, especially technology company earnings, are going to be strong this quarter, but earnings growth rate will be down from the big Pandemic recovery growth rates of 2021. Will the solid earnings growth this quarter be enough to stabilize this market? Which brings me to Microsoft.

Special Report: When will the selling stop? When to buy? What to buy? My last 3 of 10 picks (Apple, Disney, and Chipotle)

Special Report: When will the selling stop? When to buy? What to buy? My last 3 of 10 picks (Apple, Disney, and Chipotle)

Take a look at Peloton Interactive (PTON) and Netflix (NFLX) just in case you need a reminder of one of the essential characteristics of this stock market. One that makes it so hard to tell where the market as a whole is going, and what individual stocks are headed up or down (and often down big time.) What growth rate should an investor use in trying to value the stock? Who knows? Which is exactly the point and not a problem limited to Peloton in this economy. I’ve found a handful of stocks with reliable internal growth stories that make them great buy-on-the-dip candidates for over performance in the second half of 2022. I’m making three of those stocks–Apple (AAPL), Disney (DIS), and Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG)–my last 3 picks for my Special Report

On second look market decides Microsoft earnings were good news

IBM beats–Will BIG TECH earnings stabilize stocks? Next to watch Microsoft today

Last night after the close of trading, IBM (IBM) reported earnings (excluding one-time items) of $3.35 a share for the December quarter. Analysts were looking for $3.23. Gross margin was 56.9%, beating the 56.1% analysts expected. Which leads to the important question of whether BIG TECH earnings and revenue reports, due in the next week, will stabilize stock prices/

Putting on hedges for a Russia-Ukraine conflict today (as in NOW)

Putting on hedges for a Russia-Ukraine conflict today (as in NOW)

On Saturday, January 15, in my “Saturday Night Quarterback” post wrote that conflict (a more comprehensive term than “war) between Russia and Ukraine remained a low probability event–but that the probability wasn’t zero and the the odds of conflict had increased in the past month. What’s happened since then? The odds of conflict have climbed

Selling my VIX Call  Hedge–and a reminder of why we hedge and when we buy

Selling my VIX Call Hedge–and a reminder of why we hedge and when we buy

The CBOE S&P 500 Volatility Index (VIX) is up another 8.87% today to 27.83 on another drop in stocks and continued worry about the effect of looming Federal Reserve interest rate increases. Today I’m going to sell the February 16 VIX Call Options with a strike of 20 (VIX220216C00020000) that I bought on December 31, 2021 in my Volatility Portfolio. I bought those Call Options for $380 a contract and I’m selling today, January 21 with those options trading at $710 a contract as of 2:45 New York time. That’s a gain of 86.8% on this position in roughly four weeks.

Special Report: When will the selling stop? When to buy? Picks #4-#7 of 10

Special Report: When will the selling stop? When to buy? Picks #4-#7 of 10

In the first section of this Special Report: When will the selling stop? When to buy What to buy” posted back on January 11, I said that I’d look to buy in tiers. And thus stagger my buying to take account of any earnings season selling and any volatility around the Fed’s January 26 meeting. In the first tier, I said, back on January 11, I said I’d look for former momentum and earnings growth favorites, especially in the technology sector, that had taken big hits in the selling from the November 19 high. The three first tier buys were Nvidia (NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and and the first three buys back on January 11 were Nvidia (NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD, and Adobe (ADBE). I said I’d name my second tier picks after bank earnings. Which means today.