MarketBeat Week in Review – 3/13 – 3/17

It’s been quite a week for investors and ended on the first day of the triple witch of 2023. The week started with investors trying to make sense of the real risk to the global banking sector after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. But investors received good news from CPI and PPI readings which showed inflation easing ever so slightly.

That, along with government support for depositors in the banking crisis, was enough to drive the bulls out. But for how long ? Next week will bring the next interest rate announcement from the Federal Reserve.

They are widely expected to raise the fed funds rate another 25 basis points. A different decision one way or the other could have broad implications for the market. Enjoy the basketball tournament this weekend and catch up on some of our most popular stories from this week.

Articles by Jea Yu

It is important to diversify the income side of your portfolio. But Jea Yu reminds dividend investors that chasing a higher yield can come with higher risk. Yu introduces investors to two high-yield dividend ETFs with different strategies that, when held together, can help investors mitigate the risk of these stocks.

Continuing with the theme of risk mitigation, Yu offered investors two low-beta stocks in different sectors that offer the benefit of lower volatility. And while it’s nice to see inflation starting to ease, Yu explains why at least two stocks will be hit hard as inflationary deflation begins to creep into corporate balance sheets.

Articles by Thomas Hughes

Continuing the theme of high yielding dividend stocks, Thomas Hughes writes about two high yielding dividend stocks that also have low beta values. This means investors get a nice combination of a healthy dividend yield with less risk. If you’re looking for some growth to go along with attractive dividends, one area to consider is consumer staples stocks.

Hughes offers investors three consumer staples stocks that are up in the double digits. This week has also given investors a read on retail sales. The number shows consumers are forgoing discretionary spending on items like clothing. With that in mind, Hughes gave investors a list of one clothing stock to buy, one to watch and one to avoid.

Hughes also rightly called profits beaten by FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX). Hope you took the opportunity to strengthen your position as FedEx reported strong earnings and strong guidance.

Articles by Sam Quirke

There are opportunities that emerge from every crisis like the one we see in the global banking system. Sam Quirke had his eye on two stories that could prove profitable for investors. For example, Charles Schwab Company (NYSE: SCHW) the stock was unfairly dragged down as high risk following the collapse of SVB bank.

But as Quirke explains, even with a 30% rally, SCHW stock still has an edge for opportunistic investors. Quirke also observes that another opportunity could arise in the cryptocurrency sector. Shares of Coinbase Global Inc (NASDAQ: CURRENCY) climbed amid a broad rally in the cryptocurrency which is seen as an alternative investment to US banks.

Articles by Chris Markoch

If investors are looking for a sign that consumers are starting to cut spending, Chris Markoch writes they need only look at the results of Five Below, Inc. (NASDAQ: FIVE) And Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) who reported this week. While dollar store chains attract inflation-weary shoppers, it’s clear that consumers are buying the basic items they need and not much else.

And in the case of Dollar General, Markoch notes that institutional investors don’t seem interested in pulling the rug out from under short sellers.

Markoch also wrote on Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and with what its fusion Seagen Inc. (NASDAQ: SGEN) could do for the company’s oncology portfolio and its stock.

Articles by Kate Stalter

As you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Kate Stalter notes that you might want to take a closer look at Irish corporate stocks. As Stalter notes, the Irish stock index has outperformed the S&P 500 year-to-date and she also gives you specific names to consider.

Speaking of opportunities amid the current market volatility, Stalter points out that the utilities sector is being overlooked. That means it may be time for opportunistic investors to flee to the safety of these dividend-paying stocks and pocket the gains too.

And for growth-oriented investors, chip stocks were to be avoided in 2022 as inflation and supply chain issues plagued the industry. However, the sector is recovering in 2023 and Stalter writes of three chip stocks that look set to bounce out of a bullish consolidation zone.

Articles by Matthew North

Artificial intelligence continues to be a sector that investors never tire of. This means that many companies are rushing to improve their AI capabilities. As Matthew North writes, Selling power (NYSE: RCMP) is the latest example. The company launched Einstein GPT as its own version of generative AI. But as North points out, it’s still too early to know what effect, if any, this will have on the company’s share price.

North has also written about the $2 trillion heading into US banks and advises investors to play – or avoid – the sector.

Articles written by the MarketBeat team

The MarketBeat team had their finger on the pulse of SVB’s collapse even though the end result was unclear. Our staff has prepared this thought piece on what the bank failure means for US banks. The coin held up well against the news of the week. The MarketBeat team was also watching the retailer Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN). Analysts remain negative on the stock, but staff write that hedge fund managers are stocking up and that means the stock price could also be gearing up to rise.

And with March Madness upon us, the staff were watching the growing sports betting market and, in particular, the position of DraftKings Inc. (NASDAQ: DKNG) which holds around 20% of the US iGaming market.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.