The markets have given back most of their gains in the past month, as uncertainty reigns on a couple of fronts: Brexit (Great Britain’s possible exit from the European Union) with a vote pending on June 23, and the possibility of the Federal Reserve’s raising interest rates after its meeting this week—although futures are up this morning in anticipation that rates, for now, will remain unchanged.
The economy continues to plug along. Retail sales were up 0.5% last month, better than the 0.3% the market expected. Unemployment claims were stable last week. But consumers are continuing to be wary of spending too much, so consumer credit came in less than anticipated. It seems that this slogging along is going to be with us—at least until after the Presidential election.
Yet, as you’ll see from our Advisor Sentiment Barometer, sentiment became decidedly more bullish this month, and while our contributors tend in the same direction, they also remain cautious.
Our issue this month is packed with a nice mix of strategies and stocks from almost every sector.
Starting with our Spotlight Stock, a company that is expanding at double-digit rates in the Big Data arena. I’ve personally followed this company for about the last five years, and I’m impressed by its ability to continue growing in a very competitive arena. My Feature expands on the data mining industry and the opportunities that the ever-changing technology sector will bring in the years ahead.
Our Growth section is very hearty this month, with selections from a broad array of industries, including an industrial stock, a chemical company, a pet food manufacturer, a bank, and an energy company. We also offer Growth picks in Technology, Retail and Healthcare/Biotech.
And while Value stocks continue to outperform this year, our advisors have found a nice group of companies that are still trading at discounted levels from the restaurant, media, leisure, industrial and automotive sectors.
This month, we offer several stocks that are trading at low prices. As these stocks tend to be more volatile, please make sure they remain just a small portion of your overall portfolio.
Lastly, our Funds and ETF section includes a variety of offerings from technology, real estate, commodities, metals and international sectors.
