The short holiday week begins with stocks hovering at all-time highs.
We’ll see if that turns into a good omen for the year to come but, for now, stocks are perking up, thanks to some positive chatter on the U.S.-China trade front. Note, trading volumes will likely start to thin out as investors begin their holiday vacations.
Onto ourcall of the day, from Standard Life Investments’s head of global strategy, Andrew Milligan, who earlier in the yeargave this column two winning technology stock picksfor 1106361 – Microsoft MSFT, 1.**********************************************************************************************************************% and Equinix EQIX, 0. EQIX, 0. —Up (% and) **************************************************************************************************************** (%, respectively, year-to-date.)
We’ve gone back to Milligan to get more equity ideas for the year ahead, and he tells us he still likes Microsoft. What else? Credit card providers Visa V, 0. (%) ********** and Mastercard MA,( 0.) ******************************************************************************************************************** (%) **********
, the former “a little more developed-market orientated and the latter a little more emerging-market orientated,” he says.
Milligan believes that 1106361 will be the year investors decide it is time to buy some 5G assets — the next-generation wireless technology that is set to roll out in (****************************************************************************************************. “In the world of 5G, semi and smartphones, then Marvell is worth examining,” he said. Chip maker Marvell Technology MRVL,– 0. (%) is among the companies with a foothold in that related 5G technology.
Read:Apple iPhone demand will soar in 1106361 with launch of 5G, say Wedbush analysts
In the smaller-cap space, albeit riskier, says Milligan, he likes Five9 FIVN, – 0. (%, which operates in the cloud software area.
As for this history-setting bull market, this strategist says it could carry on in the year ahead, but like others, he believes it needs to be fueled by stronger company profits. Still, there are other things to cheer, such as a trade truce between the U.S. and China, and central banks pulling back on the urge to tighten up policy, he says.
******************** (The market)
Dow ******** (YM) **************************************************************************************************************************, ( 0.) ************************************************************************************************************************** (%), S&P ************ ES ********************************************************************************************************************************** , 0. (%) and Nasdaq ************** (NQ) , 0. (%) futures are edging up, while European stocks ****************** (SXXP, 0.) ************************************************************************************************************************************% are mixedand Asian markets ************************ (ADOW, 0.) ************************************************************************************************************************************* (%) were flat.
Our chart comes from CNN’s Fear & Greed Index, a gauge of investor emotions that has been hovering lately in the Extreme Greed region — a far cry from the Extreme Fear range of a year ago. And a month ago it showed investors as just plain greedy.
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Chinese media reports that Beijing will (cut tariffs on) ******************************************************************************************************** (products, while separately, the government has vowed to (open its oil, telecom and power marketsto private competitors, in a bid to boost the country’s slowing economy.
Privately held water company Culligan and AquaVenture Holdings Ltd. (********************************* (WAAS,) – 1. (**************************************************************************************************************************% haveagreed to mergein an all-cash deal valued at about $ 1.1 billion
Facebook FB, 0. % and Twitter (TWTR, 0. (%) ************ havetaken down a global network of fake accountslinked to manipulative political messages on social media.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” earned $ (**************************************************************************************************************. 5 million in its opening weekendfor film studio Disney (DIS, 0. 55%, even if the critics panned it.
“Right now, you’re looking at half of Netflix’s budget. ”That was comedian and actor Eddie Murphy on American late-night comedy show“ Saturday Night Live, ”alongside other comedy legends, including Chris Rock. While exaggerating, Murphy and the others have reportedly signed million-dollar deals
with the streaming video company.The economy
The bulk of the week’s data is coming, with durable goods orders, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index and new home sales on the way.
The tweet
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