Another Friday Rally, But The Week Can't Be Saved

We saw another impressive comeback on Friday, but this time it fell well short of saving the week. The major indices suffered through three straight sessions of 1% losses on Tuesday through Thursday, and then started today sharply in the red. It was just too much to recover from, especially with the tariff concerns still very much on the market's mind.

The Dow finished with a weekly loss of a little more than 3%, while the S&P was down 2% and the NASDAQ slipped a bit over 1%.

"While markets seem nervous, it will take some time to digest and sort out what this (tariff talk) really means," said Jeremy Mullin in Counterstrike. "Next week could be an epic week, so be prepared for anything."

The day, however, ended up looking much better than the week. The major indices opened the session with steep losses due to the tariff concerns, but cooler heads largely prevailed by the closing bell. The NASDAQ actually gained 1.08% on Friday to 7257.9, while the S&P was up 0.51% to 2691.3. The Dow is taking the tariff news much harder than its counterparts and lost 0.29% (or nearly 71 points) to 24,538.1, but that marked a dramatic improvement from earlier in the day when the index slumped by about 400 points.

In the portfolios, Counterstrike added two new positions, including a retailing giant that's turning things around and a home builder that moved lower despite a strong quarter. Technology Innovators picked up a cyber security name that much of the market hasn't heard of yet. Read more in the highlights section below:

Today's Portfolio Highlights:

Counterstrike: Two new buys for the portfolio on Friday. Jeremy thinks that retail giant Macy’s (M) may be turning things around after a beat-and-raise quarter. The stock has stood firm during this market weakness and recently reclaimed its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The editor feels comfortable enough to buy a 6% allocation in the name.

The other buy is a more classic counterstrike scenario. Shares of Toll Brothers (TOL) dropped despite a strong quarter that included a 16% positive earnings surprise. The chart is telling Jeremy to get long this stock before it moves higher again, so he added the residential home builder today with an 8% allocation. Learn more about these new buys in the full write-up, including a look at their charts.

Technology Innovators: The portfolio added a cyber security play on Friday that seems to be under the radar. SailPoint Technology Holdings, Inc. (SAIL) is a recent IPO that had an impressive first ever quarterly report, which included earnings per share and revenues that soared past expectations. It also guided higher. In addition, Brian Bolan is impressed that SAIL has stood strong during this challenging time for the market. The editor thinks this stock will have some steady tailwinds moving forward, and so he added it to the portfolio. Read a lot more about this new addition in the full write-up.

Options Trader: "While the markets closed lower this week, they all made spectacular recoveries off of their lows from this morning, with the S&P, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index closing solidly in the green by day’s end.

"Continued concerns over a possible trade war after President Trump yesterday said he would impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, weighed on stocks this morning, before abruptly turning around and soaring higher. Many in the media downplayed any negative impact it would have on the economy. Although, many others played up the impact. But it became clear the market would need to see the details of this plan (released next week) to see exactly who will be affected, and for how long, before assessing the real impact.

"But as I said yesterday, I do not believe there will be a trade war. And I do not believe it will have any lasting negative effect on the market, despite the breathless exaggerations to the contrary by some in the media." -- Kevin Matras

Have a Great Weekend,
Jim Giaquinto

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