This weekend, in Vegas, it's the Chiefs versus the 49ers. Usher is the halftime show; Tom Brady appears in a commercial; and Taylor Swift fans add a whole new demographic to the fan base. But aside from all that, there is big money at stake. For our list this week, we present possible ways to invest in the Super Bowl.

Stocks are little-changed on Monday morning. While this week is full of major earnings report, Fed news, and significant economic data, investors appear to be in 'wait and see' mode for now -- with the biggest events still to come on Tuesday (earnings), Wednesday (Fed), Thursday (earnings again), and Friday (employment). Tension in the Middle East is also on the rise, likely adding to hesitation on the part of traders. As of this writing, the major stock indices are in a tight range between off 0.04% and up 0.30%. Crude oil is lower by about 1.15%, while gold is up about 0.35%.

Stocks continued to slide on Thursday morning, extending Wednesday's losses ahead of a midday speech from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Investors weighed a strong 3Q report from Netflix, which reported solid growth in paid subscribers, revenue, and EPS; and an earnings miss from Tesla, along with a range of warnings from CEO Elon Musk. Weekly employment data pointed to a still tight labor market. First-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 198,000 for the week ended October 14, the lowest level since January and below the Reuters consensus of 212,000. The Dow fell 0.4%, the S&P fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq was flat. Crude oil fell to $88 per barrel, while gold traded near $1964 per ounce.

Stocks rose on Monday morning as investors awaited earnings from major Tech companies and the Fed's interest rate decision later this week. Business activity data was mixed. S&P Global said that its flash Services PMI fell to 52.4 in July, down from 54.4 in June and below the Reuters consensus forecast of 54.0. At the same time, the Manufacturing PMI rose to 49.0 from 46.3 in June and came in above the consensus estimate. The Dow rose 0.5%, the S&P 0.4%, and the Nasdaq 0.3%. Crude oil rose more than 1% to $78 per barrel while gold fell $5 to $1962 per ounce.

Stocks rose on Monday morning as investors awaited earnings from major Tech companies and the Fed's interest rate decision later this week. Business activity data was mixed. S&P Global said that its flash Services PMI fell to 52.4 in July, down from 54.4 in June and below the Reuters consensus forecast of 54.0. At the same time, the Manufacturing PMI rose to 49.0 from 46.3 in June and came in above the consensus estimate. The Dow rose 0.5%, the S&P 0.4%, and the Nasdaq 0.3%. Crude oil rose more than 1% to $78 per barrel while gold fell $5 to $1962 per ounce.

Stocks fell on Monday morning, giving back some of Friday's gains amid deepening debt-ceiling concerns. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently warned that the United States could default on its debt by June 1, sooner than initially expected, if Congress does not act. Investors also looked ahead to the April CPI report on Wednesday for signs of progress in the battle against inflation. The Dow fell 0.3%, the S&P 0.1%, and the Nasdaq 0.3%. Crude oil rose more than 2% to $73 per barrel while gold rose $7 to $2032 per ounce.

Monday Tee Up: Data Hat Trick Includes the Fed, Jobs, and Earnings

Stocks fell on Tuesday morning as investors weighed more earnings reports from major banks. Morgan Stanley shares rose 6%, despite mixed results, as strength in the company's wealth management business offset weakness in investment banking. On the negative side, Goldman Sachs fell 7% after reporting much weaker than expected 4Q results. The Dow fell 1.0%, the S&P 0.2%, and the Nasdaq 0.1%. Crude oil rose slightly to $80 per barrel, while gold fell $8 to $1913 per ounce.

Stocks finished lower on Thursday after giving up early gains, as investors weighed mixed earnings reports along with new employment and housing market data. First-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 12,000 to 214,000 for the week ended October 15, below the Bloomberg consensus forecast of 230,000. Continuing claims rose by 21,000 to 1.385 million. On the housing front, existing home sales fell 1.5% in September to an annualized 4.71 million units, slightly above the consensus estimate. The Dow fell 0.30%, the S&P 0.80%, and the Nasdaq 0.61%. Crude oil rose to $86 per barrel, while gold fell slightly to $1633 per ounce.

Monday Tee-Up: Fed, Inflation Data, GDP, and Earnings

Insider sentiment remains very bullish for yet another week, with corporate executives, directors and beneficial owners keeping their long-term faith even as the broader market continues to struggle against a wave of worrisome near-term events.

Stocks pared early losses on Tuesday morning in another volatile session. Target shares fell more than 3% after the retailer cut its 2Q profit margin guidance amid rising costs, and said that it would offer deep discounts to clear inventory. Shares of other retailers also fell, though Kohl's jumped 9% on news of a buyout offer. The Dow fell 0.1%, the S&P fell 0.1%, and the Nasdaq was flat. Crude oil traded near $119 per barrel, while gold rose $9 to $1853 per ounce.

The CEO of Marriott thinks it is going to be a "blockbuster" summer. Hotel bookings are up. Airfares are up (both pricewise and for bookings). As well, U.S. hotel profitability is above pre-pandemic levels for the second consecutive month, according to Smith Travel Research, and the key metrics used to judge hotel performance are higher than in the comparable period in 2019. The most-recent Average Daily Rate (ADR) measured against a range of hotel properties is $151.73, up 22% compared to the same period in 2019. Revenue per available room, or RevPAR, is $100.97, up 26%. Travel experts say that reservations are strong because of pent-up demand. Consumers are anxious to vacation and visit friends and family after two years of restrictions. Business travel also is starting to perk back up as companies are eager to see clients in-person again. We are living in a new inflationary economic environment, but consumers so far are willing to spend on leisure activities. Here are some of Argus' BUY-rated travel companies, with a few airlines, a few big hotels, and some online booking agencies. Some are these stocks are included in our model portfolios (Growth & Income, Equity Income, Growth, and Institutional).

Stocks fell sharply on Thursday afternoon, giving up early gains after Fed officials raised prospects for more aggressive 50-basis-point rate hikes beginning next month. On the earnings front, automaker Tesla and American Airlines posted stronger-than-expected results. Weekly employment data was generally positive. The Labor Department said that first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell to 184,000 for the week ended April 16, down from 186,000 a week earlier but above the Bloomberg consensus of 180,000. Continuing claims fell to 1.417 million from 1.475 million a week earlier and were below the consensus estimate. The Dow fell 1.05%, the S&P 1.48%, and the Nasdaq 2.07%. Crude oil traded near $104 per barrel, while gold fell $2 to $1954 per ounce.

Stocks fell on Tuesday morning as Russia escalated the crisis in Ukraine by sending troops into two Eastern breakaway regions. Meanwhile, consumer confidence data fell to a five-month low. The Conference Board said that its consumer confidence index fell to 110.5 in February from 111.1 in January, though the reading was slightly above the Reuters consensus forecast. The Dow fell 1.0%, the S&P 0.8%, and the Nasdaq 1.3%. Crude oil rose to nearly $93 per barrel, while gold traded near $1900 per ounce.

Stocks rose on Monday morning as investors awaited earnings from major tech companies this week. Facebook will report after the close on Monday. Tesla shares rose nearly 6% after the company reported that Hertz had ordered 100,000 Tesla cars. The Dow rose 0.2%, the S&P 0.3%, and the Nasdaq 0.5%. Crude oil rose to more than $84 per barrel, while gold traded near $1809 per ounce.

The volatile action that started with Monday's big decline continued on Thursday, with the stock market erasing losses from earlier in the week. Wasn't this specific week in September supposed to be the weakest of the year?

Some of the largest industry gains in 2021 are in Basic Materials (XLB). Still, XLB is only fifth among the 11 S&P 500 sectors. It never hurts to look behind the door.

Corporate insiders continue to show relative indifference to equities, neither buying nor selling aggressively. We've used this space to suggest that current insider sentiment is not surprising, given that major stock indices are at all-time highs. Still, valuations could become more appealing if corporate earnings continue to rise and global economies continue to recover. With that in mind, current insider sentiment seems reasonable. But is it in keeping with historical behavior?

Late last week, we said that the major indices could see another leg lower due to negative price action, before moving higher again. We also said that there were some positive developments from market sentiment, which suggested that maybe the pullback low was in. In other words, the market was at a crossroads. But price action generally wins.

Stocks edged lower on Tuesday morning following mixed earnings reports and new consumer confidence data. Tesla shares fell sharply as better-than-expected 1Q earnings were driven more by gains from bitcoin investments and environmental credit sales than by the core auto business. The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index rose to 121.7 in April, up from 109.0 in March and the highest level since February 2020, before the start of the pandemic. The Dow fell 0.1%, the S&P 0.1%, and the Nasdaq 0.2%. Crude oil traded near $62.50 per barrel, while gold fell slightly to $1780 per ounce.

This edition features an oil market update; Amazon's potential in Australia; revisiting our North American airline coverage; and notes from Maersk, Air Liquide, and Allstate.

We have highlighted (repeatedly) the current strong market breadth, even suggesting it might be too strong and in need of a reset. We've also talked about extremely overheated market sentiment, also in need of a nice reset as we see it.

Stocks were largely flat on Wednesday morning following earnings reports from Alphabet and Amazon and new employment data. Payroll provider ADP said that U.S. private employers added 174,000 jobs in January, well above the Reuters consensus forecast of 49,000 and up from a loss of 78,000 in December. The Dow fell 0.2%, the S&P was flat, and the Nasdaq rose 0.1%. Crude oil traded near $56 per barrel, while gold rose $3 to $1836 per ounce.

On Tuesday, we talked about the potential for a major U.S. Dollar Index (USD) bottom based on a number of technical factors. The greenback is close to major long-term chart support, the COT data (absolute and adjusted for open interest) is very favorable for the dollar, and the COT data for the euro (58% of the USD) is very unfavorable. We now add another: sentiment toward the dollar is very poor while sentiment toward the euro is very bullish.

Stocks fell sharply on Monday morning amid continued election uncertainty and rising coronavirus cases in the U.S. and Europe. New home sales data was also weak. The Commerce Department said that U.S. new home sales fell 3.5% to a seasonally adjusted 959,000 units in September, below the Reuters consensus of 1.025 million. The Dow fell 2.0%, the S&P 1.6%, and the Nasdaq 1.1%. Crude oil traded near $38.50 per barrel, while gold rose $3 to $1908 per ounce.

Our concerns about market sentiment and an overheated Technology sector certainly were ignored in July, when tech kept steaming ahead (as did the major blue chip indices). In addition, sector strength was very broad -- with six of the 11 S&P 500 sectors beating the "500" and one tying the benchmark. The Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) jumped 7.4%, the Nasdaq tacked on 6.8%, the S&P 500 rose 5.5%, the S&P 400 MidCap gained 4.7% and the Russell 2000 continued to lag, adding 2.9%.

Our concerns about market sentiment and an overheated Technology sector certainly were ignored in July, when tech kept steaming ahead (as did the major blue chip indices). In addition, sector strength was very broad -- with six of the 11 S&P 500 sectors beating the "500" and one tying the benchmark. The Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) jumped 7.4%, the Nasdaq tacked on 6.8%, the S&P 500 rose 5.5%, the S&P 400 MidCap gained 4.7% and the Russell 2000 continued to lag, adding 2.9%.

Second-Quarter Earnings: Is this the Bottom?

Second-Quarter Earnings: Is this the Bottom?

This edition features utilities' dividend strength; cybersecurity trends; a fresh look at airlines; and notes from Netflix and new coverage DiaSorin and Central China New Life.

Market sentiment, or at least many of the indicators we monitor, became far too overheated recently -- and we believe this needs to be rectified before another leg higher can begin. The five-day CBOE equity-only put/call (P/C) ratio hit a record low (optimism peak) during the second week of June. The 21-day equity-only P/C ratio went to its second-lowest reading of all time. The equity-only data goes back to 2003.

Market sentiment, or at least many of the indicators we monitor, became far too overheated recently -- and we believe this needs to be rectified before another leg higher can begin. The five-day CBOE equity-only put/call (P/C) ratio hit a record low (optimism peak) during the second week of June. The 21-day equity-only P/C ratio went to its second-lowest reading of all time. The equity-only data goes back to 2003.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. The market capitalization range for U.S. mid-caps typically falls between $1 billion and $8 billion and represents 20% of the total capitalization of the U.S. equity market.

Stocks fell on Wednesday morning after Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned that the pandemic could do 'lasting damage' to the economy. Mr. Powell also cautioned that the recovery would take time and that it would likely require additional federal stimulus spending beyond any actions by the Federal Reserve. The Dow fell 1.4%, the S&P 1.1%, and the Nasdaq 0.6%. Crude oil traded near $25.50 per barrel, while gold rose $15 to $1722 per ounce.

Stocks fell on Wednesday morning after Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned that the pandemic could do 'lasting damage' to the economy. Mr. Powell also cautioned that the recovery would take time and that it would likely require additional federal stimulus spending beyond any actions by the Federal Reserve. The Dow fell 1.4%, the S&P 1.1%, and the Nasdaq 0.6%. Crude oil traded near $25.50 per barrel, while gold rose $15 to $1722 per ounce.