Barron's Roundtable: A Bright Outlook For Stocks This Year

Nelson Hem
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  • This weekend's Barron's cover story features the first look at the outcome of the 2018 Barron's Roundtable.

  • The panelists like the prospects for stocks, especially tech stocks, in 2018 in the wake of tax reform.

  • Other featured articles show how Barron's 2017 stock picks fared and examine the outlook for self-driving vehicles.

A growing economy could produce more gains for stocks, according to cover story "Bright Outlook for the Economy and Stocks" by Lauren R. Rublin. Barron's Roundtable panelists believe tech shares should do especially well. However, investors should keep an eye on interest rates and inflation.

Also helping the economy and profits, say these investment experts in this first installment of the 2018 Barron's Roundtable series, is the brand-new tax law, which will lower corporate rates and encourage companies to repatriate cash that had been stashed overseas. The panelists expect fresh investment, more mergers and acquisitions, and more dividend payments and stock buybacks. But not everything is rosy. See what they also are keeping an eye on.

The panelists include Scott Black of Delphi Management, Abbey Joseph Cohen of Goldman Sachs, Mario Gabelli of Gameco and Jeff Gundlach of DoubleLine Capital, and in this article they share their views on the big picture. That includes the outlook for gross domestic product and interest rates, the consequences of the recent tax reform, sector rotations, the midterm elections, the "millennial psychographic" and cryptocurrencies, and even the odds on a nuclear attack out of North Korea.

See also: A Look Ahead To Trump's Decision On Solar Tariffs

"The biggest thing happening today is the growing impact of technology. It is affecting profit margins, asset turnover, and leverage. Tech is the new macro," says one panelist. According to another, "The Fed has been worried about inflation for many years, but it isn't here. I see animal spirits taking hold."

See who all the panelist are, including new members, one of which is a Silicon Valley-based portfolio manager who is an expert in semiconductor stocks, and another who is a candidate for Morningstar's 2017 U.S. Fund Manager of the Year award. The article includes video of some of the panelists and report cards for their 2017 stock picks, such as D. R. Horton Inc (NYSE: DHI), Freeport McMoRan Inc (NYSE: FCX) and Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (NASDAQ: TSEM).

Also in this week's Barron's:

  • How Barron's 2017 stock picks fared

  • What to watch for in Spotify's IPO

  • How fierce the bond bear market looks

  • How investors are rattling big tech's cages

  • Pharma and biotech stocks offering good yields for 2018

  • The Winter Olympics and Korean shares

  • Whether the FAANGs have room to run

  • Why S&P 500 is on pace to triple this year

  • How to navigating the trade wars

  • A top-performing growth fund that looks beyond tech

  • Whether oil could hit $80 a barrel this year

  • The long road ahead for self-driving vehicles

See more from Benzinga

© 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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