We try to stick to technical analysis in this space. But we do have some pretty solid fundamental and economic knowledge on which we can draw. And right now, we'll address the core subject of supply and demand, which is not that hard to understand even without much financial background.

Stocks rebounded on Thursday morning after three days of losses, led by the Technology and Consumer Discretionary sectors. The Colonial pipeline resumed operations after last week's cyberattack, and was gradually restoring fuel supply to areas affected by the shutdown. On the employment front, the Labor Department said that first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell to 473,000 for the week ended May 8, down from a revised 507,000 a week earlier and below the Bloomberg consensus of 490,000. The Dow rose 1.4%, the S&P 1.5%, and the Nasdaq 1.5%. Crude oil fell more than 2% to $65 per barrel, while gold traded near $1820 per ounce.

Often overlooked amid gyrations in the stock market is dividend income, which is an important element of total return. Between 1930 and 2012, dividend income accounted for 42% of total return of the S&P 500, according to Hartford Funds. And that's just the average. In some decades, dividends accounted for more than 50% of total returns and even 100% of returns. More recently, dividends have accounted for 15%-20% of returns. Still, in 2018, dividend payments softened the blow when most market indices declined as the Federal Reserve hiked rates. Not all dividends are created equal, though, and it is important to understand the difference between the two main categories: high-yield stocks and dividend-growth stocks.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

This edition features the coming corporate tax hike; U.S. support for vaccine patent waiver; Macao gaming; and notes from Zillow, CarMax, and Square.

While the year-to-date winners in 2021 were the big losers in 2020, the winners in 2020 are hanging in there so far in 2021. There is always some degree of reversion to the mean, be that in the stock market, sports, politics, the economy, consumer confidence, etc. Still, one thing that has remained consistently bullish for the overall stock market going back to 2009 is market breadth.

Stocks fell on Tuesday morning, led by a sharp drop in large Tech stocks. On the economic front, the Commerce Department said that U.S. factory orders rose 1.1% in March, up from a 0.5% decline in February but below the Reuters consensus forecast of 1.3% growth. The Commerce Department also reported that the U.S. trade deficit rose 5.6% to an all-time high of $74.4 billion in March on strong growth in imports. The Dow fell 0.9%, the S&P 1.3%, and the Nasdaq 2.5%. Crude oil traded near $65 per barrel, while gold rose slightly to $1794 per ounce.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Stocks kept the momentum going in April, and are now up almost 12%, including dividends, in the year-to-date. Our analysts have been progressing through earnings season, and have come across many stocks in coverage that have approached target prices. We set target prices through our valuation framework, which includes analysis of historical multiples, peer multiples, future dividends, and cash flows. After adjusting the models for the latest earnings and dividend information -- most of which has been good -- here are some of the stocks on which we have raised target prices over the past month. All stocks are rated BUY at Argus.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

With April winding down, you can count on someone, somewhere saying, 'sell in May and go away.' That pronouncement is mainly popular because it rhymes. While it is true that summer is typically a period of relative underperformance, market timing rarely works. And sometimes summer is a good time for stock performance.

As we have pointed out several times of late, 2021 has not been close to normal. One of the biggest surprises has been that 2021 appears to be "The Year of Retail." We're not talking about the online world dominated by Amazon, but rather the tried-and-true brick-and-mortar retail world that not long ago seemed to be going under. But by now, most companies in the space have shifted to online sales -- and, so far, the market seems to think these firms may have a chance.

The Vickers Top Buyers & Sellers is a daily report that identifies the five companies the largest insider purchase transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions as well as the five companies the largest insider sales transactions based on the dollar value of the transactions.

Stocks rose on Wednesday morning as investors weighed a new round of 1Q earnings reports. Netflix shares fell more than 7%, despite above-consensus sales and earnings, after the company missed its subscriber acquisition target. Subscriber additions were also down from the prior year. Verizon posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings but also saw a sharp decline in wireless subscribers. VZ shares fell slightly following the report. The Dow rose 0.5%, the S&P 0.5%, and the Nasdaq 0.6%. Crude oil traded near $62 per barrel, while gold rose $14 to $1793 per ounce.

Stocks fell for a second day on Tuesday morning, led by sharp declines in the Financial and Energy sectors. IBM shares rose more than 4% following stronger-than-expected first-quarter sales and earnings, helped by strength in the company's cloud computing business. On the negative side, Abbott Laboratories fell sharply after reporting slightly lower than expected sales, including a sequential decline in revenue from coronavirus test kits. The Dow fell 0.9%, the S&P 0.9%, and the Nasdaq 1.1%. Crude oil traded near $62 per barrel, while gold rose $9 to $1780 per ounce.

Last week, we talked about the precious metals having some life, and that continued on Thursday. The U.S. Dollar Index (USD) has declined over the past two weeks, while Treasury yields have rolled over from recent highs. While we believe the greenback and yields have further to run on the upside, the short-term action is bullish for the metals.