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.

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 edged higher on Wednesday morning as the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell below 1.5%, signaling reduced inflation concerns. On the earnings front, Campbell Soup shares fell nearly 6% after the company reported below-consensus fiscal 3Q results and lowered its full-year guidance. The Dow rose 0.1%, the S&P 0.2%, and the Nasdaq 0.2%. Crude oil traded near $70 per barrel, while gold fell $2 to $1893 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.

Recent economic data illustrates that conditions are improving, though serious risks remain. The primary driver of GDP over the next few quarters is likely to be the country's physical health, as the nation recovers from COVID-19. Elsewhere, the employment environment is in better shape than it was a year ago (though still far from strong) and consumer confidence is improving. We expect that rising confidence will lead to continued growth in consumer spending. Auto sales have recovered, and the housing market remains strong, even as interest rates tick higher. Businesses are again expanding. Our GDP model now calls for a 2.1% increase in absolute GDP in 2Q21 from 1Q21, which translates to an annualized gain of 8.9%, up from our prior forecast of 8.8%. We expect further improvement into 2H21. On an annual basis, we look for overall GDP growth of approximately 5.7% in 2021 and 3.7% in 2022. Our estimates are consistent with consensus forecasts and the outlook from the Federal Reserve, which call for growth of 4%-6% in 2021. The GDPNow forecast from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is 10.3% for 2Q21.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

As we approach the midpoint of 2021, and as we have pointed out many times this year and at the end of last year, index and sector outperformance has flipped 180 degrees. Year-to-date (YTD), the S&P 500 has tacked on 11.6%, the Dow Jones Industrials and the NYSE Composite have added almost 15%, the Nasdaq has gained 5.6%, and the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) is up 5%. Meanwhile, the S&P Mid-Cap 400 has jumped 18%, the Russell 2000 (IWM) has leapt 15.7%, and the S&P Small-Cap 600 (SML) has catapulted 23%.

The stock market moved higher last week, with technology stocks outperforming blue chips. During Friday's session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 65 points, or 0.19%. The S&P 500 was up 0.08%, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.09%. For the week, the DJIA was up 322 points, or 0.94%, the S&P 500 was up 1.16%, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 2.06%. Year-to-date, the DJIA is up 12.82%, the S&P 500 is up 11.93%, and the Nasdaq Composite is up 6.68%.

Stocks finished mostly higher on Thursday, but gave up most of their early gains in afternoon trading. On the employment front, first-time jobless claims fell to a new pandemic era low of 406,000, down from the prior week and below consensus. Continuing claims also fell to 3.642 million, down from 3.738 million a week earlier and below the consensus forecast of 3.68 million. Housing data disappointed. The National Association of Realtors said that its pending home sales index fell 4.4% in April to 106.2. The reading reflected the low inventory of homes available for sale and came in below the Reuters consensus forecast, which called for growth of 0.8%. The Dow rose 0.41%, the S&P rose 0.12%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.01%. Crude oil fell nearly 1% to $67 per barrel, while gold fell $3 to $1901 per ounce.

Stocks gave up early gains on Tuesday morning as investors weighed new housing market and consumer confidence data. The Commerce Department said that U.S. new home sales fell 5.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 863,000 in April, well below the Reuters consensus forecast of 970,000. The Conference Board reported a still strong May consumer confidence reading of 117.2, little changed from 117.5 in April but below the consensus of 119.2. The Dow fell 0.1%, the S&P fell 0.1%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.1%. Crude oil traded near $66 per barrel, while gold rose $8 to $1892 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.

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.

The S&P 500 hit four areas of support on Wednesday and bounced. They include chart support from the recent low; the 50-day average; trendline support off the lows since October; and trendline support (former resistance) off the peaks since February. The 21-week EMA is down at 3,973, while lateral chart support lies near 3,980. A 38.2% retracement of the rally since March targets 4,040, while a 50% giveback is near 3,980.

Inflation: Out of the Bag?

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.

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

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

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.