Stocks were mixed on Monday morning, with strong gains in the Consumer Staples, Industrial, and Utility sectors and losses in Technology and Communication Services. Marriott shares fell 3% after the company posted lower-than-expected 1Q earnings, reflecting weak bookings in its core U.S. market. Tyson shares also fell, despite better-than-expected fiscal 2Q results, after management warned that rising costs would weigh on margins in the second half of the year. The Dow rose 0.8%, the S&P was flat, and the Nasdaq fell 1.4%. Crude oil traded near $64.50 per barrel, while gold rose $9 to $1839 per ounce.

The 1Q21 EPS season is mostly in the books, with retailers the last group to report over the next two weeks. The results were impressive -- but came against an easy comparison with last year's 1Q, when the world started to shut down to fight COVID-19. Through early May, Refinitiv reported that S&P 500 earnings rose 50.4% year over year -- the best quarter since 1Q2010. Some 87% of companies have come in ahead of expectations, up from the prior four-quarter average of 76%, according to Refinitiv. Where is the growth? Consumer Discretionary remains atop the list with a 170% earnings increase. Financials is second at 130%. Only Industrials is expected to remain negative -- with a 2% decline. Even the Energy sector, expected to have an earnings decrease at the start of the quarter, is now poised for 8% growth. Our analysts are always on the lookout for companies that raise their outlooks during earnings season. Management's ability to "raise guidance" can often be a catalyst for strong returns in the quarters ahead. Here are 20 BUY-rated companies in Argus coverage at which management has raised guidance or increased its outlook during the 1Q21 EPS reporting season.

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 finished higher on Thursday in a volatile session as investors weighed a new round of 1Q earnings reports along with weekly employment data. The Labor Department reported that first-time jobless claims fell to 498,000, the first drop below 500,000 in the pandemic era and below the consensus forecast. However, continuing claims rose to 3.69 million from 3.653 million and topped the consensus estimate. The data came ahead of the government's April employment report on Friday morning. The Reuters consensus calls for the addition of 978,000 new payroll jobs after an increase of 916,000 in March. The Dow rose 0.93%, the S&P 0.82%, and the Nasdaq 0.37%. Crude oil fell 1% to $65 per barrel, while gold rose $31 to $1815 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 were mixed on Thursday morning following news that the Biden administration would support intellectual property waivers on coronavirus vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna shares were down sharply, though JNJ was flat. On the employment front, the Labor Department said that first-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell to 498,000 for the week ended May 1, down from 590,000 a week earlier and below the Bloomberg consensus of 538,000. The Dow rose 0.4%, the S&P rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.3%. Crude oil fell 1% to $65 per barrel, while gold traded near $1815 per ounce.

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.

Continuing the Process: Our Monthly Survey of the Economy, Interest Rates, and Markets

Stocks rose modestly on Wednesday morning, recovering some of their losses after Tuesday's selloff. On the employment front, payroll provider ADP said that U.S. private employers added 742,000 jobs in April, up from 565,000 in March. The reading was the strongest since last September but missed the Reuters consensus, which called for an increase of 800,000 jobs. The Institute for Supply Management said that its services index fell to 62.7 in April, down from 63.7 in March and below the consensus forecast of 64.3. The Dow rose 0.2%, the S&P 0.3%, and the Nasdaq 0.5%. Crude oil traded near $66 per barrel, while gold rose $7 to $1783 per ounce.

Stocks kept the momentum going during April, and maintain the performance lead over bonds as summer approaches. Looking ahead, our Stock-Bond Barometer model is close to equally balanced between stocks and bonds for long-term investors. In other words, these asset classes should be near their normal weights in diversified portfolios. We have looked for large-cap companies with strong balance sheets and experienced management teams to be the leaders during the eventual recovery from COVID-19. This has played well, and now, with a vaccine on the horizon, small-cap risks are reduced. Our recommended exposure to small- and mid-caps is now 15% of equity allocation, in line with the benchmark weighting. U.S. stocks have outperformed global stocks over the trailing five-year period. We expect this trend to continue over the long term, given volatile global economic and currency conditions. That said, international stocks offer favorable near-term valuations, and we target 15%-18% of equity exposure to the group. Value has been a surprise leader in 2021. We anticipate that growth, led by Tech and Healthcare, will recover and outperform value, led by Energy and Materials, as long as interest rates remain low.

April 2021 lived up to its billing as the best stock month of the first half. During April, the S&P 500 appreciated 5.2%, better than any month so far this year; March was closest with a 4.2% gain. Through the end of the fourth month, the S&P 500 is up 11.3% year-to-date.