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☆ Morgan Stanley says HSBC is a 'top pick' despite the bank's shareholder troubles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But Morgan Stanley is sticking to its bullish stance on the U.K.-based bank, calling HSBC its "top pick" in the sector. Morgan Stanley is looking past that noise. Morgan Stanley expects HSBC to deliver "accelerating" capital returns, with 50% of 202 earnings paid out in dividends and share buybacks amounting to $3 billion in 2023. Further out, we see not only the 50% dividend payouts, but annual share buybacks of $8 billion in 2024/25," according to Morgan Stanley. Shares of HSBC are up nearly 16% this year, but Morgan Stanley expects more upside ahead.

☆ UBS says this semiconductor stock is a ‘buy’ — and doubles its price target
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

UBS is upgrading Taiwanese foundry United Microelectronics from "neutral" to "buy." The Swiss investment bank raised its price target on the stock from 37 Taiwan dollars ($1.20) to NT$75, representing a potential upside of nearly 50% from its closing price on Wednesday. UMC's year-to-date rerating reflects the "increasing optimism" about the semiconductor industry's recovery and the greater profitability of the stock, the analysts said. UBS isn't the only bull UBS isn't the only bank bullish on United Microelectronics. In a note on April 19, the bank maintained its "outperform" rating on the stock and raised its price target on the stock to NT$60.

☆ Bank of America is doubling down on a lesser-known chip stock — and gives it 50% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Nvidia has undoubtedly been one of the sector's biggest winners this year, but Bank of America is doubling down on a lesser-known chip stock. That's significantly higher than the average potential upside of 16.1% given by analysts covering the stock, according to FactSet data. Bank of America described the firm as a "top pick" among European auto semiconductors and said the stock remains cheaper than its peers. The bank said it believes concerns about the company's poor track record and high Apple concentration are "likely to fade over the course of the next 12-18 months" as it improves gross margins and operating margins. Apple's share of the firm's revenue is also likely to drop to around 10% by end-2024, the bank added.

☆ Goldman picks 4 stocks to play a $5 trillion e-commerce opportunity — including one with 70% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

E-commerce growth may have slowed post-pandemic, but Goldman Sachs remains bullish on the sector and thinks there is more growth ahead. Stocks to play it Goldman has named a number of e-commerce stock picks, including three that made the bank's global conviction list — a compilation of the bank's top buy-rated picks. Goldman also said China was the world's largest e-commerce market, with an estimated $1.5 trillion in e-commerce sales in 2022, or about 43% of total sales globally. The e-commerce market grew in 2020 as consumers stayed home during pandemic lockdowns. Goldman estimates that global e-commerce penetration jumped by about 6 percentage points in 2020, double the growth rate of the pre-pandemic era.

☆ Morgan Stanley says this chip giant will be a long-term tech leader — and gives it 30% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The South Korean chip maker also said it will cut memory chip production amid slowing global growth, dwindling demand and oversupply. TSMC When it comes to TSMC, Morgan Stanley is staying bullish despite expectations of near-term pressure on the stock. In the near term, we also expect TSMC's 2Q23 revenue guidance to be weaker than expected," Morgan Stanley's analysts, led by Charlie Chan, wrote in a note on Apr. 20, the bank's base case scenario will see the chip giant guiding for a longer-than-expected inventory correction. Tim Seymour, founder and chief investment officer of Seymour Asset Management, believes the dip in TSMC's share price is a buying opportunity .

☆ Tesla's shares are up over 70% this year. One market pro is bullish — but another isn't convinced
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Shares of electric vehicle giant Tesla have risen more than 70% this year, after falling 65% in 2022 in its largest-ever annual decline. Bull vs. bear Ross Gerber, president and CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth Management, is an unabashed Tesla bull. Gerber is excited about the prospects for Tesla's first pickup truck — the Cybertruck — which is expected to begin production by end-2023. Tesla cannot be the EV leader without cutting prices, Bido added. One of the most important components of an EV is the battery, and Gerber said Tesla is a leader in battery technology.

☆ Want to play soaring gold prices? These stocks are seen rising by at least 20%
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Gold prices are up about 10% this year and traded around $2,020 an ounce at one point on Thursday. For investors looking to cash on potentially higher gold prices, CNBC Pro screened FactSet for stocks in the Global X Gold Explorers ETF , the iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF , the VanEck Gold Miners ETF , and the SPDR S & P Metals and Mining ETF . The company's gold mining operations are in Western Australia, where it aims to produce 185,000 to 205,000 ounces of gold annually by 2024. Analysts give British mining firm Hochschild Mining potential upside of 32.8%, according to FactSet data. Other stocks that made the screen include Australia's Silver Lake Resources , Indonesia's PT Merdeka Copper Gold, Endeavour Mining and B2Gold .

☆ Market veteran says we may be 'a long way from a new bull market' and shares what to buy and avoid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

That puts the index in a technical bull market — widely defined as a gain of at least 20% from a 52-week low. That outperformance is getting investors excited and is prompting talk that a new bull market is in the cards. But market veteran David Dietze said he believes the stock market is getting ahead of itself. "Others have trouble calling a market movement a new bull market until the market at least attains its prior all-time high point. How he's positioning For starters, he said, investors should remain invested in the stock market, despite the appeal of higher-yielding money market funds and short-dated Treasurys.

☆ Netflix vs. Disney? Analysts have a favorite, and give it nearly 30% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

There's plenty of competition in streaming services, but Netflix and Disney are undoubtedly two of the biggest names — and both are facing a number of headwinds. However, analysts' average potential upside tells a different story: Disney gets average potential upside of 26%, according to FactSet data, while Netflix's comes in at just 3.8%. The case for Netflix For Bank of America, Netflix is a "world class brand" with a "leading global subscriber base." "I think Netflix is certainly going to have a lot of leverage on revenue growth and cost discipline. With the kind of blended businesses and the opportunities for improvement, I think Disney is a little bit better in my favor," he said.

☆ As Wall Street turns bearish on the U.S., here's where the pros say to invest
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Within Europe, Goldman prefers companies in value sectors that pay dividends , as well as select defensive and growth stocks in the market. Emerging markets Several Wall Street analysts are putting their money on emerging markets, with most bullish on China, the world's second-largest economy. While the bank expects just 1% earnings growth for emerging market stocks, it said the sector's valuation looks attractive at a 23% discount to global peers. Philip Blancato, CEO at Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, is also bullish on emerging markets. He added that the case for adding to emerging market allocations is growing, particularly given the "near guarantee" of a softer dollar in the short- to medium-term.

☆ Morgan Stanley just revealed its best long-term stock picks in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Despite their underperformance in recent years, " quality" stocks have been persistent outperformers within European stock markets for decades, according to research from Morgan Stanley . The bank has revealed its "35 for 2025" list, featuring the bank's 35 best long-term picks in Europe. Notwithstanding recent price moves, quality stocks also look reasonably valued, with average relative valuations for the MSCI Europe Quality index below their 10-year average," Morgan Stanley's analysts, led by Giorgio Magagnotti, wrote in a note on Mar. British alcoholic beverage maker Diageo also makes an appearance, with Morgan Stanley confident of Diageo's ability to deliver "superior" growth. Within the semiconductor space, ASML is Morgan Stanley's top pick.

☆ Goldman Sachs' top stock picks in Europe include three with over 100% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"The macro backdrop remains uncertain … That said, we see scope for alpha opportunities with returns dispersion across sectors," Goldman's analysts, led by John Sawtell, wrote in a Mar. Out-of-consensus buys The bank identified a raft of out-of-consensus stock picks, where each stock is rated "buy" by fewer than 50% of analysts covering them. Goldman gives Deutsche Bank potential upside of 114%. UBS , which recently swooped in with a rescue deal for embattled Credit Suisse, is also on Goldman's screen, with potential upside of 104%. The bank gave British telecommunications firm BT Group potential upside of 101%.

☆ A less obvious area in A.I. could be an $11 billion opportunity, Bernstein says — and names 4 stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Goldman Sachs estimates that generative AI in particular will drive almost $7 trillion in global economic growth over the next decade, with a total addressable market (TAM) of $150 billion. Nvidia is another top pick on Wall Street, with the chipmaker seen as the "grand marshal" of the AI parade . Bernstein, for one, said it believes the world is witnessing an "exciting inflection" of AI adoption in manufacturing. Stock picks In a note on March 28, Bernstein analyst Jay Huang named a raft of stock picks with "outperform" ratings to ride the AI opportunity in manufacturing, including Japanese electronics firm Keyence . The bank identified three areas in which AI is utilized in in the manufacturing process: industrial machine vision, robot guiding and industrial software.

☆ Commodity stocks are a ‘great place to look’ amid the volatility: Fund manager
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But fund manager James Davolos believes the commodities sector is where it's at for savvy investors. "I don't really worry about volatility that much, but I continue to think that the one universally underpriced asset class today is commodities," Davolos, portfolio manager at Horizon Kinetics, told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Monday. Stocks to play it One of his top picks is Lithium Royalty Corp, which owns a royalty portfolio of lithium mines. Davolos believes the market is underappreciating Lithium Royalty as most of its portfolio mines have yet to commence production. Davolos also likes two other stocks : Viper Energy Partners , which owns a royalty portfolio of oilfield assets, and its parent company Diamondback Energy .

☆ Here's where to invest $10,000 right now, according to the pros
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The S & P 500 is on track to finish March flat and end the first quarter up more than 3%. So if you had $10,000 to invest, where should you put it and how much should you allocate to each asset class? He also recommended getting exposure to some of the top holdings in the SPDR S & P 500 ETF , which tracks the S & P 500, as well as the VanEck Semiconductor ETF . He said he'd invest 40% into stocks: 15% in Asia, 15% in the U.S., and 10% in Europe. On the equities front, he told CNBC Pro that he would buy large-cap energy stocks.

☆ Buying the dip on energy stocks? Wall Street pros name their top picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Energy was the second-best-performing sector of the S & P 500 last week, as investors flocked back into the stocks amid a recent dip in oil prices. Thummel also likes two energy infrastructure stocks — Cheniere Energy and Energy Transfer . He likes Viper Energy Partners , which owns a royalty portfolio of oilfield assets. "Viper Energy has one of the largest backlogs of tier-one locations in the [Permian] basin. Viper Energy is thus able to leverage improving energy prices while having "strong" downside support, according to Davolos.

☆ Here's how to spot a good growth stock, according to one fund manager
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Growth stocks have been enjoying a rebound after a miserable 2022. And the tech sector in particular — a favorite among investors seeking exposure to growth stocks — has been a bright spot amid the banking turmoil. "As a growth manager … one of the things we're trying to think about is, how do you identify good growth businesses?" He said one of the biggest risks of growth investing is paying too much today for future growth. Future growth is very difficult to predict, he said, adding that historical growth isn't particularly indicative of future growth.

☆ This fund manager has never owned a bank stock — and reveals what he looks for instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Investors have fled bank stocks in droves since a crisis in the sector broke out earlier this month. Fund manager Ian Mortimer is not a fan — and said he has never owned a banking stock in any of his funds. If you think about that as your starting point, the vast majority in the banking sector do not pass those criteria," he said. "The banking sector has been an area that often pays quite high dividends — sort of attractive from that perspective. So, it's a ... theory that in distress, the banking sector will reduce or potentially cancel their dividends," Mortimer added.

☆ This e-commerce stock has a whopping 300% upside, according to Morgan Stanley
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The e-commerce market grew in 2020 as consumers shied away from brick-and-mortar stores and opted for contactless deliveries during pandemic lockdowns. A period of normalization then followed, according to Morgan Stanley , with the sector notching a streak of four consecutive quarters of declining penetration. Stock picks The recovery in e-commerce growth is an opportunity for incremental sales growth and gains in market share, according to Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley said the company is a "share taker" in a key underpenetrated e-commerce category: global luxury. Nike expects the figure to rise to 40% over the longer term, according to Morgan Stanley, which implies e-commerce sales of $30 billion by 2027.

☆ A longtime bear is ‘creeping back’ into tech — and has some picks to play it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tech investor Paul Meeks — an unabashed longtime tech bear — is also beginning to warm to the sector. "I'm creeping back into the sector after long advocating an underweight position in it," he said in notes to CNBC on Friday. Chip makers NXP Semiconductors and STMicroelectronics also made Meeks' list, with the tech investor saying they are two stocks that he "likes very much." Outside of semiconductors, Meeks is also looking at German software firm SAP . "Keep an eye on SAP because this windfall for them could be a really nice blessing, a game-changer," he added.

☆ Goldman’s Oppenheimer says stocks will stay ‘fat and flat’ — and reveals how to trade it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But stock markets are not out of woods yet, according to Goldman Sachs Chief Global Equity Strategist Peter Oppenheimer. He believes contagion fears around the banking sector are just one of several risk factors afflicting stocks, and predicts the market will remain "fat and flat" in the near term. He said U.S. stocks continue to look stretched and offer "very little return," while cash and short-duration debt looks "very attractive" relative to stocks. How to trade it Despite uncertainty in the European banking sector, Oppenheimer believes European stocks will continue to outperform their U.S. peers. Outside of stocks, he is also overweight cash in his global asset allocation, given greater uncertainty about the near-term path for corporate profits.

☆ From Tesla to under-the-radar battery stocks: Wall Street has a playbook for the EV boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The bank's "Battery Electric Vehicles Basket" comprises several stocks across the EV supply chain, including automakers Rivian , Lucid and Li Auto . This may be the opportune moment for Chinese EV brands to knock on the doors of Europe." Among the Chinese EV makers, BYD, Nio and Xpeng are "the ones to watch," according to Bernstein. "We expect Chinese EV players to find better success targeting the compact, mass market EV segment that has so far been under-penetrated in Europe," the bank said. Tesla and under-the-radar plays Tesla is one of Deutsche Bank 's top picks in the EV space.

☆ Tesla vs. BYD: Market pros pick their favorite electric vehicle giant
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla has long been an investor favorite for exposure to the electric vehicle transition, but not everyone is convinced. Berkshire Hathaway-backed BYD , for example, is often touted as a better bet than Tesla. BYD is so much ahead of Tesla in China ... it's almost ridiculous," Charlie Munger, vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, said last month . "Long term, Tesla is not a car company and that's the difference. 'Take profit' in Tesla Wall Street veteran David Trainer has a more bearish view, however, as he urged investors to "take profit" in Tesla.

☆ Want an annual investment return of up to 12%? This 'boring' strategy's the way to go, investor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"I know it sounds boring, but we do try and look at where we think things will be in three to five years' time. A discount rate is the rate of return used to discount future cash flows back to their present value. Desmond said the firm applies a discount rate of 8% across its portfolio, which remains constant across the entirety of a financial cycle. I think if you keep moving your discount rate around every day, your valuations get very, very sensitive and it can really just whipsaw you. Stick to the 'Steady Eddies' Desmond characterizes the firm's investment approach as "a bit boring."

☆ ‘Chaos creates opportunities’: Strategist says to look beyond the SVB fallout — and names his top picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Markets calmed somewhat Tuesday, and Kenny Polcari, chief market strategist at SlateStone Wealth, believes the worst of the equity sell-off is over. "There's a lot of damage done to some of these stocks and they're going to need to rebalance. You need health care, you need consumer staples, you need energy. So yes, I think there are opportunities certainly in the health care space that are good dividend payers as well," he said. While the stock is not a "big sexy tech name," it is a "solid, great drug name," according to Polcari.

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