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☆ Guide to investing in 2023: This year's weaknesses could turn into next year's strengths
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Many are resigned to the expectation that the Federal Reserve's aggressive tightening campaign will result in a recession sometime in 2023. That means investors should brace themselves for a rough start to 2023 , reports CNBC's Patti Domm . Still, some of 2022's weaknesses could turn into 2023's strengths. To best equip readers for these situations and more, CNBC Pro has talked to top investors , analysts and market strategists . Your guide to emerging market investing in 2023

☆ It's not just tech. Consumer and communications stocks aided in $10 trillion market wipeout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Scott Schnipper | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Most of the decline came in S & P 500 stocks, which lost a combined $8.2 trillion. Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Tesla, Meta Platforms and Nvidia lost a combined $4.95 trillion in market capitalization in 2022. Of those seven megacaps, losses ranged from Amazon's plunging market value of $844 billion to Nvidia's decline of $388 billion. Broken down by the S & P 500's 11 major industry groups, information technology's market value slid $3.49 trillion in 2022, trailed by consumer discretionary stocks, dominated by Amazon, Tesla, Home Depot, Nike, Lowe's and Target, at $1.91 trillion. Silverblatt used the S & P U.S. Broad Market Index, consisting of roughly 2,500 stocks, to measure the total market decline of $10 trillion.

☆ Health-care stocks are looking good for 2023 and not just because the sector is a 'safe haven'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Investors looking for cover this year would have done well if they sought a safe haven in large-cap pharmaceutical stocks, a trend that is likely to continue into 2023. The Inflation Reduction Act provided some clarity around drug pricing that should help health-care stocks. The average price target, according to FactSet, is $62, or nearly 40% above the stock's closing price on Tuesday. Gene therapies in focus Investors will be closely watching the progress of several gene therapies, according to Phipps. "Yes, these are expensive therapies," Phipps said.

☆ Few stores closed in 2022. UBS says get ready for that to change in 2023, starting with department stores
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

After a record number of store closures in 2020, retailers have shuttered far fewer doors over the last two years, but that may be about to change, especially for department stores, according to UBS. He also said that he believes the lack of store closures has made it harder for retailers to grow sales. Compares got tougher in 2Q22 as the industry lapped the big store closures. Our view is tough compares remain a reason Department Store sales will remain under pressure in the 1H23." Instead, he said, many store closures that would have occurred in 2021 or 2022 were accelerated by the pandemic.

☆ A strong China open for 'Avatar' lays the ground for a film stock rally, Morgan Stanley says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese audiences appear eager to see Disney's "Avatar: The Way of Water," according to initial ticket sales ahead of the film's Dec. 16 opening. In 2009, China accounted for only $910 million in ticket sales, but 10 years later its box office receipts swelled to $8 billion. Stage set for box office recovery Morgan Stanley's Xu expects China's box office to rebound 50% in 2023, to Rmb51 billion, with the assumption that China's reopening gains momentum in the spring. In China, there is a "rich slate of blockbuster films" ready to come to theaters, Xu said. With this in mind, Xu raised her price targets for IMAX China, Ali Pictures, Wanda Film , Enlight and China Film.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Netflix, Lululemon, DocuSign and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Check out the companies making the biggest moves midday:Lululemon — Shares of Lululemon fell 12% after the athletic apparel company gave a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter outlook. Broadcom — Broadcom gained 3.1% after giving an upbeat revenue forecast and reporting better-than-expected quarterly results after the bell Thursday. Netflix — Netflix gained 5% after being named a "best idea" for 2023 by Cowen and being upgraded by Wells Fargo to overweight from equal weight. DocuSign — Shares of DocuSign jumped 16% after the electronic signature company posted upbeat quarterly results. Bath & Body Works — Shares of Bath & Body Works gained rose 2.1% after activist investor Dan Loeb boosted his stake in the retailer.

☆ Kroger's stock is a solid bet, with or without the Albertsons' deal, Bernstein says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Analyst Dean Rosenblum said he's bullish on Kroger without the deal, seeing 25% potential upside for the stock from Tuesday's close. Although the grocery market is highly fragmented, Kroger and Albertsons are two of its biggest players. Says 90% chance the deal will close Rosenblum said he has "pretty high-conviction" that the deal will close, based on his research. Once the deal closes, Albertsons shares should be worth about $27, based on the deal price, net a special dividend the company plans to pay as part of the transaction. The bigger picture Beyond the strategic reasons for the Kroger-Albertsons deal, Rosenblum also sees reasons to be optimistic about both grocery and home improvement sectors.

☆ Three pharmaceutical stocks were last week's top performers — and analysts gave one 40% upside
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Global stocks rose last week, tracking U.S. stocks as Wall Street's major indexes closed with weekly gains. The MSCI World index was up about 1% over the week, and all three U.S. indexes also set weekly gains , with the Nasdaq posting the largest increase. Pharmaceutical stocks had a good week, with three — Horizon Therapeutics , Catalent and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals — making big gains. Of all three, Catalent got the highest upside (40%) from analysts — getting a buy rating from 56% of those covering the stock. U.S. media and internet company IAC was one top weekly performer, with the highest upside given by analysts — at 60%.

☆ These discounted e-commerce stocks could be winners this holiday season. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales growth of about 6% to 8% over 2021 — about in line with inflation. Adobe Analytics is predicting U.S. online sales during November and December will grow 2.5% from last year. "The last few years, we actually saw an incredible amount of sales demand momentum, if you will, really early in the season." Her observations, which are based on data from hundreds of clients she works with, echo findings from Adobe Analytics, released Wednesday, that show a slow start to online sales in November. "I think [investors] should expect a continued commitment to sustainable growth and what we mean by that is sort of aggressive, ambitious growth coupled with expanding profitability," he said.

☆ Holiday shoppers aren’t in a rush. What that means for retail stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

If you're a retailer, and it's the holiday season, the thing you most want consumers to feel is a sense of urgency. Unlike last year, holiday shoppers don't need to fear empty shelves at the store. Walmart said it saw more shoppers with incomes above $100,000 ring up items in its stores, drawn in by less expensive groceries. He suggests investors position themselves in discounters like Walmart or Family Dollar or in luxury stocks like RH or Lululemon . She explained that many shoppers perceive Target as a place where "you go in for two items and come out $150 later."

☆ The world is running out of fresh water. How to invest in the companies trying to prevent this crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Many operate in areas like filtration and desalination, testing and analytics or smart water networks that can help use water more efficiently. It also invests in water solutions companies like Danaher even if the share of their revenue from water-related businesses is below the 30% threshold the fund typically requires. Water metering also is important for conservation efforts, and companies in this space include Xylem , Badger Meter and Roper . As a pure-play water company, he expects it to take advantage of several industry trends. In the water quality space, Evoqua Water Technologies is a name RBC likes.

☆ New obesity drugs win support of doctors and insurers, which could lift these pharma names even higher
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

They are also increasingly being prescribed by doctors and covered by insurers – a win for patients and for investors. According to Novo Nordisk , the maker of weight-loss drug Wegovy, about 80% of anti-obesity medications are being covered by health insurers, Meacham said. Novo's semaglutide is branded Wegovy as a weight-loss treatment and Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. When combined with lifestyle modifications, patients taking Wegovy can sustain a 15% weight loss , according to late-stage clinical trial data. Eli Lilly has a competing drug, Mounjaro, that uses both GLP-1 and a second incretin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, or GIP.

The back half of the earnings season gets underway this week, with key companies across different sectors set to report. FactSet data shows that slightly more than 70% of the S & P 500 that have reported earnings have beaten earnings expectations. Tuesday Advanced Micro Devices is set to report earnings after the bell, followed by a conference call at 5 p.m. Wednesday Yum Brands is set to report earnings before the bell, with management holding a call at 8:15 a.m. EBay is set to report earnings after the bell, followed by a call at 5 p.m.

☆ Another day, another recent IPO exits the public market. How to pick who might be next
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The company, which is known for its customer experience tools, went public last November at $14 a share. Its stock stumbled on its opening day and shares never traded above $15.98, a high reached Nov. 17, 2021. With this deal, UserTesting becomes the latest recent IPO to go private. A number of tech companies were on the list as well, including Braze , a company that went public the same day as UserTesting. The UserTesting deal has been approved by the board, but is subject to a "go-shop" period that ends on Dec. 10.

Weber , which went public in August 2021 and is trading at half its offering price, is the latest example of a recent IPO to attract a bid to go private. Recent IPOs ducking for the door First, to understand why we selected these criteria, let's look at the recent deals. Kennedy Lewis' $4 per share cash offer was an 83% premium to F45's closing price ahead of the deal announcement, even though it was far below the stock's $16 IPO price. Even with the lift from the deal news, shares are only trading at less than half its $14 IPO price. Private equity company AEA Investors had a 28.4% stake in the company, and CEO Jeremy Andrus owns an 11% stake, according to FactSet.

☆ This pandemic consumer trend is still going strong. How to get behind it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As CNBC Pro has previously reported, pet ownership in the U.S . is booming, and will help sustain a higher level of sales in the coming years. However, that 4% increase in pet ownership has resulted in an 11% gain in pet spending, it said. "Despite now being [circa] 30 months away from the start of the pandemic, pet care is still going strong," AllianceBernstein analysts wrote. That pace is faster than 8% global growth rate from 2021 to 2022 predicted by Euromonitor and Bernstein analysis, the report said. It owns Diana Pet Foods, and is the leading pet food ingredients company.

☆ A series of mega-blockbuster drugs are on the horizon. How to invest in the trend
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"That said, the biggest drugs usually feature one, or best case two, of these attributes." Seven drugs on Meacham's list are already in the market, and have already hit the $10 billion or more benchmark. That means some of these drugs may be already hitting the end of their peak sales period. Meacham has previously said that one of the drugs in this bucket, Eli Lilly's tirzepatide, could be the first $100 billion drug . But many investors are hopeful about its potential as an obesity treatment .

☆ How to invest in the education tech trend as schools spend billions to close the Covid learning gap
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

In a race to catch up, school districts are putting an increased emphasis on assessments to ferret out students' weak spots. Chronic absenteeism is already a rampant problem that is continuing to worsen, particularly in school districts with low-income students. She also said products need to be engaging for students, while also providing evidence that the methods used are effective. "Districts need products that work," she said. "They don't need products that look sexy or that have, you know, exciting front ends, they need products that are actually going to work and support students to improve learning."

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