The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Enphase Energy, Brookfield Business Partners, Amedisys, Pure Storage And Match Group

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – January 27, 2020 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH) , Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE:BBU) , Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) , Pure Storage, Inc. (NYSE:PSTG) and Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) .

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Year of the Rat Spells Good Times for Wall Street: 5 Picks

If Chinese zodiac interests you, then you might want to know that the calendar will soon change from the Year of the Pig to the Year of the Rat. But does that also mean a change in the performance of the U.S. stock market? After all, the Year of the Pig, mostly considered to be a symbol of fortune and opulence, has been favorable for the U.S. stock market. In fact, U.S. stocks scaled north during the period, defying skeptics who expected the bull market to be upended by trade war threats and global economic slowdown. While the broader stock market, as predominantly measured by the S&P 500 rallied almost 30% last year, it seems to be gaining momentum this year as well.

But, will Year of the Rat bring good tidings as well? Historically, during the Year of the Rat, the S&P 500’s performance has been slightly better than the index’s overall average of 11.4%, according to Stansberry Pacific Research.

What’s more, there is an array of positive factors that should help the U.S. stock market continue its upward journey. The Trump administration’s recent phase-one trade deal with China will lessen the burden on global economic growth created by trade imbalances. Lest we forget, the United States and China together account for 35% to 40% of the world’s economy, and thus have a significant influence on international growth. And since the negotiations have gone well between the countries, business confidence will improve, driving capital expenditure and in turn stocks.

Consumer outlays have also remained healthy, led by record low unemployment rate and wage gains, and should certainly help the economy expand this year. Per the Commerce Department, consumer outlays increased 0.3% in December from a month earlier. At the same time, retail sales for the November-December period increased 4.1% to $730.2 billion, added the National Retail Federation. All these indicate that households have enough spending capabilities to keep the economy expanding at a steady pace in the near term.

By the way, the current low interest environment should make borrowing manageable helping companies invest and grow. This in turn should help the economy gain momentum. To top it, the Fed is expected to keep its monetary policy on hold after trimming rates three consecutive times last year to stimulate the economy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell had said that there is no immediate need to hike the federal fund’s rate unless there is a constant rise in inflation.

Some skeptics, meanwhile, may say that the recent spread of a contagious disease in China may weigh heavily on stocks. But China’s efforts to control the viral outbreak and the World Health Organization’s decision to refrain from declaring China’s coronavirus outbreak a global emergency bolstered investors’ sentiments.

5 Biggest Gainers

Given the bullishness, investing in stocks that can make the most of the Year of the Rat seems judicious. We have, thus, selected five stocks that are poised to yield stellar returns this calendar year that constitute bulk of the Year of the Rat. These stocks also have a Zacks Investment Research

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Written By: Zacks Investment Research