The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Installed Building Products, Universal Forest, Insight, Meritage Homes And Select Medical

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL –December 26, 2019 – 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: Installed Building Products Inc. (NYSE:IBP) , Universal Forest Products Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPI) , Insight Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ:NSIT) , Meritage Homes Corp. (NYSE:MTH) and Select Medical Holdings Corp. (NYSE:SEM) .

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

5 Must-Buy Top-Ranked Mid-Cap Stocks for 2020

Wall Street started 2019 on a solid note, quickly erasing the loss it suffered in 2018. The momentum continued throughout the year, barring some short-term fluctuations. The U.S. economy is in good shape with a robust labor market, higher consumer spending and a dovish monetary stance taken by the Fed. U.S. GDP in the first three quarters of 2019 also surpassed expectations despite the fact that the economy is growing for the historically longest span of 11 years.

Moreover, the possibility of the signing of the phase-one trade deal between the United States and China in early January significantly boosted investors’ sentiment in December. This is a major step toward resolving a nearly two-year long trade dispute between the two largest trading countries of the world. This trade dispute and subsequent tariff war not only affected the economies of the United States and China but also slowed global economic growth.

As a result of the positive development on the trade war front, the three major stock indexes ---- the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite ---- have gained 22.4%, 28.6% and 34.8%, respectively, year to date. Notably, aside from these three large-cap centric indexes, the S&P 400 Mid-cap Index (SP400) has rallied 23.9% year to date.

Positive News on the Trade War Front

On Dec 13, the United States and China declared that they have reached a phase-one trade deal likely to be signed by the two presidents in the first half of January. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the deal will address intellectual-property disputes along with strong enforcement provisions and financial services and currency issues in addition to tariff rollback and higher agricultural purchase.

On Dec 23, The Wall Street Journal reported that China’s cabinet has agreed to lower tariffs for all trading partners on more than 859 types of products including pharmaceuticals, frozen pork and some high-tech components to below the rates that most-favored nations enjoy.

Why Mid-Cap Stocks?

Investment in mid-cap stocks is often recognized as a good portfolio diversification strategy. These stocks combine attractive attributes of both small and large-cap stocks. If the trade deal breaks down, mid-cap stocks will be less susceptible to losses than their large-cap counterparts owing to less international exposure.

However, if the trade deal finally sees the light of the day, these stocks will gain higher than small caps due to established management teams, a broad distribution network, brand recognition and ready access to capital markets.

Our Top Picks

At this stage, it will be prudent to invest in mid-cap stocks, which have skyrocketed in 2019 and still hold strong potential for 2020. However, selection of these stocks can be difficult. This is where our Zacks Investment Research

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Written By: Zacks Investment Research