The bull market has been raging on far longer than many expected, and the fear mongers are coming out in droves in a desperate attempt to be the first to call a coming crash.
Indeed, many believed that a pullback after 2020’s stellar performance was going to be inevitable. It wasn’t. At least, not yet.
Stock market indices have largely been up YTD, with the S&P 500 reporting the largest growth of 20.75%. Most investors throughout the year have fled to tech companies and others that have found a way to ride out the pandemic.
With this growth continuing through 2021, these 5 stocks could finish the year off nicely:
#1 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSM)
As one of the world’s largest chip manufacturers, TSM is in a potentially good position. With a market cap of $591 billion, and good growth prospects, TSM could benefit from the ongoing chip shortage.
The company plans to leverage its gargantuan size to raise prices by about 10% for high-end chips and 20% for less advanced semiconductors.
Manufacturing chips is a technical and capital-intensive business, so many companies design their own chips and outsource for manufacturing. Most notably, Apple Inc (AAPL) is one of TSM’s largest customers.
TSM shot up 25% in the first month of this year, and YTD it’s up nearly 10%, with what looks like plenty of room--and catalysts--to climb further.
#2 Fisker Inc. (FSR)
Fisker is an up-and-coming electric automotive company. It’s not just part of the EV future--it’s the slightly more futuristic fringe. This is a highly speculative stock that tends to jump on any sentiment news rather than fundamentals, because it’s not producing anything--yet.
Fisker plans to debut its all-electric (and partly recycled) Ocean SUV at the Los Angeles 2021 auto show in November, and we think that will be a fair mover of the share price, if only for a short time.The Fisker Ocean SUV is said to have a 300 mile range and 200 miles off of a 30 minute charge. Boasting a 80kWh battery and a full length solar roof to improve vehicle efficiency and drive range, it is one of the most anticipated EVs among start-ups.
It will certainly have tough competitors among the likes of Tesla, General Motors and Nissan, but it will be interesting to see how they break through the market considering their high anticipation. After all, it’s got a “hook” that the others don’t: It’s sustainable beyond “electric”.
The stock is down 8% YTD, but this might be one worth buying on the dip--especially before November.
#3 Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
A giant in its industry, Amazon is one of the few companies on the planet worth over $1 trillion. Recently Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO, handing over the position to his loyal lieutenant Andy Jassy who spent 24 years with the company as head of Amazon Web Services (AWS), which was a cash cow for the company.
Amazon’s recent post earnings drop has shares trading at attractive levels. While earnings per share beat expectations, revenue failed to meet Wall Street's forecast for just the first time in the last three years.
Despite that, Amazon just saw its 3rd straight $100 billion dollar quarter, and continues to be a behemoth. The company has seen a bit of slowed growth recently, but continues to place a focus on the long-term. This should continue to benefit its shareholders for years to come.
#4 Bank of America Corp. (BAC)
With a market cap of $350 billion, BAC is one the safest financial stocks, offering 2% dividends that it uses 24% of its profits to pay out. This leaves sufficient room to continue paying shareholders in adverse circumstances, and room to raise the payout with economic improvement.
If interest rates rise given the continued inflation, the financial sector will benefit. That includes BAC, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to be holding if that happens.
YTD, BofA is up over 36%, and is on track for more gains.
#5 Shopify Inc. (SHOP)
Shopify Inc. is a multinational e-commerce company headquartered in Ontario, Canada. It is used by 1.7 million merchants in over 175 different countries. 457 million buyers place an order with Shopify merchants each year. That’s a 16.23x increase since 2014 when it went public.
Shopify makes selling easy for merchants, supplying all the tools needed for sales. They calculate sales tax, shipping costs and securely accept credit card payments in a streamlined approach.
Last year, Shopify facilitated $119 billion in sales, a 95% increase over the previous year. They saw annual revenue of $2.9 billion in 2020, an 85% increase over the previous year.
Shopify has had consistent exponential growth since its IPO, so it could be a profitable long term investment. Especially considering the transition from people shopping in stores to buying from merchants online.
Tech and finance are a staple in this new age world, and as they continue to expand their outreach, investors may find themselves in lucrative positions if they seize the right moments.
YTD, investors have seen nearly 38% gains, with no signs of a slow-down.
