The stock market continues to rack up nice gains. The S&P 500 rose 5.4% in the first quarter (after rising roughly 10% in each of the prior two quarters). If you’re keeping score, that first quarter gain was the best for the S&P 500 since 1998. Yet some stocks are missing out on all the fun. I’ve come across more than a dozen stocks in the S&P 500 that actually fell by 15% — or more — in the first quarter. These companies have suffered their own self-inflicted wounds, but in some cases, they are already on… Read More
The stock market continues to rack up nice gains. The S&P 500 rose 5.4% in the first quarter (after rising roughly 10% in each of the prior two quarters). If you’re keeping score, that first quarter gain was the best for the S&P 500 since 1998. Yet some stocks are missing out on all the fun. I’ve come across more than a dozen stocks in the S&P 500 that actually fell by 15% — or more — in the first quarter. These companies have suffered their own self-inflicted wounds, but in some cases, they are already on the mend. Let’s take a look at which ones are most likely to bounce back in the second quarter and beyond. The fact that consumer-focused stocks such as RadioShack (NYSE: RSH), Urban Outfitters (Nasdaq: URBN), Target (NYSE: TGT), Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) and Carnival (NYSE: CCL) are likely to fare so poorly at a time of improving employment numbers is a bit curious. But if you dig a little deeper, you can start to see why. For example, Urban Outfitters delivered weak results for the all-important January quarter, and… Read More