Ticker Reports for February 28th
5 Best Gold ETFs for March to Curb Recession Fears
Several economic indicators are raising concerns and investor anxiety about a potential recession. When combined with persistent economic and geopolitical concerns, these indicators are leading investors to seek out safe-haven assets.
Gold's ability to retain value has been recognized for centuries, making it a traditional haven during economic downturns. Its historical tendency to move independently from the stock market makes it a valuable diversification tool that can potentially protect investment portfolios from widespread market losses.
Investors have access to a streamlined and efficient approach to gold investing through gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These instruments provide a convenient, liquid, and cost-effective method to gain exposure to the precious metal, offering an attractive alternative to holding physical gold.
The Gathering Storm: Recession on the Horizon?
Several economic factors are contributing to the current recessionary risk. The stall in U.S. business activity during February 2025 is a warning sign, suggesting that businesses are becoming more cautious in their operations and investments, which could lead to a slowdown in economic output. The sharp decline in consumer sentiment and confidence in February 2025 is also concerning, as it could lead to a pullback in consumer spending, which is a major driver of economic growth.
While the fourth quarter of 2024's GDP growth rate of 2.3% was positive, it missed expectations and indicates a possible deceleration from previous periods. This underperformance, coupled with other warning signs, adds weight to the argument that the economy may be losing momentum. Specific sectors, such as construction, are already exhibiting signs of stress. Concerns regarding potential tariffs and their impact on material costs are weighing on homebuilder sentiment, creating potential headwinds for the real estate sector, a crucial component of overall economic health.
In addition to domestic concerns, geopolitical uncertainties add another layer of complexity and risk. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the evolving trade policies of the U.S. administration create volatility and uncertainty in global markets. These factors contribute to a "flight to safety" mentality as investors seek assets perceived as less risky during turbulent times. Gold, with its long history as a haven, benefits directly from this shift in investor sentiment, explaining the increased demand and price strength.
The ETF Advantage: Gold Investing Made Easy
Gold ETFs offer a contemporary and streamlined approach to investing in this timeless asset. They provide a practical way for investors to participate in the gold market without the complexities and costs associated with physical gold ownership.
To navigate the increasing recessionary concerns of March 2025, investors can consider the following five gold ETFs.
SPDR Gold Shares: The Gold Standard
SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA: GLD) is the world's largest and most liquid gold ETF, with approximately $84 billion in assets under management (AUM) as of February 2025. It is often considered the benchmark for gold investment. This physical gold ETF has an expense ratio of 0.40%, and it holds physical gold bullion in secure vaults while it directly tracks the spot price of gold.
GLD's size and established reputation make it a preferred choice for institutional and individual investors seeking a reliable haven during economic uncertainty. Its unparalleled liquidity also makes it ideal for investors who prioritize ease of entry and exit, especially during volatile market conditions.
As of February 27, 2025, GLD had advanced over 11% year-to-date, demonstrating its responsiveness to market conditions.
iShares Gold Trust: Cost-Effective Gold Exposure
The iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA: IAU) has an AUM of roughly $33 billion. It offers a comparable investment strategy to GLD by holding physical gold bullion to track the spot price.
However, IAU has a notably lower expense ratio of 0.25%. This lower expense ratio makes IAU especially appealing to long-term investors seeking cost-effective exposure to gold. IAU's YTD performance stands at around 9.5%.
For investors aiming to optimize returns during a recession, where every basis point is crucial, IAU presents an attractive alternative to GLD.
SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust: Maximizing Value
SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust (NYSEARCA: GLDM) is the most cost-efficient option within the SPDR family of gold ETFs. With an exceptionally low expense ratio of 0.10% and an AUM of approximately $10.8 billion, GLDM is tailored for investors who prioritize minimal fees.
This physical gold ETF holds gold bullion and tracks the spot price, providing a direct and inexpensive way to access the gold market.
For long-term investors seeking to hold gold as a recession hedge, GLDM's ultra-low expense ratio can translate to significant cost savings over time.
VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF: Leveraged Potential
The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA: GDX) invests in a basket of leading gold mining companies and offers leveraged exposure to fluctuations in gold prices. This ETF, which has an expense ratio of 0.51% and approximately $13.5 billion in assets under management, tracks the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index.
GDX gives investors exposure to established gold mining companies whose stocks have historically outperformed physical gold during periods of rising prices. This makes GDX a potentially attractive investment for those seeking higher returns during a recession-driven gold rally.
Additionally, GDX offers the potential for dividend income, which can provide a small buffer in a market downturn.
VanEck Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF: Higher Risk, Higher Reward
The VanEck Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA: GDXJ), which has an expense ratio of 0.52% and AUM of approximately $5 billion, tracks the Market Vectors Global Junior Gold Miners Index and focuses on small, junior gold mining companies.
Junior gold miners are a riskier investment than more established mining companies, but they also offer a higher reward. This is due to their greater leverage on gold prices, which means their stock prices are more volatile and can rise and fall dramatically in relation to the underlying cost of gold.
If recession fears trigger a substantial gold bull market, GDXJ could produce significant returns, but investors should be prepared for increased volatility and potential losses.
Embracing Gold: A Strategic Move for Uncertain Times
As economic concerns and recession fears escalate, gold ETFs are emerging as an increasingly important investment tool. These ETFs provide investors with a contemporary and streamlined method of incorporating gold into their portfolios.
Gold ETFs present a range of choices for investors with varying risk profiles and investment objectives, enabling them to mitigate recessionary risks and strengthen their portfolio's resilience. Strategic allocation to gold ETFs, customized to individual circumstances and risk tolerance, can serve as a valuable safeguard within a diversified investment strategy, assisting investors in navigating uncertain economic climates.
Retirement Accounts Can Now Invest in Gold Penalty-Free
A little-known IRS loophole has been gaining serious attention...
If you have a retirement account, you can now use this loophole to add physical gold to your portfolio—completely tax-deferred and penalty-free.
Take control of your retirement and safeguard your wealth.
3 Stocks for Your Watchlist: Unlocking Tomorrow's Winners Today
Given the inherent volatility and unpredictability of the stock market, pinpointing companies primed for significant growth can be a formidable task for investors. While maintaining a personal watchlist of stocks is a common practice, a more potent signal of potential growth can be extracted from curated watchlists provided by market data research providers.
Stocks that appear on multiple lists, such as Stocks with Unusual Volume and Trending Stocks on MarketBeat, are likely experiencing catalysts that are attracting significant market attention. Investigating these catalysts as part of a pattern of due diligence could help you locate the hidden gems of the stock market, revealing potential opportunities for investment.
The Wisdom of the Crowd: Understanding Watchlist Trends
Individual investors use watchlists as a personalized tool. However, "watchlist trending" refers to a stock's frequent appearance on different public watchlists and goes beyond a single person's list. These lists categorize stocks based on various criteria. High-volatility lists highlight stocks with substantial price swings, often reflecting speculative interest or market reactions to company developments. Analyst upgrade lists feature stocks receiving positive ratings and price target upgrades from financial analysts, suggesting professional confidence in their future performance.
Many specialty-curated watchlists are available, each of which can enhance your market analysis strategy. These watchlists range from sector-specific lists, such as construction, to theme-based lists, like Congressional Trading History. A company's consistent appearance on multiple watchlists relevant to your investment strategy reveals a convergence of positive indicators and broader market momentum that could signal a buying opportunity.
The Undisputed Leader: Why NVIDIA Trends Across the Board
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is a major player in the semiconductor sector, and it is a frequent feature on many lists, including high-growth technology stocks, AI leaders, companies with significant trading volume, and stocks favored by analysts.
The semiconductor sector is essential for technological advancement, powering everything from consumer electronics to sophisticated AI systems. The rapid expansion of AI and machine learning is generating extraordinary demand for high-performance computing, a market where NVIDIA excels.
NVIDIA's GPUs have become the industry standard for AI training and inference, making the company a primary beneficiary of the ongoing AI revolution. This dominance is frequently highlighted in industry publications and analyst reports, driving its consistent presence on AI-focused watchlists.
The company's financial performance further solidifies its position as a leader. NVIDIA reported a record quarterly revenue of $39.3 billion, representing a 78% increase year-over-year, and full-year revenue of $130.5 billion, up 114% from the previous year. Its Data Center segment, a key growth driver, also achieved record revenue, fueled by the demand for AI computing power.
NVIDIA's management has provided a strong outlook for the coming quarter, projecting continued revenue growth, further reinforcing investor confidence.
Beyond its core business, NVIDIA is forging strategic partnerships with major players like AWS and Toyota (NYSE: TM), expanding its reach into the automotive and cloud computing sectors. The company's stock is also characterized by high trading volume, with an average daily volume exceeding 264 million shares and a current stock price (as of February 26, 2025, closing) of $131.28. This high level of activity contributes to its inclusion on watchlists tracking highly active and volatile stocks.
The Future of Flight: Why Archer Aviation Is Trending
Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) is rapidly gaining traction across multiple watchlists, including those focused on emerging growth companies, aerospace innovators, high-potential stocks, and companies exhibiting high volatility.
Archer operates within the Aerospace & Defense sector, specifically in the developing field of urban air mobility (UAM), developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The industry is evolving beyond traditional aerospace, with UAM representing a potentially transformative growth area. eVTOL technology promises to reshape urban transportation, offering a more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional transport methods.
Archer's focus on this evolving market makes it a prime candidate for watchlists targeting disruptive technologies and companies with significant growth potential. The anticipation surrounding upcoming milestones, such as the planned launch of its flying taxi service in Abu Dhabi and future earnings reports, further fuels its watchlist presence through market speculation.
As a relatively young company in a developing industry, Archer's stock naturally exhibits higher volatility, reflected in its 52-week price range of $2.82 to $12.48 and a current price of $8.20. This volatility attracts investors seeking potentially high-reward opportunities.
The Unsung Hero: Why Vertiv Is Trending
Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) consistently appears on watchlists focused on infrastructure, data center growth, technology stocks benefiting from the AI expansion, and companies with high trading volume.
Vertiv operates within the electrical equipment & parts sector, providing critical digital infrastructure technologies and lifecycle services for data centers, communication networks, and industrial environments.
This sector is experiencing surging demand due to the explosive growth of data centers, driven by the proliferation of cloud computing, AI, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Vertiv is strategically positioned to benefit from this trend, supplying essential power, cooling, and IT infrastructure solutions.
Vertiv's direct exposure to the data center market makes it a natural inclusion on watchlists focused on AI infrastructure and related technologies. The company's strong financial performance and optimistic, forward-looking guidance reinforce its attractiveness to investors.
Vertiv reported a 26% increase in net sales for the fourth quarter of 2024 and projected a 25% increase in adjusted diluted EPS for 2025. This consistent growth and profitability place it on lists tracking companies with solid earnings reports and positive financial news.
Due Diligence: The Next Step
The consistent appearance of NVIDIA, Archer Aviation, and Vertiv across diverse watchlists serves as an example of a powerful initial filter for identifying potential investment opportunities.
These companies demonstrate the characteristics that often attract broad market attention: strong financial performance, disruptive technology, and strategic positioning within expanding industries. The wisdom of the crowd reflected in these trending lists provides a valuable starting point for investors looking for their next opportunity.
However, it is essential to remember that being included on a watchlist is just the first step in the investment decision-making process. Trending status indicates potential but does not guarantee future success.
Thorough due diligence is essential, requiring deeper analysis than surface-level indicators can provide. By combining the insights of watchlist trending with thorough independent research, investors can increase their chances of identifying and potentially profiting from tomorrow’s winners today.
Millions Facing 'Financial Lockdown' By Silent WAR On Cash
Try to think back to the fall of 2008…
The pandemic accelerated America's descent into a "no-cash society" by several years…
Why Smart Investors Are Watching These 3 Undervalued Stocks
The market will lose track of what matters every once in a while, and that’s where the smartest investors can really take advantage of the situation and come out winners. Today, most of the market’s attention (and capital) has centered around the technology sector, betting on higher and higher runs to be made in the world of artificial intelligence and the stocks that support its growth and development.
With that in mind, it shouldn’t come as a surprise for investors to find out that other worthy businesses may see their stocks fall out of favor as they become underrated and under-traded. In other words, companies that deserve to have proper backing suddenly fall into discounts for no other reason than that they are just not as popular at the moment. This is where a value investor’s toolkit comes into play.
Names that have fallen out of favor but that should see their prices rise in the coming quarters include basic materials sector stars like Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) to represent the steelmaking industry, as well as lithium mining company Albermarle Co. (NYSE: ALB). There is also a name in the same technology space that should be getting more attention today, and that is SentinelOne Inc. (NYSE: S), sharing the same characteristics as the other names on this list.
Why Institutions Bought Cleveland-Cliffs Stock
As of February 2025, institutional buyers from Dimensional Fund Advisors decided to boost their holdings in Cleveland-Cliffs stock by as much as 3.1%. This new allocation would place their net position at a high of $199.7 million today, or 4.3% ownership in the company to show investors a sign of confidence brewing up in the market.
The reason this steelmaker will see higher prices is simple: Recent trade tariffs will likely push demand for domestic production capacity to rise in order to tend to upcoming business and consumer demand. This theme has also become evident in the most recent manufacturing PMI index data.
With this in mind, investors can begin to justify the current consensus price target of $16.7 per share on Cleveland-Cliffs stock, which would call for up to 50% upside from where the stock trades today. Considering Cleveland-Cliffs stock only trades at 49% of its 52-week high, investors have a fantastic risk-to-reward setup on their hands with this steel winner.
But the sentiment goes beyond institutions and Wall Street analysts, even bearish traders have decided that it’s not worth it to keep betting against this potential winner, and investors can see that through the 8.2% decline in short interest for Cleveland-Cliffs stock over the past month alone, clear bearish capitulation.
Albemarle Stock’s Earnings Will Drive it Higher
Typically, earnings per share (EPS) growth is what drives stock price action, and Albemarle has a few cards lined up to deliver double-digit upside in that department. Wall Street analysts now forecast Albemarle to deliver up to $2.18 in EPS for the second quarter of 2025, a significant swing from today’s net loss of $1.09.
This major boost should be accompanied by a similarly bullish view on the stock’s valuation as well, which is also the case today. The consensus price target for Albemarle stock stands at $109.7 per share, which is not quite a new 52-week high, though it does imply a net 35.4% rally from where it trades today.
Similarly to Cleveland-Cliffs, Albemarle now trades at 57% of its 52-week high, showing investors that the worst is potentially behind it now, with only upside to look forward to in the coming months and quarters. Now there are a few other benefits investors can get with this name other than double-digit upside.
A $1.62 per share payout in the form of dividends offers shareholders a yield of 2% on their investment, which is going to come in handy should volatility remain high in the S&P 500, a point that might have driven those from ProShare Advisors to up their stake in Albemarle stock up to $171.4 million as of February 2025.
A Sudden Bullish Outlook on SentinelOne Stock
As of January 2025, analysts from Oppenheimer decided to initiate coverage on SentinelOne stock, which is a bold move considering that Wall Street analysts tend to stay away from underperforming stocks. By trading at 75% of its 52-week high, SentinelOne is considered an underperforming stock compared to other technology names today.
Knowing this to be the case, investors should pay more attention to the Outperform rating placed by these analysts, alongside a valuation of up to $32 per share. This target would not only represent a new 52-week high for SentinelOne stock but also a net upside of as much as 46.2% from where it trades today.
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