Investors are ready to say goodbye to the worst September for stocks since 2008. And looking ahead, there’s not much good news to steal momentum away from the bears. This morning’s reading of the August Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) reading is adding more fuel for the bearish outlook. The number was already expected to come in “hot” (i.e. higher) than the prior month, but the actual reading was higher still. This number was most likely baked into the last interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve. But it doesn’t leave much doubt that the Fed will want to continue its restrictive monetary policy. Hanging in this market takes discipline and access to information. The latter is what MarketBeat strives to deliver every week. Our analysts give you insight into the stocks and stories that are moving the market so you can make informed decisions about your money. Here are some of the most popular articles from this week.

Articles by Jea Yu

Many investors are trying to answer the question of “when will the market bottom out.” However, this week Jea Yu points investors to two stocks that may have already met that criteria. Yu was looking at Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) as a company that is trading at an attractive valuation with a strong broadband business to offset the cord-cutting trend that is eating away its cable TV business. Yu also makes a case for investors to consider buying back into Shopify (NYSE: SHOP). With the stock down 79% for the year, Yu believes the market has overreacted to the downside which is creating an opportunity. Yu was also writing about Humana (NYSE: HUM) and explaining to investors why the company’s value-based vertically integrated managed care model is making HUM stock one of the best performing stocks this year and will likely make it a compelling stock for years to come.

Articles by Thomas Hughes

The upcoming earnings season could be rough for consumer discretionary stocks. But Thomas Hughes writes that there are three consumer stocks that are considered discretionary but offer some of the qualities of staple stocks. Next week will give investors a read on the job market which has remained curiously strong. That’s why Hughes believes investors may want to consider Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) as a labor market stock with some potential upside. Hughes was also looking at one of the emerging names in the EV sector. Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ: MULN) is catching the attention of investors because of its focus on improved efficiency and battery technology. For speculative investors, MULN stock is a risk that may be worth taking.

Articles by Sam Quirke

Sam Quirke was writing about the opportunity in casino stocks. It may have been easy to miss with all the other news this week, but China is opening up its casinos in the Macau region. This has been a long awaited, and frequently delayed, development since the onset of the pandemic. Quirke writes about two casino stocks that have a significant presence in the region that could make investing them a worthwhile roll of the dice.  

Articles by Chris Markoch

The PCE number this morning confirmed what many consumers already knew about how sticky the current inflation is. But if the PCE number didn’t confirm that, CarMax (NYSE: KMX) certainly did. As Chris Markoch writes, the company that has reinvented the car buying experience posted an earnings miss of nearly 50% as consumers find themselves priced out of this market. Markoch was also writing about United Natural Foods (NYSE: UNFI) that is managing through inflation, but the UNFI stock remains under pressure as analysts believe that rising interest rates will hurt the company over the long term. Markoch did find one bright spot, however. Cintas (NASDAQ: CTAS) posted a double beat and raised its earnings outlook which shows investors there are always stocks to consider even in a bear market.

Articles by Parth Pala

For months investors have been hearing about the importance of investing in defensive stocks. These are stocks of companies that tend to deliver predictable revenue and earnings no matter what is happening in the overall economy. Parth Pala offers two defensive stocks that investors should consider as we head into the fourth quarter. On the other hand, Pala is also answering a question that’s on many growth-oriented investors’ minds. Specifically, which growth stocks offer value right now? Pala offers two growth names that are posting higher revenue and are likely trading at a discount to the market. Speaking of higher revenue, Pala was also writing about Blackberry (NYSE: BB). The company continues to struggle to reinvent itself. While it’s posting higher revenue in some areas of its business; others are struggling as is the company’s ability to make a profit.

Articles by Kate Stalter

Shipping stocks are drawing interest from investors. Kate Stalter offers up one small-cap name that is up an impressive 139% for the year and writes why it may have more room to run. Stalter was also looking at the mid-cap sector and pointing investors in the direction of three top-performing mid-cap stocks that merit a spot on their watch lists. Stalter was also writing about SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR), a solar stock that is offering investors a nice combination of fundamental and technical strength (including a potential triple-digit rise in earnings) in the wake of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.