Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

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Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

3 Volatile Stocks with Questionable Fundamentals

ESTC Cover Image

Volatility cuts both ways - while it creates opportunities, it also increases risk, making sharp declines just as likely as big gains. This unpredictability can shake out even the most experienced investors.

These stocks can be a rollercoaster, and StockStory is here to guide you through the ups and downs. Keeping that in mind, here are three volatile stocks to steer clear of and a few better alternatives.

Elastic (ESTC)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.68

Started by Shay Banon as a search engine for his wife's growing list of recipes at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, Elastic (NYSE: ESTC) helps companies integrate search into their products and monitor their cloud infrastructure.

Why Does ESTC Fall Short?

  1. Persistent operating losses suggest the business manages its expenses poorly
  2. Capital intensity will likely increase as its free cash flow margin is anticipated to drop by 2.3 percentage points over the next year

Elastic’s stock price of $92.23 implies a valuation ratio of 5.9x forward price-to-sales. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why ESTC doesn’t pass our bar.

DigitalOcean (DOCN)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.56

Started by brothers Ben and Moisey Uretsky, DigitalOcean (NYSE: DOCN) provides a simple, low-cost platform that allows developers and small and medium-sized businesses to host applications and data in the cloud.

Why Are We Cautious About DOCN?

  1. Customers have churned over the last year due to the commoditized nature of its software, as reflected in its 98.2% net revenue retention rate
  2. Bad unit economics and steep infrastructure costs are reflected in its gross margin of 59.9%, one of the worst among software companies

At $28.11 per share, DigitalOcean trades at 3.1x forward price-to-sales. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than DOCN.

Cars.com (CARS)

Rolling One-Year Beta: 1.08

Originally started as a joint venture between several media companies including The Washington Post and The New York Times, Cars.com (NYSE: CARS) is a digital marketplace that connects new and used car buyers and sellers.

Why Is CARS Not Exciting?

  1. Market opportunities are plateauing as its dealer customers were flat over the last two years
  2. Estimated sales growth of 1.5% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its three-year trend
  3. Earnings growth underperformed the sector average over the last three years as its EPS grew by just 1.9% annually

Cars.com is trading at $10.05 per share, or 3x forward EV/EBITDA. If you’re considering CARS for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions

Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs.

While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 176% over the last five years.

Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.

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