2019 Is In The Record Books, 2020 Could Be Even Better!

Plus New Zacks Strong Buys for Thursday, January 2

Profit from the Pros By Kevin Matras Executive Vice President

2019 Is In The Record Books, 2020 Could Be Even Better! Stocks closed up on Tuesday, the last day of 2019, and finished the year in record fashion with the Dow up 22.9%, the S&P up 28.9%, and the Nasdaq up 35.2%! What a year. After the know-nothing doomsayers in 2018 (and then again in mid-2019) predicted a recession and a bear market (not us), we ended 2019 with the U.S. economy the envy of the world, and stocks at record highs. And it's easy to see why. Our GDP is pacing at an annual rate that's higher than the average annual GDP since this bull market began. Unemployment is at a 50-year low. Household income is at a 20-year high. Corporate earnings continue to impress. Consumer confidence is near record highs. All while inflation and interest rates remain low. Then add in 2 record trade agreements (USMCA and the U.S.-China trade deal), with our 3 largest trading partners, and a wave of new prosperity is set to be ushered in for 2020, sending our economy and stocks to even higher highs. With the new year upon us, I'm hearing people make predictions about 2020. I hear some people saying to not expect the same kinds of gains this year as we saw last year. Or that we'll be lucky to get a fraction of that this year. Don't listen. These are truly historic times in our economy. In fact, some have even called this the greatest economy of our lifetime. And it is. That's why I'm expecting another 25-30% in 2020. Historic times create historic opportunities. So make sure you're taking full advantage of it. And if you're looking for ways to beat the market in 2020, I urge you to check out our Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020. This portfolio, since its inception in 2012, has been crushing the market throughout the years, nearly doubling the S&P with returns of 303.3% vs. the market's 160.5%. We're releasing this year's handpicked list of Top 10 Stocks for 2020 today (Thursday, January 2nd) at 11:00 AM ET. Be the first to get this coveted list of top 10 stocks to help you beat the market in 2020. See our Top 10 Stocks Portfolio for 2020 today! Best, Kevin Matras Executive Vice President, Zacks Investment Research Sponsor Notice of Release: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020 Director of Research Sheraz Mian is releasing the 10 best buy-and-holds for the coming year today at 11 a.m. ET. His process consistently beats the market. The 2019 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio is up +25.4% through November 30th with gains as high as +97.7%. What's more, from 2012 through November 2019 while the market boomed +160.5%, his Top 10s reached an even more stellar +303.3%. With most Top 10 portfolios, you can check them out now, next week or next month. By contrast, these stocks are time-sensitive and you can still be among the first to see them now when their potential upside is at its greatest. Be First to See Them >> Most Popular Articles from Zacks.com Looking Ahead at 2020: 3 Drivers of a Likely Wall Street Rally Though experts are divided on their opinion, we give three reasons as to why the Wall Street rally may continue next year. Read More » 5 Machine Learning Stocks to Add to Your Portfolio in 2020 The application of ML has grown rapidly over the past years, bringing out the power of data in a whole new way. Read More » 3 Biotech Stocks Likely to Maintain Solid Momentum in 2020 The sector has again picked up in the past couple of months, primarily owing to the recent spree of mergers and acquisitions, and positive pipeline readouts. Read More » 5 Non-U.S. Wireless Operators to Beat the Market in 2020 These stocks possess either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and have a VGM Score of B or better. Read More » 5 Dogs of the Dow for 2020 The index had registered several record highs, and is now on track to mark its best year since 2013. Read More » Sponsor Start Every Day Ahead of Wall Street Before you make a trade, get today's market news from Zacks' latest Ahead of Wall Street article. With timely information from Zacks' analysts, each daily article features a preview of where the market is headed. Plus, Zacks #1s on the move, stock research reports, earnings and economic news, and a top-headline analyst blog. All of it in one easy-to-follow place to give you the edge. Get the latest news >> Bull of the Day: Keysight Technologies (KEYS) This 2014 spinoff from Agilent has become a key innovator in electronics systems for the biggest tech players. Read More » New Zacks Strong Buys for January 2nd Here are 5 stocks added to the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) List today. Read More »   Download our app for convenient on-the-go access to even more—daily and weekly newsletters published by Zacks experts, proprietary research and tools, and Portfolio Tracker on Zacks.com. Visit Success Stories to hear how Zacks research, tools and portfolios help our members outperform the market. Get all of our market insights and much more when you connect with us. This free resource is being sent by Zacks.com. We look for investment resources and inform you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. The Zacks #1 Rank Performance covers the period beginning on January 1, 1988 through December 2, 2019. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank #1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. 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