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Year of the Dragon is a Boon for Wall Street: 5 Growth Picks

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The Chinese Lunar Year started on Feb 10 and marked the Year of the Dragon, which historically has been bullish for U.S. equities. Major indexes have scaled northward significantly in such years since 1871, according to Fundstrat Global Advisors’ research head, Tom Lee.

U.S. equities, on average, gained a solid 12.7% during Years of the Dragon, with the broader S&P 500 closing higher 75% of the time. Small-cap stocks also performed well in these years and have often outperformed their larger counterparts.

Encouragingly, the stock market is off to a strong start, with the S&P 500 notching its tenth record close of 2024 and has booked the fifth consecutive week of gains. The broader index surpassed the 5,000 mark recently and has increased more than 5% year to date. The Dow and the Nasdaq are also currently trading in the green for the year.

The stock market, in reality, is expected to continue its winning momentum all through the year as consumers remain confident about their well-being, while steady economic growth squashed fears of an imminent recession. Price pressures, meanwhile, have begun to show signs of cooling down amid strength in the labor market, thereby boosting consumers’ confidence.

The consumer confidence index in recent times has climbed to its highest level in two years, while economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2023 expanded at an annualized rate of 3.3% as business investment and government outlays improved (read more: 5 Stocks to Gain as Consumers Feel Confident About the Economy).

The Federal Reserve’s preferred, personal consumption expenditures price index, on the other hand, advanced only 1.7% in the fourth quarter, less than the 2.6% increase in the third quarter. On the labor front, hiring continued to be robust, especially during the holiday shopping season (read more: 5 Staffing Stocks to Gain as Labor Market Remains Hot).

Thus, with things looking up for the economy vis-à-vis the stock market in the Year of the Dragon, investing in fundamentally sound growth stocks like Amazon.com (AMZN - Free Report) , Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF - Free Report) , Cadence Design Systems (CDNS - Free Report) , DHI Group (DHX - Free Report) and Spotify Technology (SPOT - Free Report) seems prudent.

These stocks carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and a Growth Score of A or B, a combination that offers the best opportunities in the growth investing space. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here.

Amazon is one of the largest e-commerce providers. Amazon currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 14.2% over the past 60 days. AMZN’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 39%.

Abercrombie & Fitch operates as a specialty retailer of premium, high-quality casual apparel. Abercrombie & Fitch currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of B. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 6.6% over the past 60 days. ANF’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 2,348%.

Cadence Design Systems is a leader in the electronic system design space. Cadence Design Systems currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 0.2% over the past 60 days. CDNS’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 19.7%.

DHI Group offers specialized websites that focus on select professional communities. DHI Group currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 12.5% over the past 60 days. DHX’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 80%.

Spotify Technology provides music streaming services. Spotify Technology currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 36.8% over the past 60 days. SPOT’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 212.2%.

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