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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Alliance Resource Partners, JMP Group, Oxford Square Capital and AT&T

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 9, 2018 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (ARI - Free Report) , Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (ARLP - Free Report) , JMP Group LLC , Oxford Square Capital Corp. (OXSQ - Free Report) and AT&T Inc. (T - Free Report) .

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Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:

Tariff Clash Haunts Wall Street: 5 Ultra-Safe Picks

Equities over the past few sessions gained traction mostly on the back of strong corporate results. But, fresh round of tariff clashes between the Trump administration and China is now making things difficult for the stock market. After all, such tit-for-tat tariffs on each other’s imports will certainly affect corporate profits and the overall economy.

With the markets gyrating after a strong run, investing in stocks that provide excellent risk-adjusted returns seems judicious.

Trump Moves Forward With Tariffs

The US Treasury Department Robert Lighthizer recently announced that the Trump administration will levy 25% tariffs on $16 billion worth of Chinese goods starting Aug 23. The new set of measures will target around 280 products, including electronic, plastic and chemical products, as well as motorcycles and railway cars.

The President had earlier accused the Asian nation for intellectual property theft and slapped 25% tariffs on about $34 billion of Chinese mechanical and technological products such as tractors, plastic tubes, and measurement equipment like speedometers.

China Plans Tariffs on US Products

The Chinese State Council, nonetheless, warned the United States that “any unilateral threat or blackmail will only lead to intensification of conflicts and damage to the interests of all parties.”

China said that it would impose tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods. The Asian nation, in fact, decided to impose duties of 25%, 20%, 10% and 5% on U.S. products provided the Trump administration follows through on threats to tax $200 billion of Chinese goods.

Trade War Hits Economy: Grab 5 Ultra-Safe Stocks Now

No matter which side says what, a trade war between the two of the most powerful economies in the world increase the threat of widespread recession and eventually squeeze corporate profits. Naturally, investors remain cautious.  In such a scenario, investors should build a strategy on low-risk assets and a combination of parameters that leads to better returns. The best way to go about doing this is by creating a portfolio of low-beta stocks, which are inherently less volatile than the markets they trade in. In this case, a low beta ranges from 0 to 1.

We have, thus, selected five stocks that flaunt a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy).

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). The stock currently has a Zacks Rank 2 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a dividend yield of 9.8%, while its five-year average dividend yield is 10.3%.

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank 1 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a dividend yield of 10.5%, while its five-year average dividend yield is 9.4%.

JMP Group LLC provides investment banking, sales and trading, equity research, and asset management products and services in the United States. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank 1 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a dividend yield of 5.9%, while its five-year average dividend yield is 1.1%.

JMP Group’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 70%, higher than the Financial - Investment Bank industry’s gain of 38.6%. In the last 60 days, one earnings estimate moved north, while none moved south for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings soared 54.5% in the same period. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Oxford Square Capital Corp. is a business development company. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank 2 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a dividend yield of 6.5%, while its five-year average dividend yield is 5.3%.

AT&T Inc. provides communications and digital entertainment services. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank 1 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a dividend yield of 6.2%, while its five-year average dividend yield is 5.3%.

More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!

It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.

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Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1 Stock of the Day pick for free.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News

Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.

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