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3 Momentum Anomaly Picks as Silicon Valley Bank Rattles Market
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The equity markets appeared to regain their lost footing after the Silicon Valley Bank collapse sent shockwaves through the startup community. The banking stocks, in particular, rebounded after a sharp fall as regulators approved plans to backstop both depositors and financial institutions associated with Silicon Valley Bank. The markets also seemed to factor in the Federal Reserve's ploy of creating a new Bank Term Funding Program to safeguard institutions affected by the sudden collapse. On a broader perspective, investors speculated that the Silicon Valley Bank's failure would force the Fed to reconsider its plan to continue interest rate hikes to prevent any further market setbacks.
With uncertainty becoming the norm of the day, investors often seek to employ time-tested winning strategies to fetch sustained profits. One of the most successful game plans to beat the blues is to bet on momentum stocks when value or growth investing fails to generate the desired profits.
This approach primarily tends to follow the adage, “the trend is your friend.” At its core, momentum investing is “buying high and selling higher.” It is based on the idea that once a stock establishes a trend, it is more likely to continue in that direction because of the momentum that is already behind it. But before we delve deep into it, let us try to fathom why does the momentum strategy at all work?
There are several behavioral biases that most investors exhibit in their decision-making. And these emotional responses, or rather mistakes, are the very reason that makes the momentum strategy work.
For example, some investors are anxious about booking losses and hence hold on to losing stocks for too long, hopeful of a rebound in prices. On the other hand, a few investors sell their winners way too early. Momentum investing is one of the best strategies to avoid making such errors in judgment.
Furthermore, investors initially tend to underreact to news, events or data releases. However, once things become clear, they have a habit of going with the flow and overreacting, causing dramatic price reactions. These behavioral problems extend trends, thus opening up huge opportunities for momentum players.
To sum up, momentum investing is a way to profit from the general human tendency to extrapolate current trends into the future. It is based on that gap in time before the mean reversion occurs, i.e., before prices become rational again.
Momentum strategies have been known to be alpha-generative over a long period and across market stages. So, this strategy is quite tricky to implement, as detecting these trends is no child’s play.
Here, we have created a strategy to help investors get in on these fast movers and rake in handsome gains. Our screen will help you benefit from both long-term price momentum and a short-term pullback in price.
Screening Parameters
Percentage Change in Price (52 Weeks) = Top #50: This selects the top 50 stocks with the best percentage price change over the last 52 weeks. This parameter ensures we get the best stocks that have appreciated steadily over the past year.
Percentage Change in Price (1 Week) = Bottom #10: From the above 50 stocks, we then choose those that are also among the 10 worst performers over a short one-week period. This parameter picks the ones that have witnessed a short-term pullback in price.
Momentum Style Score of B or Better: A top Momentum Style Score knocks out a lot of the screening process as it takes into account several factors that include volume change and performance relative to its peers. It indicates when the timing is best to grab a stock and take advantage of its momentum with the highest probability of success. Stocks with a Momentum Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 (Buy), handily outperform other stocks.
Current Price greater than $5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5.
Market Capitalization = Top #3000: We have chosen stocks that are among the top 3000 in terms of market value to ensure the stability of price.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that these stocks are easily tradable.
Here are three of the five stocks that made it through this screen:
Based in Fort Wayne, IN, Steel Dynamics is among the leading steel producers and metal recyclers in the United States. It currently has a steelmaking and coating capacity of around 16 million tons. It is one of the most diversified steel companies in the United States, with a vast range of specialty products. The company makes and markets steel products, processes and sells recycled ferrous and nonferrous metals, and fabricates and sells steel joist and decking products in the United States and internationally. Steel Dynamics has gained 60.1% in the past year but declined 11.3% in the past week. It has a Momentum Score of B.
Headquartered in Duluth, GA, Primerica is a leading provider of financial services to middle-income households in North America. It offers term life insurance, mutual funds, annuities and other financial products. The stock has appreciated 28.7% in the past year but declined 11.1% in the past week. Primerica has a Momentum Score of A.
Headquartered in Sugar Land, TX, CVR Energy is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in the renewable fuels, petroleum refining and marketing business as well as in the nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing business. The stock has rallied 36.7% in the past year but declined 14.1% in the past week. It has a Momentum Score of B.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.
The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
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3 Momentum Anomaly Picks as Silicon Valley Bank Rattles Market
The equity markets appeared to regain their lost footing after the Silicon Valley Bank collapse sent shockwaves through the startup community. The banking stocks, in particular, rebounded after a sharp fall as regulators approved plans to backstop both depositors and financial institutions associated with Silicon Valley Bank. The markets also seemed to factor in the Federal Reserve's ploy of creating a new Bank Term Funding Program to safeguard institutions affected by the sudden collapse. On a broader perspective, investors speculated that the Silicon Valley Bank's failure would force the Fed to reconsider its plan to continue interest rate hikes to prevent any further market setbacks.
With uncertainty becoming the norm of the day, investors often seek to employ time-tested winning strategies to fetch sustained profits. One of the most successful game plans to beat the blues is to bet on momentum stocks when value or growth investing fails to generate the desired profits.
This approach primarily tends to follow the adage, “the trend is your friend.” At its core, momentum investing is “buying high and selling higher.” It is based on the idea that once a stock establishes a trend, it is more likely to continue in that direction because of the momentum that is already behind it. But before we delve deep into it, let us try to fathom why does the momentum strategy at all work?
There are several behavioral biases that most investors exhibit in their decision-making. And these emotional responses, or rather mistakes, are the very reason that makes the momentum strategy work.
For example, some investors are anxious about booking losses and hence hold on to losing stocks for too long, hopeful of a rebound in prices. On the other hand, a few investors sell their winners way too early. Momentum investing is one of the best strategies to avoid making such errors in judgment.
Furthermore, investors initially tend to underreact to news, events or data releases. However, once things become clear, they have a habit of going with the flow and overreacting, causing dramatic price reactions. These behavioral problems extend trends, thus opening up huge opportunities for momentum players.
To sum up, momentum investing is a way to profit from the general human tendency to extrapolate current trends into the future. It is based on that gap in time before the mean reversion occurs, i.e., before prices become rational again.
In this context, stocks like Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD - Free Report) , Primerica, Inc. (PRI - Free Report) and CVR Energy, Inc. (CVI - Free Report) are worth betting on.
Momentum strategies have been known to be alpha-generative over a long period and across market stages. So, this strategy is quite tricky to implement, as detecting these trends is no child’s play.
Here, we have created a strategy to help investors get in on these fast movers and rake in handsome gains. Our screen will help you benefit from both long-term price momentum and a short-term pullback in price.
Screening Parameters
Percentage Change in Price (52 Weeks) = Top #50: This selects the top 50 stocks with the best percentage price change over the last 52 weeks. This parameter ensures we get the best stocks that have appreciated steadily over the past year.
Percentage Change in Price (1 Week) = Bottom #10: From the above 50 stocks, we then choose those that are also among the 10 worst performers over a short one-week period. This parameter picks the ones that have witnessed a short-term pullback in price.
Zacks Rank #1: Stocks sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) have a proven history of outperformance irrespective of the market conditions. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Momentum Style Score of B or Better: A top Momentum Style Score knocks out a lot of the screening process as it takes into account several factors that include volume change and performance relative to its peers. It indicates when the timing is best to grab a stock and take advantage of its momentum with the highest probability of success. Stocks with a Momentum Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 (Buy), handily outperform other stocks.
Current Price greater than $5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5.
Market Capitalization = Top #3000: We have chosen stocks that are among the top 3000 in terms of market value to ensure the stability of price.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that these stocks are easily tradable.
Here are three of the five stocks that made it through this screen:
Based in Fort Wayne, IN, Steel Dynamics is among the leading steel producers and metal recyclers in the United States. It currently has a steelmaking and coating capacity of around 16 million tons. It is one of the most diversified steel companies in the United States, with a vast range of specialty products. The company makes and markets steel products, processes and sells recycled ferrous and nonferrous metals, and fabricates and sells steel joist and decking products in the United States and internationally. Steel Dynamics has gained 60.1% in the past year but declined 11.3% in the past week. It has a Momentum Score of B.
Headquartered in Duluth, GA, Primerica is a leading provider of financial services to middle-income households in North America. It offers term life insurance, mutual funds, annuities and other financial products. The stock has appreciated 28.7% in the past year but declined 11.1% in the past week. Primerica has a Momentum Score of A.
Headquartered in Sugar Land, TX, CVR Energy is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in the renewable fuels, petroleum refining and marketing business as well as in the nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing business. The stock has rallied 36.7% in the past year but declined 14.1% in the past week. It has a Momentum Score of B.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.
The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.
Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.