while the start of the week has been rocky due to rising COVID-19 cases globally, the real blow came yesterday as Wall Street crashed. The S&P 500 and the 30-stock Dow Jones hit their lowest levels since late September, with the latter losing more than 943 points in a day.
With winter approaching, COVID-19 cases are on the rise. Parts of Europe announced additional lockdowns and U.S. cities such as Chicago, New York and New Jersey launched a new round of restrictive measures to fight the spread of coronavirus.
The Dow Jones has been one of the most-sensitive indexes to the coronavirus crisis as it logged the highest single-day losses of 2,997 points on Mar 16, 2,352.60 points on Mar 12 and 2,013.76 points on Mar 9. In June, the index recorded 1,861.82 points of one-day losses while it shed 1,190 points in one day in late February.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the second national lockdown for at least the whole of November. The moves would follow similar restrictions executed over the past few weeks in Italy and Spain.
Apart from this, the United States is prepping for the presidential election on Nov 3.Wall Street's fear gauge spiked to its highest level since Jul 15 due to election uncertainty. There are talks that a winner might not be declared the night of Nov 3 due to a postponement to count the huge volume of mail-in ballots.
Against this backdrop, below we highlight the investment options that could be gainful in the current scenario. ProShares Short Dow 30 DOG seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to the inverse (-1X) of the daily performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The fund gained 3.4% on the day.
There are stock specific options to play too. Below we highlight stocks of the index that were the least hurt on Oct 28.
Travelers Companies Inc TRV – Up 2.0% on Oct 28
The Travelers Companies Inc., a holding company, is principally engaged, through its subsidiaries, in providing a wide variety of property and casualty insurance and surety products and services to businesses, organizations and individuals in the United States and select international markets. The stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
3M Co MMM – Down 1.56%
Conglomerate 3M’s focus on business transformation enhances its competitive advantage. Acelity, since acquired in October 2019, has been strengthening 3M’s medical solutions business. Being one of the largest manufacturers of respiratory masks, the coronavirus outbreak added to the company’s growth potential. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Verizon Communications Inc VZ – Down 1.9%
The company is the largest wireless carrier in the North America, serving millions of customers nationwide. The stock has a Zacks Rank #3
Walmart Inc. WMT – Down 1.9%
The Zacks Rank #3 company has evolved from just being a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer into an omnichannel player.
Merck & Co Inc. MRK – Down 2.3%
The Zacks Rank #3 company boasts more than six blockbuster drugs in its portfolio with PD-L1 inhibitor, Keytruda, approved for several types of cancer, alone making up for more than 25% of its pharmaceutical sales.
Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Free Stock Analysis Report
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV): Free Stock Analysis Report
Walmart Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report
3M Company (MMM): Free Stock Analysis Report
Merck Co., Inc. (MRK): Free Stock Analysis Report
Proshares Short Dow30 (DOG): ETF Research Reports
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Officials in Puerto Rico announced Wednesday that the U.S. territory expects to receive its first COVID-19 vaccines by mid-December as the island hits a record number of daily cases and hospitalizations. Health care workers, teachers and certain public sector employees are among those who will take priority, officials said. […]
Aún celebran sus victorias en los Latin Grammy y ahora se medirán por el Grammy anglo: Natalia Lafourcade, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Ricky Martin, Camilo, Kany García y Fito Páez están entre los artistas galardonados la semana pasada por la Academia Latina de la Grabación que recibieron nuevas nominaciones al Grammy el martes. Carlos Vives […]
Dos mujeres que fueron detenidas en el norte de Montana por agentes de la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de Estados Unidos por hablar español mientras realizaban compras llegaron a un arreglo financiero en su demanda contra la agencia, dijo el martes la Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU) de Montana. Ana Suda y […]
){kind=small}
