
Markets have proven highly volatile in the first two months of President Trump’s new term of office, as investors are worried about everything from trade and tariff policy to increased inflation to geopolitics.
But there are some green lights flashing on the market dashboard. For starters, the prices of some staple goods are coming down – prices are dropping for both gasoline and eggs, for instance – and in the past two weeks, markets have turned back upward.
Covering the market situation from Morgan Stanley, equity strategist Mike Wilson takes a deeper dive into the ins and outs of financial trends—and he comes out on a cautiously optimistic note, at least for the near term.
“In our view, the combination of stronger seasonals, a falling dollar/10-year yield, oversold sentiment/positioning indicators and month/quarter end flows continue to make ~5500 support for a tradeable rally in the near term. As expected, lower quality, higher beta stocks have led the market higher after it reached the lower end of our 1H trading range (~5500-6100). Keep in mind that while the S&P was down only 10% in this correction, many stocks experienced 20%+ drawdowns,” Wilson noted.
The stock analysts at Morgan Stanley are picking out specific stocks for investors to bet on in such a rally. Using the TipRanks platform, we’ve looked up the bigger picture on two of them—both are Buy-rated. Let’s dive in.
Carvana Company (CVNA)
The first stock we’re looking at here is Carvana, a company that specializes in the resale of used vehicles. The Tempe, Arizona-based company was only founded in 2012, but is now the second-largest used car retailer operating in the US.
Carvana offers customers a unique used-car shopping experience. The company has brought the used car market online, allowing customers to shop for cars and compare prices through the website or via mobile app. Once a customer has chosen a vehicle, he can arrange delivery to the nearest Carvana office. In a twist that is unique in the US used car market, Carvana also offers car-sized ‘vending machines,’ automated facilities where vehicles can be delivered for test drives or pick-up. The company’s network currently includes more than 30 of these vending machines, with more planned.
Despite the recent high volatility, Carvana’s shares have gained 127% in the past 12 months. With the COVID pandemic in the rear-view mirror, Carvana has been thriving – and has emerged as a leader in the nation’s used-car market; a look at its most recent financial results, covering the fourth quarter and full year of 2024, will show that the company’s sales and revenues are increasing.