Alpha-Centric ESG Research

Kyle Rudden

The Biden-Harris administration recently announced four "Day One" priorities, the first of which is their COVID-19 response plan. COVID-19 response is first, because it is a prerequisite to economic recovery, which is the second of their four "Day One" priorities.Several investment themes are inherent in Biden's COVID-19 plan, some more direct and obvious than others. This Insight overviews more significant themes and their most representative stocks, in three sections (the first two will be expanded on in separate upcoming reports):<ol>
<li>
COVID-19 Testing: Testing is the largest, most tangible, nearest-term investment opportunity created by Biden's plan. An estimated US$75-100 billion for testing could be windfall for certain stocks, but not all. Selectivity is key, and timing is critical (related to vaccine development).</li>
<li>
Vaccine Delivery: Biden's plan emphasises vaccine manufacturing and delivery, versus vaccine development (Trump had allocated <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/explaining-operation-warp-speed/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">billions</a> to vaccine development companies). Some might go to big pharma companies for M&amp;D, but most should benefit other "cold chain" stocks.</li>
<li>
PPE Supply/Other: PPE manufacturing, of course, but that is largely old news. I will address it, but do so along with other more interesting collateral themes. For example, retail drugs chains, elder-care, medical technologies, and a few other related industries.</li>
</ol>

The Biden-Harris administration recently announced four "Day One" priorities, the first of which is their COVID-19 response plan. COVID-19 response is first, because it is a prerequisite to economic recovery, which is the second of their four "Day One" priorities.Several investment themes are inherent in Biden's COVID-19 plan, some more direct and obvious than others. This Insight overviews more significant themes and their most representative stocks, in three sections (the first two will be expanded on in separate upcoming reports):

COVID-19 Testing: Testing is the largest, most tangible, nearest-term investment opportunity created by Biden's plan. An estimated US$75-100 billion for testing could be windfall for certain stocks, but not all. Selectivity is key, and timing is critical (related to vaccine development).

Vaccine Delivery: Biden's plan emphasises vaccine manufacturing and delivery, versus vaccine development (Trump had allocated billions to vaccine development companies). Some might go to big pharma companies for M&amp;D, but most should benefit other "cold chain" stocks.

PPE Supply/Other: PPE manufacturing, of course, but that is largely old news. I will address it, but do so along with other more interesting collateral themes. For example, retail drugs chains, elder-care, medical technologies, and a few other related industries.


Biden COVID-19 Response Plan: Overview of Its Inherent Investment Themes

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

The rotation out of stay-at-home/COVID-19 beneficiary stocks and into reopening/economically sensitive stocks that we highlighted last week has continued, leading us to make several upgrades and one downgrade (see first bullet below). This broadening-out of participation and several other bullish developments highlighted below tells us the bulls have the upper hand. In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Discretionary, Transportation, and Manufacturing: CD-05 Auto Parts Retailers, TR-05 Large-Cap Air Freight &amp; Logistics, TR-12 Large-Cap Trucking, and MF-31 Building Products and Fixtures.

The rotation out of stay-at-home/COVID-19 beneficiary stocks and into reopening/economically sensitive stocks that we highlighted last week has continued, leading us to make several upgrades and one downgrade (see first bullet below). This broadening-out of participation and several other bullish developments highlighted below tells us the bulls have the upper hand. In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Discretionary, Transportation, and Manufacturing: CD-05 Auto Parts Retailers, TR-05 Large-Cap Air Freight &amp; Logistics, TR-12 Large-Cap Trucking, and MF-31 Building Products and Fixtures.

U.S. Equity Strategy: Healthy Sector Rotations Continue

Recent market developments are encouraging and have improved the overall health of the market, which has also incrementally improved our outlook. At the same time, there is still more to be desired before we can have confidence in the prospect of a broad market rally. In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Technology and Transportation: Semiconductor Equip., Large/Mid-Cap and Small-Cap, Electronic Equipment Components, and Trucking Large-Cap.

Recent market developments are encouraging and have improved the overall health of the market, which has also incrementally improved our outlook. At the same time, there is still more to be desired before we can have confidence in the prospect of a broad market rally. In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Technology and Transportation: Semiconductor Equip., Large/Mid-Cap and Small-Cap, Electronic Equipment Components, and Trucking Large-Cap.

U.S. Equity Strategy: Markets on the Mend, Still Not at Full Health

As the major averages break topside their respective 50-day M.A.s - a positive in its own right - we are encouraged by the shift away from growth &amp; defensives toward the down-and-out laggards in the value arena. It is too early to tell for certain if these are anything more than short-term countertrend moves, but for now the moves we are seeing give us reason for optimism -- something that was running very low just one week ago. In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Consumer Discretionary, Manufacturing, and Transportation: Homebuilding, Small-Cap, Auto Parts, Large-Cap, Trucking, Large-Cap, and Trucking, Small-Cap.

As the major averages break topside their respective 50-day M.A.s - a positive in its own right - we are encouraged by the shift away from growth &amp; defensives toward the down-and-out laggards in the value arena. It is too early to tell for certain if these are anything more than short-term countertrend moves, but for now the moves we are seeing give us reason for optimism -- something that was running very low just one week ago. In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Consumer Discretionary, Manufacturing, and Transportation: Homebuilding, Small-Cap, Auto Parts, Large-Cap, Trucking, Large-Cap, and Trucking, Small-Cap.

U.S. Equity Strategy: Value Closes the Gap on Growth

The S&amp;P 500 continues to move higher on narrow leadership, which is not inspiring a bullish outlook. Currently leading the S&amp;P 500 higher in terms of RS are Technology, Services, Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), and Procter &amp; Gamble (PG). If this were a bull market, (1) PG would likely NOT be listed here as leadership, and (2) we would expect to see participation broaden out to Discretionary (RCD), Transportation (IYT), banks (KBE), Industrials (XLI), and small-caps (IWM). All of these areas are still consolidating below meaningful resistance, and we continue to believe upside is likely to be muted as long as this rings true.In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Transportation, Materials, and Services:

The S&amp;P 500 continues to move higher on narrow leadership, which is not inspiring a bullish outlook. Currently leading the S&amp;P 500 higher in terms of RS are Technology, Services, Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), and Procter &amp; Gamble (PG). If this were a bull market, (1) PG would likely NOT be listed here as leadership, and (2) we would expect to see participation broaden out to Discretionary (RCD), Transportation (IYT), banks (KBE), Industrials (XLI), and small-caps (IWM). All of these areas are still consolidating below meaningful resistance, and we continue to believe upside is likely to be muted as long as this rings true.In today’s report we highlight attractive Groups and stocks within Transportation, Materials, and Services:

U.S. Equity Strategy: Semiconductors, Transportation Improving

United States

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. provides transportation and logistics services. The Company offers dry van, cross border freight transportation, fleet solutions, consulting, brokerage, equipment leasing, temperature controlled transport, and engineering services. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings serves customers in North America.

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Knight Transportation (KNX US)

Biden COVID-19 Response Plan: Overview of Its Inherent Investment Themes

Biden's recently-announced COVID-19 response plan suggests a number of investment themes. This Insight overviews the more significant of those...

Kyle Rudden

U.S. Equity Strategy: Healthy Sector Rotations Continue

The rotation out of stay-at-home/COVID-19 beneficiary stocks and into reopening/economically sensitive stocks that we highlighted last week has...

Vermilion Research

U.S. Equity Strategy: Markets on the Mend, Still Not at Full Health

Recent market developments are encouraging and have improved the overall health of the market, which has also incrementally improved our outlook....

Vermilion Research

U.S. Equity Strategy: Value Closes the Gap on Growth

As the major averages break topside their respective 50-day M.A.s - a positive in its own right - we are encouraged by the shift away from growth...

Vermilion Research

U.S. Equity Strategy: Semiconductors, Transportation Improving

The S&P 500 continues to move higher on narrow leadership, which is not inspiring a bullish outlook. Currently leading the S&P 500 higher...

Vermilion Research

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