Yahoo Finance·2026-01-06 19:31Group 1: Market Trends and Predictions - Veteran investor Louis Navellier warns against chasing the recent "junk rally" in low-quality stocks, advocating a return to quality stocks with strong earnings growth as the 2026 financial year begins [1] - Navellier predicts a "big flip" in January where quality companies with accelerating sales and earnings will regain market leadership, following a fourth-quarter mean reversion [2] - He highlights an increase in institutional buying pressure in data center stocks as an early sign of this trend [3] Group 2: Company Earnings and Growth Projections - Navellier is positioning his portfolio for the upcoming corporate earnings season, referring to it as "judgment day" for earnings [4] - Nvidia Corp. is identified as a top pick, expected to report a 66.7% increase in sales and a 71% jump in earnings, driven by new chip sales to China [4] - Palantir Technologies is forecasted to see a 64.1% earnings surge due to its role in AI implementation for government contracts [5] - Seagate Technology and Celestica are also highlighted as beneficiaries of the data center boom, with earnings expected to rise 37.6% and 58.1%, respectively [5] Group 3: Economic Outlook - Navellier expresses concern over the broader economy, predicting that deflation will be the primary story for 2026, rather than inflation [6] - He cites falling rental costs, declining condo prices, and low energy prices as indicators that the Federal Reserve should cut rates by at least 100 basis points to prevent a deeper economic slowdown [7] Group 4: Market Performance - In 2025, the S&P 500 increased by 16.65%, while the Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones gained 20.54% and 13.38%, respectively [8] - The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF showed positive premarket movements, with SPY up 0.24% at $684.82 and QQQ up 0.52% to $616.29 [8]