Key Takeaways U.S. stocks plummeted last Friday as escalating trade tensions and weak labor data dampened investor confidence. The newly announced tariffs on several trading partners heightened concerns about global growth, while a surprisingly soft July jobs report cast a shadow over the domestic economic outlook. These developments led to a broad sell-off across Wall Street. The latest employment data delivered an unexpected shock to the market. Nonfarm payrolls rose only 73,000 in July, well below consen ...

Market Overview - Significant turbulence in global financial markets due to escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, particularly Israeli airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities [1] - Major U.S. indices experienced sharp declines, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 1.8% (769.81 points), S&P 500 down 1.1% (68.29 points), and Nasdaq Composite down 1.3% (255.67 points) [2] Investment Opportunities - Value stocks may become attractive during market uncertainty as they are often priced below intrinsic value, providing a margin of safety [3] - Effective valuation metric for value stocks is the Price to Cash Flow (P/CF) ratio, with companies like StoneCo Ltd. (STNE), Centene Corporation (CNC), CVS Health Corporation (CVS), and Pfizer Inc. (PFE) showing low P/CF ratios [4][10] Financial Health Metrics - P/CF ratio is preferred over Price/Earnings (P/E) as it reflects a company's financial health by adding back non-cash charges to net income [5][6] - Positive cash flow indicates increased liquidity, allowing companies to settle debts, reinvest, and undertake shareholder-friendly actions [7] Value Investing Strategy - A comprehensive investment strategy should include multiple metrics such as price-to-book ratio, price-to-earnings ratio, and price-to-sales ratio, along with a favorable Zacks Rank and Value Score [8][12] - Parameters for selecting true-value stocks include P/CF less than or equal to industry median, minimum stock price of $5, and various other financial ratios [9][11] Company Performance Insights - StoneCo (STNE) has a Zacks Rank 1, with projected sales and EPS growth of 10.9% and 4.4% respectively, and shares have risen 15.2% in the past year [14] - Centene (CNC) holds a Zacks Rank 2, with projected sales and EPS growth of 10.1% and 1.5% respectively, but shares have declined 19.1% in the past year [14] - CVS Health (CVS) also has a Zacks Rank 2, with projected sales and EPS growth of 3.5% and 12.6% respectively, and shares have increased by 10.4% in the past year [15] - Pfizer (PFE) carries a Zacks Rank 2, with projected sales and EPS declines of 0.6% and 1.6% respectively, and shares have fallen 9.1% in the past year [16]

Wall Street saw a strong rally on Monday, driven by renewed optimism over U.S.-China trade relations. A 90-day agreement between the two nations to reduce tariffs has rekindled hopes of easing global trade tensions. The United States will lower duties on Chinese imports from a steep 145% to 30%, while China has agreed to cut its retaliatory tariffs on American goods from 125% to 10%, signaling a shift from confrontation to cooperation.Markets responded positively, with the S&P 500 jumping 3.3% to settle at ...