As President Donald Trump's tariff wars wreak havoc on Wall Street, the number of stocks on IBD Leaderboard has dwindled to seven: three full members, plus four on the watchlist. Ollie's Bargain Outlet — the April 1 IBD Stock Of The Day — joins Agnico-Eagle Mines and TG Therapeutics as full Leaderboard members.
Intuitive Surgical, ADMA Biologics, Amer Sports and Doximity comprise the four names on the watchlist.
Trump's trade war with Canada, China and the European Union has dragged the Nasdaq into bear market territory. Already more than 20% below its Dec. 16 high of 20,204.58, the tech-heavy index gapped down again on Monday but fought back to come off the day's lows.
Few stocks remain unscathed in this environment. The IBD Methodology puts risk management and rules for when to sell stocks in focus. While making new purchases is extremely risky, savvy investors stay engaged. continuing to build and monitor a list of stocks to watch.
At some point, the market will find a bottom and new opportunities will emerge. To safely make the most of any ensuing rebound, investors should prepare now, arming themselves with sound rules for how to buy stocks when trends change for the better.
Surviving A Bear Market
Safeguarding your portfolio takes top priority in a bear market.
Given the sharp sell-off on the market indexes, the whittled down number of stocks on IBD Leaderboard comes as no surprise.
Ollie's Bargain Outlet has fared better than the general market. That shows up in the sharp spike in its relative strength line. Now is by no means an ideal time to buy. But the discount retailer managed to close above its 50-day moving average and near a 115.42 buy point it initially cleared on March 31.
While tracking stocks to watch as the bear market plays out, investors should monitor the action around key moving averages. See if Leaderboard names like Agnico-Eagle Mines, TG Therapeutics and ADMA Biologics continue to hold support above the 50-day line and other benchmarks.
After falling below its 50-day line last month, Intuitive Surgical has also retreated below its 200-day moving average.
Investors should also track the moving averages in relation to each other. It's a sign of improving technical strength when a shorter-term moving average climbs back above a long-term moving average. Ollie's just showed such action as its 21-day exponential moving average moved back above the 50-day benchmark last week.
On the flip side, the 21-day line for Doximity has turned south, undercutting the longer-term 50-day line.
So as the bear market plays out, monitor these key moving averages to gauge the improving or deteriorating health of a stock.
Preparing For The Next Bull Market
Given Wall Street's sharp retreat into a bear market, it will take time to reverse course.
Rather than focus solely on winners from the last uptrend, investors should also look for new stocks to lead the next rally.
Investors can track names on IBD Leaderboard. There they can run custom stock screens to find stocks to watch based on their own criteria.
Investors can also track other exclusive stock lists to find ideas. They can also use IBD Stock Checkup to rate the fundamental and technical health of any stock.
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Follow Matthew Galgani on X (formerly Twitter) at @IBD_MGalgani.
