David Fingold

Regarding recession, developments have increased the attention being paid to it e.g. Geo-political, inflation. He hopes for the best but be conservative and invest in high quality companies and maybe have a cash cushion. For the tech group be under-weight or on the sidelines. It has had a great run and may be in a 'pause' mode. There are still good opportunities but be selective. Healthcare and Energy which had fallen behind have re-asserted themselves and it looks like the markets are gravitating to new leadership.

An innovative company based in Switzerland. Makes chemicals and adhesives for construction. It has recently under-performed and is in the process of closing an acquisition. Cost of raw materials is higher. He likes it but is staying on the sidelines. It needs a catalyst.

It is in the IT consulting space. There are very few global companies like this to provide this kind of advice. It's a 'steady-eddy' business but what happens with commodity prices and cost of labour. There is some moderation of corporate profits so wait for margins to stabilize. It will be interesting when a soft landing is in site.

It is mostly a wealth management and investment bank so it is affected by the movement in the bond and stock markets.The wealth management part will be affected by losses in asset reduction under administration. Both components need to see stability regarding macro concerns. Keep an eye on the IPO calendar for numbers as well as corporate debt levels.

Regarding the price to sales part of the question he feels this metric is controversial as it is hard to determine whether the price is too high or too low. It is a very good company and he bought the IPO spin-off from Pfizer. It is in animal health and there are concerns over its valuation. Many similar companies in human health trade at lower valuations and are growing nicely. It has outperformed for a long time so it may be ready for a break. Wait and watch for people to gravitate to animal health.

It is in cybersecurity, is one of the most interesting companies, and has a good product. Crowd is getting a good market share. Palo Alto is a growth stock but he is a value investor.

(A Top Pick Aug 06/21, Down 15%) Frustrating stock move movement because it is in healthcare and is the second largest producer of endoscopes and eye glass lenses. However the market is gravitating towards pharmaceutical. Also a smaller part is tied to the tech space which is doing well and could be doing even better when techs improve. He is a long term holder but doesn't know the long term catalysts.

(A Top Pick Aug 06/21, Down 7%) It provides filtration systems for semi-conductors and metals for silicon wafers. It is well tied into the fastest growing trends within semis. Watch for developments in the semi space and wait for improvement.

(A Top Pick Aug 06/21, Down 23%) Interest rates are rising too fast instead of the slow gentle increases as in the past. There are losses in the bond markets matching record levels from a long time ago. The banking space is under-performing so be underweight and selective in this sector and wait for a pause in the interest rate hiking schedule.

They make industrial gases for varied purposes integral to the economy. It is a very good business, is resilient and stable within the materials sector. It is positioned well for longer term trends e.g. green initiatives. It is defensive and the valuation could fall.

It is wealth management only and therefore at the mercy of interest rates and the equity market so business is more challenging. It needs stable interest rates, stability in the fixed income market and an advancing equity market.

It is based in Israel and is in the semi-conductor space. It does optical and X-ray inspections of semis. It has performed well and its technology is needed more and more. It is a long term hold and needs patience.

It is mostly a European steel producer and is tied to steel prices. The question is will steel prices keep going higher. This can be affected by the Russian/Ukraine conflict. Also it is very exposed to appliances and autos and a bit to construction. The appliances and auto sectors are held up by the semi shortage so it is in the 'too hard to understand pile'.

It can both grow and maintain production. Free cash flow will go to dividends and not to re-investment. Most large oil companies are not re-investing in projects except to offset declines so an over-supply is not likely. The risk is management execution and commodity price.

It is an energy services company. Big oil companies who want to grow production and replace declines will hire companies like SLB to help with services including drilling fluid, measuring while drilling, etc. Recovering oil companies are increasing their capital budgets and so the baton is being passed along to the services space. Buy 26, Hold 2 Sell 0. (Analysts’ price target is $50.25)