Value investors can use the power of catalysts to boost their returns in 2021, even if the broad market isn’t the bonanza it was in 2020.

The S&P 500 surged 16% in 2020, despite a global pandemic and an accompanying economic recession. Given that backdrop, it’s reasonable to think that 2021 may not produce a repeat of 2020. Selecting the right stocks could be the difference between a great year and a ho-hum year.

Market analysts and economists are worried about a market crash in the near future. Stock markets around the world are trading at their highest while economic data is the weakest it has been in decades. In such a scenario, a market crash seems like it’s just around the corner. Smart investors should look to prepare a stock portfolio that can hold its own in a falling market.

When it comes to the TSX, here are three stocks that can prove to be smart defensive plays in a volatile market. These stocks should perform better during a market crash than traditional growth stocks.

What do basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, former speaker Paul Ryan, former Disney top executive Tom Staggs and former astronaut Scott Kelly have in common? They are all part of SPACs (Special Purpose Acquisition Company).

What’s a SPAC?

A SPAC is a company that is formed solely to raise capital through an IPO (initial public offering) so that it can acquire an existing company. When a SPAC is created, it doesn’t have commercial operations, i.e. it doesn’t have any business to speak of. A SPAC is on the lookout for a great business (or two) it can buy.

To say that 2020 has been a volatile year for stocks would be an understatement. There are stocks that have ‘zoom’ed up, a few that have crashed and some that are in recovery mode. COVID vaccines are getting rolled out, BP has said that oil demand may never recover to pre-pandemic levels and the green shoots of recovery are starting to sprout.

When investors look at 2021, they need to look at stocks that combine the dual advantages of capital appreciation and stability. Here are three stocks that we recommend:

As multiple companies come out with successful vaccine trial results, benchmark indices are getting back to pre-pandemic highs. The TSX is less than 5% away from its February high of 17,944. While most investors look at bigger names to invest their funds, a lot of value stocks sit there, untouched.

Hammond Power Solutions is one such stock. The company is a manufacturer of dry-type and cast resin transformers and related magnetics that are used in industries as varied as renewable energy to drive and automation to energy distribution (electricity) to infrastructure to irrigation. The company operates across North America, Asia and the Middle East.

The EV stocks are rallying and so are a young 12 year old investors Twitter followers. Over night, Young Investor, an investor who has his own YouTube channel from the UK has significantly grew his following and is now over 17,500 followers. He is literally becoming a FinTwit viral sensation at the time of this writing. He’s already been interviewed by the New York Times and is in the process of being a guest on the Benzinga afternoon Youtube live.

We connected with this young trader to learn a little more about how he got started, what he’s trading, and his goals for his YouTube channel.

It is a matter of time before 5G rollout in North America is the norm. Companies and investors who are early to jump on this bandwagon will reap a lot of benefits. Here’s a list of the best 5G stocks that pay out great dividends to boot:

While 2020 has been a forgettable year for multiple reasons, the upcoming week will continue to remain volatile as several companies will be reporting Q3 earnings. This coupled with a second COVID-19 wave might further impact stock markets and investors.

Around 186 companies in the S&P 500 are expected to report quarterly results in the last week of October. Several Canadian giants such as Suncor, First National Financial, Maple Leaf Foods, Gildan Activewear, TC Energy, Canadian Utilities and Fortis are expected to announce Q3 results in this week.

The Toronto Stock Exchange launched the TSX30 last year. It is a flagship program that showcases the 30 top-performing stocks on the TSX and companies that have represented sustained excellence in the long-term.

The returns on the companies are calculated on the basis of dividend-adjusted share price appreciation over a three-year period. The list for 2020 was released last month and here we look at the top TSX five performers in the last three years.

John McKenzie, CEO of TMX Group said, “We are especially proud to present the 2020 TSX30, an important means of showcasing some exciting issuer success stories across our market. “

IPOs or initial public offerings have always excited investors. It is the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance. Before an IPO, a company is private with limited shareholders including the founders and some private investors. In other words, a typical stock investor cannot buy stocks of a private company. But once a company decides to go public and lists on an exchange, any investor can buy its stocks.

The electric vehicle space has been garnering significant interest in recent times. As people all over the world are transitioning towards environmentally friendly vehicles, share prices of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and peers have gained solid momentum right now. One such company is WorkHorse Group (NASDAQ:WKHS) that has surged close to 600% in 2020 and is valued at a market cap of $2.1 billion.

Automation has invaded most of the areas of finance and securities trading is no exception. Algorithmic Trading is the new age phenomenon and stock exchanges swear by it. According to the US, nearly 70% of overall trading volume in the US is done through algorithmic trading.

As the novel coronavirus bulldozed its way into the G7 nations in the US and Western Europe, it halted the biggest market rally on February 19. Within the next fortnight, the stock market plummeted by 20%, the fastest crash in this century in the US.

A 20% drop from the previous highs is considered as a bear market, but the speed with which the stocks dropped denotes a crash. However, the stock markets recovered amid optimism that the pandemic wouldn’t last long and the economy would revive. Since, the circumstance was unique, not similar to other historic crashes, the markets responded quickly.

TORONTO, July 21, 2020 – Hashtag Investing, a unique and rapidly growing social community for stock investors, has now launched an app for iOS and Android. where investors can now download the app from Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. This feature will now allow the members to access the community on their mobile devices so that they can stay updated, discuss and share their opinions on the go.

The social community for investors is now over 4,000 members strong and aims at becoming the highest quality online community for investor education and knowledge sharing. Through the Hashtag Investing app, stock investors can post updates, follow each other, share educational content, conduct polls, and chat real-time. Its robust platform has the power to become a full-fledged social networking site for stock investors.

Earnings season is here and technology giant Amazon will be announcing its quarterly results on April 30. So, what can you expect from the e-commerce heavyweight in the March quarter?

At a time when most industries are grappling under the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic, shares of Amazon have easily outperformed the broader markets. Amazon stock has gained 24% in 2020 compared to the S&P 500 decline of 10%.