Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK)

The recent market leaders appear to be running out of steam, while stalwart stocks are grinding higher, with Verizon notable among them.

The euphoria in biotech stocks Monday was a nice change of pace. It also brought to the forefront some lessons about M&A in this industry.

Electoral risk remains the monster under the bed, and it only grows as our legislators intentionally choose the blame game over honest cooperation.

Stocks are reasonable. Or even cheap. There will be more sell-offs ahead but remember this day and do not get too negative.

I am long Merck, not Seattle Genetics, though the one to own now is obviously SGEN.

We've become accustomed lately to gap-up opens on Mondays, but some fresh acquisition agreements are helping drive this Monday's action.

After reviewing the rally, let's zero in on one biotech name, Genprex, and where it appears to be going.

Here are three names among the Dow 30 that are setting up nicely.

Let's look at the Dow Jones' swapping of Exxon for Salesforce, Pfizer for Amgen and Raytheon for Honeywell.

The buyers have decided that the researchers and doctors are going to beat the virus, so you better get on board or miss the move.

It is going to take successful vaccines and therapies and much lower unemployment to revive most of Walt Disney Co.'s businesses.

The whole group has run and the guidance from Clorox does show, more than anything, that nobody knows.

Plus, it could be quite a while before the labor market can absorb all those people who are out of jobs.

Our fate is in the hands of a few dozen companies with a dizzying array of clinical trials, and whoever gets there first is gonna make a fortune.

The smallish clinical-stage vaccine company looks like a trade, not an investment, and might be approached as an option play.

I would wait until the next down day, and there will be one.

Many quality companies that fit into the socially responsible investing camp offer direct-purchase plans, allowing investors an easy way to build an SRI portfolio.

I plan to add some additional exposure to each on the next 'hiccup' in the market using my usual covered call strategy.

Do you know what a company does, does it do it well, and is there anything going on that could change the trajectory?

The firm is obviously fast becoming a real player in creating treatment for certain cancers. The firm still loses money.

That's the really good news about why we could bounce back so quickly from Thursday's debacle.

The administration will provide increased financial support to 5 pharmas working on Covid vaccines, and we must keep an eye on price action in this uncertain market.

The Fed and Treasury are set on avoiding the mistakes that doomed us in the past, and we have to invest for this new market we're in now.

When I first started buying ARCT shares I didn't conceive of a valuation of $1 billion, but I also didn't conceive of the global impact of a pandemic.

WDAY looks ready to break out as traders weigh wether markets are now overbought after this 2-day run.

Rising U.S.-China tensions continue to weigh, but new home sales and stalled continuing jobless claims may be positive catalysts.

So what's the narrative? Simple: the recession is ending, it turned out to be a V recession and recovery after all.

The negatives are being shaken off like a first time rider on a long-time bull which means long remains the name of the game.