Many experts expect stocks to fare better than bonds do this year, and Abby Joseph Cohen, renowned senior investment strategist at Goldman Sachs, is one of them.
"From an asset-allocation standpoint, 2015 will be a better year for U.S. equities than bonds," she tells
Barron's.
Granted, the Federal Reserve might delay raising interest rates out of concern about the deflationary impact of a strong dollar and falling oil prices, she notes.
"Nevertheless, equities are more attractively valued than fixed-income assets. My suggestions presume that the economy continues to grow."
The 30-year Treasury bond yield hit a record low of 2.33 percent Monday. The S&P 500's trailing price-earnings ratio totaled 19.71 Friday, up from 18.20 a year ago, according to Birinyi Associates.
Among the stocks that Cohen recommends are Carter's, which sells apparel and other products through brands including Carter's and OshKosh; FedEx; and Quest Diagnostics, which provides clinical laboratory services. Cohen notes that Carter's will benefit from falling cotton prices and a stronger dollar since some of its products are outsourced, while FedEx and Quest will both benefit from lower energy prices.
Morningstar analyst Keith Schoonmaker offers praise for FedEx.
"[It] continues to refine its portfolio to increase margins and capture more of its clients' shipping spending," he writes on Morningstar.com. "Well known for overnight parcel deliveries, FedEx has improved its competitive advantage by building the capacity to handle additional modes of shipping."
That includes ground delivery, less-than-truckload freight, asset-light air and ocean forwarding, Schoonmaker says. "FedEx can now handle most shipping modes. Fulfilling more of its customers' needs makes FedEx more difficult to displace and a bigger, stickier part of clients' operations."
To be sure, FedEx closed at $176.66 Monday, nearly 10 percent above his fair value estimate of $162.
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