Tariff Turmoil: Top 10 Stocks on Sale (April 2025)
The market has been primed for a correction for quite some time (e.g. valuations were rich and investors were overconfident in continuing high growth), and President Trump just pushed stocks over the edge with his draconian tariffs. We don’t know when the selloff will end, but we can estimate the three phases of this trade war. We can also say with significant confidence, the economy is still growing, and stocks will eventually trade higher (likely much higher). In this report, we countdown our top 10 highly-attractive stock rankings, which includes an alternating mix of high-growth and high-income opportunities, to help you customize your portfolio to take full advantage of the impressive opportunities being created by this rip-your-face-off market correction.
The market has been primed for a correction for quite some time (e.g. valuations were rich and investors were overconfident in continuing high growth), and President Trump just pushed stocks over the edge with his draconian tariffs. We don’t know when the selloff will end, but we can estimate the three phases of this trade war. We can also say with significant confidence, the economy is still growing, and stocks will eventually trade higher (likely much higher). In this report, we countdown our top 10 highly-attractive stock rankings, which includes an alternating mix of high-growth and high-income opportunities, to help you customize your portfolio to take full advantage of the impressive opportunities being created by this rip-your-face-off market correction.
3 Phases of the New Trade War
As you can see in the chart above, it didn’t take long for stocks to give back their gains from the previous year, as bonds (an assets class that was ridiculed as obsolete a few months ago) are now leading stocks in performance over the last year.
Phase 1: Liberation Day: Phase 1 of this trade war is President Trump announcing massive tariffs against international trading partners (most of whom which the US has a trade deficit). And of course, the hideous market selloff that just accelerated to frightening speed over the last few trading sessions. A case can be made that phase 1 has been going on for decades as foreign countries take advantage of US wealth, but no one can dispute Trump just whipped the trade war into high gear with his newly announced tariffs.
Phase 2: Concessions and Economic Damage: Phase 2 of the trade war will be the concessions and economic-destruction period. This will include a wide range of concessions and timeframes as the US renegotiates trading terms (tariffs) with foreign countries. Real economic damage will likely occur during this phase, as costs rise for US consumers, economic growth slows, and the declines we have experienced in the stock market so far likely reflect true value destruction that will occur as a result of the tariffs (as we wrote about here).
Regarding concessions, some will occur quickly, and be mostly meaningless, but the US President will most certainly tout them as big wins. Some concessions will happen slowly, and the value of the changes will be economically ambiguous (but again, there will be a lot of “victory lapping” from the US President).
The most important parts of phase 2 will be trade negotiations with large trading partners like China, Canada and Mexico. Mexico will likely be the quickest and most reasonable (because they are the most reasonable). Canada will likely be a lot friendlier (especially in their rhetoric) following their upcoming election at the end of April. China will be the least reasonable, simply because they are the most culturally different (i.e. they are communist, and they don’t really believe in things like “property rights” or “the American Dream”).
At the end of phase 2 (when most of the so called “concessions” have been made), real near-term economic damage will have been done, the long-term economics may actually be slightly improved for the US (in terms of trade deficits), and the US President will proclaim huge victory.
Phase 3: Relapse: Over time, less wealthy countries will creep back into taking economic advantage of the US, especially China (a country the doesn’t believe in property rights or Western values). However, phase 3 will also bring less uncertainty, less market volatility and healthy stock market gains (building off a new, albeit lower, base).
Whether we are closer to the beginning or end of the tariff selloff is uncertain, but stocks are certainly trading a lot lower than they were. And over the long-term they will likely be trading a lot higher than they are now.
So with that backdrop in mind, let’s get into our top 10 ranking of highly-attractive stocks, which includes an alternating mix of high-growth and high-income opportunities for you to consider (based on your own individual and unique situation and goals).
10. Nvidia (NVDA)
Nvidia is a highly-attractive growth stock that gets a lot of attention and that is currently trading down big. Nvidia is in the center of both the AI megatrend and the Trump Trade War. Regarding the former, Nvidia GPU chips are ground zero for AI processing (i.e. they are the premier chips and they are in extremely high demand—a really good thing). And regarding the trade war, the US has already placed international trade restrictions on Nvidia chips for national security reasons, and the new trade war has caused the shares to fall very hard as international sales may be restricted even dramatically more (i.e. less international sales for Nvidia).
Also, even though Nvidia is a US company, its chips (e.g. Blackwell) are largely produced by Taiwan Semiconductor in Taiwan, which complicates tariff considerations, especially because of ongoing disputes about Taiwan’s independence from China (China thinks they own Taiwan, Taiwan and the US disagree).
We recently wrote about Nvidia in detail here. But the bottom line is Nvidia is an extremely attractive long-term growth business, trading at a very compelling price and valuation (especially after the sharp trade war selloff), and if you are a patient long-term investor, Nvidia shares will likely eventually be trading dramatically higher than they are now.
9. Ares Capital (ARCC):
Switching gears to highly-attractive high-income opportunities, Ares Capital offers a big 9.6% dividend yield, and the shares just sold off sharply (and the price-to-book valuation has come down to approximately 1.0x or par—a good thing).
Ares basically makes loans to private companies, and the Trump trade war threatens this business because an economic slowdown increases the chances that the private companies Ares lends to won’t be able to pay back the loans. For example, credit spreads (or the difference in interest rates between safe loans, such as treasuries, and riskier high-yield loans, such as the ones Ares makes) just widened significantly. However, as a general rule, this makes Ares a more attractive investment opportunity because widening spreads have caused the valuation and price to fall (buy low) as long as you don’t think the sky is falling (i.e. as long as the Trump tariffs don’t completely destroy the economy—which we are banking on “they will not”). Said differently, the sell off in Ares just created a more attractive opportunity to pick up shares of this big-yield BDC (if you are into big yields).
8. SuperMicro Computer (SMCI):
Switching gears back to highly-attractive, high-growth companies, SuperMicro is also benefiting from explosive growth in the AI megatrend (SuperMicro basically makes servers that house Nvidia chips, as we wrote about here), but has also sold off extremely hard as the trade war threatens international sales and economic growth in general.
Further complicated the SuperMicro situation (or actually making it an even better “buy low” opportunity) the shares trade at an even more extremely low valuation following the resignation (and recent replacement) of its auditor (which delayed the reporting of its financials). But with the new auditor in place, and the AI megatrend likely to persist despite trade war challenges (we don’t believe the trade war will end the global economy—not even close), SuperMicro shares are trading way too low, and the price should eventually go much high (from both multiple expansion and continuing long-term revenue growth).
7. Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND):
For all the people who were proclaiming bonds were “dead” after the horrible post-covid bond ETF crash (as rates were increased rapidly by the fed to combat inflation created by excessive stimulus, bond price fell hard). However, if the Tariff War Selloff accelerates bonds provide the double benefit of being a flight-to-safety asset class (whereby investors pile in and drive the price up), but also if the fed is forced to eventually cut interest rates even faster than hawkish chair Powell has been talking (which is virtually inevitable if the economy gets bad) then bond prices (and this ETF’s price) will rise. Also worth mentioning, considering the US government’s high debt, the Fed cannot realistically increase bond prices that much (which would be bad for bond ETFs) because it would crush the US under the weight of increased interest payments on its own massive debt. Despite popular opinion that bond funds are somehow dead—they’re not. And BND is an attractive diversifier against the risk of stocks that also happens to offer a decent 3.7% yield and the potential for price appreciation too.
6. Texas Pacific Land Corp (TPL)
This is another company with significant share price appreciation potential. This is a unique play in the oil and gas industry (which just sold off hard on fears of a trade-war-induced economic slowdown). TPL owns “tons” (a technical term) of land in the West Texas Permian Basin, and then leases it to companies for oil and gas production (so it doesn’t have any significant operational costs or risks—it basically just collects royalties from the companies it leases the land to). TPL shares were down big, in sympathy with the entire energy industry, but it can weather economic challenges much easier than companies that actually have to spend money on all the machinery and equipment to produce oil and gas. We wrote this one up in more detail here.
5. PIMCO Dynamic Income Opportunities Fund (PDO)
This big yield closed-end fund was doing great all year (unlike most of the rest of the market) but just sold off hard in the last few trading sessions.
It seems the share price of this 11.2% yield, monthly-pay, bond fund got hit with the double whammy of credit spreads widening (they own a lot of high-yield bonds) and Fed chair Jerome Powell thumbing his nose at Trump by claiming he’s in no hurry to lower interest rates as inflation is still a concern (cutting rates will increase the price of PDI—a bond fund—because of its positive duration—or interest rate risk). PDO trades at a modest 6% premium to NAV (compelling for a top PIMCO bond fund). And again, the shares were doing great all year, and the steep price decline provides a more attractive entry point for investors.
The Top 4
The top 4 ideas is reserved for subscribers only, and it can be accessed here. It actually includes more than just 4 ideas, and it is an attractive mix of high-growth and high-income opportunities, on sale, and highly attractive right now.
The Bottom Line:
President Trump is a bold loud mouth who is trying to improve the US economy by reducing trade deficits through tariffs. The recently announced tariffs will absolutely do harm to the US economy in the short term (if they are implemented) and the face-ripper stock market declines we have experienced (and that may continue) are already pricing in a significant amount of economic value destruction.
In the long-term, Trump’s efforts may incrementally improve the trade deficit and the US economy, although we can say with a high degree of certainty Trump will brag about the “success” of these tariffs no matter what.
We can also say with a high degree of certainty, the US (and global) economies are resilient and growing, and over the long term they will likely pull stock prices higher (and probably dramatically higher).
We also know that the stock prices of highly-attractive businesses (both high growth and high income) are now lower than they were, and significantly more attractive in select instances, such as those highlighted in this report (although trying to exactly call the bottom is a fool’s errand).
Rather, disciplined, goal-focused, long-term investing continues to be a winning strategy. And at the end of the day, you need to do what is right for you (based on your own unique situation). And if you buy attractive stocks now—you will be getting a much better price than you were a few days ago.
Top Growth Stocks: AI Fear Creates Opportunity (March 2025)
As you can see in the 10-day return column (below), Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) stocks have been particularly volatile. Much of this volatility is fear-driven and has thereby created select attractive opportunities, as the AI megatrend is still fully intact (i.e. it’s in its early innings). In this report, I share my top 10 AI growth stock rankings, starting with #10 and counting down to my very top ideas.
As you can see in the 10-day return column (below), Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) stocks have been particularly volatile. Much of this volatility is fear-driven and has thereby created select attractive opportunities, as the AI megatrend is still fully intact (i.e. it’s in its early innings). In this report, I share my top 10 AI growth stock rankings, starting with #10 and counting down to my very top ideas (4 Good Stocks) for March.
The AI Megatrend
Before getting into the top 10 rankings, it’s worth first reviewing the AI megatrend. In particular, it’s important to realize that just because the megatrend is in its early innings, that doesn’t mean all AI stocks will be successful.
Take for example, the Internet megatrend at the start of this century; many stocks were overhyped, overvalued, share prices eventually crashed, and it took many years for a lot of investors to recover (see graph below).
There were ultimately big Internet winners (such as Google, Meta and even Netflix), but there were a lot of big losers that never recovered too.
Recent AI Volatility:
Fast forward to the AI megatrend of today. There will be big winners and losers, and the market’s volatility over the last few weeks has created some additional margin of safety for would-be buyers, especially as the AI megatrend beings to shift from phase 1 (capital expenditures) to phase two (software implementation and related infrastructure demands—such as astronomical datacenter energy requirements).
*Honorable Mention:
Palantir (PLTR)
Before getting into the official top 10 rankings and countdown, it’s worth considering a truly impressive AI software company, Palantir (and my “honorable mention” in this report).
Palantir’s business has been growing like wildfire, and it has enormous amounts of continuing growth ahead. Plus, the shares have just recently sold off hard, thereby creating a more attractive price for potential buyers.
The problem with Palantir, however, is not it’s business (business is great!), it’s Palantir’s valuation. Much like the earlier green-red-and-blue graph of “Dot Com Darlings,” Palantir is so loved by many investors that its valuation has already reached incredible levels. For example, it’s recent price-to-sales ratio is over 75x (dramatically higher than just about every other opportunity in the table).
I have a high degree of confidence CEO, Alex Karp, will lead this business through incredible growth over the next decade (as the AI megatrend continues to unfold). However, I recently sold 100% of my Palantir shares at $101.00 per share (my average purchase price was in the $20’s) because it was being valued like the next 10 years already happened. I’ll look to add back shares of Palantir in the future (they’re already trading at a much more attractive price following recent market volatility, and we may get a shot in the coming months to buy back even lower).
Top 10 AI Growth Stocks:
So with that backdrop in mind, and considering recent market volatility (fear creates opportunity) let’s get into the top 10 AI growth stock rankings and countdown.
10: Snowflake (SNOW)
Snowflake is a cloud-based, big-data (structured and unstructured), AI company with incredible revenue growth and a truly massive total addressable market size/opportunity. The company’s platform allows businesses to consolidate disparate data into a single source to derive insights, build data-driven applications, and share securely with other teams and even other companies (impressive!). It also integrates with the big cloud platforms, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud (this is a big deal).
And Snowflake’s latest quarterly earnings announcement (released this past week) was also impressive. For example, revenue was $986.8 million (ahead of a $957 million estimate) and represented 28% year-over-year growth. Also impressive, the company’s net revenue retention rate was 126% (land-and-expand).
From a valuation standpoint, Snowflake is one of the more expensive names on the list, but this is to be expected as it is younger and it is turning the corner to more profitability. Additionally, its price-to-sales ratio has come down dramatically since the heights of the pandemic bubble, and the company’s relatively new CEO appears to be pivoting and accelerating the company in the right direction.
Given the truly massive AI market opportunities ahead, Snowflake presents an attractive long-term growth opportunity.
*(long Snowflake).
9. Constellation Energy (CEG)
Constellation Energy is the largest producer of carbon-free energy in the US, and it is positioned to benefit dramatically from the growing energy demands of AI datacenters. Specifically, CEG is focused on generating and supplying clean power through its extensive fleet of nuclear plants (along with hydro, wind, and solar facilities).
It serves a wide range of customers, including businesses, homes, and public sector entities, while also providing energy products and services tailored to meet the growing electricity demands of industries like AI and data centers.
The company surpassed expectation in its latest earnings release, and also increased its dividend by 25% (an indication of strength, especially for a utility sector stock). CEG’s 5-year earnings per share growth estimate is impressive (15%), especially considering the relatively low-beta nature of the utility sector combined with CEG’s ongoing benefits from big AI data center energy demand. This one has a lot of impressive upside potential in the years ahead.
8: Salesforce (CRM)
Salesforce is the leading cloud-based, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and it’s set to benefit from AI (particularly, “Agentforce,” Salesforce’s suite of autonomous AI agents).
Unlike some of the more aggressive AI growth stocks on this list, Salesforce is emerging as a “growth at a reasonable price” or “GARP” stock, considering the steady double-digit revenue growth combined with the compelling valuation, especially as the share price has pulled back recently. Trading at 1.7x sales, with 16% net margins and a 17.4% 5-year expected EPS growth rate, the Salesforce shares are compelling.
While the company’s fiscal 2026 revenue guidance ($40.5 billion to $40.9 billion) falls short (of the $41.46 billion expected by the street), Salesforce’s 34% operating margin forecast and steady profitability signal strength and attractiveness as a compelling GARP play (especially considering the company boosted its share repurchase program, thereby complementing its sturdy cash flow generation).
*(long Salesforce).
7. Nvidia (NVDA)
Nvidia is ground zero for the AI megatrend, as the semiconductor computer chips they make (graphical processing units, or GPUs) are the absolute dominant choice for AI users (and Nvidia’s CUDA programming platform is training developers to never switch to any competitor chips). Nvidia’s revenue growth over the last two years has been nothing short of spectacular.
And Amazingly, despite Nvidia’s incredible gains (see table above) it’s valuation is attractive. For example, check out its very low PEG ratio (price/earnings to growth) as compared to competitors (attractive!).
Just know that even though Nvidia is so extremely attractive, that doesn’t mean the shares cannot be volatile (they can be!), but based on the fundamentals, CUDA moat, high demand and ongoing megatrend trajectory, Nvidia is absolutely worth considering for a significant allocation in your long-term growth focused portfolio.
In fact, Nvidia is so large that it has become a huge portion of the S&P 500 (bigger than several entire market sectors and many countries), and if it continues to perform well you may certainly underperform the S&P 500 in the years ahead if you do NOT have a healthy allocation to Nvidia shares.
Also worth highlighting, Nvidia’s earnings announcement this past week exceeded analyst expectations with the company reporting record-breaking Q4 revenue of $39.3 billion, a 78% increase year-over-year (fueled in large part by datacenter growth). Also, the company’s ramp up of its cutting-edge Blackwell platform is expected to improve gross margins further in the years ahead.
*(long Nvidia).
6. GE Vernova (GEV)
GE Vernova is a global energy company (that spun out of General Electric), and it provides energy via gas turbines, wind energy (both onshore and offshore), hydropower, and electrification solutions (such as grid systems and power conversion). The company plays a key role in advancing sustainable energy infrastructure, thereby making it a critical player in the AI megatrend.
For example, the surge in AI data center adoption is driving unprecedented demand for reliable, efficient, and scalable power sources (see our earlier graph)—areas where GE Vernova excels). It also has a strong order pipeline, improving margins, and management thereby confidently initiated a new $6 billion share repurchase program (a good thing).
From a valuation standpoint, GE Vernova has an incredible (especially for a utility sector stock) 81% 5-year EPS growth estimate, and an impressive 0.8x forward PEG ratio. This is an compelling opportunity (especially following recent market volatility and the share price pullback).
5: Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
The volatility for this server and digital storage company has been extraordinary over the last 18 month, and the last 18 days. But one thing has remained constant—massive revenue growth related to the AI megatrend.
Super Micro shares skyrocketed in 2024 related to its benefits from AI and its relationship with AI chip leader Nvidia. However, the shares then sold off hard following skepticism about growth and the company’s financials (following a short-seller report and the resignation of its auditor, Ernst & Young).
The company finally filed its audited financials this past week, removing a big uncertainty, but the new auditor (BDO USA) noted material weaknesses in internal controls (e.g. IT deficiencies, inadequate documentation, and potential litigation and reputational damage from delayed filings).
The best investments are rarely without warts, and Super Micro trades at an incredibly attractive valuation if you can get past the drama. For example, SMCI has above 40% revenue growth, a 55% expected 5-year EPS growth rate, and trades at an incredibly low forward PEG ratio of ~0.1x (attractive!).
*(long SMCI)
The Top 4 AI Growth Stocks
To continue reading, the top 4 AI growth stocks are available here.
The Bottom Line
Just because shares have sold off in recent weeks, the AI megatrend is not over. In fact, it is still in its early innings and the recent share price pullback creates some additional margin of safety for long-term growth investors to buy.
The names highlighted in this report are particularly compelling, and hopefully provide some timely ideas worth considering as you manage your own investment portfolio.
And remember, near-term price volatility is often the price you pay for the best long-term returns. Long-term compound growth remains the 8th wonder of the world. And disciplined, goal-focused, long-term investing remains a winning strategy.