Barron's Picks And Pans: Applied Materials, Boeing, Travelers And More

This weekend's Barron's suggests how to play what could be a doozy of a coming year.

Other featured articles look at 2020 tech trends and innovations in exchange traded funds.

Also, the prospects for a chip equipment leader, a struggling aerospace giant, upcoming IPOs and more.

Jack Hough shares why investors should prepare for a brave new world of stocks and stock indexes in "The 2020s May Be a Doozy. Stick With the Tried and True in Investing." Should Broadcom Inc AVGO be part of your portfolio?

Jack Hough's "Chip-Equipment Stock Applied Materials Is Not as Cheap—but Still a Buy" shows that Silicon Valley stalwart Applied Materials, Inc. AMAT has strong free cash flow and a diversified product lineup headed into the new year.

In "4 Stocks to Play 2020's Most Important Tech Trends," Tae Kim makes a case that there are big things coming for 5G, the cloud, videogames and more. How to see through the hype and find the best stocks. Does that include Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI?

Dennis Muilenburg is out as CEO at Boeing Co BA and Dave Calhoun is in. The change was necessary, but it was not enough on its own to send the stock higher, according to Al Root's "Boeing Has a New CEO. It's Still Not Time to Buy Its Stock."

In John Coumarianos' "3 Innovations in ETFs to Watch Next Year," find out how investors in exchange-traded funds may be getting defensive, but changing rules are facilitating new ETF products, tax benefits and entry into the 401(k) market.

See also: Gene Munster Talks Tesla's Opportunity, Apple's Valuation, Netflix's Headwinds

Craig Mellow points out that budding tech superstars across China, South Korea and Taiwan are rivaling the West in next-wave technologies in "Emerging Market Stocks Had a Dismal Decade. Where to Look for Growth Going Forward." See what to expect from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA and others.

In "IPOs Performed Better Than You Think in 2019 — With Average Returns Over 20%," Eric Savitz discusses why, despite disappointments from Uber Technologies Inc UBER and others, it was a solid year for new issuances.

Dow Jones industrial average component Travelers Companies Inc TRV had an unexceptional 2019. So says Ben Levisohn's "Insurance Company Travelers Had a Mediocre 2019. Next Year Could Be the Same." It's a look back at 2019 and a look at what to expect in 2020.

Also in this week's Barron's:

• How Vanguard plans to stay on top
• Avoiding drama in a family succession plan
• Whether America is ready for coming technological changes
• Why investors should be skeptical about the crowded liver disease treatment pipeline
• How dividend futures work

At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.

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