It's that time of year again... We're less than two weeks away from Christmas.

Amid a Busy Holiday Season, Avoid These Shipping Stocks By Vic Lederman, editorial director, Chaikin Analytics It's that time of year again... We're less than two weeks away from Christmas. And that means we're right in the thick of peak postal season. In fact, the U.S. Postal Service ("USPS") says that it has already delivered 3 billion pieces of mail and packages this holiday season. That sounds like a huge number. But in context, it's not as big as you might think... Consider that during the 2019 holiday season, USPS delivered about 16 billion pieces of mail and packages. By 2022, that number had declined to less than 12 billion. Now, you might be thinking that this should be good for private carriers. And in one sense, you'd be right. If people are still shipping packages but not through USPS, they would be using private carriers instead. But when it comes down to their stocks, it's a different story. The big-name private carriers you know are in "bearish" territory in the Power Gauge... Recommended Links: Clear Your Calendar for Tuesday, December 17 Marc Chaikin's one-of-a-kind system – the Power Gauge – could have pointed you to 45 of the top 50 stocks last year. In 2023, it flashed a "bullish" signal on 44 of the top 50. It even issued bullish ratings for all 10 of the top 10 stocks of 2022. On December 17, Marc wants to hand you the single most comprehensive stock market road map he has ever shared. Get the details here. Wall Street Warns: Stocks Could Be 'Dead Money' for the Next 10 Years Despite recent rallies, big banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, GMO, and Apollo Global Management are warning that stocks could now be dead money – for the next 10 years. At the same time, well-connected billionaires like Warren Buffett have been selling off U.S. stocks at an alarming rate. Today, one of America's most trusted market experts is stepping forward to explain what's really going on behind the scenes of this bull market – and why, even if you're sitting on large gains right now, you could soon face losses of 50% or more if you do nothing. Click here for all the details. You see, it's not just USPS that's suffering. The stocks of both FedEx (FDX) and United Parcel Service (UPS) are, too. In fact, United Parcel Service earns a "very bearish" rating from the Power Gauge right now. And so does FedEx. Take a look... That might come as a surprise to you. After all, we're in the age of e-commerce. It's the holiday season right now. And it feels like just about everyone is buying everything online. Yes, online sales have soared. But so has the carrier competition... If you order regularly from Amazon (AMZN), you've likely noticed that packages from the mega-retailer come in company-branded trucks. But that's not all... Amazon says it owns more than 110 aircraft as part of its fleet. Put simply, America's largest e-commerce company is squeezing out high-cost carriers like United Parcel Service and FedEx. Add it all up, and demand for United Parcel Service and FedEx has fallen since the pandemic. And the competition has gotten fiercer. That has led to serious declines. For example, in July, United Parcel Service reported that second-quarter profits had tumbled more than 30% compared with last year. And top-line revenue fell roughly 1%. So, the company is struggling to make money. And its slice of the pie is getting smaller, too. We can see the overall struggles play out in the stocks of both United Parcel Service and FedEx this year. Take a look at the chart below... As you can see, FedEx has been the stronger performer this year. Its stock is up about 12%. Meanwhile, shares of UPS have collapsed nearly 18% in 2024. Overall, both stocks have been terrible compared with the broad market. Remember, the S&P 500 Index has soared about 27% this year. That's a massive return. Put simply, United Parcel Service and FedEx are serious underperformers. The Power Gauge is clear, too. Both companies have "very bearish" ratings. That means our system says now isn't the time for dip buying. So, the holiday season might bring you to your local post office... or shipping center operated by a carrier like United Parcel Service. And it will likely be busy in there. It's peak season, after all. But the reality is that the American shipping landscape is more competitive than ever right now. And the legacy private carriers like United Parcel Service and FedEx are hurting. For now, I would follow the Power Gauge's lead and avoid both stocks today. Good investing, Vic Lederman Market View Major Indexes and Notable Sectors     # Hld:     Bullish     Neutral     Bearish Dow 30 -0.51% 10 11 9 S&P 500 -0.51% 104 268 125 Nasdaq -0.65% 30 48 22 Small Caps -1.32% 593 944 370 Bonds -1.21% — According to the Chaikin Power Bar, Small Cap stocks are somewhat more Bullish than Large Cap stocks. Major indexes are mixed. *  *  *  * Sector Tracker Sector movement over the last 5 days Discretionary +2.88% Communication +2.15% Staples -0.65% Information Technology -0.76% Financial -1.61% Real Estate -1.87% Industrials -2.22% Materials -2.46% Health Care -2.82% Energy -3.05% Utilities -3.84% *  *  *  * Industry Focus Insurance Services 9 31 11 Over the past 6 months, the Insurance subsector (KIE) has outperformed the S&P 500 by +5.89%. However, its Power Bar ratio, which measures future potential, is Weak, with more Bearish than Bullish stocks. It is currently ranked #12 of 21 subsectors and has moved down 9 slots over the past week. Indicative Stocks AIG American Internation AJG Arthur J. Gallagher BWIN The Baldwin Insuranc *  *  *  * Top Movers Gainers WBD +15.43% CHRW +4.52% WST +4.21% HSY +3.93% PARA +3.93% Losers ADBE -13.69% NDSN -8.19% WDC -5.59% NUE -5.08% STLD -4.97% *  *  *  * Earnings Report Earnings Surprises COST Costco Wholesale Corporation Q1 $4.04 Beat by $0.25 AVGO Broadcom Inc. Q4 $1.42 Beat by $0.03 CIEN Ciena Corporation Q4 $0.54 Missed by $-0.11 *  *  *  * You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to PowerFeed. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from PowerFeed, click here. You're receiving this e-mail at STEVENMAGALLANES520.NIMS@BLOGGER.COM. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, call +1 (877) 697-6783 (U.S.), 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern time or e-mail info@chaikinanalytics.com. Please note: The law prohibits us from giving personalized investment advice. © 2024 Chaikin Analytics, LLC. All rights reserved. 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