Stock Picks and Ideas for 2021

Jan. 22, 2021 8:50 pm ET

To the Editor: 

Regarding “The 2021 Roundtable” (Cover Story, Jan. 15), I agree that there will be a lot of pent-up demand once enough people get the vaccine, but what happens after the party? High stock valuations, a $27 trillion debt that’s climbing rapidly, rampant speculation in initial public offerings, stocks like Tesla with a market cap higher than the top 11 car companies combined, Bitcoin going through the roof, retiring baby boomers, record low interest rates that have nowhere to go but up, and inflation. It’s not 2021 I’m worried about; it’s when all of these issues have to be addressed. You can kick the can down the road only so far before you come to a dead end.

Fred Johnson, On Barrons.com

To the Editor:

Meryl Witmer’s comments need to be repeated again and again. We are not going to get income equality until we get education equality. Public schools in city after city, including Chicago, my former home, are not preparing young people for careers—and certainly not for income equality. Check the graduation and truancy rates. It isn’t racism when you don’t hire a candidate—no matter the race—because he or she doesn’t have the needed skills.

Charles Nekvasil, Columbus, Ohio

To the Editor:

I was much impressed with James Anderson’s comment, “What last year makes me think is that we all need a huge dose of humility.” That resonates with all of us who have sought to be on guard against the Dunning-Kruger effect [a cognitive bias whereby people overestimate their own competence in a given domain]. And it was also interesting to note that Anderson’s 2020 picks performed best among your experts.

Clearly, there is no performance-based invitation to return, as one of your experts had 75% of her long selections down 20% to 30%—in a strong market—and 100% of her shorts up by as much as 60% to almost 80%. A final thanks to Anderson for not giving his views on the economic prospects of the United Kingdom. I am able to sleep better as a result, although, like a child, I occasionally wake up screaming, thinking about the economic future of the U.K. Singapore-on-the-Thames? Delusional.

James D. Alban-Davies, Rye, N.Y.

To the Editor:

Thank you for your article making a case for index funds. Actually, it wasn’t really an article on index funds. It was your 2020 Roundtable review of stock picks. Of a total of 58 stocks picked by the experts, only 15 beat the S&P 500. Like I said, a case for index funds.

To the Editor:

As always, I enjoyed reading your insightful Roundtable, but given the times and circumstances, a name change is in order: the Rectangular Tableau.

Paul Matten, Naples, Fla.

Free-Speech Rights

To the Editor:

With regard to “Why Repealing Section 230 Could Ruin the Internet” (Tech Trader, Jan. 15), the irony of the digital information age is that it has given respectability to uninformed, gauche, even ignorant opinion. YouTube, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, 10 million bloggers bombard us 24/7.

We don’t need Section 230 because it is redundant. We have something called the First Amendment. I avoid social-media sophistry because it has distorted freedom of speech into hate speech with impunity. Section 230 is a lawyer’s dream. It has allowed government to interfere where interference is unwarranted. We need only one set of laws that apply to all media. That law was established in the Bill of Rights in 1791.

I subscribe to The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s because they do an excellent job of attempting to present only the most tempered and accurate information. Being an adult means you are responsible for your conduct.

B.J. Khalifah, Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.

To the Editor:

Eric J. Savitz is correct that making amendments to the 1996 Communications Decency Act should be studied carefully and not made in great haste. The U.S. Senate will probably stop intemperate measures from becoming law, but many members of Congress are whipping themselves into a frenzy for different reasons.

However, any free-speech rights we may still have are more important to me than the market value or utility of Amazon.com, Twitter, or Facebook. We cannot delegate the regulation of the First Amendment to three private companies with their own ideas of what free-speech rights we get to have.

Seeking Nominations On Educational Inclusion

Barron’s is looking to recognize organizations that are having a meaningful impact in addressing uneven access to education in the U.S.

Educational inclusion is the theme of this year’s installment of the Barron’s Celebrates program. Challenges that parents and children face in gaining access to educational resources aren’t new. But difficulties have intensified with the Covid-19 crisis and remote learning.

Organizations that are making a difference are encouraged to participate. Programs and organizations eligible include those that help provide access to technology and tutoring; support schools and teachers in providing access to learning; and assist families that face difficulties juggling responsibilities for at-home teaching, caregiving, and work. Programs should serve kindergarten to 12th-grade education in the U.S.

Up to three organizations will be selected to be highlighted in Barron’s and at an event later this year. Entrants will be judged on purpose, scalability, and effectiveness. Barron’s will name independent judges who will review the submissions.

The deadline for entering is Feb. 15. Submit your nominations here.