A Few Stocks on the Jones Watch List

 

Market Talk

Recently, the challenges of navigating a market stuck in Market Limbo have been presented here. The use of smaller "test positions," while keeping more dry powder on the sidelines, is one tactic aimed at helping protect a portfolio from unnecessary losses.

The following are a few symbols that Jones continues to watch. They have been highlighted in previous reports. The developments below suggest they may be worthy of continued or renewed attention.

Stock Talk

• V2X (VVX) – Defense support and military readiness continue to make this one worth watching.
• SK Telecom (SKM) – A telecom name with AI initiatives and an attractive dividend.
• AeroVironment (AVAV) – Continues to secure military drone contracts while expanding its counter-drone technologies.
• Kratos Defense (KTOS) – A leader in affordable unmanned aircraft and next-generation defense programs.
• Kinross Gold (KGC) – May be showing signs of bottoming, although higher energy costs remain a factor to watch.
• Kimberly-Clark (KMB) – A consumer products company offering a solid dividend.
• Oncolytics Biotech (ONCY) – A speculative penny biotech. Patience will likely be needed as the colorectal cancer (CRC) trial continues to play out.

Below are a few images that help tell the story while replacing excess words in the interest of brevity.

The VVX Tempest buggy. One example of how VVX is rapidly developing solutions for an ever-changing battlefield.

.

AV Awarded $117.3 Million U.S. Army Production Contract for P550™

AV Awarded $117.3 Million U.S. Army Production Contract for the P550™
AV's modular P550 unmanned aircraft system delivers mission-ready adaptability through rapid payload swaps, multi-sensor integration, and up to five hours of all-electric endurance for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), strike, and communications relay missions in contested environments.

AVAV Laser anti drone system LOCUST

 

 KTOS UTAP-22 Mako
Another example of Kratos' unmanned aircraft capabilities. The UTAP-22 can carry payloads, including the Mako family of hypersonic missiles currently under development with Lockheed Martin.

KTIOS UTAP-22 Mako

 

Jones Bottom Line
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. As always, these are not recommendations but a few examples of the types of companies that continue to surface as Jones navigates a market still caught in Market Limbo. Smaller test positions, along with keeping some dry powder available, remain the approach while staying watchful for what comes next.

- Jones Report

This site is just for fun and insight, with no sponsors and no affiliations. If you like this free Jones Report, tell a friend. Why not?

________

If interested - scroll back and view notes on other stocks, we watch here at the Jones report.  Why not? With the caveat that things change and we try to stay aware - It's all FREE to read and make your own calls and decisions.  Finally - maintain some dry powder and trade or invest according to your own due diligence.

______________

More later so ....Stay tuned, if you dare!

For now, we close by noting that any view on the market and stocks on any particular day may change in the days to come. That is why we watch and see how our views match up with reality.  Looking ahead a few months may be a way to do things - but thinking too deeply about world events and the recent alliances forming, can make projecting ahead a dicey endeavor. 

All in all - we use the word maybe "some", not "too much" and play it accordingly.  Never get arrogant in our notions because things do change - and individual stocks are subject to many factors outside our control. So, we try to -stay aware.

With all the above caveats and attempted prognostications, I will close this post. Stay tuned for more opining on the market and stocks to watch.

___________

ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more.  This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.

V2X (VVX): An Underrated Stock the Market Doesn't Fully "Get" Yet

  

Market Talk

Recently, the challenges of navigating a market stuck in Market Limbo have been presented here. The use of smaller "test positions," while keeping more dry powder on the sidelines, is one tactic aimed at helping protect a portfolio from unnecessary losses.

Going forward, that notion applies to any and all stocks in this volatile market. Opportunities will come and go,but preserving capital while remaining positioned to participate may prove just as important as finding the next winner.

Stock Talk

V2X (VVX) supports the defense industry by maintaining military aircraft and other defense systems around the world. A critical mission.

But VVX is more than just another defense contractor. The company recently blew away expectations by reporting quarterly earnings of $1.53 per share. Yet I still think Wall Street is missing an important part of the story.

By the nature of its work supporting operations where rapidly changing threats emerge, VVX has developed rapid prototyping and engineering teams that can quickly adapt and deliver solutions to critical challenges.

Something I don't believe is showing up on analysts' screens is the potential for these rapid development teams to become a much larger part of the business. As modern warfare continues to evolve, the need for companies that can rapidly develop and field new technologies should only grow.

 The Tempest buggy. One example of how VVX is rapidly developing solutions for an ever-changing battlefield.

Recent YouTube videos show the Tempest buggy—rapidly developed by VVX—being used in Ukraine. They imply the company is involved in rapidly developing solutions to evolving threats to peace. It doesn't take much of a stretch to envision similar vehicles eventually operating autonomously in a myriad of support missions.

In Closing

VVX already enjoys Wall Street recognition and trades in the $70s. But I don't believe the market has fully recognized the company's unique positioning in rapidly developing solutions to critical challenges facing defense clients around the world.

Maintaining military aircraft and other defense systems is a critical business—one that helps safeguard the free world. Rapidly solving today's and tomorrow's military challenges could make this self-described "discreet" and "scrappy" company stand out from the crowd. If recent earnings are any indication, that story may already be unfolding, and I don't believe Wall Street analysts are fully capturing it yet.

Time will tell if Wall Street eventually comes to appreciate what I believe is an underrated opportunity.  As always, do your own due diligence. VVX may be worthy of a small "test position" while staying watchful.

Coming Soon:

A look at one penny stock that may represent another overlooked opportunity.

- Jones Report

This site is just for fun and insight, with no sponsors and no affiliations. If you like this free Jones Report, tell a friend. Why not?

________

If interested - scroll back and view notes on other stocks, we watch here at the Jones report.  Why not? With the caveat that things change and we try to stay aware - It's all FREE to read and make your own calls and decisions.  Finally - maintain some dry powder and trade or invest according to your own due diligence.

______________

More later so ....Stay tuned, if you dare!

For now, we close by noting that any view on the market and stocks on any particular day may change in the days to come. That is why we watch and see how our views match up with reality.  Looking ahead a few months may be a way to do things - but thinking too deeply about world events and the recent alliances forming, can make projecting ahead a dicey endeavor. 

All in all - we use the word maybe "some", not "too much" and play it accordingly.  Never get arrogant in our notions because things do change - and individual stocks are subject to many factors outside our control. So, we try to -stay aware.

With all the above caveats and attempted prognostications, I will close this post. Stay tuned for more opining on the market and stocks to watch.

___________

ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more.  This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.

 

Sunday Edition: So Here We Are

Here we are.  It's just after midpoint 2026.

So where have we been?

Where are we going? Some ask hopefully. Others ask plaintively.

The market has a way of doing that.

Perhaps before looking too far ahead, it is worth taking a moment to look back.

First, let's briefly compare last year to this year.

During 2025, several stocks highlighted here didn't just double. Some tripled. Others gained even more.

One example was Lam Research. The stock climbed from the $60s to where it now sits at roughly $350 a share. After doubling with the typical stock waffling along the way, many of us took the gain and let it go.

Huh?

Yep... some good situations just get away.

On the other hand, some stocks reminded us that taking a double or a triple and then sitting back can be the better course. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) climbed from the teens to over $100 before fading back into the $50s after less-than-impressive earnings, leaving potential as the basis for renewed hope.

The point is, 2025 gave investors more chances to make some nice trading gains.

Now let's turn to this year.

The major indices have continued to climb, but the ride has been much different. Investors have had to work through sharp volatility, geopolitical strife, wars on two fronts, tariff concerns, inflation worries and plenty of market whipsaws.

Yet, despite all that, the market has continued to find support from progress, improving earnings and hope in the American way.

Before leaving where we are, there is one more point worth mentioning.

As the major indices have climbed to new highs this year, many investors have found the ride anything but easy. In fact, as reported on CNBC this past week, only about 25% of professional active money managers were ahead for the year.

If you've been actively trading in 2026, that statistic may ring true for you as well.

It didn't take long for the this report to coin the term Market Limbo.

It's where stocks seem to reside for a while. They drift. They waffle. Sometimes quietly. Sometimes violently.

Good earnings don't always matter. Bad news doesn't always matter. Stocks can rise on hope one week and fall on profit-taking the next.

Welcome to Market Limbo. What's next?

Answering that question can only be done from the vantage point of the present. Take a look around.

World news continues to change by the hour. The Iran situation remains fluid, with the Strait of Hormuz still playing a major role in the world's energy balance. Meanwhile, investors continue to watch inflation, interest rates, tariffs, AI, earnings and politics, all while trying to decide what comes next.

Nobody knows for certain where the market goes from here.

A tenet of the Jones Report is to try to remain aware.

Stay aware of the factors affecting your stocks. Stay aware of broader market forces. And try to maintain some self-awareness of your own emotions, along with the lines that may become demarcation points for hard decisions.

In that light, when it comes to trading, it is often harder to sell or trim a stock than it is to buy one.

Buying usually begins with hope. Selling means deciding whether that hope is still justified, whether the position has become too large, or whether protecting capital now matters more than what the stock might do later.

The above is not meant to ignore the notion of investing in a company we believe in and staying long some shares. That, too, is a desired goal.

However, investors who have lived through enough sharp whipsaws often come to appreciate an old trader's saying:

"A long is a good trade gone bad."

Like it or not, that mindset is often reflected in trading programs and, at times, by institutional money managers as well.

So how does the common retail investor—the little guy—compete with that?

The Jones way?  Try to stay aware.

Another goal is to preserve hard-fought gains, limit losses, and not let Market Limbo pull your portfolio into Purgatory.

One strategy is to try to manage uncertainty with more dry powder and smaller test positions, possibly spread out with more diversity.

Looking into the future leaves many questions about how AI will impact the economy and, to put it more basically—jobs.

There are AI bulls at the highest levels, and we can all see many of the advantages.

However, it is also quite clear that AI is going to be disruptive.

We see major companies like Oracle and Microsoft laying off many thousands of highly technical staff, including programmers.

Why?

AI is in the process of making some jobs obsolete as increased efficiency through automation reduces the need for humans.

The AI bulls admit it but, at the same time, often gloss over the "disruptive" part.

"Maybe not so fast, Chauncey!" exclaims Jones.

How long that disruption lasts is a concern.

Job number revisions continue to happen, and the full impact of AI on employment, productivity and the economy is still unfolding.

Looking further into 2026, there is one IPO brewing that also appears to carry disruptive potential—Anthropic.

One strategy taken here is a small test position in SK Telecom (SKM), which appears to offer a back-door way of participating as an early investor in Anthropic.

It's safe to say the Jones way now includes smaller test positions along with more dry powder in several of the stocks highlighted here lately. If interested, scroll down. The notion of diversification may begin to show up.

Staying aware of how smaller test positions play out can help shape future trading decisions as Market Limbo plays out.

If we already knew where the market was going, there would be no need for test positions or dry powder.

This report cannot yet fully conclude where things are going for the remainder of the year.

Perhaps the notions of Market Limbo, maintaining some dry powder, and using test positions before committing to larger ones may help improve awareness and decision making.

Nuff said for now.

Stay Watchful.

- Jones Report

This site is just for fun and insight, with no sponsors and no affiliations. If you like this free Jones Report, tell a friend. Why not?

________

If interested - scroll back and view notes on other stocks, we watch here at the Jones report.  Why not? With the caveat that things change and we try to stay aware - It's all FREE to read and make your own calls and decisions.  Finally - maintain some dry powder and trade or invest according to your own due diligence.

______________

More later so ....Stay tuned, if you dare!

For now, we close by noting that any view on the market and stocks on any particular day may change in the days to come. That is why we watch and see how our views match up with reality.  Looking ahead a few months may be a way to do things - but thinking too deeply about world events and the recent alliances forming, can make projecting ahead a dicey endeavor. 

All in all - we use the word maybe "some", not "too much" and play it accordingly.  Never get arrogant in our notions because things do change - and individual stocks are subject to many factors outside our control. So, we try to -stay aware.

With all the above caveats and attempted prognostications, I will close this post. Stay tuned for more opining on the market and stocks to watch.

___________

ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more.  This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.

 

Oh, Reallllllly?

Market Talk

Monday's major indices, after successful Independence Day celebrations, traded ebulliently with CNBC pundits announcing the AI trade is back and this time it should stick.

"Oh, reallllllly?" says the Church Lady, recalling the old Dana Carvey SNL skit.

Yep, stocks like Micron Technology (MU) are up about ten points today. But wait a minute. Just last week, after reporting earnings, MU was nearly 300 points higher!

Just saying... today's hoopla doesn't even catch up to last week's whipsaws, and that goes for many tech stocks as well.

So, while the TV pundits proclaim Bull Land victory, many real people, traders and investors alike, may still feel like their stocks are stuck in Market Limbo.

With the above caveats, let's talk some specifics.

Stock Talk

With AI stocks still rolling, investors continue to focus on the data center theme and the large language models powering AI platforms such as ChatGPT from OpenAI and Claude from Anthropic.

The rumor mill has Anthropic's long-awaited IPO coming around October. Whether that timetable proves accurate or not, the market already appears to be looking ahead. That could keep AI, data center and infrastructure stocks in focus for some time.

Skepticism and opportunity do not have to be mutually exclusive. While today's market still appears vulnerable to sharp rotations and whipsaws, that doesn't mean investors should stop looking for new ideas. It may simply mean starting with small test positions and adding only if the investment thesis continues to improve.

One particular stock worth watching is SK Telecom (SKM), South Korea's largest wireless telecommunications company.

Beyond its core telecom business, SKM made an early $100 million private investment in Anthropic and has outlined ambitious plans to expand its AI and data center infrastructure throughout Asia.

Some traders have been buying a few shares of SKM here in the $30s as one possible way to participate in whatever ultimately comes from an Anthropic IPO. For investors looking to gain some exposure to that theme without chasing the higher-flying AI names, SKM may be worth considering as a small spec position.

In other Jones Watch Stocks, there is one that still seems to trade under the radar despite fundamentals that continue to improve. Perhaps that is because management prefers to remain "stealthy and scrappy," as the CEO has put it.

That stock is V2X (VVX).

Last quarter's VVX earnings jumped to $1.53 per share. Add in a record $13.8 billion backlog, and those numbers kind of speak for themselves.

And one more thing...

Those fighter jets flying all over on July 4 don't maintain themselves.

For other Jones Watch Stocks, scroll down if interested.

Stay Watchful.

- Jones Report

This site is just for fun and insight, with no sponsors and no affiliations. If you like this free Jones Report, tell a friend. Why not?

________

If interested - scroll back and view notes on other stocks, we watch here at the Jones report.  Why not? With the caveat that things change and we try to stay aware - It's all FREE to read and make your own calls and decisions.  Finally - maintain some dry powder and trade or invest according to your own due diligence.

______________

More later so ....Stay tuned, if you dare!

For now, we close by noting that any view on the market and stocks on any particular day may change in the days to come. That is why we watch and see how our views match up with reality.  Looking ahead a few months may be a way to do things - but thinking too deeply about world events and the recent alliances forming, can make projecting ahead a dicey endeavor. 

All in all - we use the word maybe "some", not "too much" and play it accordingly.  Never get arrogant in our notions because things do change - and individual stocks are subject to many factors outside our control. So, we try to -stay aware.

With all the above caveats and attempted prognostications, I will close this post. Stay tuned for more opining on the market and stocks to watch.

___________

ALL in my humble opinion, scroll down and read more.  This site does NOT make Buy / Sell recommendations.