5 Reasons to Be Bullish on Stocks

The time honored saying is that “April Showers Bring May Flowers”.

In this case the storms came in March with the onset of the Iran war and the unwelcome surge in energy prices. But as signs emerged that it “should” end fairly soon...then markets have bounced back from their deficit and now pressing to all time highs. 

And yes, our Zen Investor portfolio is hitting new highs as well.

Today we will breakdown the current market outlook...what that means for our investment plan...followed by a review of our portfolio blooming with spring time profits.  

Market Commentary

I recently had a conversation with a friend who could not fathom why stocks are making all time highs at the same time prices at the gas pump are soaring. He took that as a sign that a recession should be on the way and investors should be ducking for cover.

I am going to share with you the same response I gave to him.

First, every $10 increase in a barrel of oil is supposed to trim 0.1% from GDP growth in the United States. Not so scary when you see it that way. And thus, not a surprise that Q1 came in around 2% when it likely would have been a few ticks higher if not for the rise in energy prices. 

Unless oil presses above $150...then hard to see it causing any deep economic harm.

Second, this is a very unpopular war. Partly because the nation is unclear of the mission and why it’s to our benefit. And mostly about hating how much of our paychecks are now flowing into the gas pump.

It will be very hard for Republicans to do well in the November 2026 mid term elections with this Iran war albatross around their neck. And thus very clear why they want to find a peace deal fairly soon to put this problem behind them.

Third, the recent correction in March removed some of the excess off Mega Caps and other inflated AI stocks. Thus, overall market valuation is much more attractive at this time.

Fourth, earnings season is going surprisingly well. Not only have results far surpassed expectations, but even more importantly there is very little lowered guidance which points to more growth ahead. In fact, given the current earnings projections in 10-12% range for the next few quarters...stocks are actually kind of cheap.

Fifth, Kevin Warsh as the Fed Chairman is most definitely going to be more aggressive in lowering rates once energy prices come down. That is another likely catalyst for the economy and stock prices.

Trump was very clear with his attacks on Powell that he wants lower rates. So, if you believe that he didn’t demand lower rates from Warsh to be selected for the job...then I have some prime real estate in Chernobyl to sell you.   

When you add up these points it’s not hard to be bullish. And not hard to understand why prices will be higher once a peace deal is finalized with Iran.

The more important question is which stocks are the best to own now?

In this type of environment, a wide range of stocks will do well. Kind of like when even a blind squirrel can find a nut.

But likely outperformance will come from overweighting:

• Small & Mid Cap (much better value proposition)
• Risk On growth stocks
• Stocks that will benefit from lower energy prices
• Stocks that will benefit from lower interest rates
• Eye towards value...not a time to just buy growth at any price. That game ended in January of this year.

As per usual, the Zen Ratings is our best bet for finding precisely these kinds of stocks given the full 115 factor review. Especially how it looks for healthy growth trading at reasonable prices.

The proof is in the pudding with the construction of our portfolio this year leading to a +25.53% gain far surpassing all benchmarks. More on this appealing topic in the next section...

What To Do Next?

Discover my Zen Investor portfolio that relies upon my 45 years of investing experience. 

During that time I have learned vital lessons from 7 bear markets…8 bull markets and just about everything else the “Mr. Market” can throw at us. 

I use this knowledge to create a detailed investment plan. Then lean into our proven Zen Ratings quant model to select the best stocks given their proven outperformance. 

In total the Zen Investor portfolio now has 20 top stocks that are hand picked for today’s unique market landscape. 

And as shared above it is doing very well in 2026 as our portfolio is up +25.53% YTD far surpassing the benchmarks.  

Plus 2 new stocks were added this week that both have stellar upside potential. 

If you are curious to learn more, and want to see my current top 20 stocks, then please click the link below to get started now. 

Discover the Zen Investor & Top 20 Stocks >

Wishing you a world of investment success!

Steve Reitmeister…but everyone calls me Reity (pronounced “Righty”)

Editor of the Zen Investor

Want to get in touch? Email us at news@wallstreetzen.com.