The U.S. markets continued their sell-off Monday, with the Dow falling more than 1,000 points for the first time in history and most major indexes erasing gains for the year.
And while some may consider this a buying opportunity, Chad Morganlander, portfolio manager at Washington Crossing Advisors, says there are some areas to avoid.
“Stay out of the speculative names that are more story stocks,” he told Cheddar in an interview. “There’s a frothiness to the market, especially with some of the fringe stocks, that’s reminiscent of 1998 and ‘99.”
“You could still pick up some value, but you just have to focus on the boring parts of the market, which are really on the consumer staples side.”
The “growthier” tech sector did post some of the biggest losses Monday, with Nvidia, Square, and Google parent Alphabet all falling more than 5 percent. Some of the highest fliers in the Cheddar 50 Index -- Apple, Netflix, and Alibaba -- are in correction territory, down more than 10 percent from all-time highs hit just a few weeks ago.
At its lows of the day, the Dow had dropped more than 1,500 points or 6.1 percent. It crossed below the 24,000 mark for the first time since December 1.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/dow-is-down-around-1-800-points-after-last-two-sessions).
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
