Best of Barron’s: Smart Money Plays in a Frothy Market

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Where to park your money is a challenge in an era of frothy valuations and low rates.

There are still good buys out there if you know where to look. Tech giants like

Microsoft

and

Oracle

and

IBM

have reasonable valuations. Electric utilities that get their power from renewable sources could be swept up in a green boom. And certain cannabis companies—but by no means all—will prosper from pot legalization.

Being a good steward of your money isn’t entirely about your investments, of course. It’s understanding the bigger forces such as inflation and material shortages that buffeted the American economy in 2021.

Barron’s tackled these subjects and more. Below you’ll find some of our in-depth articles from this year, as curated by our staff.

Barron’s Investing Experts See ‘Low-Level Civil War,’ Hyper Stimulus, and Risks That Haven’t Yet Materialized for the Stock Market

In January, our experts saw a strong economy but believed the stock market was unlikely to keep soaring. That turned out to be half right as equities had another big year.

28 Investment Ideas From Barron’s Roundtable Experts to Beat the Market This Year

Finding value can be tough during booming markets. Money pros and strategists recommended stocks that traded at relatively cheap valuations and should be worth more as operations and business conditions improve.

The GameStop Revolt Has Just Begun. Get Ready.

The rocketing valuation of GameStop was a triumph of market sentiment over market sense. This won’t be the last time.

Here Are the 100 Most Sustainable Companies Right Now

If you’re looking for companies that both do good and make good money, you should take a hard look at our list of the most sustainable companies.

Oracle Is Turning Into a Cloud Giant. Why Its Stock Is a Buy.

Oracle has deftly reinvented itself for the cloud-computing era, yet its valuations don’t fully reflect that.

12 Stocks and Funds to Play the Coming Green Boom for Utilities

By the next decade, clean power sources such as wind and solar are projected to provide 39% of the U.S. utility industry’s generating capacity, versus 13% today. That makes utilities a surprisingly green play.

Marijuana Legalization Will Be Good News for Pot Stocks. How to Play the Sector.

It’s no surprise that cannabis companies are going to prosper in an age of legalized marijuana. But we gave you the down and dirty on which ones are best positioned.

The Everything Shortage Is Here

From dog food to pool chlorine, this has been the year of shortages. The reason: Companies have emphasized efficiency instead of resiliency, and now we’re paying the price.

Inflation Is Here and Hotter Than It Looks. Why It’s Time to Worry.

Back in May, we were telling readers why inflation could be worst than expected. That turned out to right on the money.

IBM Is Finally Growing Again. And the Stock Is One of Tech’s Biggest Bargains.

IBM has been one of Wall Street’s dogs for years. But shares of Big Blue are poised to outperform again.

Write to editors@barrons.com