EXCLUSIVE: Stephanie Link Is Buying These 5 'Best In Breed' Stocks As Markets Whipsaw

Hightower Advisors’ Stephanie Link has been holding her nose and buying stocks in recent weeks as markets unwind amid tariff uncertainty.

What To Know: With the stock market reeling over the past month or so, Link has been rotating into high-quality names. She told Benzinga on Thursday that she had 9% cash last month, but has put almost all of it back into the markets.

“Quality on sale,” Link said. “Upgrading to best in breed at better valuations.”

Some of the names Link has been buying include Boeing Co (NYSE:BA), GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE), Palo Alto Networks Inc (NASDAQ:PANW), Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (NYSE:CMG) and Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META).

Link noted that she doesn’t believe we are in a recession, citing a solid labor market. She expects strong wages and savings to help consumers handle the slower growth ahead.

The Labor Department said Thursday that initial jobless claims totaled 223,000 for the week ended April 5, in line with economist expectations. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the annual inflation rate dropped to 2.4% in March, down from 2.8% in February. The number came in below economist forecasts of 2.5%, per Benzinga Pro.

Related Link: March Inflation Rate Cools Far More Than Expected, Raises Hopes For Near-Term Fed Rate Cuts

The SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE:SPY) has been extremely volatile in recent sessions, whipsawing back and forth on every bit of news out of the Trump administration. Stocks recorded one of the biggest single-day gains in history on Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs. The market is giving back a large chunk of those gains on Thursday, down approximately 6% at last check.

“Clearly they are watching the [markets],” Link said. “We'll get through tariffs and onto tax cuts/deregulation … Crazy times!”

Read Next:

• Inflation Cools, But ‘Too Soon To Blow The All Clear,’ Economist Says

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