Bracing for a choppy 2021 with stock picks from 99th-percentile investor

Hello everyone! Welcome to this weekly roundup of Investing stories from deputy editor Joe Ciolli. Please subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every week.

Dear Readers,

As if 2020 wasn't enough of a rollercoaster ride, US stocks started 2021 with their worst day in months. Even with new stimulus measures finally passed, traders appear worried that spiking virus cases will hamper the economic recovery everyone is banking on.

That has experts of all sorts theorizing about what could cause an unexpected market downturn that would contrast sharply with an allegedly improving economy.

Ever ahead of the curve, the Investing team at Insider scoured the landscape and compiled a list of the 7 things the biggest firms on Wall Street think could crash the stock market's party in 2021.

If you aren't yet a subscriber to Insider Investing, you can sign up here.

Liz Ann Sonders, the chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, is in agreement. She recently told Insider that the market is vulnerable to an "extreme" pullback amid overextended investor sentiment - but also offered 4 trades that can still be used to drive returns this year.

For more, see below for Insider's best Investing stories of the week, which include a wide array of additional recommendations, strategies, and tips for navigating uncertainty.

Thanks for reading!

-- Joe

Stock picks and recommendations from a 99th-percentile investor

Brooke de Boutray's Zevenbergen Genea Fund returned 148% year-to-date through mid-December and was among the 10 top-performing funds in 2020. She shared with Business Insider the 4 stocks she's most bullish on heading into 2021.

Read the full story here:

Brooke de Boutray has beaten 99% of her peers over the past 5 years and runs a fund that was up 148% in 2020. She shared with us 4 stocks she's most bullish on heading into 2021.

6 timeless investing rules from a market wizard

Jeff Neumann, a low-key millionaire trader profiled in Jack Schwager's new book "Unknown Market Wizards," started trading with $2,500 in college and grew it into $50 million today.

Neumann became a millionaire at the age of 23 by trading penny stocks. But his style has evolved over the years to combine technical analysis, fundamental research, and the "invest in what you know" mantra popularized by legendary investor Peter Lynch. He shared with Schwager 6 trading rules that contributed to his success.

Read the full story here:

Market wizard Jeff Neumann started trading with $2,500 and grew it to $50 million. He shares 6 timeless rules that helped him reach millionaire status in his first year.

Why you shouldn't count out growth stocks just yet

Crossmark Global Investment's Victoria Fernandez has an optimistic outlook for the S&P 500 heading into 2021. She broke down why she's more bullish on growth stocks than value - and shared the two names she most recently added.

Read the full story here:

A chief market strategist at a $5 billion firm lays out why she prefers growth stocks over pandemic-recovery favorites for a 2021 rally - and shares the 2 she added most recently

Stock pick central

Seeking experts who are willing to name names? Look no further:

• BANK OF AMERICA: Buy these 26 cheap and fundamentally rock-solid stocks before the economic rebound sends them soaring in 2021
• JPMorgan says these 48 undervalued stocks are 'gearing up' to outpace growth stocks in 2021 as the economy gets set to reopen
• GOLDMAN SACHS: Buy these 37 stocks that could earn you the strongest returns without taking on big risks in 2021 as the recovery and vaccine distribution get underway
• Renowned strategist Tom Lee says to buy these 29 stocks that were ravaged by the pandemic but now poised to boom as the world reopens - and they're all top-rated by 3 different investing strategies
• The net worth of millennials will quadruple over the next decade, says Cowen. Here are 8 key investing themes to follow and 12 stocks to buy.
• Bank of America highlights its top 8 stock picks in the booming housing sector - including one it expects to rally 54% next year
• The space industry will grow by over $1 trillion in the next decade, says Bank of America. Here are the 14 stocks best-positioned to benefit from the boom.
• A JPMorgan income fund manager shares 12 high-dividend stocks set to gain from a broad cyclical recovery - and unpacks the strategy he uses to beat 93% of his peers
• Bank of America its top stock pick in each of the 11 S&P 500 sectors and explains why they're poised to dominate in the year ahead