Barron's Latest Picks And Pans: Curaleaf, Bank of America, Crocs, Sherwin-Williams And More - Apple (NASD

This weekend's Barron's cover story examines the prospects for the U.S. cannabis industry.
Other featured articles discuss how cryptocurrency threatens the role of central banks, why steel stocks are due for a fall and whether the tech giants will thrive.
Also, see the prospects for a top bank, a leading auto insurer, a paint producer, an iconic shoemaker and more.

Cover story "U.S. Pot Producers Are Growing Like Weeds. Here's How to Buy In" by Max A. Cherney and Connor Smith makes a case that, while investors chased Canada's pot stocks like Tilray Inc (NASDAQ:TLRY), they ignored the faster-growing U.S. cannabis industry. Barron's believes multistate operators like Curaleaf Holdings Inc (OTC:CURLF) will flourish as state and federal obstacles fall away.

Daren Fonda's "What Happens When Governments Go Crypto" suggests that the rise of stablecoins as cryptocurrency is a bigger threat to established, government-backed currency than Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC). See how some of the biggest economies are pushing back, including China and the Federal Reserve.

In "Why Bank of America Stock Is a Buy," Carleton English discusses how, for a financial institution with nearly $3 trillion on its balance sheet, Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) can sometimes end up lost in the shuffle. See why the article suggests that, with earnings on the rise, investors should start to pay more attention here.
A data-driven culture has put Progressive Corp (NYSE:PGR) on pace to overtake Geico this year and to become the industry's second-largest player, according to "Progressive Is a Growth Stock in a Slow-Growth Industry. Here's Why" by Andrew Bary. Find out why Barron's claims that this auto insurer's stock is a buy now.

In Al Root's "A Small-Cap Stock With 3 Ways to Win," discover how machinery maker Altra Industrial Motion Corp (NASDAQ:AIMC) is benefiting from a stronger economy and the shift to automation, which should help to lift its earnings and the shares. Discover the three good reasons Barron's offers for investors to buy this small-cap stock now.

"Steel Stocks Are Due for a Fall. What to Know" by Ben Levisohn points out that steel prices cannot rise forever. The article says investors should steer themselves away from companies with more debt and a need to invest and favor those that have strong balance sheets. In which category do Nucor Corporation (NYSE:NUE) and United States Steel Corporation (NYSE:X) fall?

If leading paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams Co (NYSE:SHW) can raise prices without hurting sales, it can keep growing its profit margin even as input prices rise. So says Ben Levisohn's "Why Sherwin-Williams Stock Has the 'Ultimate Hedge' Against Inflation." See why Barron's says this might be one of the better ways to play rising inflation.

In "Tech's Big Five Had Fantastic Pandemics. Here Are 6 Reasons Why They'll Thrive Even After," Eric J. Savitz reveals that Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and others have been delivering blowout earnings, and the trends in tech suggest more gains are ahead.

Teresa Rivas' "Once a Fad, Then a Pandemic Play, Crocs Looks Primed for a Reopening" argues that strong first-quarter earnings suggest that the success Crocs, Inc. (NASDAQ:CROX) had in the past year has post-pandemic legs. See where Barron's thinks the seller of comfortable footwear goes from here.

Also in this week's Barron's: