Barron's Picks And Pans: Apollo Global, Biogen, Biden Picks And More

• This weekend's Barron's examines how Biden won an extraordinary election and what a Biden administration could mean.
• Other featured articles discuss how to position a portfolio for political gridlock, the outlook for big tech and dividends that are being resumed.
• Also, the prospects for a private equity firm, a leading biotech, timeshare companies and more.

In this week's Barron's, Avi Salzman points to the positives of a divided government in his article "Biden Wins the Most Extraordinary Election of Our Time. What's Next." He says the division can bring about a measured pace of change, which typically is a good thing for investors. What may be next for the likes of Pfizer Inc. PFE and Walmart Inc. WMT?

In "What a Biden Presidency Means," Salzman also talks about what the election outcome means for the economy and for stocks, including NextEra Energy Inc. NEE

In "How to Position Your Portfolio for Uncertainty and Gridlock," Reshma Kapadia makes the case that the best approach may be a portfolio that doesn't pick sides (growth or value) and includes a small buffer for the unexpected. See if Barron's believes Amazon.com Inc. AMZN has a place in that portfolio.

Apollo Global Management Inc. APO stock looks attractive, even as the private equity firm reviews the conduct of its co-founder and CEO, and some investors bolt. So says Andrew Bary in his piece "Apollo Could Thrive With or Without CEO Leon Black. What’s at Stake for Investors." How does the asset manager thrive without Leon Black?

In Lawrence C. Strauss's "Here's a Timeshare Pitch That's Worth a Listen," learn why Barron's believes that Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp. VAC trades at a premium to peers, but it has a good footing in a corner of the travel market that is proving resilient despite the pandemic: the timeshare business.

"Biogen's Alzheimer's Drug Inches Closer to Approval. That Doesn't Make the Stock a Buy," by Ben Levisohn examines why Biogen Inc. BIIB stock jumped 47% after the FDA released documents showing that the agency leaned toward approving the company's Alzheimer's drug aducanumab.

See also: Wall Street Glad To Be Free Of Trump's Tweets Following Biden Win

The fight over how drivers for Uber Technologies Inc. UBER and others should be classified appears likely to rage on, according to Eric J. Savitz's "Gig-Worker Companies Win in California but May Face Battles Elsewhere." Plus, another new law that could have a big effect on Alphabet Inc. GOOGL and other tech giants.

In "Gold? No Thanks. Investors’ New Favorite Safe Haven Is Tech Stocks," Alex Eule points out that at this tumultuous time, investors are finding a haven not in gold but rather in the likes of Facebook Inc. FB, Microsoft Corporation MSFT and other pricey tech shares. See why.

Lawrence C. Strauss's "Dividend Stocks Begin to Resume Payouts After Pandemic Pause" indicates that some companies that halted their payouts due to the pandemic have since restored them, albeit at lower levels in some instances. Marathon Oil Corporation MRO is one of those companies.

Also in this week's Barron's:

• Startups developing psychedelic drugs for psychiatric illnesses
• Whether divided government will push the Federal Reserve to go bigger
• Whether prime money-market funds could disappear
• How Bidenomics can unite a divided nation
• The ongoing merger mania among asset managers
• Whether gold will be one of the winners in the election
• How younger traders are embracing the familiar
• Whether the expansion is self-sustaining without stimulus
• COVID-19 infections top 100,000 again
• How to tell if a 401(k) is too conservative or aggressive
• Whether U.S. tourism to Caribbean Islands is set to return
• Estate taxes and planning moves to make now
• At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.

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