Barron's Picks And Pans: Coronavirus Picks, Bonds, Safe Havens And More

This weekend's Barron's cover story offers 12 stocks to buy amid the coronavirus sell-off.

Other featured articles focus on bonds and on gold as investments — and the safest safe havens.

Also, the prospects for semiconductor and pharmaceutical stocks, a real estate investment trust and more.

Cover story "12 Stocks to Buy Amid the Coronavirus Selloff" by Andrew Bary shares why high-yielding stocks like Altria Group Inc MO and AT&T Inc. T can be an attractive option for investors now if they have strong balance sheets.

Randall W. Forsyth's "Bonds Still Offer Value, Even With Treasury Yields Below 1%" suggests that, despite the frequent headlines about bond yields hitting record lows, bond superbulls see more room for prices to rise as inflation expectations continue to fall.

In "Gold Rising Amid the Swings in Stocks. Here's Why the Rally Has Legs.," Andrew Bary takes a look at why both the metal and the shares of miners who produce it have risen this year, as well as what that means for Newmont Corporation NEM and other stocks.

A pair of veteran investors look at investments that stand to do well when the turmoil is past in "11 Stocks and ETFs for a Post-Virus World" by Bill Alpert. See if that includes Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI and Bank of America Corp BAC.

In Tae Kim's "Tech Looks Better Than You Think," see why, thus far, chip companies like Intel Corporation INTC have been talking in their guidance about a relatively modest impact from coronavirus, as customer demand remains very strong.

See also: Here Are All The Major Events Canceled By Coronavirus So Far (Updated)

"What to Do When Even Safe Havens Aren't Safe" by Jack Hough discusses why stocks that thrive in a virus outbreak make for a depressing set of market leaders, and with Treasury yields under 1%, there is little comfort in bonds. Are Kroger Co KR and Walt Disney Co DIS among the better ideas?

A serious long-term problem could be brewing for Merck & Co., Inc. MRK and the rest of the pharmaceutical industry. So says Josh Nathan-Kazis's "Coronavirus Outbreak Could Disrupt Drug Companies' Clinical Trials."

In "Beware the Big Price Tag for a Mall REIT With Roots in Sears," Bill Alpert notes that real estate investment trust Seritage Growth Properties SRG shares are now valued at 80 times next year's forecast for funds from operations.

Also in this week's Barron's:

• The 100 most influential women in U.S. finance
• Why the past week is a wake-up call to check your portfolio
• The SEC crackdown on fund names
• Savings bonds as a secret weapon for small investors
• How to be like Warren Buffett in times like these

At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.

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