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A new survey from Lending Tree shows that a third of parents are willing to go into debt to get their children ready for the classroom.

That really tells you just how thin the financial margin for error is for so many folks in this country, says Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree.

He tells Yahoo Finance that the average amount parents are expected to spend on back-to-school items is $498. A $500 expense is enough to send an awful lot of people into debt.

Schulz says inflation is a factor in back to school shopping this year, but that the biggest challenges parents face is uncertainty.

Theres no question that inflation is an issue, but really I think maybe the biggest issue is just a lot of the uncertainty that were still seeing in school districts around the country. And the truth is the parents have to be prepared not just to send their kid to learn on campus, but also to be ready in case there are big spikes of COVID at a school and schools get closed down in that particular area, he noted.

So that uncertainty, that flexibility means that youre not just buying backpacks and lunch boxes and, and notebooks and things like that. Youve also still got to worry about things like desks and office chairs and things like that. So all that stuff along with things like hand sanitizer and masks that are just kind of a reality of life. Wherever you go right now it all adds up and its a really expensive situation, Schulz said.

Little girl and her older sister student in a protective medical masks chooses school stationery in a store. Preparing for school. Prevention of coronavirus. Back to school shopping.

Schulz also notes that the reopening of brick-and-mortar retail locations is changing the shopping habits of many parents. He notes that only a quarter of parents say that they will do their back-to-school shopping online, representing a sharp decline from the previous year. Schulz says that in-person shopping can save parents money when it comes to certain items.

Theres a lot to be said for shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. When youre thinking about things like clearance racks and bargain bins especially., if youre just thinking about pencils and pens and paper and all that sort of stuff stuff that you can probably find a little cheaper at some of these brick-and-mortar stores maybe than you would even find at an online retailer, he said.

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Reggie Wade is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @ReggieWade.

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A third of parents are willing to go into debt for back-to-school: Survey - Yahoo Finance

The world's largest retailer sees its stock come alive again, finally.

Walmart's stock (WMT) has widely lagged the S&P 500 (^GSPC) this year (3.8% gain for Walmart vs. 18% gain for the S&P 500) as investors fret about slowing sales and earnings growth after a big year of consumers stocking up during the height of the pandemic in 2020. Inflation in labor and transportation (as mentioned by vendors to Walmart in the past few weeks such as Clorox, Proctor & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark) and what that means to Walmart's thin profit margins hasn't aided sentiment on the stock in the market, either.

But shares of Walmart have interestingly tacked on nearly 6% in the last month (S&P 500 +2%) mostly fueled in the past two weeks ahead of the retailer's closely watched second quarter earnings report on Tuesday. J.P. Morgan analyst Christopher Horvers explains the move higher in Walmart's stock makes sense, and is a bit overdue.

"The general sentiment on the stock [is] much more positive over the past month given (1) its dramatic underperformance to retail and staples over the past 12-18 months; (2) July trend improvement on easier compares/back-to-school and the child tax credit (similar to Target/others); and (3) the general shift toward more defensive stocks," Horvers points out in an earnings preview note to clients.

Whether Walmart's stock sustains its recent gains is obviously dependent upon how second quarter earnings shook out and the company's guidance. Expectations for the second quarter appear on the bullish side of things, raising the potential for a take-profits-on-the-news type of earnings day for Walmart.

Whisper numbers on the Street expect Walmart's key U.S. business to post a same-store sales increase of 4% to 6% for the quarter. Walmart's guidance communicated a few months back call for a second quarter U.S. same-store sales gain of low-single digits (percentage).

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Staying on those Street whisper numbers, second quarter earnings are seen hitting $1.65 a share (consensus $1.55). Walmart guided to an earnings decline of low-single digits from $1.56 a year ago.

Given those heightened expectations on the quarter and strong potential for Walmart to say the third quarter has started well, the Street is likely banking on a strong full-year earnings guidance lift from Walmart to sustain the stock's recent gains. Currently, Walmart's full-year profit outlook calls for a low-double digit increase year-over-year excluding exited businesses.

But considering the economic uncertainty around the COVID-19 Delta variant and how it may impact consumer spending during the important back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons, Walmart could take a more muted tone on guidance much to the letdown of the bulls.

Horvers says he understands the appeal of Walmart's stock right now, but suggests sitting out on the name into earnings.

"Net-net, while the stock underperformance and defensiveness given the Delta variant is appealing, at 24x our estimate, we think the stock is relatively full with the market unlikely to roll forward 2Q stacks (though we are positive Walmart could at least hold earnings flat in 2022)," Horvers adds.

Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

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Why Walmart stock has suddenly popped ahead of earnings - Yahoo Finance

Life hacks have become a big deal over the past decade or so, as we all learn some great little shortcuts that can make our lives simpler. Think about that box of tangled cords in your closet use toilet paper/paper towel rolls to organize them! Save your thumbs by using a clothespin to hold a small nail while hammering. My favorite fat guy hack is putting a donut on your cup of coffee for a minute before eating to warm it up perfectly and give you a flavored coffee cup rim!

The question today is how can we hack Average Draft Position resources to help us during our drafts? We assembled a super team of international scientists, 12-year-old boys who take things apart, and failed assistant football coaches, and we figured out how you can use the Average ADP on FantasyPros.com to improve your chances of getting the players you want at discounts, while also avoiding overpaying for other players.

ADP is pretty self-explanatory its where specific players are being drafted. Unfortunately, we all dont draft from the same website, with the same scoring systems and roster settings. While looking at the Average ADP on FantasyPros is helpful because it gives you a general idea of where players are being drafted across the industry, it doesnt help you on your specific draft site as much as youd think. It actually might hurt you a bit!

How Do ADP Draft Hacks Work?

Most fantasy managers are drafting online these days, which means theyre looking at an Available Players pool that is sorted by best available at each position. That often affects the draft order because some managers realize that site is saying this player is the best available, even though their own personal rankings might have him lower.

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ESPN and Yahoo fantasy: How to exploit their rankings using ADP and 'hack' the draft room to your advantage - The Athletic

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) on Monday will announce revised nutrition standards dramatically boosting average food stamp benefits, the agency confirmed on Sunday.

The New York Times first reported the plan to unveil the largest permanent benefits increase in the history of the government's primary anti-hunger program, saying the change would result in average benefits rising more than 25% versus pre-pandemic levels.

Under the new rules, average monthly benefits, $121 per person before the pandemic, will rise by $36 starting in October, the newspaper reported, adding that all 42 million people in the program would receive additional aid.

At the same time, a temporary 15% increase in benefits as part of pandemic relief is set to expire Sept. 30. The $3.5 billion boost approved earlier this year provides about $27 more per person, per month, or over $100 more a month for a household of four, in additional food stamp benefits.

The USDA plans a media briefing on Monday to detail the changes, but a spokeswoman for the agency, Kate Waters, confirmed the Times report in an email.

Under a 2018 law, the agency has been evaluating its rules to estimate the cost of a nutritious diet called the Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to calculate food stamp benefits, which are formally known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Last week, House of Representatives Democrats on the Agriculture Committee's subcommittee overseeing nutrition issues called the re-evaluation "a critically important step towards ensuring that SNAP benefits adequately support a nutritious diet."

The Democrats added that "research shows that, while SNAP reduces food insecurity and improves health outcomes for recipients, benefits are too low to fully meet their nutritional needs."

Last week, the senior congressional Republicans on two agriculture committees asked the Government Accountability Office to conduct an analysis of the USDA's update of the Thrifty Food Plan.

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The Times said the new plan would raise the $79 billion annual programs costs by about $20 billion versus pre-pandemic levels.

The USDA said in 2019 that about 11% of the U.S. population was covered by the program.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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Biden administration confirms it will boost food stamps by record amount - Yahoo News

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act otherwise known as HIPAA has become a major topic of discussion amid the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines as some individuals who have been asked about their vaccination status claim that the question is a violation of HIPAA.

For example, when asked about his vaccination status, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott said: I don't necessarily think that's exactly important. I think that's HIPAA. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) made similar remarks after a reporter asked if she was vaccinated, stating that with HIPAA rights, we don't have to reveal our medical records, and that also includes our vaccine records.

These assertions are incorrect, according to Marc Haskelson, president and CEO of Compliancy Group, a company that assists health care institutions with achieving HIPAA compliance.

Misunderstanding it is very common, Haskelson told Yahoo Finance. Its really a shame because if people really understood its purpose, I think people would be much happier about its existence.

Dak Prescott, who claimed that a question about his vaccination status was a HIPAA violation, watches from the sidelines during the first half of the NFL preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals on August 13, 2021 in Glendale, Ariz. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty)

Confusion about what HIPAA actually is and how it's implemented is common, which Haskelson attributed to the fact that the law's original definition pertained to the exchange of insurance and billing information between providers and insurance companies.

But in todays world, he said, its far more revolved around protecting privacy albeit with some caveats.

HIPAA was implemented in 1996 by President Clinton as a way to strike a balance that permits important uses of information, while protecting the privacy of people who seek care and healing.

In other words, HIPAA is Americas primary health care privacy law.

What it really is for us is the concept that your health information is yours, and it should be protected by anybody who interacts with [it], Haskelson said. The original history of HIPAA was really around abuse of peoples private health care information. Its everything from your name, your Social Security number, to things like a picture of your eyeball during a surgical procedure.

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That information, he explained, is very valuable.

What it does is its supposed to be a set of standards that says anybody whos involved with your information whether its a doctors office or a billing company everybody involved is supposed to maintain a minimum standard around privacy and secure the information, Haskelson said. Thats the purpose.

Not all entities are bound by HIPAA. According to HIPAA Journal, the law applies to the majority of workers, most health insurance providers, and employers who sponsor or co-sponsor employee health insurance plans. Those who do not have to abide by HIPAA include life insurers, most schools and school districts, many state agencies, most law enforcement agencies, and many municipal offices.

HIPAA also contains an exception for the disclosure of public health activities, which recognizes the need to report vital events like births and deaths as well as information on the spread of infectious diseases.

Employees enter vaccine record information during a COVID mobile vaccine clinic at California State University Long Beach campus on August 11, 2021. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP)

Another key provision of HIPAA is that it ensures that you have access to your personal health information and prohibits doctors from keeping that info from you. This is called rights of access and requires HIPAA-covered entities to provide individuals with their medical records, billing records, enrollment, payment, claims adjudication, and other related records upon request.

It allows you as a consumer to call it that you have every right to see the information thats contained about you and to modify it if its incorrect, Haskelson said.

This is crucial if your information on file is incorrect since it can affect life insurance applications and other important forms, as was the case for Haskelson.

Haskelson once pulled a muscle in his rib cage and experienced pain while breathing as a result. After visiting his doctor, the physician recorded it as chest pains rather than a pulled muscle. When Haskelson went to update his life insurance two years later, he was denied because of that note on his record.

Under HIPAA, I had the right to call my doctors office and say, Could you please correct the record that I didnt come there for chest pains, that I came there because of the cartilage and I needed a chest wrapper? Haskelson said. It made it look like I had a heart attack, and therefore they wanted to deny me life insurance.

A Covid-19 vaccine record card is seen at Florida Memorial University Vaccination Site in Miami Gardens, Florida on April 14, 2021. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

So does HIPAA apply to COVID vaccination status?

The answer is no, according to Haskelson, because the coronavirus is a serious public health risk. Consequently, discussions around vaccination status or status of having COVID are also considered a matter of public health.

This is like polio, Haskelson said. This is not subjective, how you feel about something. This is a world health risk. Whatever your political beliefs are or your religious beliefs are, this is to protect everybody.

And while Haskelson didnt think the vaccine question posed to Dak Prescott was necessarily appropriate, it wasnt the HIPAA violation that Prescott claimed it was for two reasons: a medical provider wasn't being asked about Prescott's health information, and COVID is a public health issue anyway.

Furthermore, because COVID is a public health issue, businesses technically have the right to ask for proof of vaccination status from their customers and workers, with some limitations.

What I'm not allowed to ask is: If you had COVID, what were the symptoms you had? Haskelson said. Because that's your personal health information. But the concept of the vaccination because I get asked all the time, They won't let them back in school unless they get a vaccine and all that and I'm like, 'Look, this is public health.'

Adriana Belmonte is a reporter and editor covering politics and health care policy for Yahoo Finance. You can follow her on Twitter @adrianambells and reach her at adriana@yahoofinance.com.

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What is HIPAA? What the health privacy law does and doesn't protect - Yahoo Finance

Consumers are finding it hard to ditch their comfy clothes worn for most of the pandemic despite becoming more mobile post COVID-19 vaccinations.

And that continues to play right into the bottom line of Foot Locker (FL).

"We have talked about this cozy, comfortable work-from-home/school sort of look. But the truth is that we have got the uniform of the consumer," Foot Locker CEO Richard Johnson told analysts on an earnings call Friday. "This T-shirt, short and fleece sort of uniform that they are wearing is even more pronounced, and I think will be more pronounced as we go into this back-to-school season."

Foot Locker benefited from the ongoing comfy clothing trend in several ways during the second quarter, much to the surprise of Wall Street forecasters.

First, the company's apparel business saw sales increase by a double-digit percentage. Foot Locker has made a push in recent quarters to trendier hoodies and joggers (notably by Nike) with a street vibe look, and consumers appear to be responding favorably.

"We're doing a better job selling apparel in the stores. For the longest time, it was just sort of an add-on opportunity for our team, but now we've got people that are really focused on selling apparel. We're trying to make sure that it's a full-service opportunity for us to help people get into the right pieces," Johnson explained.

To help fill out that all-day casual look, shoppers bought more shoes in the quarter. Foot Locker said footwear sales rose by a low-single percentage, powered by women and kids categories. The company cited strength behind casual brands such as Crocs and Uggs.

Here is how Foot Locker performed in the second quarter, compared to Wall Street analyst estimates:

Net Sales: $2.28 billion vs. $2.09 billion

Same-Store Sales: +6.9% vs. -1.4%

Gross Profit Margin: 35.1% vs. 30.4%

Adjusted Diluted EPS: $2.21 vs. $1.01

Foot Locker shares soared 10% in afternoon trading Friday. The stock is up 46% year-to-date vs. an 18% gain for the S&P 500, according to Yahoo Finance Plus data.

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Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

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Consumers still love their hoodies and sweatpants: Foot Locker CEO - Yahoo Finance

This article first appeared in the Morning Brief. Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

In August 2020, we wrote in The Morning Brief that the golf business was booming during the pandemic.

In August 2021, the industry only looks stronger.

Within the last week, we've seen golf's two biggest publicly-traded companies Titleist parent company Acushnet (GOLF) and Callaway Golf (ELY) report quarterly results. And these reports indicated that just about every benefit that accrued to the industry during the pandemic has only improved this year.

Golf requires two things that some consumers found abundant during the pandemic disposable income and idle time. The sport's earned reputation is shaped by there being only a select group of people with ample access to both. But during the pandemic, millions of consumers suddenly found themselves thrown into both categories.

The latest data from the National Golf Foundation shows that rounds played through June are up 23% year-to-date, and running 19% above the 2017-2019 average.

Rounds at public courses are also outpacing growth in rounds at private clubs, with public rounds played up 26% this year against a 13% increase in private loops. Data that confirms what your humble public-playing author finds out each weekend: you can't get a tee time anywhere these days.

"According to Golf Datatech, rounds played in June remained at an all-time high, and retail demand remains elevated," Callaway Golf CEO Chip Brewer said on the company's earnings conference call.

"More anecdotally," Brewer added, "private club memberships are also experiencing exceptional demand, with [waitlists] developing at many clubs across the U.S. and the U.K. With more options for activities opened this spring and summer compared to last year, we were cautious that there could have been a potential slowdown in golf participation and/or demand. However, thus far, we're pleased to report that we're not seeing this from our seat in the market." (Emphasis ours.)

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Ahead of second quarter earnings season, we argued in The Morning Brief that comparisons to 2019 would be key for businesses across the economy, with investors trying to make sense of which trends that took off during the pandemic would stick and which would fade away.

And Brewer's framing also shows how even those in the golf business were skeptical that 2020's rush into the sport would be sustained.

"So what we saw in the second half of 2020, rounds were up 25% versus the prior year," Acushnet CEO David Maher said on the company's earnings call.

"I think [2019] is a good baseline, right? We made the comment that rounds in the first half were up 20% over 2019. And just looking forward, I would think we'd see rounds of play up in the second half of this year in the 15% to 20% range versus 2019," he added.

As for how this boom has translated to the income statement for both companies, Callaway reported golf equipment revenues that rose 91% in the second quarter, while Acushnet said golf club sales rose 111% and golf ball revenues were up 98.1%. Adjusted EBITDA also rose sharply for both rising $94.7 million at Acushnet in the second quarter and by $135 million at Callaway.

Another development in the golf industry to watch will be Taylormade's potential move to public markets, following the company's recent sale to South Korea-based Centroid Investment Partners for just under $1.9 billion.

And as the world reopens and a new generation of golfers acquaints themselves with the sport's challenges and frustrations, the future for the game still looks bright.

And one key theme to watch is that "new participants are increasingly younger," Maher noted. "They're hooked on the game. They want to get better. We've talked about increased lessons throughout the industry in all markets, and that continues. And as a result, the game has become less intimidating and more welcoming."

By Myles Udland, reporter and anchor for Yahoo Finance Live. Follow him at @MylesUdland

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Truck driver shortage is about as bad as Ive ever seen: US Xpress CEO

SBA ramps up PPP loan forgiveness as big banks like JPMorgan, PNC go their own way

Cuomo is lucky hes not a CEO

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2021 has been a record year for the golf business - Yahoo Finance

The need for workers is weighing on the trucking industry, where freight operators are struggling to raise wages fast enough to find drivers.

Eric Fuller, the CEO of U.S. Xpress (USX), said that his company has doled out 30% to 35% in total pay increases over the last 12 months but suggested more may be needed.

The driver situation is about as bad as Ive ever seen in my career, Fuller told Yahoo Finance on Monday.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that in the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, the truck transportation industry lost 6% of its pre-pandemic labor force of 1.52 million workers. As of July, the industry had recovered about 63,000 of those lost jobs but still remains about 33,000 jobs short of employment levels in February 2020.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that employment levels in the truck transportation industry remains short of pre-pandemic levels. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Fuller said the expiration of unemployment benefits in some states have brought back some workers, but still worries that it may only get harder to recover the remaining shortfall.

Drivers have shown a stronger preference for jobs that allow them to spend more time with their families, meaning that jobs in manufacturing or construction may poach talent from U.S. Xpress and other trucking companies.

Maybe it will change things permanently, Fuller said, adding that the pool of prospective drivers may have morphed structurally.

Fuller said another 20% to 30% in wage increases may be needed to keep prospective drivers from taking other jobs, but said his company cant afford to make further pay raises in that range at the moment.

Still, U.S. Xpress ramped up spending on efforts to find prospective drivers, noting in its most recent earnings call that it had increased recruiting costs by about $3.5 million.

The increased expenses associated with higher wages and recruitment costs is bleeding down to companies and consumers who pay for shipping.

U.S. Xpress said spot rates, which are real-time quotes for the fee to move a shipment, remain high and look unlikely to abate anytime soon.

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Data from DAT Solutions showed flatbed rates rising 42% year-over-year, a trend that U.S. Xpress doesnt expect to last forever.

Without a doubt, a drop in the spot market is going to come. What remains to be seen is whether itll happen in the winter, spring, or summer of 2022, the company noted in its third-quarter industry forecast.

Still, Fuller said spot rates over the last seven to eight months have been priced at premiums as high as hes ever seen.

Rates and prices are definitely being passed along to the shipper, Fuller told Yahoo Finance.

Brian Cheung is a reporter covering the Fed, economics, and banking for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter @bcheungz.

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Truck driver shortage is about as bad as Ive ever seen: US Xpress CEO - Yahoo Finance

Successful market investing is all about finding opportunities, and buying into the right stocks at low prices. The only real trick to navigating the market is recognizing those opportunities, since low prices is a relative concept, not an absolute. A low price for a famously expensive stock like Amazon will still be in the thousands, while a low price for an obscure penny stock may be less than one dollar.

A look at stock charts will help to find companies whose shares are trading at a discount. Its a recognized strategy, and every investor knows about buying the dip and using a current low in a stocks trading price as a point of entry.

With this in mind, we scoured the TipRanks database and picked out 2 names which have been pinpointed by those in the know as representing a buying opportunity. Both are trading at relative low prices, and that comes with substantial upside potential. Let's take a closer look.

Opportunity Financial (OPFI)

Lets start in the fintech sector, where Opportunity Financial, or OppFi, provides a credit access platform for consumer use. Customers can download the app to their smartphone, and access credit through a completely digital process, with fast applications, fair and transparent decisions, and quality customer service. Among the services offered are loans and payroll-linked credit.

OppFi bases its business model on the large population estimated at 60 million of consumers who have difficulty accessing traditional sources of credit. These are people with regular work, but minimal savings and occasional financial emergencies that tap what resources they do have. OppFis target customer has an annual income less than $50K.

The need for credit in OppFis target population is apparent from the companys growth numbers. OppFi reported an 84% year-over-year growth in net originations during Q2, and a 28% yoy gain in revenue. It was a solid performance for a company that only went public this past July.

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That move to the public markets was accomplished via a SPAC merger. OppFi entered into a business combination with FG New America Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company, and the OPFI ticker started trading on July 21. Since then, however, the shares have dropped by 22%.

That drop opens up the opportunity for investors, according to D.A. Davidson analyst Christopher Brendler.

With the stock reaching a new low [concurrent with] encouraging 2Q results, we see a compelling buying opportunity as the stock is now ridiculously cheap. We project OppFi to grow revenue 112% and EPS 98% (2020A-2022E) yet the stock now trades under 10x 2022E EPS, Brendler opined.

In line with this view, Brendler rates OPFI shares a Buy, along with a $14 price target. Investors could be sitting on gains of ~72%, should Brendlers forecast play out over the coming months. (To watch Brendlers track record, click here)

This newly public stock has attracted some positive attention from Wall Street, with 3 Buy recommendations giving it a unanimous Strong Buy consensus rating. The shares are trading for $8.10, and their $13.83 average price target implies ~70% upside potential for the coming year. (See OPFI stock analysis on TipRanks)

Scorpio Tanker (STNG)

Now lets shift gears, and enter the world of international shipping. Scorpio Tanker is a shipping company in the oil and petrochemical business, operating a fleet of ocean-going tanker vessels in the Handymax, MR, and LR1 and LR2 size ranges. The MR and LR ships are commonly used general purpose oil tankers, and will carry both crude oil and refined products. They are capable of operating in most ports around the world but Scorpio also operates a large number of smaller Handymax vessels, giving it access to small ports as well.

The economic reopening, and the resumption of much trade, was positive for Scorpio, as investors turned bullish on shipping generally with the resumption of the global carrying trade. The company saw its share price rise steadily through the first half of this year, peaking in late June. Since then, the stock has pulled back by 38%.

That pullback has come as Scorpio reported a difficult second quarter. The company saw a net EPS loss of 97 cents, compared to the per-share profit of $2.40 reported in the year-ago quarter. Revenue came in at $139.4 million, down from $346.2 million in 2Q20. The losses, and the fall in revenue, reflect a lag inherent in shipping and supply chains; that is, orders placed dont get sent out immediately. It is one reason why, even though economies are reopening, the shipping industry is facing headwinds.

H.C. Wainwright analyst Magnus Fyhr remains unfazed, and notes that the tanker company is in a sound position to take advantage of an improving shipping environment later this year.

"...we believe a global economic recovery and rising vaccination rates should increase mobility levels and support stronger global oil demand in 2H21. In fact, following two months of decline, oil demand surged by an estimated 3.2 mb/d to 96.8 mb/d in June, with 2H21 on course to rise 4.6 mb/d versus 1H21 levels, to 98.7 mb/d," Fyhr noted.

The analyst continued, "With product tanker fundamentals starting to improve, we believe asset values should continue to strengthen and that an improving liquidity position should address any balance-sheet concerns. As a result, we continue to like STNG as a product tanker pure play and believe the recent pullback has created an attractive buying opportunity."

Based on the above, Fyhr rates STNG shares a Buy, and his $28 price target implies an upside of ~89% this year. (To watch Fyhrs track record, click here)

As for the rest of the Street, STNG has been assigned 5 Buys, 1 Hold and 2 Sells. This translates to a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The average price target lands at $21.88, and represents upside potential of ~47%. (See STNG stock analysis on TipRanks)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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The Dip in These 2 Stocks Is a Buying Opportunity, Say Analysts - Yahoo Finance

The upward movement we're seeing in prices is not transitory and big tech will suffer from it, says one financial adviser.

"Wages are going up and typically what happens is they just dont go down over time. So they dont temporarily go up and go back down," Chris Payne of Payne Capital Management told Yahoo Finance Live.

"Even if youre going out to the grocery store, things are just more expensive. So not only do I think inflation is not transitory, I think its here to stay. And I really think it will impact different markets," he added.

Technology is the sector which could be impacted the most, he said.

"I think big tech is going to face the biggest headwind when it comes to inflation," said Payne.

"What we call long duration assets like pipelines, commodities what we call more value based I think those things are going to benefit from inflation," he added.

Payne's comments are in stark contrast with Fed Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's repeated comments that inflation is transitory.

Economists like Stephanie Roth from JPMorgan agree with the Fed.

"Inflation screams transitory when you look at the data," Roth told Yahoo Finance Live.

"You're starting to see signs that inflation is cooling. The data isn't particularly scary to us," she added.

"Certainly wage pressures have been high recently but we think that thats driven by a couple of factors," she added. "Unemployment benefits which are quite generous and are starting to roll off."

"Concerns around COVID thats certainly transitory," she said. "And then the child care issue also. As school starts to reopen we should see the wage pressures start to subside."

The core personal consumption expenditures price index (Core PCE, which excludes food and energy) increased 3.5% year over year in June. That's the highest reading since 1991.

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Ines is a markets reporter covering stocks from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Follow her on Twitter at @ines_ferre

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'Inflation is here to stay': financial adviser - Yahoo Finance