Zacks' Blank: Oil shock will trigger rate hikes and, possibly, recession

John Blank, chief investment strategist and chief economist at Zacks Investment Research, says that global central banks — including the Federal Reserve — have shifted to a rate-hiking mode. While some will wait to see when the Strait of Hormuz opens and how long higher oil prices impact inflation, he thinks the lingering tensions will force their hand. Further, he worries that the market's current levels "don't make sense," saying "multiple compression in the stock market should be [investors'] primary concern." Still, Blank says investors want to be fully invested, but possibly building a cash stash to get through some rougher times that he sees ahead. Vincent Randazzo, chief market strategist at ViewRight Advisors — co-manager of the recently launched Defender Risk Adaptive 500 ETF — says the market is in a "recovery mode" from a decline it went through just as the war in Iran broke out, and because it's still in the early stages, the recovery is "lumpy," and led by the biggest names. Randazzo, who focuses his research on market breadth, expects this market to broaden out and include more smaller names as the recovery continues to build. John Barr, portfolio manager for the Needham Funds — selected as a "Stock Market Maestro" by author and researcher Lee Freeman-Shor — discusses having market discipline and what it takes to deliver superior investment results through long-term, patient stock-picking. He also discusses how his methods are different from all of the other maestros Freeman-Shor identified in his book (discussed on the March 26th show), highlighting how there is no one right way to profit in the market.