Stocks have rebounded in relief following the temporary cease-fire agreement between Iran and the United States, but it’s still a great time for investors to stock up, investors told CNBC’s “Halftime Report” on Wednesday. “(President Donald Trump) has clearly been looking for an exit over the past few weeks…I just don’t think he’s going to go back to the depths of the concerns that we had,” said Stephen Weiss, chief investment officer at Short Hills Capital Partners. “I think it’s going to be a very positive situation for markets to move up.” Major stock averages soared Wednesday after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, pausing a five-week conflict that has spread across the Middle East and roiled global markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 2.9%, or more than 1,300 points, its best day since April 2025. Individual investors may be reconsidering their defensive portfolio strategies and looking for buying opportunities. Shannon Saccocia, chief investment officer at Neuberger Berman, recommends investors allocate at least a portion of their portfolios to risk-on assets such as technology stocks, especially ahead of a potentially blockbuster earnings season that begins this month. “Sectors such as technology, financials and parts of the industrial sector are areas where we felt valuations were weak in June, July (and) August of last year, but they are more attractive, consistent and consistent with continued economic momentum,” Saccocia said. “The relative attractiveness of large-cap U.S. stocks is starting to come to the fore again, which could lead to a return to some of these names,” he added. Joe Terranova, senior managing director at Virtus Investment Partners, highlighted Alphabet, saying the market’s behavior reflects a “growth story.” He pointed out that Google’s parent company will rise more than 1% in 2026, making it the best-performing company among the Magnificent Seven. “We have finally decided on the higher-ranking names for MagSeven for 2026,” Terranova said. “What I want to focus on… is the fact that (the rally) is a return to momentum and a return to growth.”
