Barron's Picks And Pans: Alphabet, Apple, CBS, Synchrony And More

• The cover story in this weekend's Barron's offers tips for avoiding the biggest risks in global investing.
• Other featured articles include the outlook for the iPhone maker and why a media giant faces too much drama.
• Also, see the prospects for an oil supermajor and a top financial services company.

"The 3 Biggest Risks in Global Investing and How to Avoid Them" by Reshma Kapadia points out that in the past year, populism, trade and currency issues have dramatically changed the investing landscape. What that means is investors should take another look at their international portfolios. See what Barron's suggests, and how the likes of Baidu Inc BIDU fit in.

Jack Hough's "Why You Should Hold on to Apple Shares" suggests that as Apple Inc. AAPL reached a stock market milestone this past week by surging past the $1 trillion market cap mark, its strong finances and positive product outlook point to both a premium valuation (which it hasn't had in nearly six years) and further gains.

In "CBS Has Too Much Drama for Shareholders Now," Jack Hough makes the case that the sudden vulnerability of CEO Les Moonves in the wake of sexual harassment allegations should cause investors in CBS Corporation CBS to be wary. Also find out how Barron's thinks the drama will affect the merger scenario with Viacom, Inc. VIAB.

An interview with the CEO of Omega Advisors is featured in "Alphabet, CVS Are Lee Cooperman Favorites" by Vito J. Racanelli. Value-investing veteran Cooperman, as well as Omega Vice Chair Steven Einhorn, share why they see U.S. stocks hitting new highs and which ones they like now, including Alphabet Inc GOOGL.

See Also: How The Toys 'R' Us Bankruptcy Impacted July's Jobs Data

In Vito J. Racanelli's "Betting on Shell's Turnaround" see why the case for Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE: RDS-A) isn't rising energy prices, according to Barron's. Instead, the world's fifth-largest oil and gas company, once known for its relative inefficiency compared with its peers, appears to be turning things around slowly but surely.

"Where Synchrony Financial Goes After Walmart" by Lawrence C. Strauss examines why shares of Synchrony Financial SYF, the largest issuer of private-label retail credit cards in the United States, look attractive after pulling back in recent weeks in wake of news that major partner had chosen to shift to one of Synchrony's peers.

Also in this week's Barron's:

• The ethical challenges of investing in prisons
• The promise of CRISPR technology
• Whether the dividend aristocrats are worth another look
• The return of Anthony Scaramucci
• The future of fast-food stocks
• What's looming in coffee prices
• How China could deal with the trade war