Barron's Picks And Pans: McDonald's, Salesforce, Starbucks And More

• This weekend's Barron's looks at homebuilder stocks that are poised to soar.
• Other featured articles focus on COVID-19 stocks, real estate investment trusts and disruptive global tech companies.
• Also, the prospects for a fast-food giant, an auto parts leader, a top software provider and more.

The Housing Market Is on Fire. These Stocks Could Benefit." by Shaina Mishkin makes a case that homebuilders like Toll Brothers Inc TOL that have lagged could catch up as housing demand continues to swell.

Avi Salzman's "McDonald's Battles Its Former CEO. Why It's Still a Buy." points out that fast-food giant Mcdonald's Corp MCD managed to prosper during the pandemic, but it also faces some ugly courtroom fights.

In "Investors Are Betting Big on a Covid-19 Vaccine. Is That Safe?," Josh Nathan-Kazis suggests how it could play out as vaccine candidates from Johnson & Johnson JNJ, Pfizer Inc. PFE and others get ready for prime time.

See why Barron's believes auto-parts giant Magna International Inc. MGA could play a major role as car sales recover in "Magna Builds Its Electric Future by Making Cars for Start-Ups That Can't" by Al Root.

In Andrew Bary's "New York City's Offices Are Empty. How to Gamble on a Recovery," see why Barron's thinks Vornado Realty Trust VNO and other real estate investment trusts (REITs) could offer a cheap post-pandemic play.

See also: 2 Reasons Millennials Are Pouring Into The Stock Market For The First Time

"These Global Tech Companies Can Go the Distance" by Leslie P. Norton reveals what is to like about disruptive companies from outside the United States, such as Bilibili Inc BILI and Wix.Com Ltd WIX.

This past week, software company salesforce.com, inc. CRM shares soared for a couple of reasons. So says Al Root's "Salesforce Rises After It's Included in the Dow. But Earnings Drive the Stock Even More."

In "Starbucks Stock Gets a Post-Covid Jolt," Ben Levisohn discusses why every step closer to social normalcy after the COVID-19 crisis should help restaurants generally, and Starbucks Corporation SBUX specifically, thanks to its proven adaptability.

Also in this week's Barron's:

Why cities and states face a $1 trillion budget mess

• Whether stocks are rising into a treacherous fall
• How initial public offerings are catching a perfect wave
• How future prosperity depends on narrowing the income gap
• Funds that beat the market without the FAAMG stocks
• The price of the new Federal Reserve policy
• Whether activists will focus on energy and health care next year
• Whether Saudi Aramco can keep its dividend pledge
• A new auto design trend influenced by COVID-19

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

Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter.