Barron's Latest Picks And Pans: Bitcoin ETFs, Chesapeake Energy, HP, WeWork And More

• This weekend's Barron's cover story examines why investors should be wary of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds.


• Other featured articles discuss how to find opportunities in preferred stocks and which utilities now look undervalued.


• Also, see the prospects for a natural gas play, an improbable IPO, and an unexpectedly successful tech company.

"Bitcoin ETFs Are Changing the Game for Cryptos. But Investors Should Be Wary" by Daren Fonda and Avi Salzman discusses why the debut of exchange-traded funds based on Bitcoin futures, such as ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF BITO, could help cryptocurrencies break into the mainstream. Yet, says Barron's, what's good for Wall Street isn't always good for investors.

In "Natural Gas Isn't Gone Yet. Here's a Stock to Play Its Long Phaseout," Nicholas Jasinski suggests that Chesapeake Energy CHK, once the poster child of the U.S. shale revolution, now has a shareholder-first approach and is a cheap stock. See what Barron's believes has changed for this Oklahoma City-based energy company.

Andrew Bary's "Looking for Yield? Preferred Stock Still Offers Opportunities" discusses how new preferred stock issues from the likes of JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM and Wells Fargo & Co WFC offer better income than Treasury bonds and are still attractive, particularly for individual investors. However, says the article, these stocks do come with risks.

Just two years after nearly going broke, WeWork Inc. WE is now a public company, with a valuation of about $9 billion. So says "WeWork Goes Public, Defying Great Odds" by Eric J. Savitz. See what Barron's says investors need to know about how the shared workspace provider got where it is.

See also: Benzinga's Bulls And Bears Of The Past Week: Disney, Facebook, Ford, Tesla And More

In Lawrence C. Strauss's "Utilities Are Paying Juicy Yields—and They Look Undervalued," the suggestion is made that too many investors are overlooking utility stocks with solid fundamentals, appealing valuations and durable dividends. The article offers four names to consider, including NextEra Energy Inc NEE.

"HP Has Become an Unexpected Success Story in the World of Tech" by Eric J. Savitz explores why, with an improving growth story, shareholder-friendly policies and one of the cheapest stocks in its sector, HP Inc HPQ looks like a "screaming buy." Discover where Barron's thinks this PC and printer maker could be headed, at a time when other tech stocks are struggling.

Also in this week's Barron's:

• A stock market comparison: 1920s vs. 2020s


• How boomers can retire early with no regrets


• Why to be wary of China's stock market recovery


• Takeaways from the Milken Conference


• Why falling consumer confidence is ominous for stocks


• Whether stagflation is making a comeback


• How to invest in (and find) the metaverse


• Cryptocurrencies and emerging markets


• Whether a new regulation can plug cybersecurity leaks


• How drought is affecting food prices


• Retirement planning with special needs children

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

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