10 Stocks Worth Watching This Week: Jobs Day Reckoning and the Hard Asset Surge — March 30–April 3, 2026

The Week That Was

Markets are entering the final stretch of Q1 2026 under significant duress. The S&P 500 has shed roughly 8% year-to-date as the combined weight of tariff uncertainty, softening consumer sentiment, and a Fed stuck between slowing growth and sticky inflation bear down on risk assets. Last week offered little relief: consumer sentiment (final, March) printed at 54.0 — a multi-year low — while import prices surged 1.3% in February, the largest jump in four years. The tariff pass-through is arriving faster than most models assumed.

This week is dense with market-moving catalysts. Fed Chair Powell speaks today (Monday) at 10:30am ET — his first public remarks since the latest inflation data, and markets will parse every word for signals on the rate path. Friday's March jobs report is the week's central event: the median forecast is +45,000 — historically weak — after February's -92,000 shocker raised recession alarm bells across trading desks. If Friday prints negative again, expect a sharp repricing across risk assets.

The dominant themes: labor market fragility, tariff-driven inflation, and a flight to hard assets. Against that backdrop, here are 10 stocks positioned to matter most this week.

1. PLTR — Palantir Technologies

Type: Long-Term Conviction | Approx. Price: ~$85

Palantir sits at the convergence of two of the decade's defining structural shifts: AI operationalization and the remilitarization of Western governments. The company's AIP (Artificial Intelligence Platform) has moved from novelty to mission-critical across both the U.S. federal government and large commercial enterprises — Q4 2025 results showed U.S. commercial revenue up 54% year-over-year, with government revenue accelerating as the Pentagon's AI spending finally shifts from pilot programs to full deployment. Palantir is not a speculative AI play; it is increasingly the operating system for how governments fight, decide, and govern.

This week is meaningful for Palantir specifically because Powell's remarks and the jobs data will drive broad market volatility — and PLTR has shown it can decouple from tech selloffs when defense spending news is in focus. Defense budget deliberations in Washington continue, with the FY2026 NDAA supplemental allocations expected to move through committee this week, directly benefiting Palantir's government division. The valuation remains stretched, but the growth trajectory justifies premium positioning for long-horizon investors.

Catalyst this week: NDAA supplemental progress; Powell's remarks could validate "higher for longer" = defense spending premium
Key risk: Premium valuation (P/S >30x) means any macro shock hits hard
Timeframe: Long-term (12–24 months)

2. NEM — Newmont Corporation

Type: Long-Term Conviction | Approx. Price: ~$52

Gold is acting as the macro stress indicator it was always meant to be — spot gold has surged past $3,100/oz, driven by central bank accumulation, de-dollarization flows, and the reality that real rates are falling even as nominal rates stay elevated. Newmont, the world's largest gold miner, is the highest-quality leveraged play on continued gold strength. With all-in sustaining costs (AISC) around $1,400–1,500/oz, every $100 move in gold translates directly to hundreds of millions in incremental free cash flow. The company completed its Newcrest acquisition integration last year, adding premier assets in Australia, Canada, and Papua New Guinea.

The macro environment this week is structurally bullish for NEM. Powell speaking today will likely maintain a cautious tone that keeps rate-cut expectations ambiguous — historically, that uncertainty drives gold higher. The Friday jobs report, if it confirms labor market deterioration, will accelerate the gold rally as recession hedging intensifies. Newmont's dividend yield (~3.5%) provides income support while investors wait for the thesis to compound.

Catalyst this week: Powell tone + jobs data = gold price direction; any escalation in trade war = safe haven flows
Key risk: If jobs print strong and Powell turns hawkish, gold reverses sharply
Timeframe: Long-term (12–18 months)

3. RTX — RTX Corporation (Raytheon Technologies)

Type: Long-Term Conviction | Approx. Price: ~$135

NATO allies are accelerating defense spending commitments to 3–4% of GDP — a structural shift that has years of procurement contracts ahead of it. RTX is uniquely positioned as the producer of the Patriot missile system (currently in highest global demand), the F135 engine for the F-35, and a broad portfolio of precision munitions that are being consumed at historically unprecedented rates in active conflict zones. Unlike pure defense primes that are still building capacity, RTX has existing production lines that can scale. Q4 2025 showed backlog at a record $217 billion — visibility into revenues that most industrial companies can only dream of.

This week, RTX benefits from the ongoing Congressional defense budget discussions. Any supplemental spending approval for Ukraine or allied procurement acceleration would directly boost order flow. RTX also trades at a relative discount to peers like LMT and NOC on a forward P/E basis, making it the quality value within the defense complex.

Catalyst this week: Defense appropriations news; any NATO/EU defense spending announcements
Key risk: Production bottlenecks; supply chain constraints on specialty alloys
Timeframe: Long-term (18–36 months)

4. CCJ — Cameco Corporation

Type: Long-Term Conviction | Approx. Price: ~$48

The nuclear renaissance is no longer a projection — it is procurement policy. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all signed long-term nuclear power purchase agreements in the past 18 months. The U.S. government is funding advanced reactor development at scale. The critical bottleneck in all of this: uranium supply. Cameco, the world's largest publicly-listed uranium producer, controls the Cigar Lake and McArthur River mines — the highest-grade uranium deposits on Earth. Uranium spot prices remain elevated (~$90/lb), and Cameco's long-term contracts are being renegotiated at structurally higher price floors as utilities scramble for supply security.

This week, macro conditions amplify the CCJ thesis: if the jobs data is weak and recession fears intensify, energy security spending — including nuclear — historically becomes MORE politically popular as governments seek domestic energy independence. CCJ is also a de facto inflation hedge, as commodity producers benefit from the same tariff-driven import price environment that is hurting consumer-facing sectors.

Catalyst this week: Tariff escalation narrative = energy security premium; any nuclear policy news
Key risk: Uranium spot price volatility; regulatory timelines for new reactor approvals
Timeframe: Long-term (24–48 months)

This is where the analysis gets actionable. AlphaBriefing members get the full investment framework — scenarios, positioning, and the bottom line.

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