Some investors prefer boring stocks. That's completely understandable. Boring stocks often deliver the best long-term returns. They're like the tortoise in Aesop's classic fable about the hare and the tortoise.
But other investors seek more excitement. They know that hares win plenty of races, too. If you're in that group, here are two potentially explosive stocks to buy in November.
Novocure has major news on the way soon
Novocure (NVCR 1.31%) is handily beating the S&P 500 so far in 2022. However, the stock is still down a little year to date. But the oncology treatment specialist has some huge news on the way soon.
The company is currently evaluating its tumor treating fields (TTFields) therapy in a late-stage clinical study targeting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This therapy uses electrical fields to disrupt the division of tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unaffected for the most part. Novocure plans to announce the results of this study in early 2023.
The chances of those NSCLC results being positive appear to be pretty good. In 2021, the independent data monitoring committee for the late-stage study said that it was "likely unnecessary and possibly unethical" to enroll the initially planned 534 patients in the control arm. That hinted at promising early results for TTFields in treating NSCLC.
TTFields has already won regulatory approvals to treat glioblastoma (an aggressive type of brain cancer) and mesothelioma (a type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure). However, NSCLC is a much larger opportunity. That's not the only major milestone to watch for with Novocure, though.
The company also expects to announce results from two other late-stage studies next year -- one targeting brain metastases and another targeting recurrent ovarian cancer. In 2024, Novocure anticipates reporting final data from a phase 3 study of TTFields in treating pancreatic cancer. These four late-stage indications represent a total addressable market that's around 14 times bigger than Novocure's current market.
Sure, it will take a while for the company to potentially win regulatory approvals and commercialize TTFields in these new indications. However, investors are forward-looking. If Novocure delivers good news about the treatment's efficacy against NSCLC, the stock should take off.
MercadoLibre is ready to roar back
E-commerce stocks have had a rough year. So have many fintech stocks. MercadoLibre (MELI 1.54%) belongs to both categories. Unsurprisingly, its shares have fallen significantly. However, this Latin American dynamo could be ready to roar back.
MercadoLibre's Q3 earnings results blew everyone's minds (or at least, the minds of everyone who really paid attention to that update). Net revenue soared nearly 61% year over year on a constant-currency basis to $2.7 billion. Total payment volume skyrocketed by 76.4% on a constant-currency basis. The number of active fintech users topped 40 million for the first time ever.
CEO Osvaldo Giminez said in the Q3 call that the company expects interest rates in Brazil will likely begin to decline next year. If this prediction proves accurate, it should bode well for MercadoLibre. Brazil is one of the company's largest markets.
Advertising represents a strong growth opportunity for MercadoLibre. It's a high-margin business. The company is only in the early innings of growth with ads -- last quarter, they reached just 1.3% penetration of its gross merchandise volume.
Some U.S. tech companies have announced staff reductions. MercadoLibre, though, continues to add employees. The company expects to finish 2022 with around 4,000 additional engineers. This should pay off as those employees work to make MercadoLibre's ecosystem stickier.
MercadoLibre is now moving into its peak sales season. It's quite possible that the company's Q4 numbers will be even stronger than its impressive Q3 results. If so, this beaten-down stock could explode higher.
