It's not just showers that April brought recently. It was volatility -- and a lot of it.
But, as experienced investors fully know, volatility doesn't last forever. As unsettling as it may be in the short term, turmoil in the markets will ebb, and the market will again bend toward growth.
With this in mind, investors have the opportunity to load up on compelling growth stocks that have still failed to fully recover from the market sell-off. Archer Aviation (ACHR +1.50%), PureCycle Technologies (PCT +8.99%), and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH +1.53%) all represent great buying opportunities despite their year-to-date declines (as of this writing) of 11.9%, 12.5%, and 34.2%, respectively.
Recent turbulence doesn't mean Archer Aviation won't soar higher
NYSE: ACHR
Key Data Points
There's no denying that it's been a choppy flight for Archer Aviation stock through the first five months of 2025. The critical thing to appreciate, however, is that the company has consistently notched achievement after achievement since the start of the year, so it's inaccurate to attribute the stock's poor performance to stumbles that the maker of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has suffered.
Most recently, Archer announced progress with the development of infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, where the company -- in what is its debut of commercial operations -- plans to offer air taxi service later this year.
In late March, Archer revealed that it had inked an agreement with Ethiopian Airlines. Valued up to $30 million, the deal will have Archer provide Ethiopian Airlines with a fleet of eVTOL aircraft as well as pilots and other personnel to support Ethiopian Airlines's air taxi operations.
With Archer making steady progress toward receiving the requisite certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration, investors have a great opportunity to hitch a ride with this innovative aviation stock that's poised to disrupt urban air transport.
PureCycle Technologies is turning trash into treasure
NASDAQ: PCT
Key Data Points
Looking for a growth stock that has suffered a sell-off and is an investment that you can feel good about making? PureCycle Technologies, a leader in plastic recycling, may be the stock for you.
Like with Archer, the recent decline in PureCycle stock doesn't reflect any missteps the company has suffered, but rather the general bearish sentiment that has pervaded the market. In fact, PureCycle has logged some important achievements in the past few months as it has started generating revenue.
For one, PureCycle began 2025 on an auspicious note, announcing the sale of 500,000 pounds of resin -- produced from post-consumer feedstock -- to Drake Extrusion, which plans on using the resin to produce continuous filament yarn for applications such as outdoor upholstery. The deal is notable in that it validates PureCycle's technology and its ability to produce resin at scale.
The company has also made notable progress at its Ironton recycling facility, where it has ramped up operations to 88% of nameplate capacity for the processing of feedstock. PureCycle estimates the Ironton facility has an annual production capacity of 107 million pounds of resin.
The VanEck Semiconductor ETF provides a conservative approach to AI exposure
With President Donald Trump's announcement regarding the imposition of tariffs on a variety of nations, investors have largely shied away from semiconductor stocks recently. Those with long-term investing horizons, however, recognize that the sell-off in these stocks provides a great opportunity for gaining artificial intelligence (AI) exposure. At the same time, those uninterested in exposing themselves to excessive risk will find the VanEck Semiconductor ETF to be a smart choice.
Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing are the two largest positions in the fund and have a combined weighting of about 30%. Fellow semiconductor leaders Broadcom, Qualcomm, and ASML round out the top five holdings, which combined represent a nearly 50% weighting -- sizable considering the VanEck Semiconductor ETF has 26 holdings in total.
The ETF makes distributions annually, and while its 30-day SEC yield is only 0.65%, it more than the covers the 0.35% expense ratio.
Which growth stock is right for you right now?
For those interested in high-risk, high-reward opportunities, Archer and PureCycle are the obvious choices right now -- both of which have been moving in the right directions during these early innings of their developments.
On the other hand, those looking to pick up some AI exposure (in a more conservative way) would be wise to click the buy button on the VanEck Semiconductor ETF.
