The broad stock markets seem to be running through a bit of a rough patch right now, with the latest round of earnings, though solid, failing to power the great market rally of 2025 any further. Undoubtedly, just when you thought the coast was clear (we rolled through September, a historically turbulent month, without much pain), the broad markets hit investors with an unexpected slide.
Though the AI-induced skid is primarily due to valuations and a change in tone towards the growth potential (most notably returns on investment) from some of the top tech titans, many other names have been caught up in the downdraft. And while it might be a tad too early in this pullback to start backing up the truck, at least in my opinion, given the S&P 500 is only halfway to an official correction (that would be a 10% drop), I think that putting together a few names you’d be willing to buy at much lower prices is a good idea.
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More pain in the tech trade despite decent earnings reports
And if there’s a hard-hit name that’s fallen much harder than the broad TSX Index or S&P 500, I’d say there’s really no need to wait to do a bit of buying, especially if a full correction never materializes and the 5% dip is all investors will get to do their buying. Personally, I wouldn’t try to time the bottom here in case stocks continue to swing lower. As such, I’d be very incremental and look to deploy excess cash gradually over the next couple of months.
Who knows? Perhaps in January 2026, the TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account) top-up season for many will have far better buying opportunities.
Either way, we’ll look at one name that I think could make sense to buy with $3,000 or so, but as long as you’re willing to keep buying away at further weakness. So, if you’ve got a total of $3,000, perhaps putting $1,000 to work today with the intent of putting the rest to work later on (perhaps two more buys of $1,000 each) could make the most sense for those who are rattled by volatility but don’t want to walk away from a perfectly good sell-off without any merchandise in hand.
Constellation falling back to earth
At this juncture, I think shares of Constellation Software (TSX:CSU) are starting to get a bit oversold, with shares now down more than 27% year to date or about 37% from peak levels. Undoubtedly, the pains in the software company had started well before the growth plays got bumpy in November.
And while much of the valuation reset is already in the books, investors must ask themselves if they’re happy with management in the post-Leonard era (in case you missed it, Mark Leonard, a legendary top boss, resigned around two months ago due to health reasons).
I think the firm will be fine as it looks to find new opportunities, perhaps in the wake of the latest market sell-off, to put new money to work. Undoubtedly, small-cap software can be tricky, but with proven managers and perhaps more of an AI focus, I like the risk/reward scenario.
With a 0.78 beta, Constellation seems less likely to be moved by what troubles the TSX Index, and, at this time of year, I’d say that’s a good thing. Though catching a falling knife can be risky, I think holding your nose and buying a third of a position here, at around $3,200 per share, could be a smart bet.
