Stock markets posted positive returns last week despite firmly remaining in a bear market more broadly. The MSCI World index rose 3.8% between Monday and Friday last week, with the S & P 500 and the Nasdaq in the U.S. also closing up by 4.8% and 5.2%, respectively. Market strategists and investment banks have cautioned that a market bounce has been “primarily technically driven in nature” and many expect further falls in the coming months. These are the 20 top stocks in the MSCI World index that saw gains of more than 15% last week, as of the close on Friday Oct. 21. Netflix was the biggest gainer last week. Its shares jumped on Wednesday after the streaming company reported better-than-expected third-quarter results . The company reported 223 million customers at the end of the quarter, up 2.6% compared to last year. On average, analysts’ price target on Netflix is below its current share price, meaning the shares are expected to drop by roughly 3.8%. Jeffrey Wlodarczak, equity analyst at Pivotal Research, who has a “sell” rating on the stock said: “A return to material subscriber growth (in core markets in particular) seems to be wishful thinking against the backdrop of already high penetration rates in developed markets and rising levels of competition.” Dutch firm Just Eat Takeaway.com was one of the biggest gainers last week and is among the stocks with the biggest upside potential. The stock was buy-rated by nine out of 14 analysts, with three maintaining a hold rating. However, shares of the company have declined by 69% this year. Late last month, the company said it expects to turn profitable this year, which is earlier than expected. Lyft ‘s stock rose by 15% last week. It comes after shares in riding-hailing companies were generally beaten down in the prior week after the U.S. government proposed rules that could force their workers to be classified as employees rather than contractors. On average, analysts expect Lyft to rise to $25 a share a 109.5% upside from its current share price. Shares of the company have fallen by nearly 70% this year, but one analyst thinks that could be a perfect entry point for investors looking for a bargain. Analyst Robert Mollins at equity research firm Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of the ridesharing stock to a buy rating with a $24 price target, noting that Lyft is trading at an attractive discount to Uber . Shares in Wayfair , an online furniture company, are also expected to rise by 105%, according to the median estimate of analysts in FactSet’s data. However, the equity analyst community is split on the stock as nine analysts have a buy rating, 10 maintain a hold, and six have a sell rating.
