Markets hate uncertainty — it is one of the most enduring truths in investing. When geopolitical tensions escalate, trade policy remains unclear, and macro headwinds multiply, investors instinctively pull capital out of equities or simply stand pat. Yet despite an environment in March 2025 that, if described six months earlier, would have had most traders predicting far steeper declines, the overall market has shown remarkable resilience. There has been no massive panic-driven selloff to safety, even as the S&P 500 broke below its 200-day moving average during a rough week. Cash remains a valid position and playing defense is prudent, but the fact that markets are holding up as well as they are offers a degree of encouragement.
Within this turbulent backdrop, three stocks stand out — each for different reasons — as names worth watching closely.
Devon Energy: The Steady March Higher
Devon Energy has been one of the strongest swing trades of the week, operating in near-complete inverse to the broader market's weakness. As a shale and Permian Basin producer, Devon carries a degree of insulation from direct geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East while still benefiting from persistently elevated oil and gas prices.
The technical picture is compelling. After dropping to around $25.80 during last year's tariff-driven selloff, Devon has made consistent higher lows. The stock formed a wedge pattern over roughly nine to ten months, with major resistance around the $38 level. After curling above the 50-day moving average back in November and using it as support, Devon broke through that $38.50 neckline and has continued its advance. A small consolidation followed, but the breakout has held, and the stock is now up roughly 38% year-to-date.
The length of the basing period suggests the upside move still has room to run — potentially another $15 to $20 from the neckline breakout, with the next major resistance at the psychologically significant $50 level. On the downside, key support sits at $45.50 (the recent breakout zone), followed by the 50-day moving average at $42.30. There is a minor bearish divergence in RSI, with the indicator making lower highs even as price pushes higher, but the MACD remains in a bullish formation with the 12 EMA above the 26 EMA and above the zero line. The primary trend remains firmly upward, and until a massive capitulation candle appears at the top of the trend, higher highs remain the most likely outcome.
Devon represents the kind of trade that does not require constant micromanagement — a steady, orderly advance in a hot sector with solid fundamentals and a built-in geopolitical hedge.
SanDisk: Memory as the New Gold
SanDisk has been a standout performer in the technology space, riding the explosive demand for memory driven by artificial intelligence. The cost of RAM, DRAM, and storage has surged dramatically. Anyone who has priced out a new laptop or computer recently and clicked the memory upgrade option knows this firsthand — the prices are staggering.
The reason is straightforward: AI workloads are extraordinarily RAM-intensive. Whether it is massive data centers powering cloud-based AI services or individuals deploying open-source large language models locally on devices with high-memory architectures, the demand for memory is creating severe supply constraints. The global proliferation of open-source AI models, with massive adoption in markets like China, is only accelerating this trend. Micron's recent blowout earnings further confirmed the strength of the memory cycle.
Technically, SanDisk has been making higher highs and higher lows, with repeated consolidation patterns followed by breakouts to the upside. The stock has been approaching the $800 level, though intraday volatility has ramped up significantly — an 11% move to the upside one day followed by a 5% decline the next. This kind of increased volatility at elevated levels warrants caution, as it can sometimes signal a potential reversal.
RSI is showing lower highs, suggesting some waning of price momentum, though given the abnormal price action, this divergence should be taken with a grain of salt. The MACD remains bullish, though the 12 EMA is beginning to hinge slightly. Key support levels include the 50-day moving average at $574.25, which held as support in mid-March, followed by the 200-day moving average further below. The trend remains upward, but the elevated implied and realized volatility compared to the prior year and a half raises the risk that a swift reversal could breach structural support levels. Position sizing and risk management are especially important in a name moving this aggressively.
Palantir: The Modern Battlefield Play
Palantir has pulled back from its status as one of the biggest high-flyers of the past couple of years, declining roughly 2.3% in the most recent session and seeing broader weakness year-to-date alongside the software sector. Yet the long-term thesis remains deeply compelling.
The core investment case rests on the evolution of modern warfare and the relentless increase in global defense spending. With military budgets climbing into the trillions and the Pentagon requesting ever-larger allocations, Palantir sits at the nexus of defense technology and AI-driven intelligence. The company's platforms have been instrumental in recent geopolitical operations — details that typically emerge only after operations conclude — and as current conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere wind down, the full scope of Palantir's contributions is likely to become public knowledge, potentially catalyzing renewed investor enthusiasm.
From a technical perspective, the chart tells an encouraging story despite the recent pullback. From lows around $66 last year, the stock surged to $27.52 (split-adjusted) before pulling back. Crucially, the retracement was only 50% — from those lows to the highs and back down to around $120 — and that 50% Fibonacci level held. The stock has since recovered both its 20-day and 50-day moving averages.
Perhaps the most telling signal is what Palantir has not done during the recent market volatility. While the S&P 500 and the broader technology sector have seen significant turbulence, Palantir has remained relatively stable, consolidating in a pattern that suggests it may be basing for a breakout to the upside. The 200-day moving average at $163.40 represents the first major resistance level, with $175 to $180 above that. The technical setup leans more bullish than bearish.
The Bigger Picture
These three names — Devon Energy, SanDisk, and Palantir — represent three distinct investment themes: energy security, AI-driven memory demand, and defense technology. Together, they illustrate a market where opportunity exists even in uncertain times, provided investors are willing to look beyond the headline-level fear. Diversification across uncorrelated themes remains essential, and maintaining discipline around key technical levels provides a framework for managing risk. The market's resilience, while not a guarantee of future performance, suggests that the foundation beneath these trades is stronger than the prevailing mood would imply.