By JED GRAHAM

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), the chip fabricator with the A-1 AI client list, including Nvidia (NVDA) and Alphabet (GOOGL), leads this weekend watchlist of five stocks near buy points. Gold and silver streaming company Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), oil refining giant Valero Energy (VLO), AI cooling play Comfort Systems (FIX) and industrial lighting and control systems supplier Acuity (AYI) also are on the list.

FIX and WPM have a 99 IBD Composite Rating out of a possible 99, according to IBD Stock Checkup. The single rating combines both fundamental and technical factors. TSM has a 98 IBD Composite Rating, tied for No. 1 in the Semiconductor Manufacturing industry group.

IBD Stock Lists, Market Take

Taiwan Semiconductor, Wheaton Precious Metals and Comfort Systems all are part of the flagship IBD 50 list of leading growth stocks. Pan American Silver (PAAS), another gold and silver play, is a current position of SwingTrader, which is focused on capitalizing on short-term trends to rack up singles and doubles while minimizing losses. Check here for new additions to IBD stock lists.

The S&P 500 extended its winning streak to five sessions on Friday over which the benchmark index has rallied 4.75%. The S&P 500 finished 0.6% off its Oct. 28 record closing high and up 16.45% on the year.

The bull market trend is intact after hitting some turbulence, allowing investors to have 40% to 60% exposure. Yet that's subject to change at any time.

Be sure to read IBD's The Big Picture column after each trading day to get the latest on the prevailing stock market trend and what it means for your trading decisions.

A stock's average true range, a metric available on IBD's MarketSurge, reflects its daily volatility. Higher numbers raise the risk of a shakeout that can trigger sell rules. In current market conditions, investors should be wary of being concentrated in high-octane names.

These stocks don't present a concern for excessive volatility. FIX has a 21-day ATR of 4.85%, highest of the group, followed by TSM, WPM and VLO at 3.3%. 

Taiwan Semiconductor Stock

News this week that Meta Platforms (META) is in talks to potentially buy billions of dollars of Google parent Alphabet's Tensor AI chips signaled more competition for Nvidia. Yet it underscored Taiwan Semiconductor's enviable position producing advanced chips for both Nvidia and Google, as well as Broadcom (AVGO) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

Google had outsourced production of the chip to Samsung but confirmed a shift to Taiwan Semi this spring. While Google's Pixel smartphones compete with Samsung, the move also was reportedly driven by the South Korean firm's inability to match TSM's efficiency in cutting-edge chip production.

Intel (INTC) shares surged on Friday, seemingly lifted by a report from TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple (AAPL) will outsource production of its lowest-end M processor to Intel. However, the analyst saw virtually no material impact for TSM, according to The Fly investment news site.

TSM rose 6% last week to 291.51 on Friday, finishing about 1% above its 10-week and 50-day moving averages. A convincing move above those key levels could flash an early entry opportunity. Look for TSM to clear last week's high of 292.81 on above-average volume.

TSM has an official 311.37 buy point from a flat base, according to MarketSurge pattern recognition.

Wheaton Precious Metals Stock

Vancouver-based Wheaton Precious Metals is a streaming company, meaning it provides financing for mine developments in exchange for a percentage of mined output. That limits risk from setbacks at any one mine. Wheaton has agreements covering 23 operating mines and has 24 projects in the works.

Revenue grew 54.5% to $476.3 million, with gold accounting for 58% of revenue and silver 39%. For all of 2025, Wheaton expects attributable gold production of 350,000 to 390,000 ounces, and silver production of 20.5 million to 22.5 million ounces.

The near-term silver contract surged 6.6% to 56.39 on Friday, while the gold price rose 1.25% to $4,269.80 an ounce.

Tight supply of silver, due to ETF buying as well as demand for industrial uses such as EVs, batteries and solar panels, should boost the silver price to $58.5 per ounce by late 2026 and an average price of $60 in 2027, Deutsche Bank said Wednesday.

WPM stock jumped 3.1% to 110.05 on Friday, capping a 10.9% weekly gain. The move lifted WPM past a 108.68 buy point from a cup-with-handle base, according to weekly MarketSurge chart.

Valero Stock

Valero has thrived amid tight refining supply that has widened the spread between the price of crude oil and refined products, including gasoline. Global refinery outages and U.S. sanctions against Russia have contributed to tight supply, which could ease somewhat with a resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Progress for President Trump's efforts to bring the war are a factor to watch. However, comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin suggest that a peace deal may not happen soon.

BMO Research Phillip Jungwirth wrote in a Nov. 10 note that elevated refining margins appear likely to last and called Valero his firm's top pick within refining. "We think Valero is best-positioned to capture higher cracks and should lead on margins and capital returns." He has a 185 price target and outperform rating.

Erste Group started coverage of VLO with a buy rating on Nov. 10, saying its highly complex refineries are able to covert cheaper crude oils into high-quality products like diesel and jet fuel, according to The Fly.

VLO found support at its 50-day moving average this week, then rebounded clear of its 21-day exponential average on Friday, rising 1.3% to 176.76.

VLO is trying to regain a 178.43 flat-base buy point.

Comfort Systems Stock

Comfort Systems was featured as IBD Stock Of The Day on Friday. The Houston-based company is known for its ability to handle big, complex projects, including modular construction, which involves fabricating systems away from construction sites, then transporting them for installation.

Its HVAC business has surged on demand from AI data centers.

Comfort Systems has seen earnings growth accelerate from 49% to 102% over the past four quarters. The tech sector accounted for 42% of revenue in Q3, up from 32% in the year-ago quarter, fueled by data-center demand.

Comfort Systems' backlog grew to $9.38 billion from $5.68 billion a year ago, providing visibility through 2026.

FIX has rebounded after a test of its 50-day moving average. Shares climbed 0.6% to 976.94 on Friday. A move past Wednesday's intraday high of 982.92 could flash an early entry opportunity.

FIX is working on a new base, but needs another week. The potential buy point is 1020.26.

Acuity Brands Stock

Acuity's fiscal Q4 earnings on Oct. 1 grew 21% to $5.20, blowing past estimates, despite tariff headwinds, even as revenue growth of 17% came in a bit light.

William Blair analyst Ryan Merkel, who has an outperform rating, gave this assessment of the company's outlook: "Acuity is taking share in a slightly down market while benefiting from 3%-4% price (increase)." He added that "investors should take a harder look at Acuity."

Its acquisition of QSC announced in October 2024 "has materially changed the growth and margin profile."

Acuity has two divisions, its industrial lighting business and its faster-growing Intelligent Spaces Group, which provides building-management systems  for controlling energy usage, refrigeration, conferencing products and more. The QSC deal integrated its cloud-managed audio, video and control platform.

AYI has carved out an eight-week flat base, since shooting higher on earnings on Oct. 1. AYI retook its 50-day line last week, rising 4.9% to 366.42.

A move past the midpoint of the base, the Oct. 27 high of 373.89, could offer an early entry. The official buy point is 375.67.

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