The markets just closed out what proved to be a volatile first half of the year.

Federal Reserve rate hikes, escalating trade tensions and tumbling foreign markets all helped push the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a 1.8 percent loss in the first half, the worst first-half performance in eight years; U.S. equity futures pointed to a lower open in premarket trading Monday.

So now what?

Money managers are identifying four stocks to watch in the second half of the year, and just told CNBC’s “Trading Nation” what’s on their radar.

For Michael Bapis, partner and managing director at the Bapis Group at HighTower Advisors, Intel is at the top of his mind. He’s bullish on the chipmaker for the long term, and expects upside into year-end. Intel shares sank 10 percent in the last month, but Bapis says the name is a leader within the semiconductors, poised to rise again.

Intel year to date

“This recent pullback is caused by trade war fears, talks between the U.S. and China, and we’re going to get back to fundamentals on the company. They have a deep product pipeline, which is driving earnings growth,” Bapis said Friday, adding he’s not concerned about the company’s CEO stepping down.

Merck year to date

He’s also bullish on two other blue-chip names into year-end: J.P. Morgan and Merck. He’s said Merck, the second-best performing Dow stock over the last three months, is a standout pick within health care, while J.P. Morgan is a solid choice in the financials.

J.P. Morgan year to date

Shares of the investment bank have fallen 2.5 percent year to date amid the broader financial sector rout.

Others say a rotation will play out between growth and value stocks, and beaten-down sectors like consumer staples and utilities will stage comebacks. Gina Sanchez, CEO of Chantico Global, is particularly focused on the utilities-tracking XLU ETF. Within the group, she likes Exelon, an energy generation and delivery company.

“We’re looking for rotations into defensive sectors, like staples and utilities, and we think utilities are particularly cheap given the fact that they have strong fundamentals, strong revenues and the pause in interest rates actually makes them look more attractive right now,” she said Friday.

Exelon shares have risen 8 percent year to date, outperforming the broader space.

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