After a pretty difficult 2022, the three major indexes rallied in the first half of the year -- and they've continued the march higher in these early days of the second half. At the same time, the economic outlook seems brighter too. The Federal Reserve no longer expects the U.S. to enter a recession this year. So now looks like a great moment to invest in a couple of stocks that could benefit as the general environment improves.

I particularly like "monster stocks," big players that have demonstrated earnings strength in the past and offer solid future prospects too. And two you won't want to ignore right now are Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Costco (NASDAQ: COST). Let's take a closer look at each.

Amazon started the year off with a bang. The stock advanced 55% in the first half after the e-commerce giant proved it could overcome the challenges of a difficult economy. Last year, Amazon suffered as rising inflation weighed on its costs and on its customers' wallets. It even reported its first annual loss in almost a decade.

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Source Fool.com