Core Insights - The article discusses a new strategic agreement between Vertiv and Caterpillar aimed at enhancing data center efficiency and resilience through integrated energy solutions [1] Company Collaboration - Vertiv, a leader in critical digital infrastructure, and Caterpillar, a leader in power systems, will collaborate on advanced energy optimization solutions specifically for data centers [1] Industry Impact - The partnership is expected to improve deployment timelines and overall operational efficiency within the data center industry, addressing the growing demand for reliable energy solutions [1]

Market Performance - Major U.S. indexes showed mixed performance last week, with the Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500, and Dow Jones Industrial Average declining by 2.7%, 1.4%, and 0.5% respectively [1] - Investors are shifting focus from high-valuation technology and AI stocks to more defensive sectors due to market volatility [1] Federal Reserve and Economic Data - The end of a 43-day government standoff has reduced political risks, but delays in key economic data releases have created uncertainty for the Federal Reserve and investors [2] - The Fed is balancing economic growth and inflation, with inflation remaining above the 2% target and a resilient labor market casting doubt on December rate cut expectations [2] Zacks Research Performance - Zacks Research has provided guidance that led to significant stock performance, with Macy's shares increasing by 14.9% since its upgrade to Zacks Rank 1 on September 18, outperforming the S&P 500's 2.2% increase [3][4] - Fresnillo plc also saw a 7.2% return since its upgrade to Zacks Rank 1 on September 19, compared to the S&P 500's 1.8% increase [4] Zacks Model Portfolio Returns - A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank 1 stocks returned +8.64% in 2025 through September 1, outperforming the S&P 500's +7.60% [4] - The Zacks Model Portfolio has outperformed the S&P 500 index by over 12 percentage points since 1988, with an annualized average return of +23.8% compared to +11.3% for the S&P 500 [5] Specific Stock Performances - United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) shares increased by 32.4% after its Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform [7] - Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) gained 35.9% over the past 12 weeks, while CACI International Inc. (CACI) returned 20.1% during the same period [10] Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP) - The ECAP returned -1.30% in Q3 2025, underperforming the S&P 500's +8.1% gain, and +2.72% year-to-date compared to the S&P 500's +14.84% [15] - The portfolio aims to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies with a proven track record of earnings stability [16] Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) returned 10.9% over the past 12 weeks, while UnitedHealth Group (UNH) increased by 5.9% [18] - The ECDP returned -0.01% in Q3 2025, underperforming the S&P 500's +8.1% gain [20] Top 10 Stock Portfolio - MasTec, Inc. (MTZ) has jumped 41.2% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500's 14.7% increase [22] - The Top 10 portfolio has produced a cumulative return of +2,553.1% since 2012, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's +545.2% [24]

Core Points - CAT Strategic Metals Corporation is conducting a Rights Offering, allowing shareholders to subscribe for additional units at a set price [1][2] - Each unit consists of one common share and one purchase warrant, with specific pricing and terms outlined [2][3] - The offering includes provisions for oversubscription, allowing shareholders to acquire more units if the offering is not fully subscribed [3] Rights Offering Details - Shareholders will receive one transferable right for each common share held, with a subscription price of $0.0075 per unit [2] - Each whole warrant allows the purchase of an additional common share at $0.05 for a period of 60 months post-offering [2] - Rights expire at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on November 21, 2025, and trading will cease at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the same day [8] Company Overview - CAT Strategic Metals focuses on acquiring and advancing mineral properties, particularly in lithium, copper, gold, silver, and tellurium [7] - The company controls several projects, including the Gold Jackpot property in Nevada and the South Preston Uranium Project in Saskatchewan [7] - CAT's shares are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "CAT" and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as "8CHA" [7]

Core Viewpoint - Former Federal Reserve Governor Kugar's stock trading violations have been revealed, raising concerns about compliance with Federal Reserve regulations [1] Summary by Relevant Categories Violations and Regulations - Kugar reported multiple stock trades in her annual financial disclosure, violating Federal Reserve rules that prohibit senior officials and their spouses from trading individual stocks [1] - The trades involved companies such as Apple, Southwest Airlines, and Caterpillar, with two transactions occurring just days before a Federal Open Market Committee meeting [1] - This incident follows Kugar's previous admission of four violations a year ago, which she attributed to "accidental" trades executed by her husband without her knowledge [1] Timeline and Context - Kugar unexpectedly resigned in August without providing an explanation [1] - Federal Reserve regulations impose a "quiet period" of 10 days before interest rate meetings during which trading is prohibited [1]

Core Insights - Physics Wallah (PW) has faced challenges in its expansion into the southern Indian market, particularly in Kozhikode, which was initially a strong revenue contributor but has seen a significant decline in revenue and market position [2][10][19] - The company aims to leverage its recent IPO funding to enhance its presence in the South, where it currently has low penetration compared to its established competitors [3][9][22] - The southern test-prep market is highly competitive, with established players like Sri Chaitanya and Narayana Group generating substantial revenue, highlighting the challenges PW faces in gaining market share [18][30] Company Performance - In FY25, PW's operating revenue increased by 49% to approximately ₹2,887 crore, while its net loss narrowed to around ₹243 crore, indicating improved financial health [19] - The company's initial public offering (IPO) raised ₹3,100 crore, with a portion earmarked for expanding its offline presence in the South [3][15] - Despite its reach of over 4 million paid students, PW's performance in competitive exams has been underwhelming, raising questions about the effectiveness of its coaching methods [24][25] Market Strategy - PW plans to open at least 13 new Xylem centres and expand its offline footprint significantly, with a total of about 95 new Vidyapeeth centres and 107 additional offline centres over the next three years [15][16] - The company is focusing on online penetration as a primary strategy for entering the southern market, with offline expansion being a secondary goal [34] - The southern market is characterized by a different educational ecosystem, requiring PW to adapt its successful northern model to local preferences and competition [34][39] Competitive Landscape - The southern test-prep market is projected to grow rapidly, with estimates suggesting it could approach ₹2 trillion by FY30, driven by demand for JEE and NEET coaching [17] - Established competitors in the South have a stronghold due to their integrated school-coaching models, which differ significantly from PW's approach [26][30] - The market is not homogeneous, with distinct regional characteristics influencing educational priorities and coaching effectiveness across states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu [31][32]

Core Viewpoint - Futures are trading lower as the week concludes, following a significant decline in major indices on Wall Street on Thursday [1] Group 1 - Major indices experienced a severe downturn on Thursday, indicating a challenging market environment [1]

Core Viewpoint - Wells Fargo has initiated coverage of Caterpillar with an overweight rating, indicating a bullish outlook on the company's emerging role in the industry [1] Company Summary - Caterpillar is recognized as an industrial giant with significant potential for growth, as highlighted by Wells Fargo's analysis [1] - The initiation of coverage suggests that analysts believe Caterpillar's shares may have further room to appreciate in value [1]

Core Insights - Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) reported positive volume growth in Q3 2025, with total volumes increasing by $1.55 billion, contributing 10% to revenue growth, marking a significant recovery from previous declines [1][5] - The recovery was broad-based, with Energy & Transportation leading the increase at $870 million, followed by Construction Industries at $568 million and Resource Industries at $138 million [2][10] - Prior to this growth, CAT faced prolonged weakness, with Construction Industries experiencing seven consecutive quarters of volume declines and Resource Industries eight [3][4] Volume and Revenue Trends - In 2024, CAT experienced a total volume decline of $3.5 billion, followed by a further decline of $1.1 billion in Q1 2025, primarily due to sluggish end-market demand and significant dealer inventory reductions [4] - The company anticipates strong year-over-year sales growth in Q4 2025, supported by improved volumes across all segments, projecting volume growth of 4.7% in 2025 and 5.7% in 2026 [6][10] Industry Context - Competitors like Terex Corporation and Komatsu Ltd. have also faced challenges, with Terex experiencing seven straight quarters of negative organic growth and Komatsu expecting a flat to 5% decline in demand for construction, mining, and utility equipment in fiscal 2025 [7][8] - Despite the macroeconomic uncertainties affecting the industry, CAT's return to volume growth represents a meaningful shift in momentum [5] Stock Performance and Valuation - CAT shares have gained 52.6% year-to-date, slightly underperforming the industry growth of 55.7% [9] - The current forward 12-month price/earnings (P/E) ratio for CAT is 25.96X, compared to the industry average of 24.75X [11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates a year-over-year earnings decline of 16.03% for 2025, with a revenue increase of 2%, while 2026 estimates show an 18.4% growth in earnings and a 7.7% rise in revenues [12]

Core Insights - Dividends are favored by investors for providing passive income and limiting drawdowns in other positions [1][12] - Companies with a history of increasing dividends, such as Dividend Aristocrats, are particularly attractive for investors [2][12] Company Summaries Coca-Cola (KO) - Coca-Cola is part of both the Dividend Aristocrats and Dividend Kings, indicating strong dividend reliability [3] - The current dividend yield is 2.8% annually, with a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of 4.8% [3] Caterpillar (CAT) - Caterpillar is recognized as the world's largest construction equipment manufacturer [6] - The current dividend yield is 1.0%, which is relatively low, but the five-year annualized dividend growth rate is 8.2%, compensating for the lower yield [6] McDonald's (MCD) - McDonald's is a well-known global restaurant chain [9] - The current dividend yield is 2.3%, with a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of 8.2% [9]

Market Overview - The government shutdown has ended, and markets are at or near record highs, with the Dow reaching a record high [1] - There is an expectation of a market pullback of 10 to 15%, which is viewed as healthy for the market as it may improve breadth and change market leadership [2] Market Leadership Transition - A shift in market leadership is anticipated, moving from AI winners to AI enablers, which are companies that provide the necessary infrastructure for AI [3][4] - Current AI winners include companies like NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Alphabet, but the focus is shifting towards those enabling AI infrastructure [4] Caterpillar's Position - Caterpillar is highlighted as a key stock, having increased by 58% this year, and is transitioning from a traditional construction equipment company to an AI infrastructure supplier [5][6] - The demand for data centers is expected to triple by 2030, and Caterpillar is involved in both building and maintaining these data centers, contributing to its recent strong earnings [6][7] Broader Investment Opportunities - For broader exposure to the industrial sector, the Spider ETF (XLI) is recommended, as it includes companies investing in the AI ecosystem [8] - There is a concern regarding concentration risk, as over 35% of the S&P 500 is comprised of a few tech companies, which may lead to a market pullback [9]