We recently published an article titled 9 Best Lumber Stocks to Invest in Now. The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is among the best lumber stocks to invest in now. On January 16, Truist raised its price target on The Home Depot to $405 from $390 and reiterated a Buy rating, citing stable December sales trends and supportive consumer data. The firm highlighted encouraging card data and holiday updates, while also pointing to the potential benefit of higher tax refunds boosting spending in typically slower seas ...

Carillon Tower Advisers, an investment management company, released its fourth-quarter 2025 investor letter “Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund”. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. 2025 marked a positive period for the equity market. The S&P 500 Index returned 2.7% in Q4 and finished the year up 17.9%. The year started with potential disruptions and heightened volatility, while it ended with optimism driven by strong AI investment, clarity in policies, and U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate ...

Market Overview - The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 52.27 points (0.10%) to reach 50,188.14, continuing its record-setting streak [1] - The market sentiment is influenced by a mix of weak economic data and expectations regarding the Federal Reserve's monetary policy, alongside varied corporate earnings reports [1] Economic Indicators - Disappointing retail sales data for December 2025 indicated that consumer spending remained nearly flat, raising concerns about a slowdown in U.S. economic growth [1] - Upcoming U.S. jobs data and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January 2026 are anticipated to provide further insights into the economic outlook and the Fed's interest rate decisions [2] Company Performance - Walt Disney Company (DIS) saw a significant gain, rising 2.52% to $109.96 [3] - Home Depot (HD) increased by 2.28% to $389.68, and Travelers Companies Inc. (TRV) rose by 1.98% to $298.61 [3] - Amgen Inc. (AMGN) was the largest decliner, falling 2.88% to $364.65, followed by IBM (IBM) with a drop of 1.55% to $291.76, and Coca-Cola Co. (KO) down 1.40% to $76.81, reflecting pressure from mixed earnings reports [3]

Core Viewpoint - Building-products distributor QXO, led by billionaire dealmaker Brad Jacobs, has agreed to acquire Kodiak Building Partners for approximately $2.25 billion [1] Company Summary - QXO is a significant player in the building products distribution sector, indicating its growth strategy through acquisitions [1] - Kodiak Building Partners is a smaller private distributor, suggesting that QXO is targeting expansion into niche markets or enhancing its product offerings [1] Financial Summary - The acquisition deal is valued at around $2.25 billion, highlighting QXO's financial capability and willingness to invest in growth opportunities [1]

The Home Depot to Host Fourth Quarter & Fiscal Year Earnings Conference Call on February 24 [Accessibility Statement] Skip NavigationATLANTA, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Depot®, the world's largest home improvement retailer, announced today that it will hold its Fourth Quarter & Fiscal Year Earnings Conference Call on Tuesday, February 24, at 9 a.m. ET.A webcast will be available by logging onto [http://ir.homedepot.com/events-and-presentations] and selecting the Fourth Quarter Earnings Conferenc ...

Key Takeaways HD is building a Pro ecosystem blending digital tools and physical hubs for complex professional jobs.HD launched project planning and AI blueprint takeoff tools to reduce time and friction for Pros.HD's GMS deal broadens reach, adding $900M in Q3 sales and about $2B in fiscal 2025.Amid broader macroeconomic uncertainty and housing market pressure, The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) has been focused on creating a comprehensive multi-category Pro network by leveraging both digital tools and physical dis ...

Core Insights - The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) is a passively managed ETF launched on December 16, 1998, designed to provide broad exposure to the Consumer Discretionary - Broad segment of the equity market [1] - The ETF has become increasingly popular among retail and institutional investors due to its low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency [1] Fund Overview - Sponsored by State Street Investment Management, XLY has over $23.14 billion in assets, making it the largest ETF in the Consumer Discretionary - Broad segment [3] - The ETF aims to match the performance of the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index, which represents the consumer discretionary sector of the S&P 500 Index [3] Cost Structure - XLY has annual operating expenses of 0.08%, positioning it as one of the least expensive ETFs in its category [4] - The ETF offers a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.8% [4] Sector Exposure and Holdings - The ETF is fully allocated to the Consumer Discretionary sector, minimizing single stock risk through diversified exposure [5] - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) constitutes approximately 23.76% of total assets, with Tesla Inc (TSLA) and Home Depot Inc (HD) also among the top holdings; the top 10 holdings represent about 70.25% of total assets [6] Performance Metrics - As of February 9, 2026, XLY has experienced a loss of about 1.19% year-to-date but is up approximately 3.39% over the past year [7] - The ETF has traded between $88.17 and $124.52 in the last 52 weeks, with a beta of 1.25 and a standard deviation of 20.44% over the trailing three-year period, indicating medium risk [7] Alternatives - XLY carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), suggesting it is a viable option for investors seeking exposure to the Consumer Discretionary sector [8] - Other ETF options in this space include iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) and Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR), with respective assets of $3.04 billion and $6.20 billion [10]

Company Overview - The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) has seen its shares decline by 5.5% over the past year, while experiencing an increase of 11.3% year-to-date [2] - UBS has reiterated a Buy rating for Home Depot with a price target of $430 per share, suggesting potential for improved performance as market conditions enhance [2] Market Sentiment - Jim Cramer has expressed confidence in Home Depot, indicating a desire to own the stock despite the challenges faced by the homebuilding sector [2][3] - Cramer noted the impact of high interest rates on the sector, suggesting that lower interest rates could benefit Home Depot's stock performance [2] Investment Perspective - While acknowledging Home Depot's potential, there is a belief that certain AI stocks may offer greater returns with limited downside risk [3] - Cramer’s charitable trust owns Home Depot, and he believes the stock is on the path to recovery, partly due to expectations surrounding Kevin Warsh's influence on the industry [3]

Market Overview - U.S. equities faced a challenging day on February 5, 2026, with significant sell-offs in technology stocks and negative job market reports impacting investor sentiment [1] - The S&P 500 fell 1.2% to close at 6,798.40, marking its sixth decline in seven trading days since reaching an all-time high [2] - The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.6% to 22,540.59, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased by 1.2% to 48,908.72 [2] - Bitcoin prices fell below $64,000, reaching their lowest level since October 2024, further exacerbating the downturn [2] Major Market Movers and Corporate News - Alphabet (GOOGL) saw a decline of 0.8% despite stronger-than-expected sales, as investors were concerned about projected capital expenditures for AI infrastructure, estimated at $175 billion to $185 billion for 2026, nearly double the $91.45 billion spent in 2025 [3] - Qualcomm (QCOM) experienced an 8.5% drop due to a disappointing outlook, citing a tightening global memory shortage affecting the smartphone market [4] - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) fell sharply by 17.3% on a weak outlook, contributing to the semiconductor sector's struggles [4] - Uber Technologies (UBER) declined by 5.2% after missing earnings expectations, while Amgen (AMGN) surged 8.2% on positive earnings results [5] - Eli Lilly (LLY) jumped 10.3% due to strong sales of its drugs, and McKesson (MCK) soared 16.5% after exceeding profit and revenue expectations [5] - Peloton Interactive (PTON) plummeted 28% after reporting weaker-than-expected results, while Estee Lauder (EL) and Snap (SNAP) retreated by 19% and 12%, respectively [6] Job Market Developments - Amazon (AMZN) announced plans to cut approximately 16,000 corporate roles, while UPS revealed 30,000 job cuts [7] - Dow (DOW) reduced its workforce by 4,500 jobs, with Home Depot (HD) and Nike (NKE) also making cuts [7] Economic Indicators - Initial jobless claims for the week ending January 31 rose to 231,000, exceeding economists' estimates [9] - U.S. employers announced over 108,000 layoffs in January, the highest for that month since 2009, with job openings falling to 6.5 million in December, the lowest since 2020 [9] - The Consumer Price Index rose 2.7% over the year in December, indicating persistent inflation despite potential interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve [10] Upcoming Market Events - Investors are awaiting the release of January U.S. Non-Farm Payrolls, Unemployment Rate, and Average Hourly Earnings data on February 6, which will provide further insights into the labor market [8]

Labor Market Overview - The labor market is facing challenges as major companies announce significant layoffs, with Amazon planning to cut about 16,000 corporate roles and UPS announcing 30,000 job cuts [1][8] - Dow has reduced its workforce by approximately 4,500 jobs, representing about 12% of its total employees, while Home Depot and Nike have also made smaller cuts [1] AI and Employment Concerns - A Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates that 71% of Americans are concerned that artificial intelligence could permanently replace their jobs [2] - Despite the fears surrounding AI, researchers suggest that the majority of layoffs are driven by federal workforce cuts, economic conditions, and company closures rather than AI [3][5] Layoff Statistics - In 2025, there were 1.2 million layoffs, with AI being blamed for fewer than 55,000 of those, which is about 4.5% [7] - Economic conditions accounted for 253,000 layoffs, while company closures led to another 191,000 job losses [7] AI's Role in the Workplace - Research indicates that when AI is implemented in jobs, it is often used as a tool rather than a replacement for human workers [9] - The success rate of AI-assisted tasks declines significantly for complex work, highlighting the need for human oversight [9] AI-Washing Phenomenon - Analysts suggest that some companies may be "AI-washing" layoffs, using AI as a scapegoat to divert attention from deeper organizational issues [10][11] - The term "AI-washing" refers to the practice of rebranding layoffs as part of an AI strategy to present a more favorable narrative [10] Long-Term Impact of AI - The Yale Budget Lab posits that the transformative effects of AI on the labor market may take years, similar to the historical impacts of computers and the internet [12]