ZACKSยท2025-10-06 13:11Market Performance - The U.S. stock market showed strong performance last week, with major indices like the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and Dow Jones Industrial Average increasing by 0.82%, 0.84%, and 0.96% respectively [1] - Investor optimism was fueled by advancements in Artificial Intelligence and expectations for further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, despite a partial government shutdown creating uncertainties [1] Consumer Confidence and Labor Market - The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index for September dropped by 3.6 points to 94.2, marking its lowest level since April, attributed to inflation and a weakening job market [2] - Job openings increased slightly by 19,000 to 7.227 million in August, while hiring decreased by 114,000 to 5.126 million according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey [2] Zacks Research Performance - Amneal Pharmaceuticals saw a stock increase of 29.9% since its Zacks Rank upgrade on July 25, outperforming the S&P 500's 5.5% increase [4][7] - Leidos Holdings experienced a 19.8% return following a Zacks Rank upgrade on July 28, also surpassing the S&P 500's 5.1% increase [5][7] - A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank 1 stocks returned +8.64% in 2025 through September 1, compared to +7.60% for the S&P 500 index [5] Focus List and Model Portfolios - The Zacks Focus List portfolio returned 13.74% in 2025 through August 31, outperforming the S&P 500 index's 10.79% [12] - Intellia Therapeutics gained 85.9% and Shopify returned 38.3% over the past 12 weeks, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's 7% increase during the same period [11] Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP) - The ECAP returned +0.20% in Q2 2025, underperforming the S&P 500 index's +10.94% gain [16] - The portfolio aims to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies with a proven track record of earnings stability over 20+ years [17] Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP) - Johnson & Johnson returned 20.9% and Home Depot increased by 6.3% over the past 12 weeks, benefiting from investor preference for quality dividend stocks amid market volatility [19] - The ECDP returned -3.17% in Q2 2025, compared to the S&P 500 index's +10.94% gain [20] Top 10 Stocks Performance - Goldman Sachs, part of the Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025, increased by 38% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500 index's 14.2% increase [22] - The Top 10 portfolio has produced a cumulative return of +2,369.7% since 2012, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 index's 522.5% [24]