Market Overview - The U.S. markets have shown an upward trend, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite reaching all-time highs, increasing by 1.32% and 0.64% respectively last week [1] - Positive corporate earnings and expectations of easing tariffs and trade policies have bolstered investor confidence [1] - Concerns over inflation and signs of a potential economic slowdown are influencing the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on interest rates [1] Economic Indicators - The Conference Board's Leading Economic Indicator fell by 0.3% in June, indicating early signs of a slowdown, with weakened consumer expectations and fewer manufacturing orders [2] - The S&P Global's U.S. flash PMI data for July indicated an acceleration in business activity driven by the services sector, while the manufacturing PMI dropped to 49.5 [2] - Initial jobless claims decreased by 4,000 to 217,000 for the week ending July 19, suggesting a resilient labor market with limited layoffs [2] Stock Performance - AngloGold Ashanti plc's shares increased by 23.1% since its upgrade to Zacks Rank 1 on May 19, outperforming the S&P 500's 7.2% increase [3][4] - NN Group N.V. saw a return of 12.1% since its upgrade to Zacks Rank 1 on May 29, compared to the S&P 500's 8.4% increase [4] - Zacks Rank 1 stocks returned +6.51% in May 2025, outperforming the S&P 500's +4.47% [5] Portfolio Performance - A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank 1 stocks has outperformed the S&P 500 index by more than 12 percentage points since 1988 [6] - The Zacks Focus List portfolio returned +8.84% in 2025 (through June 30) compared to +6.21% for the S&P 500 [14] - The Zacks Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP) returned +3.20% in Q1 2025, outperforming the S&P 500's -4.30% decline [18] Notable Stocks - Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. gained 60.3% over the past 12 weeks, while Caterpillar Inc. returned 41.3% in the same period [13][14] - OptimizeRx Corporation and Artisan Partners Asset Management saw increases of 18.2% and 14.6% respectively since their upgrades to Outperform [10] - Hershey Company returned 17.8% over the past 12 weeks, benefiting from investor interest in quality dividend stocks [20]