And it's time for the big three. We've got three stocks, three charts, and three trades. Rick Ducat will take us through the charts as always.Here to take us through the trades today is Dan Deming, managing partner at KKM Financial. Thank you both for being with us. Dan, great to see you.You know, we finally got this Fed rate cut decision. Markets a bit mixed today. You know, I'd love to get your thoughts on the decision we got yesterday and the response that we're seeing today.You know, in conjunction with ...

Core Viewpoint - 3M has shown significant operational improvements under CEO Bill Brown, leading to a 70% increase in stock price since his appointment, despite challenging end markets [5][6]. Group 1: Investment Case - The investment case for 3M is based on the potential for value creation through restructuring, independent of economic conditions [3]. - 3M's stock has increased nearly 30% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500 [2]. Group 2: Operational Improvements - Bill Brown's strategy includes enhancing machinery utilization, improving on-time delivery (OTIF) to 91.6%, and reducing inventory holding days [7][11]. - The overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) has improved to 63%, up from 60% last year [11]. Group 3: New Product Introductions (NPIs) - In Q3, 3M released 70 NPIs, totaling 196 for 2025, a 70% increase compared to the same period in 2024, with a target of 250 NPIs for the full year [9][10]. - The focus on NPIs includes both incremental line extensions and novel products that could open new markets [8][10]. Group 4: Future Outlook - CFO Anurag Maheshwari anticipates high-single-digit earnings-per-share (EPS) growth in 2026, driven by operational performance [12]. - There is potential for revenue growth to improve from the current 2% to 3% rate to a mid-single-digit range as end markets recover [13].

Market Performance - The Sci-Tech 50 Index experienced a decline of nearly 4% on October 17, closing at 1363.17 points, with a drop of 3.77% and a fluctuation of 3.90% [1] - The total trading volume reached approximately 72.84 billion yuan, with 588 stocks on the Sci-Tech board averaging a decline of 3.49% and an average turnover rate of 2.78% [1] Stock Performance - Among individual stocks, Shenlian Bio led the gainers with an increase of 10.65%, while Shijia Photon recorded the largest drop at 18.58% [2] - In terms of trading volume, Cambrian Technology topped the list with a transaction volume of 10.61 billion yuan, while ST Guandian had the lowest at 863.2 thousand yuan [3] Turnover Rate - Saifen Technology achieved the highest turnover rate at 24.67%, whereas Longteng Optoelectronics had the lowest turnover rate at 0.25% [4]

Core Viewpoint - The article highlights two companies, Dover and Illinois Tool Works, which have maintained a long-standing history of increasing their dividends, qualifying them as Dividend Kings, having raised their payouts for at least 50 consecutive years [1][2]. Group 1: Dover - Dover announced a dividend increase of less than 1%, raising its quarterly payout to $0.52 per share, marking the 70th consecutive year of dividend enhancement [4]. - The company reported a 5% year-over-year revenue growth to $2.05 billion and a 16% increase in non-GAAP net income to $337 million for the second quarter [5]. - Dover is focusing on higher-margin products and cost management, and it has also made an acquisition of Site IQ to enhance its fueling solutions unit [6]. - Despite its strong management and Dividend King status, Dover's low dividend yield of under 1.2% and concerns about sustaining growth rates suggest it may not be a compelling investment [7]. Group 2: Illinois Tool Works - Illinois Tool Works raised its quarterly dividend by 7%, increasing it to $1.61 per share, reflecting its diversified operations across various industrial sectors [8]. - The company experienced only a 1% year-over-year revenue increase to $4.1 billion, with adjusted net income also declining slightly [9]. - ITW's revenue guidance indicates a potential maximum growth of 3% for the year, with ongoing pricing actions to mitigate tariff and foreign exchange impacts, suggesting a defensive posture rather than aggressive growth [10]. - The new dividend yield for ITW stands at approximately 2.5%, making it an attractive income stock despite limited expectations for significant fundamental growth [11].

Market Overview - Pre-market futures are up with the Dow at +0.12%, S&P 500 at +0.09%, Nasdaq at +0.16%, and Russell 2000 leading at +0.52% [1] Bond Market - Bond yields have remained steady; the 10-year yield is at +4.44%, up 3 basis points from last week, the 2-year yield is at +3.88%, and the 30-year yield is at +5.00% [2] Housing Market - Housing Starts for June are at 1.32 million, slightly above projections, but still historically low, up from 1.256 million the previous month [3] - Building Permits increased to 1.397 million from 1.394 million in May, remaining at low levels compared to January 2022 when permits were close to 2 million [4] Q2 Earnings Reports - 3M reported Q2 earnings of $2.16 per share, beating expectations of $2.01, with revenues of $6.2 billion exceeding forecasts [5] - American Express reported Q2 earnings of $4.08 per share, surpassing the expected $3.86, with revenues of $17.9 billion, reflecting a year-over-year growth of +9% [6] - Charles Schwab's Q2 earnings were $1.14 per share on revenues of $5.85 billion, both exceeding consensus estimates, with shares up +5% in pre-market trading [7] Consumer Sentiment - A preliminary print on Consumer Sentiment for July is expected to improve to 61.8 from 60.7, indicating a healthier economic environment [7]