Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed the current state of the economy on Federal Reserve policies and attributed high inflation to high government spending to the COVID-era, which the Trump Administration is cutting.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is sounding the alarm on the bleak future of the U.S. Social Security program, warning that it could run out of money by 2034, prompting tough decisions.
It's hard for Nasdaq to go thru a sort of 'replacement cycle,' with a few tickers dominating. I say that since the real action is outside mega-cap leaders.
Industrial giant Emerson Electric has notably outperformed the broader market over the past year, and analysts remain bullish on the stock’s prospects.
REIT giant VICI Properties has notably underperformed the broader market over the past year, yet analysts remain strongly bullish on the stock’s prospects.
Fashion retail giant TJX Companies has notably outperformed the broader market over the past year, and analysts remain bullish on the stock’s prospects.
Energy giant EQT has significantly outperformed the broader market and the energy sector over the past year, and analysts remain bullish on the stock’s prospects.
Western Digital has significantly outpaced the broader market over the past year, and analysts remain strongly bullish on the stock’s prospects. However, the stock is currently trading above its mean price target.
Amkor’s third quarter performance in 2025 was marked by robust demand for advanced semiconductor packaging, with both revenue and profit exceeding Wall Street expectations. However, the market responded negatively to the results, which management attributed to higher manufacturing costs associated with scaling leading-edge technologies and a product mix concentrated in high material content solutions. CEO Giel Rutten noted, “We executed steep production ramps and achieved record revenue in both the communications and computing end markets,” while also highlighting that increased material content and ongoing investments constrained margin improvement.
NXP Semiconductors’ third quarter results were met with a negative market reaction, reflecting cautious sentiment around the company’s year-over-year revenue decline and margin compression. Management attributed the softer performance to ongoing inventory normalization in its key automotive supply chain and continued cautiousness from Tier 1 customers. CEO Rafael Sotomayor emphasized that “aggregate inventory levels of NXP-specific products at our major Tier 1 partners are below NXP's manufacturing cycle time,” highlighting the conservative approach by customers amid an uncertain macroeconomic environment.
Crane’s third quarter results were well received by the market, reflecting solid execution and strong demand in its core segments. Management attributed the company’s performance to ongoing momentum in Aerospace & Electronics, especially from new commercial and defense contracts, as well as continued operational discipline. CEO Max Mitchell highlighted “broad-based strength at Aerospace & Electronics and continued strong execution at Process Flow Technologies.” The company also benefitted from its ability to offset tariff headwinds and deliver margin expansion through a combination of pricing, productivity improvements, and a focus on higher-value product categories.
Everest Group’s latest quarter was marked by significant strategic actions that overshadowed its underlying business operations, leading to a negative market reaction. Management highlighted two main drivers behind the weak results: the decision to exit global retail insurance operations and a substantial reserve strengthening in the North America insurance division. CEO James Williamson described this as a quarter of “action and clarity,” focused on confronting legacy casualty issues and repositioning the company for future profitability. Williamson acknowledged, “The difference [in operating income] is almost entirely attributable to the reserve adjustment I mentioned earlier,” emphasizing the impact of these one-time charges.
F5’s third quarter was marked by robust revenue growth supported by data center reinvestment and demand for hybrid cloud and AI infrastructure. However, the market reacted negatively following management’s disclosure of a recent security incident impacting its BIG-IP product line. CEO François Locoh-Donou acknowledged, “We are disappointed that this happened and very aware...of the burden that this has placed in our customers who have had to work long hours to upgrade.” While product refreshes and competitive takeouts drove strong sales, near-term business disruption from the incident weighed on investor sentiment.
Whirlpool’s third quarter was marked by positive market reaction, driven by organic growth in its North American appliance segment and continued strength in its KitchenAid small domestic appliance business. Management credited double-digit revenue growth in KitchenAid and share gains in North American major appliances to an extensive wave of new product launches, despite an intense promotional environment. CEO Marc Bitzer highlighted that “the share gains came from new products,” and noted that KitchenAid reached a near all-time high in market share for major appliances. However, margin pressure persisted due to ongoing industry-wide tariff preloading and elevated promotional activity.
Carter’s third quarter performance drew a positive market response, despite missing Wall Street’s revenue expectations and delivering flat year-on-year sales. Management attributed the results to pockets of strength in U.S. Retail and International segments, partially offset by continued weakness in U.S. Wholesale, particularly due to declining sales of its Simple Joys brand on Amazon. CEO Douglas Palladini emphasized the company’s ongoing transformation efforts and candidly noted, “Our current results do not represent my ambition for Carter’s nor where I believe we can be.” The quarter was shaped by higher product costs, increased tariffs, and investments in marketing and product innovation, all of which pressured operating margins.
Agilysys delivered a strong third quarter, supported by a broad-based acceleration in subscription software sales and notable gains across its hospitality-focused product ecosystem. Management attributed the positive results to sustained improvements in its cloud-native solutions and efficiencies in project implementation, especially within key verticals like gaming casinos and foodservice management. CEO Ramesh Srinivasan emphasized that “the product ecosystem is getting better,” and highlighted significant contributions from newly modernized software modules and a more effective sales organization. The company also benefited from higher international sales and expanding customer adoption of its unified hospitality platform.
FTAI Aviation delivered third quarter results that met analyst revenue expectations, but reported a lower-than-anticipated GAAP profit, with management citing ongoing business model shifts and increased investment activity. CEO Joseph Adams highlighted the successful close of a major strategic capital partnership, SCI, which significantly expanded the company’s managed aircraft portfolio. The Aerospace Products segment continued its strong momentum, benefiting from heightened demand for rebuilt engines and newly announced long-term airline contracts. Management emphasized that vertical integration and efficiency improvements across facilities in Montreal, Miami, and Rome were pivotal in driving both productivity and margins this quarter.
The Hartford’s third quarter results were met with a negative market reaction, despite the company surpassing Wall Street’s revenue and non-GAAP profit expectations. Management attributed performance to robust growth in Business Insurance, particularly in small business and E&S lines, and improved margins in Personal Insurance. CEO Christopher Swift emphasized that strategic investments in technology and underwriting discipline have enabled written premium growth across core segments. However, management acknowledged heightened competition in Personal Insurance and pressure on retention rates as ongoing industry challenges.
Northwest Bancshares saw a negative market reaction following its third quarter results, despite delivering strong year-on-year revenue growth. Management attributed this performance to the successful integration of the Penns Woods merger, which expanded its branch footprint and customer base. CEO Louis Torchio emphasized that the merger synergies, including cost savings and operational integration, were on track or ahead of expectations. Additionally, the company benefited from higher net interest income and continued commercial loan growth, but also faced merger-related expenses and a modest increase in loan delinquencies due to administrative issues from the conversion process.
Confluent's third quarter was met with a significant positive market reaction, driven by robust cloud revenue growth and expanding adoption of its data streaming products. Management attributed the performance to increased late-stage pipeline activity, particularly from enterprise customers deepening their engagement with Confluent Cloud and newer offerings like Flink. CEO Jay Kreps emphasized the impact of field alignment efforts and the acceleration of new use cases moving into production, stating, “momentum continued in Q3 with more than 40% sequential growth in progressing late-stage pipeline and an accelerating pace of new use cases.”
Universal Health Services posted third quarter results that exceeded Wall Street’s expectations, leading to a significant positive market reaction. Management attributed this performance to robust acute care hospital activity, improved pricing in both core segments, and the financial benefit from a supplemental Medicaid program in the District of Columbia. CEO Marc Miller specifically highlighted progress at newly opened hospitals in Nevada and Washington, D.C., and noted that operational efficiency and expense management further supported profitability. CFO Steve Filton pointed to a 2% increase in acute care admissions and growth in both inpatient and outpatient services as key factors.
Seacoast Banking’s most recent quarter reflected steady execution on organic deposit and loan growth, supported by recent acquisitions. Management attributed performance to a balanced approach between commercial and consumer banking, and highlighted the success of its expanded wealth management and treasury services. CEO Charles Shaffer emphasized, “Our competitive transformation has fully taken hold with loan and deposit growth near 8%,” pointing to a maturing banker team and the integration of Heartland as key contributors. Despite industry-wide competition and tight credit spreads, Seacoast’s asset quality remained stable, aided by disciplined underwriting and proactive risk management.
Cadence Design Systems’ third quarter results surpassed Wall Street’s expectations for both revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share, yet the market responded with a modestly negative reaction. Management attributed the solid performance to broad-based demand across electronic design automation (EDA), intellectual property (IP), and hardware platforms, particularly as AI-driven design activity accelerated across multiple industries. CEO Anirudh Devgan highlighted strong bookings and a record backlog, emphasizing that Cadence’s partnerships with major semiconductor and system companies continue to drive consistent growth. The company also benefited from a normalization of activity in China and robust hardware demand, which, according to Devgan, has “become almost an annual subscription” for large customers.
Principal Financial Group’s third quarter results were met with a positive market reaction, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s diversified strategy and ongoing momentum across key business segments. Management identified enterprise net revenue growth, margin expansion, and strong cash flow as primary drivers of the quarter’s performance. CEO Deanna Strable pointed to the retirement ecosystem, small and midsized business solutions, and global asset management as areas of notable strength, highlighting, “Our year-to-date free capital flow conversion ratio of over 90% is tracking above target.” Margins benefited from disciplined expense management and favorable underwriting results, particularly in the Specialty Benefits segment.
Bank of Hawaii’s third quarter was marked by a modest outperformance relative to Wall Street expectations, with management attributing the results to improved net interest margin and disciplined credit practices. CEO Peter Ho highlighted, “Net interest margin improved for the sixth straight quarter,” as deposit growth and prudent asset repricing helped offset some headwinds from deposit mix shifts. The bank’s continued dominance in its core Hawaii market, supported by a diversified and conservatively underwritten loan book, was also emphasized as a key factor in maintaining stable asset quality and driving market share gains.
