Easy Peasy #31: Build Your Dividend Portfolio & Live Off Dividends with Pre-Selected Stock Sets

Dividend Growing Stock Sets – Start with $300, $500, or $1,000 Weekly

MaxDividends Mission: Helping & Supporting Everyone in Building a Growing Passive Income, Retiring Early, and Living Off Dividends.

In this section, we share ready-made sets of promising dividend growth stocks with strong future dividend potential.

We also track performance and provide portfolio links for each set, so you can monitor past results and real-time updates.

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Intro

Markets Rebound, but Tariff Fears and Slowdown Concerns Persist

U.S. stocks staged a comeback on Wednesday, but volatility remained high. The S&P 500 (+0.49%) and Nasdaq (+1.22%) clawed back some losses, while the Dow Jones (-0.20%) remained under pressure. Russell 2000 (+0.14%) barely held onto gains.

The key driver? A weaker-than-expected February CPI print, which hinted at cooling inflation. But investors weren’t celebrating too much—recession fears, escalating trade wars, and weak consumer demand (seen in recent WMT, TGT, DAL, AAL reports) are keeping markets on edge.

Tech and energy led the rebound, while consumer staples and healthcare underperformed. Goldman Sachs slashed its S&P 500 year-end target to 6,200 (from 6,500) and cut its EPS forecast to $262 (from $268) due to weaker growth expectations and trade policy headwinds.

Inflation Cools, But Will the Fed Budge?

Wednesday’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed inflation cooling faster than expected:

• Headline CPI (M/M): +0.2% (est. +0.3%, prev. +0.5%)

• Headline CPI (Y/Y): +2.8% (est. +2.9%, prev. +3.0%)

• Core CPI (M/M): +0.2% (est. +0.3%, prev. +0.4%)

• Core CPI (Y/Y): +3.1% (est. +3.2%, prev. +3.3%)

This might reignite hopes for rate cuts, but tariff-driven price increases weren’t reflected in this data yet. The U.S. budget deficit also hit $307B, up from $296.3B last year, adding pressure on fiscal policy.

Tariff War Escalates: Retaliation from the EU and Canada

Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum officially took effect Wednesday, prompting swift retaliation:

• The EU announced €26B ($28B) in counter-tariffs on U.S. goods.

• Canada hit back with C$29.8B in retaliatory tariffs on American exports.

Auto stocks and industrials were rattled, with TSLA, GM, F, X, STLD seeing increased volatility.

Sector Highlights

Retail, Consumer Staples & Restaurants

• CROX upgraded to Buy at Loop Capital ($110 PT).

• SFIX reported Q2 revenue above expectations and raised guidance.

• VRA issued weak FY26 guidance as Q4 revenue fell -24.9%.

• IRBT crashed after weak earnings and initiated a strategic review, raising "going concern" fears.

• PEP downgraded to Hold at Jefferies, citing weakness in Frito-Lay.

• Food stocks (KLG, HSY, GIS, CAG, THS, CPB) sold off amid consumer spending concerns.

Autos & Travel Stocks Crushed by Tariff & Demand Woes

• Porsche (POAHY) warned that lower sales, high costs, and trade uncertainty will hurt 2025 earnings.

• TSLA rebounded after a brutal -52% pullback from December highs.

• MGM, CZR, WYNN hit fresh multi-year lows as casino stocks tumbled.

• HLT dropped for an 8th straight session as hotels struggled with weak demand.

Industrials, Energy & Materials

• Utilities:TLN initiated Overweight ($243 PT) at Morgan Stanley, citing data center expansion and Amazon contracts.

• Industrials:ETN upgraded to Overweight ($340 PT) at KeyBanc, sees long-term upside despite short-term capex fears.

• Aerospace & Defense:RKLB acquired Mynaric, a satellite communications company, and announced a $500M equity offering.

• Steel & Aluminum:Trump’s 25% tariffs take effect, EU and Canada hit back with $28B+ in retaliatory tariffs. X, NUE, STLD, AA, CENX saw increased volatility.

Financials

• Big banks (GS, JPM, C, BAC, WFC) remain weak as growth concerns persist.

• AB reported a -0.5% decline in AUM to $805B.

• COF upgraded to Outperform at Evercore, citing long-term upside from the Capital One/Discover deal.

• SPGI initiated Outperform ($59 PT) at Mizuho, citing strong pricing power and business stability.

Biotech & Pharma

• IONS signed a $280M+ licensing deal with ONO Pharma, potential payments up to $660M.

• MYGN upgraded to Overweight at Piper ($12.50 PT), says stock is oversold (-50% in 6 months).

• ZLDPF signed a $1.65B upfront deal with Roche, potential $5.3B+ milestone payments.

• ZYXI guided Q1 revenue at least $30M, missing expectations.

Tech, AI & Semis

• SSP refinanced $1.3B in debt, boosting shares.

• SOX Index surged as INTC, NVDA, AMD, AVGO jumped on reports TSM might take over Intel’s foundry operations.

• Quantum computing rally:QBTS, IONQ, QMCO, RGTI soared after a breakthrough research paper in Science.

• Software:HUBS upgraded to Overweight ($815 PT) at Barclays, citing price hikes and customer growth.

• ADBE earnings after the close—investors on edge.

The Road Ahead

Markets are trying to stabilize, but key risks remain

1️⃣ Will the Fed cut rates after cooling CPI? Powell has been noncommittal so far.

2️⃣ Tariff war escalation: Will EU/Canada retaliate further after Trump’s new tariffs?

3️⃣ Tech rebound or dead-cat bounce? AI stocks and semis are rallying—but will it hold?

4️⃣ Consumer spending slowdown: WMT, TGT, airlines, and hotels all warning of weaker demand.

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But none of this news really matters to MaxDividends members. We're focused on growing the cash flow that lands in your pocket every month—not stressing over price swings or stock market noise.

At MaxDividends, we focus on a dividend growth strategy, perfect for investors seeking capital appreciation, solid safety, and a steadily growing income.

A rising dividend is a strong sign that a company is thriving—and wants its shareholders to thrive with it.

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This week, we’ve rolled out a fresh batch of ready-to-go Stock Sets 💪.

Easy Peasy #31: Pre-Selected Dividend Growth Stock Sets