Easy Peasy #35: Build Your Dividend Portfolio & Live Off Dividends with Pre-Selected Stock Sets
Dividend Growing Stock Sets – Start with $300, $500, or $1,000 Weekly
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Intro
Tariffs Paused (Sort Of) and Tech Takes Off
Monster Rebound After Tariff Whiplash Wall Street just staged one of the most violent upside reversals in modern memory.
The Dow soared 2,962.86 points (+7.87%) to close at 40,608, the S&P 500 ripped 474.13 points (+9.52%) to 5,456, and the Nasdaq exploded 1,857.06 points (+12.16%) to 17,124. Small caps joined the party with the Russell 2000 climbing 152.44 points (+8.66%) to 1,913.
Early in the day, it looked like more of the same: fresh Chinese tariffs overnight, more EU saber-rattling, and fading futures. But just before the final hour, the White House dropped a market bombshell—a 90-day tariff pause on all non-retaliatory countries. The base rate tariff would be lowered, while China’s would go up to 125% starting next week.
That was enough to trigger a face-melting rally across every major index. Breadth reversed from 3:2 decliners early to 13:2 advancers. Tech, consumer discretionary, and industrials led with double-digit sector gains, while even defensives like healthcare, staples, and utilities tagged on ~4%.
Sentiment Shift? The Fear & Greed Index nudged up to 4/100 (Extreme Fear) from 3 yesterday—baby steps. But the sell-side upgrade ratio spiked to 70% yesterday and held strong at 55% today, compared to ~30% average over the prior week. Capitulation, anyone?
Sector Highlights
Retail, Consumer & Staples
The tariff pause was like rocket fuel for beaten-down consumer names, especially in apparel, footwear, and discretionary retail. Tariff-sensitive stocks like NKE, LULU, CROX, DECK, UA, ONON, AEO and luxury names RL, CPRI surged. Same story with autos: GM, F, STLA, TSLA all caught massive bids. Cruise lines CCL, RCL and travel names got their groove back too.
Walmart (WMT) reaffirmed Q1 sales growth guidance of 3–4%, while widening its range for operating income growth to account for tariffs and increased casualty claims. Earnings land May 15.
In off-price: ROST upgraded at Wells Fargo (PT to $150) on its defensive positioning and room to outperform.
In apparel: BBWI upgraded at Piper—company’s vertically integrated supply chain makes it relatively immune to overseas sourcing disruption.
In food & bev: CALM missed both lines (Q3 EPS $10.38 vs est. $10.91; revs $1.4B vs est. $1.43B) and got hit with a DOJ antitrust probe on egg prices. Meanwhile, SMPL crushed it (EPS $0.46 vs est. $0.40, revs $359.7M vs est. $354.6M).
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) upgraded at Piper, citing strong teen survey buzz and retail sales in its beverage division.
Restaurants & Food Chains
SBUX upgraded to Hold at Jefferies after shedding nearly -29% since February. Tariff pause gives the stock breathing room, and downside now looks priced in.
KRUS missed estimates on Q2 comp sales due to weather, weaker IP collabs, and margin pressure—but management stuck to FY25 guidance, which the Street appreciated.
Energy & Utilities
Energy stocks rebounded hard after getting smacked for a week straight. The rally in crude helped, but it was the tariff pause that really turned sentiment.
WTI crude surged +$2.77 (+4.65%) to $62.35, while Brent rallied +$2.66 (+4.23%) to $65.48. The bounce came after Trump’s 90-day pause calmed fears of a global demand collapse. But it’s still a fragile setup—investors aren’t exactly planning victory parades.
APA said it curtailed 8 Mmcf/d of gas and 500 bpd of NGLs in Q1 due to weak pricing. Not a surprise given the brutal tape in nat gas lately.
In oil services, UBS slashed Q1 estimates for the Big 3 (SLB, BKR, HAL) on weaker U.S. land activity and Mexico exposure. PTs cut across the board.
In refining, Raymond James trimmed PTs on DK, MPC, PSX, and VLO, expecting a tough earnings season despite margin indicators stabilizing.
In coal, BTU popped after Trump signed executive orders supporting coal expansion. Also, Peabody confirmed it’s reviewing a $3.78B deal to buy Anglo American’s steel-making coal business after a mine fire.
In utilities, CEG upgraded to Buy at Citi on improving co-location economics and downside protection. Meanwhile, Dominion (D) downgraded at JPM, but WEC and SO got boosts on defensive merit.
Banks, Brokers & Asset Managers
Financials surged with the broader tape, but also got relief from Trump’s move to delay the next tariff wave.
Card names like V, AXP, MA ripped higher. Traders were bracing for a spending freeze, but a 90-day reprieve revived risk appetite.
Fintechs—XYZ, SQ, AFRM, UPST—also flew, caught in the risk-on updraft.
LNC jumped after Bain Capital said it’s acquiring a 9.9% stake for $825M and will manage assets across private credit. Bain is paying $44/share, a 52% premium.
TRV upgraded to Equal Weight at WFC on better reserve triangle analysis. WRB downgraded after its recent outperformance post-Mitsui Sumitomo stake.
Wells Fargo upgraded ASB, BPOP, FBP, while OFG was cut. The tone heading into earnings is cautious—JPM, MS, BK, WFC all report Friday.
Biotech & Pharma
Healthcare didn’t rally as hard as tech or discretionary, but there was plenty of drama—especially after Trump hinted tariffs on pharmaceutical imports are back on the table. That took the wind out of a lot of Big Pharma names.
PFE, LLY, JNJ, MRK, BMY, ABBV all dipped after initially being spared in earlier tariff rounds. Trump’s reversal rattled sentiment—pharma had been seen as a haven.
XBI (Biotech ETF) continued bleeding, now down over 4% on the day and -13% since April 2, extending its -22% YTD loss. This group is firmly in the penalty box.
In diagnostics and life sciences, NEOG cut FY25 revenue guidance to ~$895M from $905M–$925M, missing Q3 rev estimates at $221M vs. $224.9M. Cited global trade policy uncertainty. Also announced CEO John Adent is stepping down.
Industrials & Materials
From airlines to chemicals, industrials ripped higher thanks to tariff delays—but the outlook remains volatile.
DAL posted a solid Q1: EPS $0.46 on $13.0B revenue, topping estimates. But Q2 guidance was weak (EPS $1.70–$2.30 vs. est. $2.23) and capacity growth will now be flat in 2H. Still, all airlines—UAL, AAL, LUV, JBLU—flew higher.
In shipping, WSJ reported the Trump admin will ease steep port fees on Chinese-built ships to minimize impact on U.S. exporters. Ag exports like soybeans and timber may get fee exemptions.
In chemicals, LYB downgraded at RBC over U.S. polyethylene margin fears. EMN upgraded, seen as less exposed to export pressure and durable goods weakness.
Technology & Semis
This was a tech-fueled face-ripper. No sector benefited more than semiconductors—and the SOX index soared 17% (630 points) to ~4,200, erasing a week of losses in one day.
The delayed tariff ruling excluded many countries, sparing giants like AMD, ARM, AVGO, NVDA, MU, SWKS, and gear makers AMAT, ASML, LRCX, KLAC—all ripped 15–20%.
AAPL finally caught a break: upgraded to Hold at Jefferies. Stock had fallen 23% since April 2, but hopes for a carve-out (again) revived bulls. Jefferies now expects $500B in U.S. investment to secure exemptions.
In PC land, shipments rose 9.4% to 62.7M units last quarter—the fastest since 2021. Companies rushed deliveries to front-run tariffs. DELL, HPQ, MSFT were winners today, but researchers warned that Q2 will likely show hangover effects.
What’s Next?
The market just pulled off one of the wildest reversals in years—possibly the start of a bottom, or just another bear market head-fake. Either way, the road ahead is anything but quiet:
1️⃣ Earnings Season Incoming — JPM, MS, WFC, and BK all report Friday. Bank results will be the first reality check on tariff impact, consumer health, and dealmaking pipelines.
2️⃣ Tariff Watch Isn’t Over — Trump’s 90-day pause excluded China, which now faces a jaw-dropping 125% tariff starting next week. That’s not a typo. China promised to retaliate, so expect more headline whiplash.
3️⃣ Fed Cut Path Still Murky — Futures pulled back from pricing in four cuts to less than 75bps of easing in 2025, as yields surge. The 10Y yield is now up 60bps in three days, the sharpest spike since 1982.
4️⃣ Sector Rotation in Play — Today’s relief rally hit everything, but tech and discretionary are back in favor. Defensive plays like utilities and staples rallied too, but far less. Traders are betting on growth, at least for now.
Bottom line: The bulls are breathing again, but they’re not out of the woods. Until tariffs are fully resolved—or earnings deliver a miracle—this remains a twitchy, headline-driven market. Buckle up.
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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.
This week, we’ve rolled out a fresh batch of ready-to-go Stock Sets 💪.
Easy Peasy #35: Pre-Selected Dividend Growth Stock Sets
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