Many Baby Boomers will approach or reach the full retirement age by the end of 2025, yet only one in 10 are fully retired.
The rising cost of living continues to increase and has forced many Baby Boomers to rethink entering retirement.
Many retirees have also considered reentering the workforce to bridge the gap between their retirement income and high living costs.
As many Baby Boomers approach retirement, they also face rising living costs, housing prices, and health care, which is encouraging many to delay retirement or reenter the workforce.
Roughly 60% of Baby Boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1964, will be able to receive their full retirement age (FRA) Social Security benefits by the end of the year. Yet, only 10% of this generation are fully retired, according to a recent survey by Indeed Flex, an online job portal for temporary work.
In addition, almost half of Baby Boomers said they plan to keep working in 2025, and 35% were unsure if they will retire this year due to the high cost of living.
Consumer prices continue to rise for all Americans, but especially those nearing retirement age. In January 2025, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for those aged 62 years and older increased by 3.1% compared to a year prior and was 9.3% higher than the CPI for all Americans.
“As the aging population heads into retirement age, many do not have enough money saved to live financially secure,â said Novo Constare, CEO and co-founder of Indeed Flex, in a press release. “Previous generations could rely on pensions and affordable living; today’s boomers are navigating a financial landscape where Social Security alone isn’t enough to meet their current needs.â
To bridge the gap between their retirement income and high costs of living, almost one in four retirees consider unretiring and working a temporary job for extra money, vacations, gifts, or socialization, Indeed Flex found.
Iâm old enough to remember 1992, and maybe you are too. If not, imagineâŚ
There is no Google, no Amazon and certainly no smartphones.
Maybe you watched Seinfeld on TV, and went to see Batman Returns at the movies.
I was listening to Nirvanaâs Nevermind album on CD.
Although it existed, most people had not even heard of the Internet.
In those days if you wanted to send a message, you didnât sent email â you picked up the phone or sent a fax. Email was used mostly inside businesses. AOL started to offer email access in the mid-â90s.
Services we take for granted now either didnât exist or were in their infancy.
Imagine if you could have seen what was coming. Imagine if you could have foreseen all the online services we take for granted today.
And what if you had invested in them?
If you had foresight, you might have bought Cisco Systems (CSCO), the company that built a lot of the infrastructure the Internet needed. Cisco went public in 1990 at a split-adjusted price of 6 cents. In 1992, CSCO was selling for around 31 cents.
By the start of 1997, the stock had gained more than 10X. By 2000, it had soared 100x.
Right now, weâre experiencing another revolution â this time in artificial intelligence (AI).
And the next step in the revolution is just now emerging on the horizon.
Just like Cisco built the plumbing for the Internet, a new pioneer is laying the groundwork for technology that will impact trillions of dollars in the global economy.
The âMagnificent 7â stocks are making big bets on this tech, and Louis Navellier is pointing toward this opportunity now.
Nvidiaâs Next Big Move Could be Bigger
If youâre new to the Digest, Louis Navellier is a growth investing legend. MarketWatch hailed him as âThe Adviser Who Recommended Google Before Anyone Else.â
And weâve often highlighted his 2016 recommendation for his subscribers to buy Nvidia (NVDA).
Since that call, NVDA has become one of the biggest companies in the works, surpassing a $3 trillion market cap.
If youâve held on since 2016âŚNVDA has soared as high as 7,000%.
Now, Louis is focused on the next phase of this technological breakthrough, and itâs adjacent to the trend that made NVDA a market leader.
Itâs all about quantum computing.
Here is Louisâ explanation of Nvidiaâs next move and the opportunity ahead.
Through the end of this decade, I predict the transistors in each of NVIDIAâs chips will be approaching the âatomicâ level. So, sheer physics may prohibit it from making its chips any faster.
Thatâs a way off. But looking beyond this decade, NVIDIA plans to utilize quantum computing â a form of computing that essentially utilizes ones AND zeroes to perform calculations instead of either a 1 or 0, like traditional computing.
Why is that important?
Quantum computing has the potential to solve complex problems exponentially faster than traditional computers.
Not just a little faster⌠quantum computers can solve problems in minutes that would take classical computer years, or even centuries!
That means new possibilities in:
scientific discoveries in the material behavior
faster drug development
revolutionary advances in materials science, and
enhanced fraud detection and risk analysis in financial transactions.
Here is more from Louis:
I predict NVIDIA will help lead the charge to a breakthrough in this field to help speed up generative AI after its GPUs hit their physical limits. In fact, NVIDIA has a quantum cloud simulator up and running right now.
The point is that you are going to start hearing more about quantum computing in the years to come. And while NVIDIA is a remarkable company, and I anticipate holding this stock through the end of the decade, the biggest gains will likely come from smaller, dedicated quantum computing companies.
How Early Investors in Booms Get Rich
Louis has a long track record of finding just those kinds of âsmaller, dedicatedâ companies in his Breakthrough Stocks service.
Louis launched Breakthrough Stocks in 1980. Itâs the service that put his quantitative investing strategy on the map! Since then, it has evolved into Louisâ premium service dedicated to finding small-cap, early-stage companies that are setting up to be the market leaders of the future.
As always, the essence of Louisâ strategy is the same â invest only in companies with stellar fundamentals.
But with small-cap stocks, not every variable is equally weighted.
Small-cap stocks with strong sales and earnings growth routinely outperform the market.
When you combine fundamental strength factors with an emerging technology, the impact on a stockâs price can be explosive.
Below are some of the winners from Louisâ recent closed trades:
Rambus Inc (RMBS), 1/3 position closed for a 159% gain in 16 months.
CECO Environmental Corp (CECO), closed for a 152% gain in 25 months.
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (ELF), closed for a 69% gain in 16 months.
Here is how Louis describes his next big opportunity:
If you really want to make big gains, you have to start looking at the âpure playâ quantum companies that NVIDIA and other Big Tech companies are partnering with.
Insurance can be a great business. Insurers collect revenue from policy premiums and make money by investing the accumulated premiums not paid out in claims, known as the float.
Even legendary investor Warren Buffet sees the value of insurance stocks âhis investment conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B) owns GEICO, General Re, and more.
High profitability allows many insurance companies to pay dividends to shareholders and raise their dividends over time. For example, Aflac (AFL) has increased its dividend for 43 years in a row.
This means the company qualifies as a Dividend Aristocrat â a group of 69 companies in the S&P 500 Index with 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases.
You can download a free list of all 69 Dividend Aristocrats, along with important metrics like dividend yields and price-to-earnings ratios, by clicking on the link below:
Â
Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividendâs own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.
This article will take an inside look at Aflacâs business model and what drives its impressive dividend growth.
Business Overview
Aflac was formed in 1955 by three brothers: John, Paul, and Bill Amos. Together, they came up with the idea to sell insurance products that paid cash if a policyholder got sick or injured. In the mid-twentieth century, workplace injuries were common, and no insurance product covered this risk.
Today, Aflac offers a wide range of products, including accident, short-term disability, critical illness, hospital indemnity, dental, vision, and life insurance.
The company specializes in supplemental insurance, which pays out to policyholders if they are sick or injured and cannot work. Aflac operates in the U.S. and Japan, with Japan accounting for approximately ~55% of the companyâs net earned premiums. Because of this, investors are exposed to currency risk.
Aflacâs earnings will fluctuate based on exchange rates between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar. When the yen rises against the dollar, it helps Aflac because each yen earned becomes more valuable when reported in U.S. dollars.
Aflacâs strategy is to increase premium growth through new customers and increase sales to existing customers. It is also investing in expanding its distribution channels, including its digital footprint, in the U.S. and Japan.
Aflac continues to perform well overall. On February 5th, 2025, Aflac released fourth-quarter and full-year financial results.
For the quarter, the company reported $5.4 billion in revenue, which was a 42.1% increase compared to Q4 of 2023. Net earnings equaled $1.9 billion, or $3.42 per share, compared to $268 billion, or $46 per share, in the prior year.
However, this included $1 billion in investment gains, which are excluded from adjusted earnings. On an adjusted basis, earnings-per-share equaled $1.56 versus $1.25 in the prior year. Revenue was $1.24 billion more than expected, while adjusted earnings-per-share was $0.06 below estimates.
For 2024, revenue improved 1.2% to $18.9 billion, and adjusted earnings-per-share were $7.21 compared to $6.23 in the prior year.
Aflac has also aggressive reduced its share count, repurchasing seven million shares at an average price of ~$107 in Q4 2024. The company has 47.3 million shares, or 8.6% of its outstanding share count, remaining on its repurchase authorization.
Growth Prospects
From 2007 through 2020, Aflac grew earnings-per-share by an average compound rate of 8.8% per year, although part of that improvement is related to tax reform. Also, remember that the Yen was generally weakening against the dollar for a good portion of the last decade.
Over the last 10 years, the companyâs earnings-per-share had a CAGR of 9.9%, though that growth rate has slowed to 6.9% over the previous five years.
In Japan, Aflac wants to defend its strong core position while expanding and evolving to customer needs. To this point, Aflac Japan is expanding its âthird-sectorâ product offerings. These include non-traditional products such as cancer insurance and medical and income support.
Aflac has enjoyed strong demand in Japan for third-sector products due to the countryâs aging population and declining birth rate.
Aflac has two sources of revenue: income from premiums and income from investments. The premium side is generally sticky, with policy renewals making up the bulk of income. However, Aflac operates in two developed markets where we would not anticipate seeing outsized growth in the business.
The other lever available is on the investment side, where most of the portfolio is in bonds. In addition, the share repurchase program has been an important factor, and we believe it will continue to drive earnings per share.
We are forecasting 7% annual growth rate over the next five years.
Competitive Advantages & Recession Performance
Aflac has many competitive advantages. First, it dominates its niche. It operates in supplemental insurance products and is the leading company in that category. Its business model requires low capital expenditures and sells a product that enjoys steady demand.
Aflacâs strong brand is a key competitive advantage. Competition is intense in the insurance industry, considering the commodity-like nature of the products. To retain customers and attract new customers, Aflac invests heavily in advertising.
Aflac is also a recession-resistant company. It remained profitable even during the Great Recession:
2007 earnings-per-share of $1.64
2008 earnings-per-share of $1.31 (-20% decline)
2009 earnings-per-share of $1.96 (49.6% increase)
2010 earnings-per-share of $2.57 (31.1% increase)
Notably, Aflac had a tough year in 2008, which is understandable given the deep recession at the time. However, its earnings-per-share came roaring back in 2009 and 2010. More recently, the company continued to grow even during the worst COVID-19 pandemic. Aflacâs earnings-per-share have increased or remained stable over the last 10 years.
Valuation & Expected Returns
Over the last decade, shares of Aflac have traded hands with an average P/E ratio of roughly 11x times earnings.
We believe this is more or less fair value for the security, considering that many insurers trade at a comparable multiple. This lower average valuation multiple makes the robust share repurchase program more effective.
Ongoing owners are much better served if the company buys out past partners at 11x times earnings as opposed to, say, 15xâor 20x times earnings.
Based on 2025âs expected earnings-per-share of $6.93, shares are presently trading hands at 15.6 times earnings. As such, this implies an annual valuation headwind of 6.7% should shares revert to 11 times earnings over the next five years.
In addition, the 6% growth rate and 2.1% starting dividend yield should aid shareholder returns. When all three components are combined, this implies the potential for 2.6% annualized returns.
Aflacâs dividend appears very safe, with an expected dividend payout ratio of 33% for 2025. The dividend has room for future increases even if EPS growth slows. The dividend has a CAGR of 10.9 since 2015, but this growth rate accelerates to 15.7% over the last five years.
Final Thoughts
Aflac is a high-quality company with a profitable business and a strong brand.
The company has increased its dividend for 43 years in a row. Thanks to a low payout ratio and future earnings growth, it should continue to do so.
Aflac is not a high-dividend stock, with a current yield of 2.1%. However, it offers steady dividend increases and a highly sustainable payout.
However, shares are currently trading higher than the companyâs historical valuation. This results in low single-digit total returns expected over the next five years, so the security earns a sell rating.
If you are interested in finding high-quality dividend growth stocks suitable for long-term investment, the following Sure Dividend databases will be useful:
The major domestic stock market indices are another solid resource for finding investment ideas. Sure Dividend compiles the following stock market databases and updates them monthly:
Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].
At Sure Dividend, we are huge proponents of investing in high-quality dividend growth stocks. We believe companies with long history of raising their dividends will most likely reward their shareholders with superior long-term returns.
This is why we focus so intently on the Dividend Aristocrats.
Our review of each of the 69 Dividend Aristocrats, a group of companies in the S&P 500 Index with 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases, continues with medical supply company Becton Dickinson (BDX).
You can download an Excel spreadsheet with the full list of all 69 Dividend Aristocrats (plus important metrics like dividend yields and price-to-earnings ratios) by using the link below:
Â
Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividendâs own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.
Becton Dickinson has grown into a global giant. In 2017, it completed its $24 billion acquisition of C.R. Bard, its largest acquisition ever, bringing together two huge companies in the medical supply industry. Much more recently, in September 2024, it completed its $4.2 billion purchase of Edward Lifesciencesâ (EW) Critical Care segment.
The industryâs fundamentals remain very healthy. Aging global populations, growing healthcare spending, and expansion in emerging markets are attractive growth catalysts. In this article, we examine Becton Dickinsonâs investment prospects.
Business Overview
Both Becton Dickinson and C.R. Bard have long operating histories. C.R. Bard was founded in 1907 by Charles Russell Bard, an American importer of French silks, after he began importing Gomenol to New York City. At the time, Gomenol was commonly used in Europe, and Mr. Bard used it to treat his discomfort from tuberculosis.
By 1923, C.R. Bard was incorporated. Later, it developed the first balloon catheter, and slowly expanded its product portfolio.
Meanwhile, Becton Dickinson has been in business for more than 120 years. Today, the company employs more than 75,000 employees in over 50 countries. It generates approximately $20 billion in annual revenue, and slightly more than 40% of annual sales come from outside the U.S.
With the addition of C.R. Bard, Becton Dickinson now has three segments: Medical, Life Sciences, and Intervention, which houses products manufactured by Bard. The company sells products in several categories within these businesses. Some of its core product categories include diagnostics, infection prevention, surgical equipment, and diabetes management.
On February 5th, 2025, BD released earnings results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, which ended on December 31st, 2024.
For the quarter, revenue grew 9.8% to $5.17 billion, which beat estimates by $60 million. On a currency neutral basis, revenue grew 9.6%. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $3.43 compared favorably to $2.68 in the prior year and was $44above expectations.
Organic growth was 3.9% for the period. For the quarter, U.S. grew 12% while international was up 6.7% (up 6.3% on a reported basis). COVID-19 diagnostic revenue was not material during the period.
The Medical segment grew 1.7% to $2.62 billion due to improvements in Mediation Management Solutions and Medication Delivery Solutions. Life Science revenue was up 0.5% to $1.30 billion as gains in Diagnostics Solutions and Specimen Management were partially offset by weaker results in Biosciences. Interventional increased 5.5% to $1.26 billion due to growth in all businesses.
BD provided an updated outlook for fiscal year 2025 as well. The company expects revenue in a range of $21.7 billion to $21.9 billion for the fiscal year, down from $21.9 billion to $22.1 billion previously. Adjusted earnings-per-share is projected to be in a range of $14.30 to $14.60, compared to $14.25 to $14.60 previously.
Growth Prospects
Becton Dickinson has several avenues for future growth. For starters, the company is a leader in many of the areas that it competes.
The companyâs products and services are trusted by customers, making them a key component throughout the sector.
Second, aging demographics should provide tailwinds to the sector in general and the company in particular. Last year, the percentage of the global population that was at least 65 years old reached 10%, this is double what it was in the 1970s. This age group is projected to reach 1.6 billion, or 16% of the worldâs population, by 2050. As people age, their need for healthcare services increases.
Becton Dickinson has been fairly active in acquisitions, with Bard being one of it largest purchases ever. The company benefits from a size and scale that makes it likely that it will continue to be able to add to its core businesses through bolt on acquisitions.
Becton Dickinson is also about to undergo a transformation to its business model. The company announced at the time of its mostly recent quarterly report that it is going to separate its Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions businesses by the end of fiscal year 2026 as it looks to become a more pureplay medical device company. This could earn the stock a higher multiple from the market as these are much higher margin businesses and the ones likely to see sustained growth in the future.
BDX has increased earnings-per-share by approximately 7% per year over the past 10 years, and has grown earnings in 8 out of the last 10 years. We feel the company can grow earnings-per-share at a rate of 8% per year through fiscal 2030.
Competitive Advantages & Recession Performance
Becton Dickinson has significant competitive advantages, including scale and a vast patent portfolio, due to its high investment spending.
Becton Dickinson spends over $1 billion per year on research and development. This spending has certainly paid off, with strong revenue and earnings growth over the past several years. The company has obtained leadership positions in their respective categories because of product innovation, a direct result of R&D investments.
These competitive advantages provide the company with consistent growth, even during economic downturns. Becton Dickinson steadily grew earnings during the Great Recession. Becton Dickinsonâs earnings-per-share during the recession are as follows:
2007 earnings-per-share of $3.84
2008 earnings-per-share of $4.46 (16% increase)
2009 earnings-per-share of $4.95 (11% increase)
2010 earnings-per-share of $4.94 (0.2% decline)
Becton Dickinson generated double-digit earnings growth in 2008 and 2009, during the worst years of the recession. It took a small step back in 2010, but continued to grow in the years since, along with the economic recovery.
The ability to consistently grow earnings each year of the Great Recession, which was arguably the worst economic downturn in decades, is extremely impressive.
Becton Dickinson also performed well during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic as the company benefited from the increased demand for healthcare equipment.
The reason for its strong financial performance, is that health care patients need medical supplies. Patients cannot choose to forego necessary healthcare supplies. This keeps demand steady from year to year, regardless of the condition of the economy.
Becton Dickinson has a unique ability to withstand recessions, which explains its 52-year history of consecutive dividend increases. Becton Dickinsonâs dividend is also very safe based on its fundamentals.
Valuation & Expected Returns
Using the midpoint for estimated earnings-per-share of $14.45 for the fiscal year 2025, the stock has a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.5x. Our fair value estimate for BDX stock is a P/E ratio of 19x, meaning shares appear undervalued. Multiple expansion to the fair value P/E could increase annual returns by 4.2% per year over the next five years.
But valuation isnât the only factor in estimating total returns. BDX will also generate returns from earnings growth and dividends.
As far as dividends go, Becton Dickinson remains a quality dividend growth stock. It has a very secure payout and room for growth. Based on fiscal 2025 earnings guidance, Becton Dickinson will likely have a dividend payout of 29%.
This is a very low payout ratio. It leaves plenty of room for sustained dividend growth moving forward, particularly since earnings will continue to grow.
We project annual returns of 13.8% through fiscal year 2030, stemming from 8% earnings growth, the current dividend yield of 1.9%, and the 4.2% yearly boost from P/E expansion. The expected annual return earns the stock a buy recommendation.
Final Thoughts
Becton Dickinsonâs business continues to perform very well. Given the positive growth outlook for the healthcare industry, we feel that Becton Dickinson has room for strong earnings growth.
In addition, Becton Dickinson is highly likely to increase its annual dividend for many years. Becton Dickinson is an attractive stock for dividend growth investors with expected total returns of nearly 14% per year and a safe and growing dividend.
Additionally, the following Sure Dividend databases contain the most reliable dividend growers in our investment universe:
If youâre looking for stocks with unique dividend characteristics, consider the following Sure Dividend databases:
Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].
Editorâs Note: Everyone dreams of finding that 10X winner.
The reality? Many investors have owned a stock that would go on to be a 10X winner, but they sold it somewhere along the way due to fear.
Today, my colleague Louis Navellier will provide a great illustration: Nvidia Corp. (NVDA). Since Louis recommended it in May 2019, the stock has surged over 3,000% â but not without massive volatility (the latest example is the 20% pullback in recent weeks after the arrival of Chinese AI firm DeepSeek).
As Louis details, market narratives shift, but fundamentally strong stocks recover, which Nvidia has done. The chip giant remains a powerhouse, leading the AI revolution. And though Louis believes it still has room to run, it wonât be the only next big AI winner.
Louis has identified seven under-the-radar companies primed for massive gains as AI has its Crossover Moment â expanding beyond digital applications into real-world automation, infrastructure, and industry.
The biggest profits will go to those who see whatâs coming next. Take it away, LouisâŚ
If you could make a better than 1,000% gain in a stock, would you invest in it?
Virtually every investor would answer that question with a resounding âYes!â
But holding a stock long enough to get that big of a return is much easier said than done. The reality is that a stock never moves straight up. To walk away with a 1,000%-plus profit, you have to endure swings in stock prices, sometimes so severe that theyâll have you reaching for your antacids.
In my 47 years on Wall Street, Nvidia is my biggest winner â up more than 3,000% since I recommended it back in May 2019.
In todayâs note, I want to remind you of NVIDIAâs somewhat obscure origins (unless youâre a gamer)⌠and how a surprising twist in how its technology worked brought it to my attention.
Thatâs an interesting story.
A more crucial story is what exactly hit NVIDIAâs share price earlier this year⌠and where its next leg up will come from. So, weâll take a look at that, too.
That said, while I still think it has plenty of room to run, the next chapter of the AI story wonât be written by NVIDIA.
So, Iâll also start digging into where the next wave of AI profits is coming from. NVIDIAâs CEO says itâs a $100 trillion opportunity.
And Iâve identified seven fast-rising ways to play it already.
Take a lookâŚ
Why I Recommended Nvidia
Nvidia is a leading computer graphics company that makes graphics processing units (GPUs).
Originally, graphics were only prized by video game enthusiasts. But it turns out that GPUs have a wide range of powerful applications. They can be used to aid computers in applications like financial modeling, oil and gas exploration, virtual reality and even self-driving cars.
So, in the late 2010s, Nvidia began receiving some unusual orders. Not only were crypto enthusiasts buying up high-end GPUs to mine bitcoin⌠but machine-learning researchers were also using the cards to train their models.
It turns out that GPUs are really good for something called âparallelization.â This is where you break down a large computational task into smaller ones that can be calculated independently and simultaneously. That makes GPUs extremely powerful â far more than even the best central processing units (CPUs) in these types of computations.
Data storage provider Pure Storage estimates that GPUs are roughly three times faster than an equivalent CPU for machine-learning algorithms. That is an enormous advantage in a world where large models can require months to train and cost millions of dollars.
That put Nvidia on the fast track to success. Thanks to its portfolio of valuable patents and internal research, Nvidia got an enormous head start on the AI Boom. No company came close.
What originally got me excited about Nvidia was what it was doing with the development of autonomous vehicles. My son was an engineering student at Stanford when that university debuted an autonomous race car named âShelleyâ that used Nvidia chips.
Back in 2019, when I learned what Nvidia was planning to do with AI, I pulled the trigger and added it to the Buy List at my large-cap newsletter, Growth Investor.
Now, as I mentioned, itâs now up more than 3,000% since my recommendation, but those gains didnât come easily. As you can see in the chart below, NVDA has experienced some wild swingsâŚ
One of those swings came just a couple of weeks ago, on January 27, when shares of Nvidia lost 17%. Thatâs a staggering $589 billion loss in market cap â the largest one-day value destruction for a single stock in market history.
The reason? A Chinese AI company called DeepSeek.
Hereâs the storyâŚ
How to Survive a Painful Drawdown
On January 20, a Chinese AI company, DeepSeek, released a new AI model called R1 that it claims is nearly on par with American AI models. In fact, DeepSeek claims the R1 model has a comparable performance to OpenAIâs o1-mini model for ChatGPT.
Whatâs more, it utilizes inferior Nvidia chips, called H800s, that are compliant with the export bans that were put in place by the Biden administration.
Oh, and the company claims it was built in about two months and cost just $5.6 million to train.
As a result, DeepSeek became the No. 1 app downloaded from the Apple Inc. (AAPL) App Store.
Wall Street and the tech world began to put all of this together at the end of January. And it hammered AI stocks⌠and the market as a whole. The fact is that DeepSeek caused everyone to start questioning the entire roadmap of how AI is supposed to evolve.
Some investors began wondering whether the U.S. tech sector will win the AI race â for two big reasonsâŚ
Cost Efficiency: If DeepSeekâs AI models perform similarly to American AI models at a fraction of the cost, then it means American programmers and engineers missed something. And it throws into question the U.S. lead on AI development.
Reduced Hardware Usage: DeepSeek has stated that it uses far fewer chips for AI training. A report released in December showed it only used a cluster of more than 2,000 Nvidia chips to train its V3 model, while five times that number is typically used for similar AI training models.
Both raised concerns that Nvidia was overvalued⌠and triggered questions about the necessity for more data centers and an electricity grid buildout.
However, we have since learned that DeepSeek isnât as great as it was made out to be. For one, the app crashes about 99% of the time. Apparently, DeepSeek doesnât have the cloud computing capacity needed to run it. Itâs also been the victim of a cyberattack.
Most importantly, the narratives that DeepSeek could use the old Nvidia chips and that Nvidiaâs new ones werenât necessary were completely false.
Once this was revealed, AI stocks came roaring back. NVDA has gained 11% in less than three weeks â which is impressive for such a large company.
The point is, if you want to bag a 1,000% gain, there are going to be bumps along the way.
There will be headlines, setbacks, naysayers, you name it⌠Any one of these could derail a stock.
But the fundamentally superior stocks â like Nvidia â always bounce back.
The Next Leg Higher â and a $100 Trillion Opportunity
Now, I have gone on record saying that there will be more gains ahead for NVIDIA. In fact, I have even called it the Stock of the Decade.
In other words, this stock will change your life.
The fact is that NVIDIAâs pace of innovation isnât slowing down, folks. Itâs accelerating.
Eventually, the transistors in each of Nvidiaâs chips will approach the âatomicâ level. Then, the laws of physics will come into play. But thatâs OK, because then Nvidia will move on to quantum computing.
Weâre still a ways off from that. But the good news is that there is another major catalyst that should not only help NVDA recoup its DeepSeek losses, but also get back to new highs.
Iâm talking about its fourth-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, February 26.
Analysts are calling for earnings of $0.85 per share on revenue of $38.13 billion, up from earnings of $0.52 per share and revenue of $22.1 billion a year ago. That translates to 63.5% year-over-year earnings growth and 72.5% year-over-year revenue growth. Analysts have upped earnings estimates over the past three months, so a fifth-straight earnings surprise is likely.
Now, Nvidia has a history of posting positive earnings surprises. So, Iâm expecting big things from the stock as we approach its earnings announcement.
I will also be particularly interested to hear from its superstar CEO, Jensen Huang, and his thoughts on what he has previously referred to as a $100 trillion opportunityâŚ
Specifically, Huang was referring to a critical turning point for artificial intelligence â one where AI breaks out of the digital world and steps into the real one â running self-driving cars and equipment, automating factories, training robotic workers⌠even building âdigital twinsâ of entire cities.
This shift is massive. And investors who see where itâs headed right now stand to benefit the most.
PPG Industries (PPG) is one of the largest paint companies in the world. It is also one of the most reliable dividend stocks in the marketâPPG has paid dividends every quarter since 1899.
Moreover, the company has increased its dividend each year for the last 53 years, which qualifies it for the exclusive Dividend Aristocrats list.
This is a group of 69 stocks in the S&P 500 Index that have had at least 25 consecutive years of dividend growth.
We consider the Dividend Aristocrats to be among the elite dividend-paying companies. With this in mind, we created a full list of all 69 Dividend Aristocrats.
You can download the entire Dividend Aristocrats list, with important financial metrics like dividend yields and P/E ratios, by clicking on the link below:
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Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividendâs own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.
The stock is also on the exclusive list of Dividend Kings.
PPGâs remarkable dividend consistency gives it broad appeal to the more conservative members of the dividend growth investing community.
Indeed, the companyâs strong business model ensures a very safe dividend payment and room for steady dividend increases each year. This is still very much the case today.
This article will analyze PPGâs investment prospects in detail and determine whether the company merits a buy recommendation at current prices.
Business Overview
PPG Industries was founded in 1883 as a glass manufacturer and distributor. The companyâs name, Pittsburgh Plate Glass, refers to its original operations.
Over time, PPG has made remarkable strides to become a leader in the paints and coatings industry.
With annual revenues of about $16 billion, PPGâs only competitors of similar size are fellow Dividend Aristocrat Sherwin-Williams (SHW) and Dutch paint company Akzo Nobel (AKZOY).
Thanks to its worldwide operating presence and focus on technology and innovation, PPG Industries has grown to such an impressive size.
On January 31st, 2025, PPG Industries reported fourth-quarter and full year results for the period ending December 31st, 2024.
For the quarter, revenue declined 4.6% to $3.73 billion, which was $241 million less than expected. Adjusted net income of $375 million, or $1.61 per share, compared to adjusted net income of $372 million, or $1.56 per share, in the prior year. Adjusted earnings-per-share was $0.02 below estimates.
For the year, revenue from continuing operations decreased 2% to $15.8 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $7.87 was up slightly from $7.67 in 2023.
Fourth-quarter organic revenue growth fell 2% as pricing was flat and volume was down 2%. Global Architectural Coatingsâs revenue, formerly part of Performance Coatings, fell 7% to $881 million. Volume declined 2%, pricing was flat, and currency exchange reduced results by 5%.
Performance Coatings grew 2% to $1.26 billion as volume and pricing offset currency exchange. Aerospace demand remained high while protective and marine coatings were also up during the period.
The Industrial Coatings segment fell 9% to $1.59 billion due to weakness in U.S. and European industrial production.
PPG Industries repurchased ~$750 million of shares during 2024 and has $2.8 billion, or ~10.7% of its current market capitalization, remaining on its share repurchase authorization.
For 2025, the company expects organic sales to be higher by a low single-digit percentage and adjusted earnings-per-share in a range of $7.75 to $8.05. At the midpoint, this would represent a small improvement from 2024.
Growth Prospects
A companyâs ability to increase revenues and profits is largely a function of its capital allocation.
In recent years, PPG has spent billions of dollars buying its next generation of growth. It tries to maintain a somewhat balanced capital allocation strategy, but it is also not afraid to spend big on acquisitions when opportunities present themselves.
PPG has spent much more of its deployed cash on share repurchases than its competitors, which has been a major source of earnings-per-share growth over time.
Acquisitions have been a key growth driver for PPG for many years. That growth has come at a cost, namely an increase in the companyâs debt.
PPG is now virtually exclusively a coatings business. In recent years, the company has transformed away from legacy businesses like glass and chemicals, leaving it with a portfolio of coatings products that collectively generate nearly $16 billion in annual revenue. These businesses have largely seen improvements in margins in recent years.
Its track record suggests that its underlying business is likely to continue growing at a satisfactory rate for the foreseeable future. In the past decade, the company has grown its earnings-per-share at an average rate of just under 5%, but this growth rate expands somewhat to 6.7% when looking at just the last five years.
Given its strong fundamentals and focus on coatings, we believe investors can reasonably expect 7% adjusted earnings-per-share growth from PPG Industries through full economic cycles.
However, PPGâs performance is likely to suffer during periods of economic recession. The good news is that we would likely see such an event as a buying opportunity for this high-quality business.
Competitive Advantages & Recession Performance
PPG enjoys several competitive advantages. It operates in the paints and coatings industry, which is economically attractive for several reasons. First, these products have high profit margins for manufacturers.
They also have low capital investment, which results in significant cash flow. As discussed above, PPG has used this significant cash flow over time.
Given all this, it makes sense that only two coatings companies (Sherwin-Williams and PPG Industries) are on the Dividend Aristocrats list.
That said, the paint and coatings industry is not recession-resistant because it depends on healthy housing and construction markets. This impact can be seen in PPGâs performance during the 2007-2009 financial crisis:
PPGâs adjusted earnings-per-share fell by more than 50% during the last major recession and took two years to recover.
As PPGâs 2020 results showed, the decline in new construction is the dominant factor during a recession. The 2020 recession was no different, as PPG faced factory shutdowns and severely reduced consumer demand, although that proved to be transitory.
While this Dividend Aristocratâs long-term prospects remain bright, investors should be willing to accept volatility in a recession.
Valuation & Expected Total Returns
We are forecasting earnings-per-share of $7.90 for the fiscal year of 2025, putting the price-to-earnings ratio at 14.6. This is below our fair value estimate of 19 times earnings, meaning PPG is undervalued today.
As such, we expect total returns from valuation expansion to increase by 5.5% annually over the next five years.
In total, we project that PPG will return 14.6% annually through 2030, stemming from 7% earnings growth and the starting yield of 2.4%, along with a 5.5% annualized return from an expanding P/E multiple.
Given this, we continue to rate PPG a buy.
Final Thoughts
PPG Industries has many of the characteristics of a very high-quality business. Its proven business model has allowed the company to weather any recession.
It also has a significant international presence and multiple catalysts for future growth. Lastly, it has increased its dividend for more than 50 years.
PPGâs dividend outlook is exemplary and we see many more years of dividend increases on the horizon. With expected annual returns approaching 15%, we rate PPG stock a buy.
If you are interested in finding high-quality dividend growth stocks suitable for long-term investment, the following Sure Dividend databases will be useful:
The major domestic stock market indices are another solid resource for finding investment ideas. Sure Dividend compiles the following stock market databases and updates them monthly:
Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].
A small group of people in a quiet New Hampshire office spends their days making deals that have ripple effects across the country.
The work they do influences what you pay at the grocery store, in restaurants and at diners.
Day after day, they connect buyers and sellers in one of the most important markets in the country.
This market isnât stocks or real estate. Itâs not oil or gold, either.
But when it goes haywire, everyone feels it.
And it all happens out of a tiny, nondescript office building.
Hereâs what it looks like in the Street View on Google Maps.
This is a picture of the Egg Clearinghouse, or ECI. It operates as a âmiddleman,â connecting egg buyers and sellers in an online marketplace.
But this isnât some boiler-room operation for Wall Street operators. Only farmers and egg buyers are allowed to trade.
And as The Wall Street Journal recently reported, last year it processed trading orders on 2.6 billion shell eggs and 39 million pounds of egg products. Thatâs roughly $600 million in transactions.
That may sound like a lot, but it actually only represents about 5% of the egg market.
However, given that America is facing a historic egg shortage, the work the folks at the ECI do is becoming increasingly important because bulk buyers for restaurants and supermarkets are having trouble acquiring the eggs they need.
Iâm sure you can sympathize.
Maybe youâve taken a trip to the grocery store recently and experienced sticker shock as you paid $7 for a dozen eggs. Or, as you strolled down the aisle, maybe you saw a sign that read something like this:
Or perhaps youâve been to a restaurant recently and noticed they raised prices or scrapped menu items with eggs altogether. Even Waffle House â famous for its resilience during hurricanes and disasters â has been forced to pass rising costs onto customers, recently adding a $0.50 surcharge to dishes with eggs.
So, in todayâs Market 360, Iâm going to discuss whatâs behind the egg shortage and the shocking jump in egg prices. (Hint: Itâs the age-old story of supply and demand.) Iâll also share how one of my top picks in my Breakthrough Stocks service is profiting from this historic shortage. Plus, Iâll explain how itâs leveraging a monumental event Iâve been calling the AI Crossover to not only survive the shortages â but to dominate the market.
HOW Much for Eggs?!?
Letâs start with whatâs been happening with egg prices latelyâŚ
Most folks have probably noticed that theyâve been particularly volatile over the past couple of years. But recently, the price of eggs hit a 45-year high.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a dozen eggs cost $3.65 in November and $4.15 in December. By January 2025, the price of a dozen eggs reached a whopping $7.09 â up 22% since the start of the year, an increase of $1.28 per dozen in just a few weeks.
The reason for the price surges is pretty simple.
Over the past three years, a terrible avian influenza epidemic has been tearing through farms across the country.
Avian Influenza, or the âbird flu,â in chicken flocks typically occurs when migratory waterfowl pass over farms. The bird flu usually spikes in the spring and fall. And while it doesnât typically infect humans, itâs a serious health risk for chickens. Â
The CDC reports that about 147 million birds in the U.S. have been affected by the disease since January 2022. Specifically, about 108 million egg-laying hens have been lost.
To put this into perspective, there are about 303.4 million egg-laying hens in the U.S. right now. So, this is a staggering number, folks.
In the fourth quarter of 2024 alone, outbreaks spread throughout 10 states, affecting more than 36 million egg-laying hens. So, over the past four months, nearly 12% of the U.S.âs egg-laying hens have been culled.
Now, with smaller egg-laying flocks of chickens, there are fewer eggs to keep up with Americansâ seemingly insatiable appetite. According to Statista, the average American ate 281.3 eggs in 2023, which was expected to rise to 284.4 in 2024.
The result has been the worst crisis in decades for the poultry industry.
Consumers are scrambling to find alternatives. Some are even going as far as buying chickens and raising them on their own in their backyard.
But for producers, rebuilding supply isnât as simple as flipping a switch. Thereâs no quick fix.
Now, this company partners with family farms to produce a variety of ethically-produced foods, with a specific focus on pasture-raised eggs.Â
Whatâs more, it has largely been insulated from the avian flu outbreak. According to the CEO, only one of its farms had reported cases within the last 12 months, and those flocks were culled in accordance with government regulations.
Less than 0.3% of this companyâs egg-laying chickens have been affected by the avian flu.
In fact, as of right now, there have been no reported cases of avian flu on any of its properties.
That might have something to do with the fact that it uses a decentralized network of more than 425 family farms throughout the U.S. So, if an outbreak happens, it doesnât ravage the overall supply.
So unlike competitors who have had to destroy entire flocks, this company remains well-positioned to benefit from increased egg prices.
Even better â itâs using cutting-edge technology to scale production faster than ever before. And believe it or not, itâs actually using artificial intelligence to helpâŚ
The AI Crossover Angle
As egg producers work to restore supply and meet rising demand, this company is taking a technology-first approach, using AI and automation to scale more efficiently than ever before.Â
For example, itprocesses 6 million eggs daily with robotic automation and AI-driven quality control at one facility.Â
It also has an AI egg grading system (no, youâre not misreading that). Weâre talking about automation technology used in washing, sorting and packing shell eggs that is set to boost production by 30% in 2025.
This will give the company a massive competitive edge as egg demand continues skyrocketing.Â
For an industry that desperately needs a solution, this company is ahead of the curve. And AI is helping them along the way.
Now, I realize that using AI to help with eggs may seem like a bizarre example. But the reality is AI is launching into a whole new realm and will touch our everyday lives in ways we havenât even though of yet â like eggs.
Thatâs going to create a gargantuan opportunity for investors. In fact, NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang said it could amount to a $100 trillion market.
Now, I share more details on what you need to do to prepare in my special presentation. But youâll need to act fast, because my publisher is taking this briefing down tonight.
The Editor hereby discloses that as of the date of this email, the Editor, directly or indirectly, owns the following securities that are the subject of the commentary, analysis, opinions, advice, or recommendations in, or which are otherwise mentioned in, the essay set forth below:
The Dividend Aristocrats consist of companies that have raised their dividends for at least 25 years in a row. Over the decades, many of these companies have become huge multinational corporations, but not all of them.
We created a full list of all Dividend Aristocrats, along with important financial metrics like price-to-earnings ratios and dividend yields. You can download your copy of the Dividend Aristocrats list by clicking on the link below:
Â
Disclaimer: Sure Dividend is not affiliated with S&P Global in any way. S&P Global owns and maintains The Dividend Aristocrats Index. The information in this article and downloadable spreadsheet is based on Sure Dividendâs own review, summary, and analysis of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) and other sources, and is meant to help individual investors better understand this ETF and the index upon which it is based. None of the information in this article or spreadsheet is official data from S&P Global. Consult S&P Global for official information.
Dover Corporation (DOV) has raised its dividend for 69 consecutive years, one of the longest dividend growth streaks in the stock market.
The company has achieved such an exceptional dividend growth record thanks to its strong business model, resilience to recessions, and steady long-term growth.
There is room for continued dividend raises each year going forward, but on the other hand the stock appears to be overvalued right now.
Business Overview
Dover is a diversified global industrial manufacturer that offers its customers equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software, and digital solutions.
It has annual revenues of nearly $8 billion, with just over half of its revenues generated in the U.S., and operates in five segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy & Fueling, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions, and Climate & Sustainability Technologies.
On January 30th, 2025, Dover reported fourth-quarter and full-year results. Revenue grew 1% for the quarter to $1.93 billion, which was $20 million less than expected. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $2.20 compared unfavorably to $2.45 in the prior year, but this was $0.12 ahead of estimates. For the year, revenue improved 1% to $7.75 billion while adjusted earnings-per-share of $8.29 compared to $8.80 in 2023.
For the quarter, organic revenue declined 0.3% year-over-year, but bookings grew by 7%. Engineered Products had organic growth of 2% due to gains in vehicle aftermarket and fluid dispensing were offset by shipment timings in aerospace and defense.
Clean Energy & Fueling increased 8% due to higher shipments and new orders in clean energy. Volume improvements for aboveground retail fueling equipment also aided results.
Image & Identification was up 1% due to demand for core marking and coding printers, consumables, services, and aftermarket.
Revenue for Pumps and Process Solutions grew 3% due to higher demand for thermal connectors, precision components, and single-use biopharma components.
Climate & Sustainability Technologies was the companyâs lone weak spot, as revenue fell 13%. U.S. CO2 systems reached a new record, but declines in European markets more than offset this strength. Bookings were up 16% for the quarter.
Overall, Dover enters 2025 with strong momentum in its business.
Dover expects adjusted earnings-per-share in a range of $9.30 to $9.50 for 2025. At the midpoint, this would represent 13.4% growth from 2024. Organic revenue growth is projected to be in a range of 3% to 5%.
Growth Prospects
Dover has pursued growth by expanding its customer base and through bolt-on acquisitions. To reshape its portfolio and maximize its long-term growth, Dover routinely executes a series of bolt-on acquisitions and occasional divestments.
The management team is constantly focused on delivering the most value to shareholders through portfolio transformation, which has generally been successful. The companyâs prospects for 2025 also look strong in every aspect of its business.
Today, the company is a highly diversified industrial company with an attractive growth profile. In addition, Dover is also likely to enhance its earnings per share via opportunistic share repurchases.
We see 8% long-term earnings-per-share growth in the years to come, driven primarily by revenue increases, with a boost from share repurchases reducing the float.
Competitive Advantages & Recession Performance
Dover is a manufacturer of industrial equipment. The company offers highly engineered products that are critical to its customers. Switching to another supplier is also uneconomic for its customers because the risk of lower performance is material.
Therefore, Dover essentially operates in niche markets, which offer the company a significant competitive advantage. This competitive advantage helps explain Doverâs consistent long-term growth trajectory.
On the other hand, Dover is vulnerable to recessions due to its reliance on industrial customers. In the Great Recession, its earnings per share were as follows:
2007 earnings-per-share of $3.22
2008 earnings-per-share of $3.67 (14% increase)
2009 earnings-per-share of $2.00 (45% decline)
2010 earnings-per-share of $3.48 (74% increase)
Dover got through the Great Recession with just one year of decline in its earnings per share, and the company almost fully recovered from the recession in 2010.
Given its sensitivity to economic cycles, it is impressive that Dover has grown its dividend for 69 consecutive years.
Another reason is managementâs conservative dividend policy, which targets a payout ratio of around 30%. This policy provides a wide margin of safety during rough economic periods. The expected payout ratio for 2025 is just 22%.
Overall, Dover will undoubtedly continue to raise its dividend for many more years thanks to its low payout ratio, decent recessions resilience, and healthy balance sheet.
Valuation & Expected Returns
Dover is expected to generate earnings-per-share of $9.40 for 2025. That means the stock trades at 19.8 times this yearâs earnings, which is higher than our estimate of fair value at 18 times earnings.
That implies a ~1.9% annual headwind to total returns from valuation compression over the next five years.
Including 8% expected annual earnings-per-share growth, the 1.1% current dividend yield, and a 1.9% annualized compression of the price-to-earnings ratio, we expect Dover to offer 6.9% average annual return over the next five years.
This puts Dover stock into the territory of a hold rating.
Final Thoughts
Dover has an impressive dividend growth record, with nearly seven decades of dividend raises. This is an impressive achievement, particularly given the companyâs dependence on industrial customers, who tend to struggle during recessions.
Dover has consistently grown its earnings per share over the years, which has translated into annual dividend increases.
This strategy gives the company ample room to continue growing for many more years. The stock is slightly overpriced, meaning it earns a hold rating.
Additionally, the following Sure Dividend databases contain the most reliable dividend growers in our investment universe:
If youâre looking for stocks with unique dividend characteristics, consider the following Sure Dividend databases:
The major domestic stock market indices are another solid resource for finding investment ideas. Sure Dividend compiles the following stock market databases and updates them monthly:
Thanks for reading this article. Please send any feedback, corrections, or questions to [email protected].
Earnings drive stock performance ⌠Luke Lango is bullish on earnings ⌠but what about Walmart? ⌠Louis Navellier sells an AI energy play ⌠Grok-3 for the win
We can speculate about Trump tariffs⌠inflation⌠interest rates⌠geopolitical risk⌠or any other market influence on your mindâŚ
But at the end of the day, whether your stocks go up or down depends on one thing:
Earnings.
In the long run, the strength (or weakness) of earnings drives stock performance.
To illustrate this, below is a chart spanning from 1945 to Q3 of last year. It compares the S&Pâs price to its trailing 12-month operating earnings.
Notice two thingsâŚ
First, over the long-term, these two lines have an amazingly strong correlation. This underscores our point: In the long-run, earnings drive stock prices.
Second, notice how the S&Pâs earnings line (in blue) is smoother than the S&Pâs price line (in green). And though price bounces around, it always eventually returns to its earnings line, a bit like a magnet.
Source: Investment Strategy Group, Bloomberg, S&P Global
Price can deviate from earnings for stretches due to investor euphoria or despondency, but it always reverts to earningsâŚeventually
This is whatâs behind much of Luke Langoâs current bullishness.
For newer Digest readers, Luke is our technology/hypergrowth expert, and the analyst behind Innovation Investor.
From Luke:
Over the past few weeks, companies across America have been reporting fourth-quarter earnings results. So far, those numbers have been very strong.Â
About 80% of companies in the S&P 500 have reported earnings so far this season. More than 75% have beaten Wall Streetâs profit estimates, meaning they made more money last quarter than analysts expected.Â
Meanwhile, the blended earnings growth rate is nearly 17%, which marks the indexâs highest profit growth rate since 2021.
More importantly, trends are expected to stay strong for the foreseeable future.Â
That is, next quarter, earnings are projected to rise about 8%, then another 9% in Q2. They are expected to rise almost 15% in the third quarter and about 13% in the fourth.
Bearish pushback
A bearâs first rebuttal might be, âWell, what about Walmart this morning?â
If you missed it, shares of the retail giant sunk after the companyâs forward guidance disappointed Wall Street. As I write, the stock is on pace for its worst day in nearly three years.
(Full disclosure: I own Walmart.)
Letâs be clear about what happenedâŚ
Walmartâs numbers were strong. The company beat on both profits and revenues and hiked its dividend by 13%. So, earnings are, in fact, healthyâŚwhich is partially why Walmart set an all-time high earlier this month.
The possibility of reduced earnings/revenues in the future is what sunk the stock this morning. But the reduced guidance feels more like âlowering the bar given economic uncertaintyâ rather than âwaving a red flag.â
From CNBC:
Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey described consumer spending patterns as âsteadyâ and said, âthereâs not any sharp changes that weâve seen.â
Yet he acknowledged âthereâs far from certainty in the geopolitical landscape.â
Plus, we should remember that one companyâs forward guidance doesnât represent the entire earnings landscape. Even if Walmartâs earnings slow, that doesnât mean that another company wonât see explosive earnings growth.
Now, a second rebuttal could be, âBut the earnings growth Luke references merely âcatches earnings upâ to elevated prices that had already surged way ahead, stretching valuations.â
Even if we accept that as true, a closing of the gap between earnings and price takes pressure off those stretched valuations. And that gives stock prices room to push even higher, returning to yesterdayâs stretched valuation before todayâs earnings growth.
Either way, robust earnings are supportive of conditions that push stock prices higher.
This broad snapshot of earnings growth is bullish, but the earnings for each of your stocks is more important
And this is where legendary investor Louis Navellier just showed us why professional investors tend to outperform average investors.
On Tuesday, Louis recommended his Growth Investor subscribers sell Eaton Corporation plc (ETN) for a loss.
It wasnât a big loss â only about 2% after you include dividends. But Louis was willing to take the loss because ETN no longer met his strict criteria for a strong stock.
For newer Digest readers, Louis is one of the early pioneers of using quantitative algorithms to scour the markets for strong stocks. Forbes even named him the âKing of Quants.â
As a quantitative investor, Louisâ market approach is rooted in cold, impartial numbers. When his algorithms identify an attractive opportunity, he dives in, deciding whether itâs attractive enough to recommend.
Similarly, when his systems warn him of flagging fundamental weakness, he analyzes whether itâs time to get out to sidestep a potential pullback.
âGet outâ was the takeaway for ETN.
From Louisâ Sell Alert:
Earlier this month, Eaton Corporation plc (ETN) slipped to a D-rating in Stock Grader despite reporting record results for its fourth quarter in fiscal year 2024âŚ
ETN shares pulled back in the wake of the quarterly and yearly results since the company missed analystsâ sales estimatesâŚ
Add in the fact that analysts have lowered earnings estimates for the first quarter in the past month and buying pressure remains minimal (as evidenced by its D Quantitative grade), and I recommend that we go ahead and sell our position into todayâs strength.
Why many investors would have a hard time making the same choice
Eaton is a great company thatâs well-positioned to ride the AI-related data center boom. It provides power distribution and backup solutions, ensuring reliable energy flow to AI-driven data centers. But itâs also a player in energy transition, making it a strong long-term leader in power management.
Many investors would make this their single focus. Instead, Louis follows his system and the numbers, prioritizing âproven strength nowâ over âpotential strength later.â
His âsellâ decision represents a market approach that many of the most successful traders follow: Trade the market thatâs in front of you, not the market that you hope will be in front of you.
I will note that Louis is still focusing on AIâs power needs and the resulting investment opportunitiesâŚ
The next wave of AI will require unprecedented computing power. And thereâs one company in Louisâ crosshairs thatâs developing the crucial hardware that could power these advances. Its solutions could dramatically reduce power consumption while increasing processing power. Louis will give you more details on it right here.
Finally, the latest AI bots are arriving, and their capabilities point toward a continuation of todayâs AI bull
Earlier this week, Elon Muskâs xAI released its updated Grok-3 chatbot.
Hereâs Bloomberg with how advanced it is:
Across math, science and coding benchmarks, Grok-3 beats OpenAIâs GPT-4o, Alphabet Inc.âs Google Gemini, DeepSeekâs V3 model and Anthropicâs Claude, xAI said via a live stream on Monday.
Grok-3 has âmore than 10 timesâ the compute power of its predecessor and completed pre-training in early January, Musk said in a presentation alongside three xAI engineers.
But Grok-3âs computing power leadership could be short-lived. Letâs jump to our technology expert Luke Lango:
Meanwhile, the worldâs leading AI company â OpenAI â just announced that it will soon unveil its latest-and-greatest model, ChatGPT-4.5, within the next few weeks.
Reportedly, ChatGPT-4.5 is designed to process and remember more information, leading to more fluid and coherent conversations â an improvement particularly beneficial for multi-step processes.
It also aims to engage in more natural and dynamic interactions, making it a powerful tool for customer service, virtual assistance, and other dialogue-based applications.
Luke goes on to report that ChatGPT-4.5 will integrate with OpenAIâs newest Operator feature. This is an AI agent designed to autonomously perform web-based tasks by interacting with on-screen elements â think buttons, menus, and text fields.
What Grok-3 and ChatGPT-4.5 mean for the AI stock boom
After profiling the capabilities of Grok-3 and ChatGPT-4.5, Luke pivots to a critical point for investorsâŚ
These cutting-edge chatbots are paving the way for the emergence of hundreds of new AI applications over the next few months.
These new AI apps should proliferate throughout the global economy by late 2025âŚresulting in more sales and profits for their developers, more spending on the AI data centers that power them (so, greater profits for data center plays), and more demand for the surrounding infrastructure that enables the computing power (more profits for related components plays).
And this brings us full circle to how we opened this Digest:
At the end of the day, thereâs one thing that will make or break your portfolio:
Earnings.
Despite some market overhangs today, earnings forecasts are up as we look ahead to the rest of 2025.
That doesnât give us a license to just âstay in the marketâ without thoroughly analyzing our current stocks. We still must do the hard work of separating the fundamentally superior stocks from all else â same as Louis did with Eaton.
But if you own a great company thatâs posting robust earnings growth, thatâs a strong indicator of a higher stock price ahead.
Hereâs Luke to take us out:
As go earnings, so go stocks.
With more fantastic earnings growth on the horizon, stocks are likely on the launching pad to fresh highs. And for those investors who get in early, before those gains continue, the profits could stack up fast.
Are you looking to invest in cryptocurrencies but unsure which one to buy? With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to decide how to invest your money. Thatâs why weâve compiled a list of the best crypto to buy now, based on factors such as project developments, price performance, and market capitalization, as well as the overall potential for growth.
In this article, weâll take a closer look at the most promising cryptocurrencies, including staples such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, and a combination of several other promising crypto projects. Weâll discuss their features, advantages, and potential drawbacks, as well as provide insights into market trends. Whether youâre a seasoned investor or just starting out, this article will help you make an informed decision about the best crypto to buy now.Â
So, letâs dive in and explore the best cryptocurrencies to invest in March 2025:
The best cryptos to buy right now: Discover top investments for March 2025
The following three cryptocurrency projects highlight our investment selection thanks to important developments and upcoming events that make them especially interesting to follow in the near future. These projects are updated each week based on the most recent developments and trends taking place in the crypto market.
1. XRP
XRP is a digital cryptocurrency that was created by Ripple Labs in 2012. It is used as a means of payment and transfer of value on the Ripple payment protocol, which is designed to enable fast and secure transactions between financial institutions as well as individuals.
XRP is unique in that it is not based on the blockchain technology used by many other cryptocurrencies. Instead, it uses a distributed consensus ledger called the XRP Ledger, which is maintained by a network of validators. This allows for faster transaction processing times and lower fees compared to traditional payment methods.
XRP has been popular among cryptocurrency traders and investors due to its high liquidity and clear potential for broader adoption, especially as a remittance solution. However, it has also been the subject of controversy and legal action, with US regulators alleging that it is a security and should thus be subjected to securities regulations. This has somewhat hindered the potential of XRP as an investment, and handcuffed Rippleâs growth as a company.
Why XRP?
The crypto markets shifted heavily in the green zone following President Donald Trumpâs major announcement about the revamped crypto strategic reserves. Initially planned as a Bitcoin-only initiative, Trump announced on Truth Social on Sunday that XRP, ETH, SOL, and ADA would be a part of the new program.
Source: Truth Social
XRP exploded on the news, gaining more than 20% within hours. Since the local low on February 28th, when the currency was trading at around $2, the coin gained as much as 70 cents and is now changing hands at $2.68.
It was widely rumored that Trump would include XRP in some capacity in the new crypto reserves even before his Sunday announcement. Several meetings with Ripple executives and joint campaign events supported these rumors.
It remains to be seen how much on an investment in XRP the U.S. govern ment will make and whether the initiative will pass existing regulatory hurdles. But as things stand right now, XRP could become a major player in the USâ crypto strategy, which should provide significant tailwinds for the coin in the future.
In addition, the administration change in the US, and especially the accompanying shakeup at the helm of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has provided positive tailwinds for XRP. It now seems more likely than ever that a spot ETF for the XRP cryptocurrency will be approved in 2025. In fact, Polymarket users are betting that XPR ETF has an 80% chance of launching this year.
Source: X (@James Seyffart)
Thatâs not too far off from the claims made by analysts. According to Bloomberg ETF specialists James Seyffar and Eric Balchunas, XRP has a 65% chance of approval. They noted that the main headwind XRP faces is the Ripple vs SEC lawsuit. Itâs unlikely that a spot ETF will be approved by the SEC before the prolonged legal battle comes to an end.
2. Cardano
Cardano was founded by Charles Hoskinson, one of the co-founders of Ethereum, and his team. The main goal of Cardano is to provide a secure, scalable, and sustainable infrastructure for the development of decentralized applications (DApps) and smart contracts.
Cardanoâs blockchain is built using a unique layered architecture, separating the settlement layer from the computation layer. This design approach aims to improve the efficiency, flexibility, and security of the platform. The settlement layer is responsible for handling transactions and maintaining the cryptocurrency (ADA) ledger, while the computation layer is used for running smart contracts and executing DApps.
The platform utilizes a consensus algorithm called Ouroboros, which is a type of proof-of-stake (PoS) mechanism. This means that validators (also known as stakeholders) are selected to create new blocks and validate transactions based on the amount of ADA they hold and are willing to âstakeâ as collateral.
Cardano has a strong focus on academic research and peer-reviewed development. The team emphasizes scientific rigor and evidence-based protocols to ensure that the platform is secure, scalable, and capable of handling complex use cases.
Why Cardano?
Last week, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson tweeted about a mysterious meeting that he would have to attend in Florida. âSorry Iâll miss ETH Denver but I had to go to Florida for a thing,â Hoskinson wrote on X. Rumors quickly started circulating about a potential meeting with President Donald Trump and his administration.
Source: X
The rumors were confirmed to be true on Sunday, after Trump announced that ADA would become a part of the new crypto reserves, along with BTC, ETH, XRP, and SOL. The price of Cardano absolutely exploded on the news, moving from 60 cents to a local high of $1.10 over the course of just six hours.Â
Following the news, Hoskinson jokingly tweeted whether Cardano should change the name to âAmericaâs Digital Assetâ, obviously pretty happy with his cryptocurrency being included in the new crypto reserve plan. He also managed to land a small jab at Gemini, highlighting the fact that the American exchange since doesnât have ADA listed.
Trump announcing ADA as a crypto reserve asset is major news for the Cardano community and could play a pivotal role going forward. Itâs also easy to make the argument that ADA could actually end up being the biggest benefactor out of all five coins due to its smaller market capitalization.Â
On the technical front, itâs worth noting that Cardano recently unveiled a new Cardano Improvement Proposal (CIP), the CIP-113. According to Cardano developer Matteo, the improvement proposal has been actively developed for more than a year and is currently being finalized. CIP-113 establishes a new standard for interoperable securities, real-world assets (RWAs), and stablecoins on Cardano, enhancing DeFi capabilities. It introduces smart accounts linked to stake credentials for secure token management, w
3. Solana
Solana is a smart contract platform known for its distinctive architecture, enabling it to handle thousands of transactions per second while maintaining very low costs. It accomplishes this by using a combination of a unique Proof-of-History algorithm and a Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism. SOL, the native cryptocurrency of the platform, is one of the cheapest to transfer, with users typically paying less than $0.001 per transaction.
Founded in 2018 by Anatoly Yakovenko, Solanaâs mainnet went live in March 2020 and experienced a surge in adoption throughout 2021. Despite a significant drop in value during the 2022 bear market, Solana remains one of the most robust ecosystems in the cryptocurrency space and continues to be seen as a potential candidate for significant future growth.
Why Solana?
Solana is another cryptocurrency asset that benefited from the announcement of the revamped crypto strategic reserves. After Trump made the announcement, SOL rallied by nearly 20%, erasing losses the coin incurred during last weekâs crypto crash.
Itâs easy to see how the announcement could boost the chances of a Solana spot ETF launching this year, which could provide additional tailwinds for the cryptocurrency. According to the latest data from February, analysts gave about a 70% chance of approval in 2025.Â
Source: DeFi Llama
In recent months, trading volume on Solana DEXs exploded. According to DeFi Llama, Solana controlled about 29% of all DEX volume during the week ending on February 23rd. In other words, more than $20 billion worth of crypto changed hands on Solana DEXs like Raydium and Orca between Feb 16 and Feb 23.Â
The data from Blockworks shows that users paid as much as $57 million in daily fees on January 19, which is a huge jump from the multi-week average of around $10 million per day. These numbers speak to the chainâs clear economic value and adoption among retail users. Whatâs more, Solana is one of the cheapest chains overall, which makes this feat all the more impressive.
4. Bitcoin
Bitcoin (BTC) is the original decentralized digital currency, enabling peer-to-peer transactions without the need for intermediaries such as banks or financial institutions. It was created in 2009 by an unknown person or group of people using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin was the first digital currency to eliminate the double spending problem without resorting to any central intermediaries.
Bitcoin transactions are recorded on a public ledger called the blockchain, which is maintained by a network of computers around the world. This means that the transactions are secure and transparent, as anyone can view them, but they are also anonymous, as the identity of the participants in the transaction is not revealed.
Bitcoin is often referred to as âdigital goldâ or a store of value, as it has a limited supply of 21 million coins, and its value is determined by market demand. Some people also see it as a hedge against inflation or a way to diversify their investment portfolio. It is by far the largest cryptocurrency by market cap in the industry, accounting for the value of more than 50% of all digital assets in circulation combined, making it arguably the most popular crypto to buy.
Why Bitcoin?
Bitcoinâs price action in recent weeks has been characterized by consolidation within a relatively narrow band of $102,000 and $94,000, reflecting balanced buying and selling pressure (expect for a momentary dip below $80,000 during a flash crash on Feb 28). The coinâs 50-day moving average ($98,850) and 200-day average ($80,300) suggest a bullish long-term trend, though short-term resistance near $98,000 remains a hurdle. Trumpâs announcemnt of a revamped crypto reserve plan brought some relief to the marktes, but BTC is still trading well below $100,000 at the moment.
In his recent essay, former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes highlighted mid-March 2025 as a potential inflection point, correlating BTCâs price with Federal Reserve balance sheet adjustments. His analysis suggests that a $237 billion liquidity injection from the Reverse Repo Facility (RRP) could offset quantitative tightening, creating favorable conditions for a rally.
Source: CoinDesk, Coin Metrics
Itâs impossible to talk about the coinâs market potential without mentioning the 2024 halving. The event reduced the block reward to 3.125 BTC, tightening new supply amid steady demand. Historical data indicates that post-halving cycles typically see price appreciation 6â12 months after the event, which would place Q1 within the expected growth phase.
According to our Bitcoin price prediction, the price could increase by more than 35% over the next 30 days and hit a high of around $130,000. Whatever the case may be, itâs worth noting that BTCâs dominance stands at around the same level it did during the last cycle â at the moment, 10 months removed from the last halving, itâs around 60%. In March 2021, 10 months after the previous halving, the dominance stood at around 61.5%.
The total Bitcoin spot ETF AUM has surpassed $120 billion, which speaks to significant interest from institutional investors. Source: Coinglass
Additionally, major institutions, including U.S. foundations and university endowments, are ramping up their exposure to cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin being a primary focus. This institutional interest not only validates Bitcoinâs status as a digital asset but also suggests potential for further growth as it becomes increasingly integrated into traditional financial portfolios.Â
5. Ethereum
Launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and a team of developers, Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that allows developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts.Â
Ethereum has a wide range of use cases beyond just a store of value or medium of exchange. Ethereumâs smart contract functionality allows developers to build dApps that can run without the need for intermediaries, like centralized servers or institutions.
The Ethereum platform has gained widespread adoption and has become the backbone of the decentralized finance (DeFi) industry. DeFi applications built on Ethereum allow users to access financial services without relying on traditional banks or financial institutions. Ethereumâs smart contract functionality has also enabled the creation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which have gained popularity in the digital art and gaming worlds.
While Ethereum has a strong community and has been highly influential in the cryptocurrency industry, it also faces challenges, such as scalability issues and high gas fees. These issues have spurred the development of various Layer 2 scaling solutions. In the long run, future updates are supposed to massively increase Ethereumâs throughput bringing the transaction per second (TPS) figure from 15 to 100,000.
Why Ethereum?
Ethereum has arguably been the most disappointing cryptocurrency during the 2024-2025 bull run. It hasnât managed to hit a new ATH while Bitcoin, Solana, and many others did, and overall, the coin has been struggling while others surged.
But the upcoming Pectra upgrade, Trumpâs inclusion inthe crypto reseve plan, and bullish predictions about ETHâs future might reignite investorsâ interest. Letâs start with the Pectra upgrade. The upgrade is designed to improve the networkâs performance and user experience. One of the key changes is an increase in the number of data blobs available, which helps Layer-2 networks operate more efficiently. Pectra also makes smart accounts available to all users by allowing them to upgrade existing accounts. Additionally, the upgrade increases the maximum staking limit for validators, introduces security improvements, separates the validator key from the withdrawal key, and more.
Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has recently been far more engaged on X, acknowledging the criticism from those who say that Ethereum development is too slow. âThe beam chain roadmap got criticism for the â2029â date, but what that criticism misses is that the beam chain roadmap is a completely separate and parallel workstream from the work that is happening already to meet usersâ needs in the short term,â he wrote, and added, âIn 2025, we need blobs (and L1 cost reductions like EIP-4444). In 2026, we need more blobs.â The Pectra update addresses precisely this problem.
6. BNB
BNB (formerly Binance Coin) is a cryptocurrency created by the popular cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, allowing users to buy, sell, and trade a wide range of digital assets.
BNB was initially one of the ERC-20 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain but has since migrated to its own blockchain, known as BNB Chain. BNB is used as a utility token within the Binance ecosystem and has a variety of use cases. For example, users can use BNB to pay for transaction fees on the Binance exchange, receive discounts on trading fees, participate in token sales on Binance Launchpad, and purchase goods and services from merchants that accept BNB as payment.
One of the unique features of BNB is that it has a deflationary model. Binance uses a part of its profits each quarter to buy back and burn BNB tokens, reducing the total supply of the token over time. This mechanism is designed to create scarcity and increase the value of BNB over time, with the end goal of reducing the circulating supply of BNB from the initial 200 million to 100 million BNB.
Why BNB?
There are several signs pointing to the fact that BNB might be a good coin to buy right now. Letâs start with the technical analysis point of view. BNB is currently trading at $640, which is very near to the 50-day simple moving average of $666. If it breaks this limit, it could very well rally toward the next significant resistance, which is at $745.Â
Source: Cointelegraph
From the fundamental point of view, BNB Chain has undergone several updates in the recent past. In response to memecoin trading surge, BNB Chain implemented an optimization to prioritize time-sensitive trades. This allows validators to process more transactions within each block, favoring higher-value memecoin trades. The fee surge correlates with BNBâs price increase and memecoin-related activity, including those inspired by Binanceâs CZ.
Speaking of development activity, BNB Chain is slated for two significant testnet updates this week. Pascal hardfork, scheduled for testnet on February 25, 2025, and mainnet in mid-March 2025, focuses on maintaining Ethereum compatibility, specifically incorporating Ethereum Execution Layer EIPs from the Pectra upgrade, most notably EIP-7702 for native smart contract wallets. The hardfork aims to improve cryptography, cross-chain interactions, data access, and network efficiency.
7. Litecoin
Litecoin is a peer-to-peer digital cryptocurrency that was created in 2011 by Charlie Lee, a former Google engineer. It was designed to be a faster and more lightweight alternative to Bitcoin. One of the main advantages of Litecoin is its faster transaction processing times compared to Bitcoin. Litecoin transactions are processed in approximately 2.5 minutes, compared to Bitcoinâs average block time of 10 minutes. This allows for faster confirmation of transactions and potentially higher transaction throughput.
Litecoin also uses a different mining algorithm than Bitcoin, known as Scrypt, which is designed to be more memory-intensive and less susceptible to centralized mining. This means that Litecoin can be mined using standard consumer-grade hardware, whereas Bitcoin mining requires specialized equipment and significant energy consumption.
Why Litecoin?
Speculation around the approval of a Litecoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) has intensified, especially following regulatory shifts that favor such financial products. The last major company to join the ranks is Canary Capital, which reportedly filed for its ETF on February 4, 2025. The ETF application is currently under review.Â
Itâs worth noting that Canaryâs Litecoin spot ETG has already been listed on the official website of Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC). This doesnât necessarily mean that the ETF will be approved, but it certainly speaks to the relatively high likelihood that Litecoin ETFs will be approved by the regulators.
In fact, recent predictions made by Bloomberg ETF specialists James Seyffar and Eric Balchunas pinpoint the likelihood of LTC spot ETF launching in 2025 at a whopping 90%. Meanwhile, Litecoin is significantly lagging behind Bitcoin on the 1-year chart. This performance gap could indicate that LTC is just beginning to catch up with other major cryptocurrencies that have already recorded substantial gains during the current bull run. If past market cycles are anything to go by, Litecoinâs surge might just be getting started.
Bitcoin has recorded nearly double the gains of Litecoin over the last 12 months. Source: CoinCodex
Adding to the optimism, recent developments have further bolstered Litecoinâs prospects. The cryptocurrency has seen heightened whale activity, with significant transactions suggesting increased interest from large investors.
8. GMX
GMX is the native utility and governance token of the GMX decentralized trading platform, which offers a secure and efficient environment for trading cryptocurrency derivatives. Built on Arbitrum and Avalanche, GMX provides users with perpetual futures contracts and spot trading with low fees, deep liquidity, and minimal price impact. The platform leverages an innovative multi-asset liquidity pool (GLP) to facilitate trades and maintain market stability.Â
Token holders benefit from staking rewards, which include a combination of protocol fees in ETH or AVAX and esGMX tokens, further aligning incentives between traders and long-term holders. As a governance token, GMX empowers its holders to participate in governance decisions. In addition, GMX holders gain access to a share of the platformâs trading fees, creating a sustainable reward mechanism. This dual purposeâcombining utility and governanceâhelps GMX stand out in the rapidly evolving decentralized finance (DeFi) space.Â
Why GMX?
GMX is riding high after a flurry of recent updates that have caught the attention of investors. Not only did GMX slash trading fees across all markets, but it also unveiled its ambitious 2025 development plan and introduced several new features and listings. Among the highlights are the integration of gmBTC-USD and gmETH-USD pools into Venus, and the launch of GMX-Solana, which strengthens the platformâs position in the ever-growing DeFi space.
The market has responded with enthusiasm, propelling GMX to the top of the gainer charts with an impressive +43% rally in just the past week. With its commitment to continuous development and the rollout of AI-powered solutions like Kudai, GMX is positioning itself as a leader in the evolving decentralized finance landscape.
Furthermore, GMXâs recent proposal to change its revenue distribution model has entered the on-chain voting stage, aiming to enhance the long-term value of the GMX token. This move reflects the platformâs dedication to aligning with community interests and ensuring sustainable growth. As decentralized exchanges gain traction, GMXâs user-centric approach and innovative features make it a standout contender in the DeFi arena.
9. Kava
Kava is a cryptocurrency and blockchain platform designed to provide decentralized financial services, such as lending, borrowing, and trading, in a decentralized manner. The Kava platform is built on the Cosmos blockchain, which is a scalable and interoperable blockchain ecosystem. Kava utilizes its own native cryptocurrency called KAVA, which is used as a utility token within the Kava ecosystem to facilitate both governance and various utility use cases.
One of the key features of Kava is seamless interoperability between blockchain platforms, which allows users to share their crypto asset liquidity across different dApps and financial services. This feature enables users to earn interest on their deposited assets and access liquidity without having to swap cryptocurrencies when they want to access protocols across different blockchains. In addition, decentralized governance allows KAVA holders to participate in the decision-making process regarding platform upgrades and investments in new projects.
Why Kava?
Kava is one of the rare major cryptocurrencies that rejected the bearish trend over the weekend and actually gained value. KAVA is up 9% in the last 24 hours and more than 20% in the past week, the second most out of all top 200 cryptos.
In mid-Janury, Kava introduced Oros, which the team dubbed as the âfirst Agent Layer productâ. âUnlocking intelligent portfolio management, seamless transactions, and developer-friendly APIs,â were just some of the features attached to the first decentralized AI (deAI) layer in the industry. For context, the projectâs pivot toward AI started in 2024, when the team launched Kava AI and, later, the AI marketplace.Â
Now, roughly two weeks after the Oros announcement, the team announced that that was just the start and that Kava is moving toward building the âworldâs largest decentralized AI network.â This has evidently piqued investorsâ interest.Â
As per the 2025 roadmap, the project aims to launch AI Launchpad, an AI chatbot that can execute multi-step transactions across the Kava ecosystem; a fully decentralized AI model built to compete with centralized AI providers like OpenAI and Google; AI-focused blockchain; EVM cross-chain integration for Oros; and benchmark comparison between Kava deModels and OpenAI O1, Deepseek R1, and Claude.
10. Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest swap aggregation protocol on Solana, allowing users to exchange different Solana-based tokens using dedicated liquidity pools. The Jupiter platform is much more than a barebones decentralized exchange (DEX) â it allows users to schedule recurring transactions, participate in governance via a dedicated decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), leverage its powerful API for external integrations, and more.
Moreover, the platform recently added a Launchpad feature, which aims to provide users with the ability to invest in up-and-coming crypto projects. In turn, the projects listed on the LGD Launchad can look forward to the exposure provided by one of the most popular DeFi protocols in the industry.Â
Why Jupiter?
At the inaugural âCatstanbul 2025â event, Jupiterâs anonymous founder âMeowâ announced that Jupiter will burn 3 billion JUP tokens and allocate 50% of protocol fee revenue to buy back JUP tokens, with the rest going toward growth and operations. This strategy aims to reduce emissions and stabilize the tokenâs fully diluted value (FDV). Following the announcements, JUPâs price spiked 40%, rising from $0.90 to $1.27 before retreating to $1.11.
At the event, Jupiter also debuted a V2 redesign of the platform, reintroducing it in beta with features like real-time slippage estimation, smart trigger orders, an âUltra Modeâ promising improved efficiency, and a security tool named âJupiter Shield.â Even more impressively, the team announced âJupnet,â an omnichain network in early testnet, designed to aggregate all blockchains into a unified decentralized ledger. The vision, called â1A3Câ (one account for all chains, currencies, and commodities), includes decentralized validators and cross-chain transaction execution.
In addition, Jupiter also launched a $10 million âMagic Fundâ for open-source AI development, announced the expansion of AI agent platform âVirtualsâ to Solana, and acquired a majority stake in meme coin platform Moonshot.
11. Hedera
Hedera (previously called Hedera Hashgraph) is a public distributed ledger and cryptocurrency platform that differs from traditional blockchain technology. Instead of a linear chain, it uses a directed acyclic graph (DAG) called âhashgraphâ which allows for faster transaction speeds and higher scalability. This architecture enables Hedera Hashgraph to process transactions in parallel, significantly reducing the time and energy required compared to blockchains.
The platform supports smart contracts, file storage, and offers strong finality, with transactions confirmed within seconds. The native cryptocurrency of the Hedera network is HBAR. It is used to power decentralized applications, pay for transaction fees, and secure the network through staking. Hedera aims to provide a more efficient, secure, and fair digital economy, positioning itself as a next-generation platform for a wide array of applications.
Why Hedera?
HBAR has been one of the most impressive cryptocurrency performers recently despite the relatively poor performance over the past couple of days. When looking at longer time periods, HBARâs performance is nothing short of impressive â the coin gained more than 520% over the past 3 months, which leads all major cryptos (apart from certain meme coins).
Last week, the Hashgraph Association announced a partnership with Taurus to enhance secure custody, staking, and tokenization of Hederaâs HBAR cryptocurrency and other assets. The collaboration aims to make Hederaâs ecosystem more accessible to financial institutions globally, focusing on regions with clear regulatory frameworks, such as Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
In related news, Hedera co-founder and other higher-ups at the project attended the first ever âcrypto ball,â a gala event celebrating Trumpâs upcoming inauguration. In addition to Hedera, the event saw participation from notable individuals from other major US-based crypto projects such as Coinbase, Kraken, Ripple, Crypto.com, MicroStrategy, and many more.
12. Chainlink
Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that acts as a bridge between smart contracts on blockchain platforms and real-world data. Its primary role is to ensure the reliability of data used in smart contracts by connecting to multiple data sources, reducing the risk of data manipulation or failure. This enhances the versatility of smart contracts, allowing them to access and utilize a wide range of external data sources and services beyond their native blockchain environment.
One of Chainlinkâs notable features is its security model. It relies on a decentralized network of nodes to fetch and validate data, eliminating the single point of control or failure. However, there are concerns about centralization, with some major node operators having substantial influence in the network. Additionally, integrating Chainlink into smart contracts can be complex, potentially posing challenges for developers.
Chainlink acts as a crucial intermediary, enabling smart contracts to interact with real-world data. It enhances data reliability, expands the potential use cases for smart contracts, and relies on decentralization for security.Â
Why Chainlink?
In the past week, LINK jumped by 17% and climbed to the 12th spot on the list of largest cryptocurrencies by market cap. That marked the biggest weekly change out of all the top 25 cryptos and helped the coin reach its highest price in 37 months. The surge follows the revelation that World Liberty Financial, a crypto company backed by former president Donald Trump, bought 78,387 LINK tokens since December 11.Â
Itâs worth noting that the Trump-backed DeFi project bought ETH and AAVE as well. âTo me, it is a way to gain additional trust or a way to boost the project [World Liberty Financial] by shedding light on these assets as the project will likely do well if these assets do,â explained the investment Nicolai Søndergaard, Nansenâs research analyst.Â
In addition to World Liberty Financialâs investment, whale activity has probably also played a role in facilitating the large surge in LINKâs price. According to data from Santiment, whales have bought nearly 5.7 million LINK in the last two months, worth about $168 million at the time of writing.
The market activity could be a reflection of the growing confidence in Chainlink and its goal to capture a large chunk of the growing RWA market, which could grow to $10 trillion by 2030, according to some reports. Just recently, the company partnered with Coinbaseâs Project Diamond, a platform designed for tokenized assets that is regulated by the Abu Dhabi Global Market.Â
If you are just starting out in crypto, it is advisable to stick to cryptocurrency projects that are less prone to volatility and are generally more established. While this approach does have a downside, as it becomes much more difficult to expect triple-digit or larger gains, the major upside is that you are not exposed to projects that have a chance of failing and, thus, losing your entire investment.Â
In order to identify projects that are stable and thus feature low volatility, you can start by following the parameters listed below:
The crypto asset has a market capitalization that places it into the cryptocurrency top 100 (roughly $1 billion as of late 2024)
The crypto asset is available for trading on the best crypto exchange platforms and can be exchanged for fiat currencies
The crypto asset boasts healthy liquidity ($100M/day and more), which allows you to execute buy and sell orders quickly and without slippageÂ
The crypto asset is part of a reputable crypto project with clear goals, a realistic roadmap, and products and services that look to address real-world problems
Some of the best cryptos to buy for beginners are those that follow the above criteria and have earned their standing in the crypto market due to robust security, popular products and services, and clear growth potential. Some beginner-friendly crypto investments are:
Bitcoin
Ethereum
Litecoin
Cardano
BNB
It is worth noting that cryptocurrency investments are inherently risky, even if you stick to the biggest and most reputable projects. The reason for this is simple â the crypto sector is relatively new, and the landscape might look completely different in the future.
Best crypto for long-term
When deciding which cryptocurrency to buy for the long term, itâs important to consider projects that are well-established, have a strong community, are highly liquid, have a large market cap, and have a clear reason for existing (such as solving a real-life problem, introducing new functionality, etc.). Without these characteristics, a project might fail to survive in the long term, rendering it a bad long-term investment.
It is worth noting that, typically, most long-term crypto investors are looking for projects that have the potential to generate decent returns but also provide a degree of investment stability. Roughly speaking, only the largest cryptocurrencies fit the bill, as others have a low market cap and liquidity that doesnât bode well for a long-term commitment (unless youâre prepared to take on more risk).
In addition to Bitcoin and Ethereum, there are a number of other cryptocurrencies that fit the criteria of being low-risk, long-term crypto investments.
If you are planning to hold onto your digital assets for a longer period of time, it is best to take care of crypto custody yourself. Holding large amounts of crypto on an exchange can be risky, as weâve seen over the years with the collapse of high-profile exchanges like Mt. Gox and FTX. Use one of the reputable crypto hardware wallets to store your crypto. Ledger hardware wallets, for instance, allow you to manage your crypto holdings easily and provide a much higher degree of security than crypto exchanges or even software crypto wallets.
Best place to buy crypto
One crucial aspect to consider when choosing which platform to use to buy crypto is the range of cryptocurrencies and trading pairs available. Since different exchanges support varying digital assets, itâs important to choose a platform that accommodates the specific cryptocurrencies you intend to trade.
Additionally, assessing an exchangeâs liquidity and trading volume is essential. Higher liquidity generally results in improved price stability and faster trade executions. Furthermore, it is prudent to examine the fees charged by the exchange, encompassing deposit, withdrawal, and trading fees. Comparing fee structures across different exchanges can help you identify the most cost-effective option that aligns with your trading style. With that said, here are some of the best exchanges on the market right now:
Binance â The best cryptocurrency exchange overall
Krakenâ A centralized exchange with the best security
By diligently considering these factors, you can make an informed decision and select a cryptocurrency exchange that meets your requirements for security, variety, liquidity, and affordability.
How we choose the best cryptocurrencies to buy
At CoinCheckup, we provide real-time prices for over 22,000 cryptocurrencies, with the list growing by dozens each day. As you can imagine, making a selection of a dozen top cryptocurrencies to buy out of such an immense dataset can be difficult and will for sure lead to some projects that should be featured being omitted. To minimize the chance of that happening, we follow certain guidelines when trying to identify the best cryptocurrencies to invest in.
AvailabilityÂ
One of the most important factors for any cryptocurrency investment is the crypto assetâs availability, meaning how easy it is to buy and sell it across various cryptocurrency exchanges. We tend to stay away from assets that are not available on major exchanges and require complex procedures to obtain.
Market Capitalization
Another important metric for identifying whether a crypto project is worth covering its market cap. A high market cap means that the project has reached a certain level of adoption from users, making it less risky to invest in.
Growth Potential
While this metric is mostly subjective, it is still an important metric on which we curate our selection. We wonât feature projects that we think are stagnating or have no real upside in the future.
Purpose and Use Case
We consider the purpose and use case of cryptocurrency, particularly in a real-world setting. Some cryptocurrencies focus on specific industries or applications, such as decentralized finance, gaming, or supply chain management.
Team and Development
The team and people involved in the project can tell you a lot about the potential of a particular cryptocurrency project. We examine the teamâs experience, expertise, and track record and evaluate the development activity and updates to ensure the project is actively maintained and evolving.
The bottom line: What crypto should you buy right now?
The decision of which crypto to buy now is dependent on your own risk profile and investment goals. For some, investing in a crypto asset with a proven track record like Bitcoin is the only type of exposure to crypto they are willing to take on.
Meanwhile, those with a higher risk tolerance might see Bitcoin as too stable, looking instead toward newer and smaller projects that carry a higher degree of upside.Â
