Easy Peasy #49: Build Your Dividend Portfolio & Live Off Dividends with Pre-Selected Stock Sets

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

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

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

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

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Intro

Trump flirts with firing Powell, markets flirt with chaos — and back off just in time

Stocks were on edge early Wednesday after headlines suggested Trump might be ready to fire Fed Chair Powell. That sent the S&P 500 plunging nearly -0.7%, but a midday walk-back from Trump helped markets rebound. By the close, the Dow added +231.49 pts (+0.53%) to 44,254, the S&P 500 rose +19.94 pts (+0.32%) to 6,263, the Nasdaq climbed +52.69 pts (+0.26%) to 20,730, and the Russell 2000 jumped +22.00 pts (+1.00%) to 2,227. Bank earnings came in strong, semiconductors stumbled on ASML’s guidance, and Powell’s job survived another day.

📊 Economic Data

• June PPI MoM unchanged (vs est. +0.2%) – soft wholesale inflation

• June PPI YoY+2.3% (vs est. +2.5%) – cooling pricing pressures

• Core PPI MoM unchanged (vs est. +0.2%) – no underlying price acceleration

• Core PPI YoY+2.6% (vs est. +2.7%) – another disinflation read

• June Industrial Production+0.3% (vs est. +0.1%) – stronger factory output

• Capacity Utilization rose to 77.6% (vs est. 77.4%) – modest uptick in capacity use

• Fed Beige Book – economic activity “increased slightly”; pricing trends mixed

🔩 Autos

• RNLSY dropped after Renault cut FY25 margin guidance to 6.5% from 7%, citing weaker macro and cash flow target now €1–1.5B vs €2B+

• F warned on $570M injector field service cost, to hit Q2 as a special item but not adjusted EBIT

🛒 Retail, Consumer Staples & Restaurants

• UNFI lowered FY25 EPS view to $0.40–$0.80 from $0.70–$0.90 after cyber incident, though it raised revenue outlook slightly

• DEO jumped after FT reported CEO Debra Crew could be replaced amid weak alcohol sales and shaken investor confidence

🎰 Leisure, Gaming & Lodging

• RRR upgraded to Buy at Truist, citing strength in Locals market and expected Q2 beat

• GDEN downgraded to Hold as softness at The Strat and lack of M&A hurt Q2 expectations

⚡ Energy, Industrials & Materials

• PSX and VLO both downgraded to Neutral at Piper citing downside crack risk despite solid Q3 setups

• MP, METC, USAR rose again as Apple confirmed rare earth deal with MP Materials

• ALB, SQM slipped after Citi cut lithium price targets again ahead of Q2 results

🏦 Banks & 💳 FinTech

• BAC beat with EPS $0.89 (vs est. $0.86), strong trading revenue $5.38B, IB $1.43B, but higher charge-offs

• GS posted +22% profit growth to $3.7B and trading revenue beat, but asset management dipped -3%

• MS topped with EPS $2.13, strong equity trading (+23%), but investment banking off -5%

🏥 Healthcare

• JNJ beat on EPS $2.77 (vs est. $2.68), raised FY25 EPS and revenue guidance

• AZN failed two Phase 3 trials for amyloidosis drug

• MDT, BSX, PRCT, GKOS, VCEL reacted to CMS’s proposed outpatient reimbursement changes

🚂 Transports

• JBHT slightly missed on Q2 EPS $1.31 (vs est. $1.32) but volumes strong in Intermodal and Truckload

• ROK upgraded to Buy at BofA, turnaround and trade optimism cited

• CNH downgraded at GS on valuation and macro uncertainty

🚁 Aerospace & Defense

PLTR upgraded at Mizuho to Neutral, tgt raised to $135, citing underestimated momentum and upward revisions in both commercial and gov’t units

📰 Internet, Media & Telecom

• RBLX extended rally after JPM raised Q2 bookings growth to +37%, well ahead of guidance

• RGTI surged after announcing $350M ATM equity raise in Jefferies agreement

🔌 Semiconductors, Hardware & Software

• ASML beat on Q2 bookings (**€5.54B** vs est. €4.44B) but warned on 2026 growth, sending semi equipment names lower

• AMAT, KLAC, LRCX fell as investors reacted to tariff uncertainty and factory project delays

🧠 What’s Next?

All eyes Thursday on jobless claims and Philly Fed, plus more bank earnings. The Powell drama may not be over, but for now, markets are exhaling — unless Trump tweets again.

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

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

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

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

Easy Peasy #49: Pre-Selected Dividend Growth Stock Sets