And So, The 4th Quarter Of 2025 Begins...
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It was an excellent week for health care stocks in the S&P 500. Utilities continue to thrive. Energy stocks continued their year-long slump while stocks in the S&P Communications Sector took the biggest hit last week
ETF Performance
| Ticker | Name | VE Rating | Last CLose Date | Last CLose Price | Last Week Price | Change |
| QQQM | Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF | 4 | 10-03-2025 | 248.32 | 246.48 | 0.75% |
| SCHD | Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF | 1 | 10-03-2025 | 27.41 | 27.1 | 1.14% |
| SPLG | SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF | 3 | 10-03-2025 | 78.73 | 78.07 | 0.85% |
| VB | Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund ETF | 3 | 10-03-2025 | 257.86 | 254.13 | 1.47% |
| XLB | Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund | 1 | 10-03-2025 | 89.86 | 89.18 | 0.76% |
| XLC | Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund | 5 | 10-03-2025 | 116.39 | 118.55 | -1.82% |
| XLE | Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund | 1 | 10-03-2025 | 88.91 | 90.3 | -1.54% |
| XLF | Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund | 5 | 10-03-2025 | 53.72 | 54.13 | -0.76% |
| XLI | Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund | 3 | 10-03-2025 | 154.41 | 153.05 | 0.89% |
| XLK | Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund | 2 | 10-03-2025 | 284.72 | 280.33 | 1.57% |
| XLP | Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund | 1 | 10-03-2025 | 78.03 | 78.11 | -0.10% |
| XLRE | Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund | 1 | 10-03-2025 | 42.08 | 41.96 | 0.29% |
| XLU | Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund | 2 | 10-03-2025 | 88.91 | 87.06 | 2.12% |
| XLV | Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund | 1 | 10-03-2025 | 144.82 | 135.9 | 6.56% |
| XLY | Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund | 5 | 10-03-2025 | 237.86 | 240.76 | -1.20% |
Current ValuEngine reports on all covered stocks and ETFs can be viewed at HERE
Top 3 Stock Performers (Global)
| Ticker | Name | VE Rating | Last CLose Date | Last Close Price | Price 30 Days Ago | Difference |
| NBIS | Nebius Group NV | 5 | 10-03-2025 | 127.98 | 64.06 | 99.78% |
| STX | Seagate Technology Holdings PLC | 4 | 10-03-2025 | 252.79 | 189.24 | 33.58% |
| BABA | Alibaba Group Holding Ltd - ADR | 5 | 10-03-2025 | 188.03 | 141.2 | 33.17% |
Top 3 Stock Performers (US)
| Ticker | Name | VE Rating | Last CLose Date | Last Close Price | Price 30 Days Ago | Difference |
| IONQ | IONQ Inc | 5 | 10-03-2025 | 73.28 | 41.01 | 78.69% |
| BE | Bloom Energy Corp | 5 | 10-03-2025 | 90.29 | 53.44 | 68.96% |
| ASTS | AST SpaceMobile Inc | 4 | 10-03-2025 | 67.76 | 40.77 | 66.20% |
Strategy Note
The first three quarters of 2025 are now complete, and markets enter the final stretch of the year with a strong finish from key growth and international segments.
GLDM, SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust, was the clear standout — up 47% year-to-date, outperforming both equities and bonds. Gold’s strength reflects ongoing diversification and hedging themes amid persistent geopolitical uncertainty and expectations for lower real yields.
Among equities, EEM (iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF) surged 27.8% YTD, followed by EFA (iShares MSCI EAFE ETF) at 23.5%, signaling the continued leadership of non-U.S. markets in 2025. The performance of GLDM, EEM, and EFA relative to U.S. benchmarks reinforces the de-dollarization narrative that has been increasingly discussed by global strategists.
In U.S. markets, small caps represented by IWM staged a notable rebound, gaining 12.1% in Q3 though still trailing large-cap benchmarks year-to-date. Growth stocks continued to outperform value, with VUG outpacing VTV across all periods (1-month, 3-month, and YTD), defying early-year expectations of value dominance. Healthcare (XLV) led all U.S. sectors this week with a strong 6.6% gain, boosted by rotation into defensive growth areas. Utilities (XLU) also rallied over 2%, while Communication Services (XLC) and Consumer Discretionary (XLY) lagged. Looking ahead, the focus turns to the Q4 earnings season with key reports due from Constellation Brands (STZ), McCormick & Company (MKC), AZZ Inc. (AZZ), Applied Digital (APLD), and Apogee Industries (APOG).
ValuEngine projects APLD as the standout, with a 13.2% 12-month forecasted gain versus 3.2% for SPLG (S&P 500 ETF). While APLD earns a VE Rating of 5 (Strong Buy), it also carries high volatility and overvaluation risks. Among larger caps, UBS and Disney (DIS) both receive Strong Buy ratings and are considered undervalued by our model. With the fourth quarter now underway, market attention will center on earnings guidance, interest rate expectations, and the potential continuation of the rotation into defensive and international assets.
More By This Author:
Gold Continues To Outshine Equities
Gold Rally Eclipses A Mixed Week For U.S. Stocks
Weekly Strategy Update - Equities Continue To Show Signs Of Rotation
www.ValuEngine.com (Valuengine, Inc) is a stock valuation and forecasting service founded by Ivy League finance academics. VE utilizes ...
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