Apple Closes at $308.63 as Markets Shut for July 4; JPMorgan Adds a High-Yield Stock to Its Top Picks

Apple (AAPL) had a strong week, closing at $308.63 as of the July 4 holiday weekend, up 4.84% from its prior close of $294.38, with an intraday high of $309.42. Meanwhile, several Wall Street firms released fresh investment views, covering high-dividend stocks, ETF allocations, and commodity outlooks.

JPMorgan July Top Picks: High-Dividend Stock EPR Properties Joins the List

JPMorgan refreshed its July top-ideas list, adding a stock that pays a substantial dividend. According to CNBC, JPMorgan analysts each month select the best ideas from different investment strategies (growth, income, value, and short). This month, the bank added EPR Properties while removing Broadstone Net Lease, JFrog, and Palo Alto Networks.^[CNBC]

JPMorgan’s list includes 10 stocks across various sectors. EPR Properties is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on experiential properties, with assets including movie theaters, amusement parks, and ski resorts. The stock is popular among income-focused investors for its stable dividend. The adjustment comes as Wall Street wraps up a strong first half — the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 8.9% in H1, its best first-half performance since 2021; the S&P 500 gained 9.6%; and the Nasdaq Composite led with a 12.8% advance.^[CNBC]

U.S. Treasury Selects Trump Account ETFs: BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street in the Mix

The U.S. Treasury on July 1 announced the investment product lineup for Trump Accounts, selecting ETFs from State Street, BlackRock, and Vanguard. According to Reuters, all Trump Account contributions will initially be invested in the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM), which will serve as the plan’s default investment option.^[Reuters]

The Treasury also selected BlackRock’s iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT), State Street’s SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF (SPTM), and Vanguard’s Total Stock Market ETF (VTI). Under the plan, the Treasury will deposit $1,000 as seed money into an investment account for every child born between 2025 and 2028 with a valid Social Security number. BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink said: “By getting young Americans to start investing earlier, Trump Accounts can help millions build long-term financial security.”^[Reuters]

Several investment firms and companies, including BlackRock, said they would match the government’s $1,000 contribution for their employees.^[Reuters]

Jim Cramer: Likes Agnico Eagle but Bearish on Gold

Prominent financial commentator Jim Cramer discussed gold miner Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) on his latest show. According to Insider Monkey, when a viewer asked whether the stock was a buy, sell, or hold, Cramer replied: “Well, I’ll put it this way: as much as I like Agnico, you know, Al-Joundi is a great CEO, I’m not going to recommend gold. I still think it has further room to fall… I believe in gold, but I think it’s going lower.”^{[Insider Monkey]}

Cramer had previously said on his May 7 show, when asked for a six-month outlook on AEM: “You’re already in it, you own the best one. I don’t think… I’m not bullish on gold right now. I remember we had the great Larry Williams on, and he said, look, gold is going lower. I agree with Larry.”^{[Insider Monkey]}

Wedbush Analyst Sets Bold SpaceX Price Target

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives set a bold price target for SpaceX. According to The Street, the five-star analyst issued valuation expectations for SpaceX in a recent research note. SpaceX is set to join the Nasdaq 100 index, a move expected to trigger a wave of passive buying. Earlier reports noted that SpaceX’s IPO would add volatility to index investing strategies.^{[The Street]}

SpaceX’s inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 means ETFs and mutual funds tracking the index will automatically allocate to the stock, potentially bringing billions of dollars in passive inflows. Analysts generally view this milestone as further cementing SpaceX’s leadership in aerospace and commercial spaceflight.

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