The United Parcel Service (UPS) drama continues... If you've been following along here at the Chaikin PowerFeed, you know what I'm talking about. The shipping giant is working to slash costs.

A Startling Reality for American Workers By Ethan Goldman, junior analyst, Chaikin Analytics The United Parcel Service (UPS) drama continues... If you've been following along here at the Chaikin PowerFeed, you know what I'm talking about. The shipping giant is working to slash costs. Last month, UPS Chief Financial Officer Brian Dykes announced plans to close 24 facilities in the first half of 2026. These closures would eliminate another 30,000 jobs from the company workforce. The company sent a list of the locations to close to the general president of the Teamsters union on January 30. Of course, this is part of an ongoing legal battle between the Teamsters and UPS. I discussed this legal struggle in a PowerFeed essay last week. As I also noted, investors love these cost cuts. UPS shares have been surging in recent months. Despite a bit of a pullback over the past week, they still sit about 41% higher than their 52-week low of $82. The move higher also led the Power Gauge to give UPS a "bullish" rating for the first time in years. Companies like UPS cut jobs in the name of efficiency and cost savings. Investors often see their returns skyrocket as a result. But as you know, that comes with an ugly reality. Workers lose their livelihoods. And in recent years, this is happening amid an economic trend that regular readers will be familiar with... Recommended Links: Three 'EQ' Power Picks to Buy Immediately Today, we're offering you FREE access to the top three stocks to buy immediately from across some of the most expensive products in our industry... using a breakthrough new system that spots the biggest potential earnings beats on 5,000 stocks, BEFORE they occur... especially in AI and high tech. Click here to learn more. Executive Order 14318: The Most Important Document You've Never Read The mainstream media just missed the biggest financial story of the year... President Donald Trump signed an executive order to start unlocking an estimated $5.1 trillion in federal assets for the benefit of every American citizen. Most Americans have no idea this opportunity exists... But according to a former Trump adviser, it could trigger a historic "gold rush" for the American people. SEE WHAT THE MEDIA MISSED. Don't Fall Victim to the 'K-Shaped Economy' UPS certainly wasn't the only company to announce layoffs in 2025. And it's no secret that the labor market struggled last year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ("BLS"), the labor market shrunk during four months in 2025.  This amounted to the U.S. gaining a monthly average of only 15,000 jobs last year. The most recent report for January shows a growth of 130,000 jobs. But this growth was mainly thanks to just two types of job fields... I'm talking about health care and social assistance. Those two fields added 124,000 new jobs combined. To make matters worse, wage growth barely outpaced inflation... The BLS reported that "real" hourly earnings increased by about a percentage point in January, year over year. That measure takes inflation into account. That means working Americans only had 1% more money in their pockets than they did a year ago. On the other hand, the stock market saw larger-than-average returns last year... The S&P 500 Index grew by more than 16% in 2025. And the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index surged by more than 20%. Keep in mind that, historically, the S&P 500's average return is about 10% per year. Americans who had money in the stock market reaped the benefits last year. But the folks who weren't invested missed out on those gains. This is part of the trend of the "K-shaped economy"... Put simply, higher-income folks are doing great in the current economy. But those with lower incomes are struggling mightily. And it takes more than growing wages to join the "up" part of this economy... As our friend Brett Eversole from our corporate affiliate Stansberry Research put it in a guest essay yesterday, "one group of Americans owns assets... and the other group doesn't." The "up" part of the "K" puts its money to work in the stock market. As a PowerFeed reader, you'll certainly know that's where we want to be. But identifying where specifically to put this money to work in the markets isn't so easy. Fortunately, that's where the Power Gauge comes in... Navigating a Complex Market The Power Gauge is the culmination of our founder Marc Chaikin's 50-year career on Wall Street... And regular readers know that it's the centerpiece of everything we do here at Chaikin Analytics. It distills the data from 20 key factors into one easy-to-understand rating. This rating takes much of the guesswork out of investing. A stock or exchange-traded fund ("ETF") with a "very bullish" rating is likely to outperform the broad market. But one with a "very bearish" rating may go on to sink your hard-earned wealth... And in the K-shaped economy, it's critical to have this kind of tool in your corner to separate the best areas to invest in from the traps. In fact, Marc went on camera earlier this week to discuss a particular way to put the Power Gauge to use for navigating this kind of market environment. In short, it all has to do with identifying which AI and other breakthrough stocks still have true potential to rise in 2026... and which ones are due to crash. If you missed Marc's event, you can get all the details here. Ultimately, when it comes to the K-shaped economy, owning assets is key... But make sure they're the ones poised for upside. Good investing, Ethan Goldman Market View Major Indexes and Notable Sectors     # Hld:     Bullish     Neutral     Bearish Dow 30 -0.53% 6 22 2 S&P 500 -0.26% 121 282 95 Nasdaq -0.38% 22 50 28 Small Caps +0.23% 622 933 331 Bonds +0.1% Utilities +1.1% 6 23 2 — According to the Chaikin Power Bar, Small Cap stocks and Large Cap stocks are Bullish. Major indexes are mixed. *  *  *  * Sector Tracker Sector movement over the last 5 days Energy +2.22% Industrials +2.08% Utilities +1.9% Financial +0.89% Health Care +0.81% Real Estate +0.77% Information Technology +0.72% Communication +0.44% Consumer Discretionary +0.09% Materials 0.0% Consumer Staples -1.73% *  *  *  * Industry Focus Health Care Equipment Services 8 39 18 Over the past 6 months, the Health Care Equipment subsector (XHE) has underperformed the S&P 500 by -0.44%. Its Power Bar ratio, which measures future potential, is Weak, with more Bearish than Bullish stocks. It is currently ranked #18 of 21 subsectors and has moved up 2 slots over the past week. Indicative Stocks TMDX TransMedics Group, I ATEC Alphatec Holdings, I CLPT ClearPoint Neuro, In *  *  *  * Top Movers Gainers OMC +15.36% DE +11.58% TPL +10.4% OXY +9.38% SMCI +8.25% Losers EPAM -17.01% POOL -14.48% CVNA -7.95% BKNG -6.15% UAL -5.88% *  *  *  * Earnings Report Earnings Surprises FIX Comfort Systems USA, Inc. Q4 $9.37 Beat by $2.62 FTI TechnipFMC plc Q4 $0.70 Beat by $0.18 NEM Newmont Corporation Q4 $2.52 Beat by $0.49 EVRG Evergy, Inc. Q4 $0.42 Missed by $-0.13 EXR Extra Space Storage Inc. Q4 $1.36 Beat by $0.21 *  *  *  * You have received this e-mail as part of your subscription to PowerFeed. If you no longer want to receive e-mails from PowerFeed, click here. You're receiving this e-mail at STEVENMAGALLANES520.NIMS@BLOGGER.COM. 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