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The ascent of Rocket Companies into the realm of mortgage origination was not unlike a bureaucratic machine springing to life under the most convenient of circumstances. With low interest rates and a temporary boom in mortgage refinancing, the company surged forward, reporting strong earnings, basking in the glow of seemingly inevitable success. But, like all fragile constructs built on the whims of chance, this too collapsed under the weight of the inevitable. The Federal Reserve, a faceless entity whose rules are as alien to the common man as the laws of some obscure totalitarian state, raised interest rates in response to inflation. In doing so, it strangled the demand for mortgages, and with it, Rocket’s once-unassailable earnings.

Ah, Zoetis (ZTS). It’s the unsung hero of the pet and livestock healthcare world-bringing us drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic tools for everything from your average house cat to your average farm cow. With a portfolio of 17 blockbuster drugs that rake in over $100 million annually, Zoetis is hardly a fly-by-night operation. Still, the stock has seen better days. Since late 2021, its share price has plummeted 40%, thanks largely to a sudden drop in pet adoptions (and yes, we’re blaming the pandemic again).

Honeywell, a name etched into the annals of industry, now stands at a crossroads. The company, long a titan of automation and aerospace, is splitting into three, a decision that reads like a quiet resignation from the burden of monolithic scale. Its 5% dividend raise to $1.19 per share is a gesture of continuity, yet it cannot mask the shadow of division. The market, ever a mirror of human folly and hope, has priced this uncertainty into the shares.

Ah, Carnival (CCL) – a name that might as well be graven in stone beneath the moonlit glow of Miami’s nightlife. This stock has rocketed up 62% in the last year, yet still lingers at a grotesque 60% discount from its pre-pandemic glory days. A triumphant leadership has revised its forecasts not once, but THRICE, because the insatiable appetite for cruises is akin to an unquenchable thirst in the desert.

However, if one can silence the clamor of short-term distractions and look toward the horizon of the next few years, there lies a fertile ground for the seeds of investment-particularly in those companies anchored by robust foundations and expansive moats. In my humble assessment, Arm Holdings (ARM), The Trade Desk (TTD), and Arista Networks (ANET) deserve the keen eye of the discerning investor.

Both companies lost billions during the pandemic, then borrowed more money to get their ships out of dry dock. It’s like borrowing petrol to put out a fire, but with cocktails and a steel band. Over time, they’ve filled cabins beyond capacity-because nothing says “financial stability” like cramming 110% of humanity into a stateroom. They’ve added ships, but not fast enough to keep up with bookings. Carnival’s 2026 reservations are already overflowing, which is either a triumph or a cry for help. I can’t tell; I once invested in a pet rock.

In a plot twist that smells suspiciously like yesterday’s lunch, Energy Transfer recently announced its earnings might just scratch the bottom of the barrel, barely clinging to less than a 4% growth this year. That’s roughly the same speed as a snail racing a tortoise, which might as well be titled “The Great Slowdown.” This sluggishness is a far cry from the company’s previous dazzling 10% annual growth since 2020-the good old days when we all believed in unicorns and had hope for the new Star Wars trilogy.

Yet, as with all things human, the countenance of fortune is fickle. Six months prior, the unveiling of a certain statesman’s tariff policies wrought a tempest, wherein the S&P 500 suffered its most precipitous two-day decline since the dawn of the modern era. Thus, the stage was set for a most opportune moment for the discerning investor, who, with a steady hand and a keen eye, might seize the moment to acquire the finest enterprises at a most advantageous price.

Recent revelations from the imaginative minds at The CORP-DEPO have peeled back the curtain on TSMC’s enigmatic manufacturing wizardry, exposing how it conjures its revenue from various platforms and regions. A glance at these elements reveals why TSMC is perched upon its lofty cloud, free from the prying hands of competition, making its stock a treasure chest for wise investors.