The third quarter of 2024 has been rewarding for equity investors, as the S&P 500 increased another 5% and has gained almost 20% year to date. Surprise, surprise, though, as value was the segment leader in the quarter. The S&P 500 Value Index advanced approximately 7% in the period, while the S&P 500 Growth Index edged only 3% higher. Leading sectors included Real Estate, Utilities, Financial, Healthcare and Industrials, while lagging sectors for the past three months included Information Technology and Energy. The average stock in the Argus Universe of Coverage rose almost 8% during the quarter, while the median stock increased 9%. The average BUY-rated stock rose 8.3%, while the average HOLD-rated stock gained 6.7%. Here are the top-10 and bottom-five performers from the Argus Universe in 3Q24.

The Federal Reserve's favorite inflation indicator, the PCE Price Index, will be released by the BEA this morning. PCE differs from the better-known Consumer Price Index because its composition is changed more frequently and it is thus quicker to reflect the impact of real-time pricing fluctuations. In the most recent report, through July, PCE inflation was reported at 2.5% year over year. Core PCE, which removes volatile food and energy prices, rose at a rate of 2.6% in the latest month. Our PCE forecasts are for 2.3% for the headline number and 2.8% for the core reading. Overall, inflation in this cycle peaked in summer 2022 and has been on a fairly consistent downward trek since then. We track 20 inflation measures on a monthly basis. On average, they are indicating that prices are rising at a 2.25% rate year over year, down from 2.70% a month ago. The numbers are volatile and are distorted somewhat by ultra-low readings within the Producer Price Intermediate Goods category, which may well be pointing to easing prices across the inflation spectrum in the months ahead. Focusing on core, our reading is 2.47%, essentially level month over month. That's propped up by sticky prices on shelter and transportation (the Sticky Price Core CPI Index reading is currently 4.1%). Looking ahead, investors are expecting that the Federal Reserve's series of rate hikes ultimately will tame inflation, with the three-year forward expectation rate at 2.17%.

Palantir is an analytical software company that focuses on leveraging data to create efficiencies in its clients’ organizations. The firm serves commercial and government clients via its Foundry and Gotham platforms, respectively. The Denver-based company was founded in 2003 and went public in 2020.

Palantir develops and provides software that enables customers from government agencies to commercial enterprises to integrate data for decision-making and operations at scale. The company initially provided its software to the U.S. intelligence services before broadening its customer base. In 2023, 55% of its revenue was generated by its government segment and 45% from its commercial segment; 38% of revenue was generated outside the U.S. Palantir's class A shares trade publicly under the symbol PLTR. Palantir's super-voting class B and class F shares, held by insiders and founders, do not trade publicly. The company is effectively controlled by founders Alexander Karp, Stephen Cohen, and Peter Thiel through the super-voting class F shares that represent a 49.99% voting interest. Palantir was founded in 2003 and went public at $10 per share on September 30, 2020.