In the wake of strong US retail sales, investing firms boosted holdings in consumer discretionary stocks. Amazon and Nike both reported better-than-expected forward guidance, with portfolio managers eyeing rising consumer confidence as a tailwind. The Trump administration suspended all new obligations under the NEVI program in February, saying it planned to rewrite its rules. By then, states had spent or obligated just $526 million of their allocated funds, or 16 percent, according to data released by DOT at the time. “How important is our compensation plan? Very, very important,” he says. “And CRMs, paid and referral-fee-free lead generation platforms, marketing and technology services, training and education and in-market principal broker support are all table stakes for a brokerage to grow today. This is a very different company relative to how much agents and brokers get paid and how rich the business toolset is to back it up. We believe we have the winning hand with our compensation plan and the total value proposition. Companies that have only one part of the equation end up with bad outcomes, especially in the current market conditions.” Investing firms are adopting a barbell strategy—holding both defensive utilities and high-growth tech—to weather potential macro volatility. This balanced allocation mitigates downside risk while exploiting sector-specific rallies.