Pricing power is what’s allowing many companies — including seven of our Club holdings — to support revenue growth and enhance, or at the very least protect, profitability during an earnings season marked by a still-elevated inflationary environment. When we’re talking about “pricing power,” it’s the ability of companies with strong brands to raise prices without seeing too much impact on demand. In many cases, it’s because consumers, who are also feeling the bite of inflation in their personal budgets, are willing to pay those higher prices because the products are so essential to their everyday lives. And, in times of economic uncertainty, consumers tend to take comfort in their favorite brands. For example, Club holding Procter & Gamble (PG) beat on the top and bottom lines in its fiscal third quarter as price increases enriched profit margins despite a small slip in volumes . Similarly, comparable sales at McDonald’s (MCD) increased by 13% in the first quarter and traffic increased despite increased menu prices. Strategic price hikes at Coca-Cola (KO) resulted in strong Q1 revenue and a muted effect on people’s buying habits. “Some of the best brands in America have been able to push through price increases and have seen favorable demand to where the consumer has responded without too much negativity,” Bradley Thomas, consumer and retail analyst at KeyBanc, said in an interview with CNBC. Cash-strapped Americans are “seeking value,” Thomas added. Remember, value is not always about offering the lowest price, it’s about offering the greatest bang for your buck. The pricing success at P & G, Coca-Cola, or McDonald’s comes down to consumers feeling that they are still getting that value from brands they know and love. Here’s a list of Club holdings with pricing power, starting with a closer look at P & G. PG YTD mountain Procter & Gamble’s stock performance year to date. Procter & Gamble last week delivered quarterly earnings and revenue beats while raising guidance for full-year organic sales growth. The consumer goods powerhouse raised prices across segments, lifting its gross margin by 150 basis points to 48.2% in its fiscal third quarter. P & G reported a 4% increase in fiscal Q3 sales. Organic sales, which exclude the impacts from foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestitures, rose 7%. That increase was driven by a 10% boost from higher pricing. But the Tide, Pampers and Gillette maker’s volume fell 3% as some shoppers traded down to cheaper alternatives. We aren’t concerned since some volume decline is to be expected given the magnitude of the price hikes. Management was able to strike a balance between delivering growth and the best value to customers through its premium products. JNJ YTD mountain Johnson & Johnson’s stock performance year to date. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)exhibited pricing power during the first quarter in its consumer business, which will be separated later this year and brought public as a standalone company called Kenvue. The unit sales increased 11.4% in Q1, driven by strong pricing actions and healthy demand across its product categories including over-the-counter, skin, health and beauty, and baby care, to name a few. Management during last week’s post-earnings call said its consumer unit, post-separation will be even more competitive. The company’s pharmaceuticals and medtech divisions, which drive a majority of revenue, will remain, and they will keep the Johnson & Johnson name. LIN YTD mountain Linde’s stock performance year to date. Industrial gas giant Linde (LIN) is our way to play decarbonization in an economy focused on clean energy initiatives, and it’s another Club holding that has pricing power. The company produces, processes, and sells different kinds of gases used in a variety of industries including healthcare manufacturing, food, beverage carbonation, steel making, and aerospace. Due to the complexity of the supply chain, Linde has the distinct advantage of contractually passing on additional costs to its customers. This prevents profits from being crunched by higher energy prices and allows Linde to deliver consistent future cash flow and strengthen its earnings power. In its latest earnings, out Thursday, the company said volumes were flat but its price and mix contributed 8% to the top line. Halliburton HAL YTD mountain Halliburton’s stock performance year to date. Halliburton (HAL) on Tuesday announced strong financial performance in the U.S., and international markets in Q1. Total revenue rose 33% year over year while earnings per share more than doubled on an annual basis. The top and bottom-line beats were accompanied by strong operating margin performance and operating cash flow. The oilfield services company has benefitted from an increase in inflation, which has partly resulted from higher energy prices this year. “Pricing continues to trend up for all product lines in all regions,” Halliburton CEO Jeffrey Miller said on the call. Sustained customer demand was also a crucial factor of growth for the quarter. Halliburton has exhibited strong pricing power due to massive demand from global end markets, benefitting from years of under-investment in drilling. AAPL YTD mountain Apple’s stock performance year to date. Apple (AAPL) is another Club holding with pricing strength. In addition to premium prices on its hardware devices, the iPhone maker increased its subscription rate for its streaming service by 40% in November 2022. The monthly price for Apple TV+ rose to $6.99 from its previous $4.99. When Apple TV+ was first rolled out, it only had a few shows and movies, and the price tier was a more affordable option. A few years after its 2019 launch, the platform now has a wider selection of documentaries, films, and TV series in many categories. At that time, the company also increased prices for its Apple Music service to $10.99 from the prior $9.99, in addition to its Apple One bundle service, which hosts these plans among other services to $16.95 from $14.95. When it reported its fiscal first quarter in February, Apple delivered a new record for Services revenue of $20.8 billion despite the difficult macroeconomic backdrop. Apple is out with its latest quarterly next week. MSFT YTD mountain Microsoft’s stock performance year to date. Earlier this year, Microsoft (MSFT) announced changes to global pricing for its cloud services, effective April 1. Microsoft’s cloud offerings, which include Microsoft 365 and Azure, are 9% more expensive in the U.K., and 15% more expensive for customers in the European Union. Microsoft said this price hike is an effort to “align the pricing of our Microsoft Cloud products globally.” Looking ahead, the company will “assess pricing in local currency as part of a regular twice-a-year cadence, taking into consideration currency fluctuations relative to USD [dollar].” While its cloud growth slowed during its fiscal third quarter , rising 27% compared with 31% growth in the prior quarter, the company said Azure took market share, attracting more customers to its AI-powered applications. CAT YTD mountain Caterpillar’s stock performance year to date. During its first-quarter earnings results, out Thursday, Caterpillar (CAT) delivered solid year-over-year revenue growth in each of its product segments, along with meaningful margin expansion. Management said the strength was driven by “favorable price realization and higher sales volume.” Its Construction Industries unit saw sales up 10% and profit margins grew to 26.5% from 17.3%, fueled by stronger pricing and strong demand in both residential and non-residential markets in the U.S. Caterpillar’s latest report shows how its business is benefitting from strategic pricing, which offset costs. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long PG, JNJ, LIN, HAL, AAPL, MSFT, CAT. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. 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A grocery cart sits in an aisle at a grocery store in Washington, DC, on February 15, 2023.
Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Pricing power is what’s allowing many companies — including seven of our Club holdings — to support revenue growth and enhance, or at the very least protect, profitability during an earnings season marked by a still-elevated inflationary environment.
Lucid’s electric minivan can outsprint the Chevy Corvette Z06, and it has more interior space than a Ford Explorer. Is the Lucid Gravity really the “ultimate uncompromising SUV?”
Lucid Gravity SUV is faster than a Corvette Z06
Lucid’s electric SUV is impressive inside and out. The Gravity provides up to 450 miles of driving range, ultra-fast charging (200 miles in under 11 mins), and it even offers up to 120 cubic feet of cargo space. That’s more than the Ford Explorer (87.8 cu ft).
It’s also faster than most sports cars. The Grand Touring trim has up to 845 hp, good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3.4 seconds, but the Dream Edition takes it to another level.
Powered by dual electric motors, the Lucid Gravity Dream Edition boasts 1,070 hp. To see how Lucid’s minivan stacks up against the competition, Car and Driver nabbed one for testing.
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On the test track, the Lucid’s minivan covered a quarter-mile in just 10.6 secs, beating a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to 150 mph by nearly three seconds.
According to Car and Driver, the Gravity didn’t just impress in the quarter-mile, “it was a beast in every acceleration metric.” Lucid’s SUV hit 30 mph in 1.4 seconds, 70 mph in 3.7 secs, and topped 100 mph in just 5.9 seconds.
Lucid Gravity Grand Touring (Source: Lucid)
Dave Vanderwerp, the testing director who took the Gravity for a spin, said the electric SUV “gets a sort of second wave of thrust starting around 60 mph.”
With a quarter-mile of just 10.6 secs, Lucid’s Gravity is the fastest SUV they have ever tested, beating out the Rivian Tri-Motor Max (11.1 secs), BMW iX M60 (11.5 secs), and Mercedes-AMG EQE53 SUV.
Lucid Gravity (Source: Lucid)
Although the Rivian’s 850 hp R1S Tri-Motor beat the Gravity to 60 mph, Lucid’s SUV sprinted ahead in the quarter-mile, traveling nearly 20 mph faster.
It was also faster than gas-powered super SUVs, including the Lamborghini Urus Performante (11.2 secs) and Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT (11.2 secs). However, they have yet to test a Tesla Model X Plaid, so that could change the game.
Lucid Gravity Dream Edition vs Audi RS Q8 Performance, Range Rover Sport SV, Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, Rivian R1S Quad, and Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid (Source: Hagerty)
In what it called the “1,000 hp mom missiles” drag race, Hagerty recently pitted the Gravity Dream Edition against the Audi RS Q8 Performance, Range Rover Sport SV, Porsche Macan Turbo Electric, Rivian R1S Quad, and Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
The result was a three-way tie between Lucid’s Gravity, the Porsche Panamera Turbo, and Rivian R1S Quad hitting the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds.
The Lucid Gravity is available to order starting at $94,900 in the US. Later this year, Lucid is launching the lower-priced Touring trim, priced from $79,900.
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Solar provided over 11% of total US electrical generation in May, while wind + solar produced over one-fifth, and the mix of all renewable energy sources generated nearly 30%, according to data just released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Solar continues to set new records
Solar continues to be the fastest-growing source of US electricity, according to EIA’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through May 31, 2025), which the SUN DAY Campaign reviewed.
In May alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar (>1-megawatt (MW)) increased by 33.3% year-over-year, while “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV increased by 8.9%. Combined, they grew by 26.4% and provided over 11% of US electrical output during the month.
For the first time ever, the mix of utility-scale and small-scale solar produced more electricity than wind: solar – 38,965 gigawatt-hours (GWh); wind – 36,907-GWh.
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Moreover, utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 39.8% while that from small-scale systems rose by 10.7% during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by 31.1% and was nearly 8.4% of total US electrical generation for January to May – up from 6.6% a year earlier.
Solar-generated electricity easily surpassed the output of US hydropower plants (6.1%). Solar now produces more electricity than hydropower, biomass, and geothermal combined.
Wind is also on the rise in 2025
Wind produced 12.2% of US electricity in the first five months of 2025. Its output was 3.9% greater than the year before, almost double that produced by hydropower.
During the first five months of 2025, electrical generation by wind + utility-scale and small-scale solar provided 20.5% of the US total, up from 18.7% during the first five months of 2024. Solar + wind accounted for nearly 21.5% of US electrical output in May alone.
During the first five months of this year, wind and solar provided 26.2% more electricity than coal, and 15.4% more than US nuclear power plants. In May alone, the disparity increased further when solar + wind outproduced coal and nuclear power by 55.7% and 22.1%, respectively.
All renewables produced almost 30% in May
The mix of all renewables – wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, geothermal – produced 9.7% more electricity in January to May than they did a year ago (7.6% more in May alone) and provided 28.1% of total US electricity production compared to 26.5% 12 months earlier.
Electrical generation by all renewables in May alone provided 29.7% of total US electrical generation. Renewables’ share of electrical generation is now second only to that of natural gas, whose electrical output actually dropped by 5.9% during the month.
“Solar and wind continue to grow, set new records, and outproduce both coal and nuclear power,” said Ken Bossong, the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director. “Consequently, the ongoing Republican assault against renewables is not only misguided and illogical but also a good example of shooting oneself in the foot.”
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s disturbing earnings, a new self-driving challenge, solid-state batteries, and more.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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