Infrastructure stocks took off late this week as a bill backed by President Joe Biden cleared another key hurdle.
Late Wednesday, the Senate voted to advance the infrastructure bill, which includes $550 billion in new spending for such projects as moving the country to clean energy reliance, building roads and rails and expanding internet access.
The PAVE ETF, whose stocks include Deere and Union Pacific, rose more than 1% on Thursday on the heels of that progress.
While the bill has a way to go with the details still unknown, any influx of spending could have an outsized impact on industrials, materials and utilities stocks. CNBC’s “Trading Nation” asked its traders on Thursday about what companies they see as key beneficiaries.
“There’s a lot of ways to play this,” said Gina Sanchez, CEO of Chantico Global and chief market strategist at Lido Advisors. She pointed to the PAVE or IFRA infrastructure ETFs as two broad ways to gain exposure.
But her favorite way to play the space is through the materials sector.
“They have been putting one foot in front of the other to the tune of over 30% this year, and so you could play the broad materials ETF or you could play specific names like BHP Billiton or Cleveland-Cliffs. …These are steel names, and you need steel, you need aggregates, Vulcan Materials, and so those are the kinds of names that we’re looking at right now to sort of really get ahead of this trade,” she said.
JC O’Hara, chief market technician at MKM Partners, said “follow the money” by investing in the areas where the most funds are earmarked within the bill.
“We found two key segments that we want to explore further — first, power infrastructure. A big portion of money is allocated to this, so you have to look at utilities, and the second portion is water. We have $50 billion for water infrastructure proposed at this time, another $55 billion for replacing all the country’s lead pipes, so that’s a big chunk of this bill,” O’Hara said.
There’s one name in particular that stands out to O’Hara — American Water Works, a $31 billion utilities company that has gained 11% in July.
“If you look at the chart, there has been strong accumulation over the last 12 months. This week, the utilities are breaking out to new highs, so technically very sound. And finally, this utility sports a decent dividend yield in line with the U.S. 10-year, but what we like about this is the dividend growth growing at 10% a year,” said O’Hara.
American Water yields 1.4%, slightly better than the S&P 500. The stock has underperformed the S&P 500 this year, but has picked up steam in the past month.
Leading yard operation 3PL YMX Logistics has announced plans to deploy fully twenty (20) of Orange EV’s fully electric Class 8 terminal trucks at a number of distribution and manufacturing sites across North America.
As the shipping and logistics industries increasingly move to embrace electrification, yard operations have proven to be an almost ideal use case for EVs, enabling companies like Orange EV, which specialize in yard hostlers or terminal tractors, to drive real, impactful change. To that end, companies like YMX are partnering with Orange EV.
“This relationship between YMX and Orange EV is a significant step forward in transforming yard operations across North America,” said Matt Yearling, CEO of YMX Logistics. “Besides the initial benefits of reduction in emissions and carbon footprint, our customers are also seeing improvements in the overall operational efficiency and seeking to expand. Our team members have also been sharing positive feedback about their new equipment and highlighting the positive impact on their health and day-to-day activities.”
This Orange looks good in blue
One of the most interesting aspects of this story – beyond the Orange EV HUSK-e XP’s almost unbelievable 180,000 lb. GCWR spec. – is that this isn’t a story about California’s ports, which mandate EVs. Instead, YMX is truly deploying these trucks throughout the country, with at least four currently in Chicago (and more on the way).
“Our collaboration with YMX Logistics represents a powerful stride in delivering sustainable yard solutions at scale for enterprise customers,” explains Wayne Mathisen, CEO of Orange EV. “With rising demand for electric yard trucks, our joint efforts ensure that more companies can access the environmental, financial, and operational benefits of electrification … this is a win for the planet, the workforce, and the bottom line of these organizations.”
We interviewed Orange EV founder Kurt Neutgens on The Heavy Equipment Podcast a few months back, but if you’re not familiar with these purpose-built trucks, it’s worth a listen.
On today’s thrilling episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got the all-new Hyundai IONIQ 9 and its “a “rolling living room” pivoting captain’s chairs, Kia gets a go-fast 7 passenger SUV and an updated EV6, while Honda announces plans to start producing solid-state batteries at its new facility in just a few weeks.
We’ve also got big news for American workers – a Minnesota power company is ditching coal for solar while ExxonMobil and LG Chem get to work extracting thousands of tons of lithium out of Tennessee’s soil.
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations sitewide. Learn more by clicking here.
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Arevon Energy has kicked off operations at Vikings Solar-plus-Storage – one of the US’s first utility-scale solar peaker plants.
The $529 million project in Imperial County, California, near Holtville, features 157 megawatts of solar power paired with 150 megawatts/600 megawatt hours of battery storage.
Vikings Solar-plus-Storage is designed to take cheap daytime solar power and store it for use during more expensive peak demand times, like late afternoons and evenings. The battery storage system can quickly respond to changes in demand, helping tackle critical grid needs.
Vikings leverages provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that support affordable clean energy, strengthen grid resilience, boost US manufacturing, and create good jobs.
The Vikings project has already brought significant benefits to the local area. It employed over 170 people during construction, many local workers, and boosted nearby businesses like restaurants, hotels, and stores. On top of that, Vikings will pay out more than $17 million to local governments over its lifespan.
“Vikings’ advanced design sets the standard for safe and reliable solar-plus-storage configurations,” said Arevon CEO Kevin Smith. “The project incorporates solar panels, trackers, and batteries that showcase the growing strength of US renewable energy manufacturing.”
The project includes Tesla Megapack battery systems made in California, First Solar’s thin-film solar panels, and smart solar trackers from Nextracker. San Diego-based SOLV Energy handled the engineering, procurement, and construction work.
San Diego Community Power (SDCP) will buy the energy from the Vikings project under a long-term deal, helping power nearly 1 million customer accounts. SDCP and Arevon have also signed an agreement for the 200 MW Avocet Energy Storage Project in Carson, California, which will start construction in early 2025.
Vikings is named after the Holtville High School mascot, and Arevon is giving back to the local community by funding scholarships for deserving Holtville High students.
Arevon is a major renewable energy developer across the US and a key player in California, with nearly 2,500 MW in operation and more than 1,250 MW under construction.
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