It was a tough, choppy week for stocks, but the oversold market gave us many opportunities to put some of our cash to work selectively. The Club added to five of our positions. The S & P 500 made another attempt early Friday to break its six-session losing streak but failed. Growing fears around the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates higher for longer and escalating tensions in the Middle East overshadowed generally positive earnings. Club Director of Portfolio Analysis Jeff Marks said Friday, “We’re still waiting for that truly ugly open before stepping up our buys.” Until then, he said to “stay opportunistic but be gradual.” That was our approach last week. Here’s a day-by-day look at each of the trades. Monday Best Buy Bought 200 more shares of Best Buy Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust , the portfolio used by the CNBC Investing Club, owned 800 shares after the trade Best Buy’s weighting in the portfolio increased to 2% from 1.48% The Club purchased more shares of electronics retailer Best Buy on signs of improving fundamentals, specifically a rebound in personal computer sales. The PC market is embarking on an upgrade and replacement cycle, which should usher more demand for Best Buy’s offerings. Shares have been pressured since our March 27 initiation but not for anything that could ding our thesis. BBY YTD mountain Best Buy YTD Tuesday Tuesday was our busiest for trades, with adds to three companies: Oil and natural gas producer Coterra Energy , Mexican beer king Constellation Brands and Best Buy. Coterra Energy Bought 300 more shares of Coterra The portfolio held 2,900 shares after the trade Coterra’s weighting increased to 2.5% from 2.23% The Coterra trade was spurred by rising oil prices due to escalating tensions in the Mideast. The stock serves as a hedge in the portfolio against geopolitical uncertainty as Iran and Israel traded attacks by air, and the Israeli-Hamas war and Russia’s war in Ukraine continued. Coterra benefits from rising commodity prices. We know the company pivoted earlier this year to oil and lighter on nat gas, which has been under pressure. CTRA YTD mountain Coterra Energy YTD Constellation Brands Bought 25 more shares of Constellation The portfolio owned 375 shares after the trade Constellation’s weighting increased to 3.05% from 2.85% The Club added to Constellation Brands because we thought the beer maker’s stock was overly punished. Shares went on a four-session losing streak, starting one day after the company posted solid quarterly results . The pullback didn’t make sense to us. The April 11 earnings release detailed continued sales growth, along with an upbeat full-year outlook. In down markets, Constellation stock rose Thursday and Friday. STZ YTD mountain Constellation Brands (STZ) year-to-date performance Best Buy Bought 100 more shares of Best Buy The portfolio held 900 shares after this second trade of the week Best Buy’s weighting increased to 2.15% from 1.94% The Club purchased Best Buy stock for the second time in as many days — and for the third time since starting the position in late March. Wednesday Abbott Laboratories Bought 100 more shares of Abbott The portfolio owned 800 shares after the trade Abbott’s weighting increased to 2.8% from 2.45% Abbott posted stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings Wednesday, but the stock dropped 3%. We bought more on the weakness because the fiscal results indicated great things ahead for the fast-growing medtech company. We like that management raised Abbott’s full-year outlook for earnings and organic sales. ABT YTD mountain Abbott Laboratories (ABT) year-to-date performance Thursday Estee Lauder Bought 50 more shares of Estee Lauder The portfolio held 475 shares after the trade Estee Lauder’s weighting increased to 2.1% from 1.9% Estee Lauder shares have given back all of their gains since the cosmetic giant’s post-earnings advance back in February. At the time, CEO Fabrizio Freda said the firm had reached an “inflection point” and would return to profitability in the second half of 2024. On Thursday, we made a small buy of 50 shares and upgraded the stock to our buy-equivalent 1 rating — hoping we can trust management’s earlier optimism. Estee Lauder is set to report its latest quarter on May 1. EL YTD mountain Estee Lauder (EL) year-to-date performance (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long CTRA, BBY, STZ, EL, ABT. 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. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on April 1, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
It was a tough, choppy week for stocks, but the oversold market gave us many opportunities to put some of our cash to work selectively.
The Kia EV4 will be “delayed until further notice” in the US, according to a Kia rep and reported by InsideEVs. Kia said the change is because “market conditions for EVs have changed.”
The EV4 was expected to be released in 2026 at a price in the ~$30k range, entering Kia’s model like alongside the existing EV3 as the smaller, more affordable electric models below the EV6 and EV9. The EV4 will have the style of a boxy sedan, while the EV3 is a small SUV.
The EV3 is already available in Korea, Europe and other territories, but has not made it to the US (and may not ever).
Bringing that car to a US auto show with an official reveal suggested that the US would get access to this smart, more affordable Kia. And Kia said that the car would hit US roads in early 2026, which would have been just a few months from now.
Kia abruptly “delays” EV4’s introduction to the US
But now, a Kia rep has confirmed that the car won’t come to America after all, at least until further notice. Kia gave a statement to InsideEVs, saying:
“Kia’s full range of vehicles offers meaningful value and inspiring performance to customers. However, as market conditions for EVs have changed, the release of the upcoming EV4 electric sedan will be delayed until further notice.”
We reached out to Kia to confirm, and received the same statement back.
The reversal is a bit of a surprise, and we’re not sure why we’re hearing this today in particular. Heck, we wrote a story about the EV4 GT’s interior just a couple hours ago.
So, unfortunately it looks like Americans will have one less potential choice to get away from the land-yacht disease currently infecting our populace. For what it’s worth, the EV4 is still listed as “coming 2026” on Kia Canada’s website.
We’ve seen models get delayed suddenly before, and while Kia did not directly say that the model will never come to the US, the fate of other “delayed” EV models in the past does not give us significant hope. Usually, a “delay” like this ends up meaning that the car just won’t ever make it to US roads (see: VW ID.7, Gen 2 Kia Soul EV, Ram 1500 EV, and others).
While Kia did not state a specific reason for the reversal, it’s not hard to guess what some of the influences are.
Electrek’s Take – EV4 likely delayed due to US policy changes favoring higher costs, dirty air
Many companies have recently cited a claimed but not substantiated lack of EV demand in the US as reasons for delaying their EV ambitions. To be clear, EVs have seen a long string of consistent sales growth in the US, stretching back more than a decade (with only a few interruptions to that growth, the largest being the start of COVID).
But this likely drop in demand is hitting right around the same time the EV4 was supposed to launch in the US, so it’s not unreasonable for Kia to look at a market in a temporary downswing, especially when considering all the other factors laid out above (and the country’s current hostility to foreign investment, specifically investment from Kia’s partner company Hyundai), and wonder why they’ve gotten cold feet right now of all times.
While Kia didn’t lay out these reasons above in its statement, it sure seems likely that each of them could have had an effect on this decision.
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New data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) shows that the US solar supply chain has been fully reshored, with manufacturing capacity growing across every part of the solar and storage sector.
A US solar system from start to finish
With Hemlock’s new ingot and wafer facility coming online in Q3 2025, the US can now produce every major solar component domestically, from polysilicon to modules. According to SEIA, 65 new or expanded solar and storage factories have come online this year, bringing $4.5 billion in private investment to US communities.
However, SEIA warns that more than 100 factories and $31 billion in the pipeline could be at risk if the Trump administration continues its attacks on solar energy.
Solar manufacturing is booming – for now
The SEIA Solar & Storage Supply Chain Dashboard reports major capacity growth across every segment since late 2024. As of October 2025, US module production capacity has surpassed 60 gigawatts (GW), a 37% increase from December 2024. Solar cell production has more than tripled, jumping from 1 GW to 3.2 GW.
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Battery cell manufacturing for stationary storage has climbed to over 21 gigawatt-hours (GWh), which SEIA says is enough to power the city of Houston from sunset to sunrise.
“This growth is a testament to the power of American innovation,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA’s president and CEO. “We’re building factories, hiring American workers, and showing that solar energy means made-in-America energy.”
Inverter manufacturing, which converts solar power into usable electricity, has jumped nearly 50% since the end of 2024, rising from 19 GW to 28 GW of capacity. Mounting system production is also up 14%, with 23 new factories added since 2024.
A pipeline under political threat
The US solar pipeline remains strong, with 23 GW of new module capacity, 34 GW of cell capacity, 25 GW of inverter capacity, and 95 GWh of battery cell capacity either under construction or announced. But SEIA says that Trump administration policies, regulations, and trade actions are creating uncertainty that could hurt progress.
“We’re seeing strong growth today, but that momentum isn’t guaranteed,” Hopper said. “If the administration continues down this path, they risk driving investment overseas, stifling job creation, raising costs on consumers, and handing America’s manufacturing advantage to our competitors.
“If the administration does not reverse its harmful actions that have undermined market certainty, energy costs will rise even further, and the next wave of factories and jobs could be at risk.”
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.
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Kia’s electric hot hatch will be here before you know it. After getting a sneak peek of the EV4 GT’s interior for the first time, it looks a bit familiar.
First look at the Kia EV4 GT’s interior
Kia’s bringing the hatchback back in style. The EV4 is Kia’s first all-electric hatchback, also available as a sedan or fastback.
Although it’s already pretty cool-looking with Kia’s new design elements like the Digital Tiger Face grille, Star Map Lighting, and aggressive stance, the GT version promises even more style, performance, and fun features.
Kia revealed the electric hot hatch for the first time earlier this week, showcasing its new GT Wrap. The new foil design “infuses models in development with the energy and attitude that define Kia’s GT production models.”
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By reimagining the Gran Turismo for a new generation of drivers, Kia said it’s bridging the gap between its heritage and future innovation. The GT Wrap will be used for a new generation of Kia performance vehicles. It still features the signature neon color, which has become a “symbol of electricity,” Kia said.
Now, we are getting our first look at the interior. The video from HealerTV offers a closer look at the EV4 GT’s interior, free of camouflage.
Right off the bat, you can see this is clearly a Kia GT. It has about the same setup as the EV9 GT and EV6 GT, including the steering wheel, infotainment, and seat design.
Kia EV9 GT interior (Source: Kia)
The EV4 GT’s interior is essentially a blend of the regular EV4 and the EV9 GT. One slight difference is that the GT’s armrest has storage space rather than just a flat surface.
The back seats also look about the same as Kia’s other GT models. It appears to include ambient lighting on the door panel and back of the driver’s seat, like the EV9 GT.
Kia EV4 GT prototype with “GT Wrap” design (Source: Kia)
Although it has similar features, HealerTV noted that the EV4 GT still has a unique interior and decent design, which should help differentiate it. According to Autocar, which saw it firsthand, the interior “received a significant makeover” with lower-sitting seats, neon green accent colors throughout, and an added GT Mode button on the steering wheel.
Like Kia’s other GT vehicles, the electric hot hatch will be equipped with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive (AWD) powertrain with around 400 horsepower.
The EV4 GT will launch in 2026, joining the EV6 GT and EV9 GT in Kia’s expanding performance EV lineup. Looking ahead, the EV3 and EV5 are also in line for a GT upgrade.
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