Welcome to Markets Desk, here's what's moving the needle this afternoon.
Caterpillar is trading above eight hundred dollars a share, and analysts are making the case it could reach one thousand by two thousand twenty eight. The industrial giant has raised its dividend for thirty two consecutive years, a signal of deep balance sheet discipline, and infrastructure demand both domestically and abroad continues to give the stock a durable earnings floor.
Shifting to a name that's been taking hits, SoundHound AI is down forty one percent this year, and investors are now weighing whether that selloff has created an entry point or simply reflects a business still searching for scale. Revenue growth has been robust in percentage terms, but the stock's decline suggests the market wants proof that growth translates into a sustainable path toward profitability before it extends any further trust.
And on the retirement planning front, there's a straightforward but often ignored case for waiting until seventy to claim Social Security. Delayed claiming locks in the highest possible monthly benefit for life, which matters most in a long retirement, and for married couples it can meaningfully protect a surviving spouse from outliving their income.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
