market commentary

Over the past few years, I’ve been steadily adding **Hess Midstream** (ticker: HESM) to my portfolio. And let me tell you—this high-yield midstream oil and gas stock has been a surprise outperformer. I wish I had caught it earlier.

PepsiCo (ticker: PEP), the iconic parent of Pepsi, Gatorade, Lay’s, Doritos, and more, is trading at one of the steepest discounts in recent memory. The stock has fallen 33% from its all-time high and is down more than 20% just over the past year.

When it comes to investing, timing is everything—but not in the way most people think. It’s not about catching the stock price at its exact bottom. It’s about recognizing the trough of the earnings cycle and positioning yourself before the recovery takes hold. Case in point: what happened around the end of 2009.

Markets saw a mixed session yesterday—tech closed slightly higher, while utilities and energy sectors pulled back. That dip in utilities? Chalk it up to U.S. treasury yields, which are now sitting just above 5%. Utilities often serve as bond proxies, and when treasury yields climb, investors look to rebalance. Something to keep on your radar as rising rates could cast a longer shadow.