Rover’s Weekly Market Brief – 10/17/2025

How to Research a Stock in Stock Rover – Part III

This is the third of a three part blog series designed to show you how to effectively use Stock Rover to research a stock. Part III ^[1] does a deep dive into price performance and technicals using the Charting Facility.

Economy

The October release of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book reported ^[2] that Economic activity was largely unchanged since the previous report, with three Districts seeing slight to modest growth, five showing no change, and four noting slight declines. Consumer spending edged down, especially in retail, though auto sales rose in some areas due to strong demand for electric vehicles ahead of a federal tax credit expiration. International travel demand fell, while domestic spending was steady, with luxury travel remaining strong among higher-income consumers. Lower- and middle-income households continued to seek deals amid high prices and uncertainty. Manufacturing conditions were mixed but generally challenged by tariffs and weaker demand. Activity in agriculture, energy, and transportation declined. Financial and real estate sectors showed mixed results, with some improvements in business lending due to lower interest rates. Economic outlooks varied, with some expecting moderate growth, while many remained cautious due to ongoing uncertainty, including risks from a potential prolonged government shutdown.

The latest report ^[3] from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve showed that the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index fell sharply to -12.8 in October, down 36 points from the previous month, marking its lowest level since April. This indicates a renewed contraction in regional manufacturing activity, despite a notable rise in new orders, which climbed 6 points to 18.2. Shipments also remained positive at 6.0, though down significantly from last month, while employment continued to grow modestly. Price pressures intensified, with the prices paid index jumping to 49.2 and prices received rising to 26.8, reflecting ongoing inflationary challenges. Despite current weakness, future expectations improved, with the future general activity index rising to 36.2 and future new orders and shipments indexes also showing strength. Capital spending plans increased, particularly for computer and related hardware, noncomputer equipment, and software, though most firms expect spending levels to remain steady across other categories.

For the week ending October 10, 2025, U.S. crude oil refinery inputs dropped ^[4] sharply by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to 15.1 million bpd, with refinery utilization falling to 85.7%. Gasoline production decreased to 9.4 million bpd, while distillate fuel output declined by 577,000 bpd to 4.6 million bpd. Crude oil imports dropped by 878,000 bpd to 5.5 million, bringing the four-week average to 6.1 million bpd, 2.4% below the same period last year. Commercial crude inventories rose by 3.5 million barrels to 423.8 million, about 4% below the five-year average this time last year. Gasoline stocks edged down 0.3 million barrels and remain slightly below the five year average, while distillate inventories fell 4.5 million barrels and sit 7% below the five year average. Propane/propylene inventories increased by 1.9 million barrels to 11% above the five-year average for this time of year. Total commercial petroleum inventories rose by 1.7 million barrels.

Upcoming Economic Reports:

Thursday October 23 – Initial Jobless Claims

Friday October 24 – CPI MOM (September)

Earnings Calendar:

 

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
WR Berkley (WRB)	Netflix (NFLX)	Tesla (TSLA)	Union Pacific (UNP)	HCA Healthcare (HCA)
BOK Financial (BOKF)	Coca-Cola (KO)	SAP (SAP)	Honeywell Intl (HON)	Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH)