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Dividend Investing – Part 3
This week we feature our third and final part of our three part blog series on dividend investing. Part 3 [7] covers tracking dividend income in Stock Rover.
Economy
The U.S. Census Bureau reported [8] that total construction spending fell 1.9% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $2,186.1B, following an upwardly revised August estimate of $2,227.4B. The September figure stands 2.7% below the September 2025 estimate of $2,245.8B. The monthly decline was led by private construction, which fell 2.4% to $1,639.3B, driven by a 5.5% drop in private residential spending to $848.8B. Private nonresidential construction, meanwhile, increased 1.1% to $790.6B. Public construction edged down 0.1% to $546.8B, with highway construction declining 0.3% to $149.2B and educational construction virtually unchanged at $113.1B. On a year-to-date, not seasonally adjusted basis, construction spending totaled $1,649.6B through September, down 2.9% from the $1,698.6B recorded during the same period in 2025.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported [9] that the goods and services deficit narrowed to a seasonally adjusted $105.0B in September, a $0.7B improvement from an upwardly revised $105.7B in August. Exports increased 1.9% to $321.5B, driven by higher shipments of capital goods and foods, feeds, and beverages, while imports rose 1.2% to $426.6B on increases in capital goods and consumer goods. The goods deficit fell $0.7B to $135.9B, while the services surplus edged down less than $0.1B to $30.9B. Year-to-date, the overall deficit has narrowed by $92.4B, or 12.2%, compared with the same period in 2025, as exports grew $297.3B (11.6%) and imports increased $204.9B (6.2%). Regionally, the goods deficit with Mexico reached a substantial $28.7B, while the trade deficit with Taiwan widened by $3.6B to $21.9B in September, as U.S. exports to Taiwan rose slightly to $5.3B and imports climbed to $27.3B.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported [10] that total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 165,000 in October, following an upwardly revised September gain of 60,000. The unemployment rate was little changed at 4.1%, while the labor force participation rate edged up to 61.9%. Private-sector job gains totaled 159,000, led by professional and business services (+70,000) and health care (+42,000). Transportation and warehousing employment grew by 25,000, while manufacturing payrolls expanded by 19,000. The number of long-term unemployed remained essentially unchanged at 2.0M, representing 27.6% of the 7.1M unemployed workers. Average hourly earnings for private nonfarm employees increased 0.4% to $38.00, up 3.1% from a year earlier. Combined revisions to August and September added 84,000 jobs to previously reported payroll growth.
Upcoming Economic Reports:
Tuesday November 10 – CPI (MoM) (October)
Thursday November 12 – Existing Home Sales (MoM) (October)
Earnings Calendar: