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Applications for U.S. jobless benefits fell last week as the labor market remains sturdy ahead of an expected purge of federal government employees. The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell by 21,000 to 221,000 for the week ending March 1, the Labor Department said Thursday. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs, which have remained mostly in a range between 200,000 and 250,000 for years.

The sale comes as Tesla’s stock has lost a third of its value since President Donald Trump took office, amid a backlash against the EV maker’s CEO Elon Musk and a broadening trade war.

Restaurant company Cracker Barrel (NASDAQ:CBRL) announced better-than-expected revenue in Q4 CY2024, with sales up 1.5% year on year to $949.4 million. The company expects the full year’s revenue to be around $3.48 billion, close to analysts’ estimates. Its non-GAAP profit of $1.38 per share was 27.2% above analysts’ consensus estimates.

S&P said it expects the price cuts implemented in North America and Europe late last year coupled with affordability concerns from buyers to limit the automaker's volume growth and margin expansion in those markets. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave carmakers a one-month reprieve from his punishing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Stellantis thanked Trump for the tariff pause, and pledged to help the president's America First aim of building more cars in the United States.

Stocks trading between $10 and $50 can be particularly interesting as they frequently represent businesses that have survived their early challenges. However, investors should remain vigilant as some may still have unproven business models, leaving them vulnerable to the ebbs and flows of the broader market.

Consumer staples stocks are solid insurance policies in frothy markets ripe for corrections. The flip side is that they frequently fall behind growth industries when times are good, and this perception became a reality over the past six months as the sector was down 7.9% while the S&P 500 was up 7.9%.

Most consumer discretionary businesses succeed or fail based on the broader economy. Lately, it seems like demand trends have worked in their favor as the industry has returned 6.2% over the past six months, similar to the S&P 500.

Mid-cap stocks often strike the right balance between having proven business models and market opportunities that can support $100 billion corporations. However, they face intense competition from scaled industry giants and can be disrupted by new innovative players vying for a slice of the pie.

Many investors pay attention to mid-cap stocks because they have established business models and expansive market opportunities. However, their paths to becoming $100 billion corporations are ripe with competition, ranging from giants with vast resources to agile upstarts eager to disrupt the status quo.

Stocks in the $10-50 range offer a sweet spot between affordability and stability as they’re typically more established than penny stocks. But their headline prices don’t guarantee quality, and investors should exercise caution as some have shaky business models.