This Airline is Flying Higher than the Rest

One airline has quietly become the standout winner of 2025, leaving rivals trailing as its shares climb to a 30-month high. 

With profits expected to accelerate on new pricing initiatives, the market is starting to price in a very different earnings trajectory.

Transition Risk (Sponsored)

Political transitions historically increase uncertainty—and this cycle is no exception.

Tariff expansion is reviving crash-risk conversations across Wall Street.

Asset protection strategies are gaining attention as volatility accelerates.

Ignoring structural risk has consequences during regime shifts.

Awareness precedes action.

No guarantees are implied.

This content is not a recommendation to buy or sell.

Download the FREE Presidential Transition Guide now.

Never Miss a Stock Recommendation Again!

We now send our dividend picks right to your phone via text, so you’ll get the same actionable moves without having to open your inbox.

Banking

When Institutional Finance Starts Pulling Crypto In

JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) is actively evaluating whether to expand into direct crypto trading and crypto-linked derivatives for institutional clients, marking a clear escalation in the bank's view of digital assets. This is not framed as an experiment or a marketing move, but as a response to client demand, as U.S. crypto rules settle into a framework within which banks can operate.

The focus is firmly institutional. Asset managers, hedge funds, and large allocators want crypto exposure inside familiar, regulated banking channels, and JPMorgan is deciding whether to meet that demand directly.

Crypto Starts Looking Like Financial Plumbing

JPMorgan's interest matters because of its scale. When a bank this large studies trading access, crypto shifts from an outsider market to an infrastructure that needs custody, liquidity management, and risk controls.

At that point, you stop debating legitimacy and start debating implementation. The conversation shifts from hype to balance sheets, compliance, and execution.

The Stack Is Already Half Built

The bank is not starting from zero. Blockchain settlement systems, internal digital payment rails, and crypto collateral frameworks are already in place.

Exploring trading completes the loop from experimentation to participation. If JPMorgan moves ahead, then crypto plugs directly into mainstream capital markets, and you can see how digital assets start behaving less like a side bet and more like regulated financial plumbing controlled by institutions that already run the system.

JPM currently trades at $327 and pays a dividend of $6.00 per share, a yield of 1.83%.

Enterprise

A Decade-Long Bet Starts Paying Off

IBM (NYSE: IBM) is pulling further ahead in quantum computing as the race for post-AI dominance heats up across tech and government circles. While startups chase breakthroughs and platforms juggle priorities, IBM is executing like quantum already matters now, not someday.

Quantum investment has exploded, expectations are rising, and timelines are compressing. When you look past the noise, IBM stands out because it already runs real systems, real roadmaps, and real enterprise access, and you can feel the gap forming.

Systems Built To Scale, Not Impress

IBM’s superconducting qubit strategy has moved from lab curiosity to infrastructure. Quantum System Two is live, modular, and designed to scale processor count while improving error performance over time.

That matters because scaling is where most projects stall. When you build for repeatability, you stop chasing demos and start building capacity.

The Full Stack Advantage Shows Up Early

IBM controls the hardware, software, orchestration, and cloud delivery layer end to end. Developers and enterprises are already building workloads today, and you see ecosystem gravity forming faster than rivals expect.

Every deployment compounds experience, tooling, and trust. As quantum edges closer to practical advantage, you are watching IBM convert patience into momentum, and that lead is getting harder to catch.

IBM currently trades at $304.00 and pays a dividend of $6.72 per share, a yield of 2.21%.

30-Day Window (Sponsored)

We’re sharing a free copy of our brand-new report: 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.

For decades, our objective, mathematical stock prediction system has delivered market-beating results, identifying trades with exceptional potential.

This report uncovers the 7 highest-potential stocks from our top-rated selections — fewer than 5% of all stocks qualify.

These could be the most exciting short-term trades in your portfolio.

Act now — download your free copy and be ready for the next move.

[Get the Free Report]

*This free resource is being sent by Zacks. We identify investment resources you may choose to use in making your own decisions. Use of this resource is subject to the Zacks Terms of Service.
*Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investing involves risk. This material does not constitute investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Zacks Investment Research is not a licensed dealer, broker, or investment adviser.

Energy

Chevron’s Venezuela Long Game Suddenly Looks Very Smart

Chevron (NYSE: CVX) is finding itself in a rare strategic position as global energy politics harden and supply security climbs the priority list. What once looked like a risky hold inside Venezuela is now emerging as a source of leverage that no other major oil company can match.

For nearly twenty years, Chevron stayed put while others exited under pressure from sanctions, instability, and Washington tensions. That patience left the company as the only international oil major with sustained operational access to the world’s largest proven crude reserves.

The Only Player Still Inside the System

Chevron continues producing roughly 200,000 barrels per day through Venezuelan joint ventures, with crude flowing directly to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries. At a time when supply chains are fragile, that continuity matters more than headlines.

No matter how Venezuela’s future unfolds, oil exports sit at the center of any economic path forward. If sanctions ease, exports accelerate. If politics shift, rebuilding production comes first, and Chevron is already there, which is where you see the advantage form.

Optionality Becomes Power

Operating at the intersection of sanctions, diplomacy, and energy markets carries real risk. But uncertainty cuts both ways, especially when competitors face barriers just to reenter.

Chevron holds infrastructure, regulatory familiarity, and operational muscle that cannot be rebuilt overnight. As geopolitics tighten, optionality turns into real leverage, and that is where you feel how years of staying put quietly convert into power.

CVX currently trades at $149 and pays a dividend of $6.84 per share, a yield of 4.56%.

Dividend Stocks Worth Watching

Visa (NYSE: V) says holiday spending has surged by more than 4.2% year-on-year. The credit card firm tracked payments across its network from November 01. Much of the activity was focused in-store, with e-commerce accounting for just 27% of holiday spending.

In an analysis of spending habits, Visa's principal economist highlighted the growing use of AI, with shoppers increasingly using the technology to help with gift ideas and price comparisons. Electronics was the best-performing category overall, with 5.3% growth, while general retailers grew 3.7%. 

V pays a 67-cent quarterly dividend, yielding 0.76%. 

BP Plc (NYSE: BP) has sold its majority stake in the oil brand Castrol to the New York investment firm, Stonepeak, for $6 billion. The sale means BP has liquidated 65% of its ownership and retains a 35% stake, while also acquiring an injection of capital to pay down debts. 

The sale means that BP is one step closer to refocusing on its core crude oil and gas business. It is the latest in an almost year-long divestment strategy, following plans announced back in February to shed around $20bn in assets.

BP pays a 50-cent quarterly dividend, yielding 5.83%. 

Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has pulled clear of the pack in 2025, with shares up nearly 24%, making it the strongest-performing US passenger airline overall. 

The move is even more striking when set against rivals. Industry profit leaders Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are both up around 17% in 2025, leaving Southwest firmly in the lead. The stock is trading at a 30-month high and is expected to soar next year due to the introduction of new revenue streams, such as assigned seating and extra-legroom charges. Analysts expect LUV adjusted earnings per share to rise above $4 in 2026. 

LUV currently pays an 18-cent quarterly dividend, yielding 1.74%. 

Early Momentum (Sponsored)

Every market cycle produces a select group of companies that drastically outperform the rest.

The latest screening has pinpointed the 5 Stocks Set to Double, each showing rare traits linked to early stage momentum.

These names carry the same type of indicators that have historically appeared ahead of strong rallies.

Earlier reports featured stocks that delivered +175%, +498%, and +673%.

Get the Free 5 Stocks Set to Double Report.

*This free resource is being sent by Zacks. We identify investment resources you may choose to use in making your own decisions. Use of this resource is subject to the Zacks Terms of Service.
*Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investing involves risk. This material does not constitute investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Zacks Investment Research is not a licensed dealer, broker, or investment adviser.

Poll: Which of these would you secretly want as your paycheck?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Upcoming Dividend Payers

ARCC’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming 48-cent payment is 12/30/25.

UNP’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming $1.38 payment is 12/30/25.

AVGO’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming 65-cent payment is 12/31/25.

LTC’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming 19-cent payment is 12/31/25. 

PLD’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming $1.01 payment is 12/31/25.

WU’s ex-dividend date for the forthcoming 23-cent payment is 12/31/25.

Everything Else

That’s all for today’s edition of the Dividend Brief.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any feedback or dividend stocks you want me to take a look at, just reply to this email!

—Noah Zelvis
DividendBrief.com