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New Jersey Resources is an energy services holding company with regulated and nonregulated operations. Its regulated utility, New Jersey Natural Gas, delivers natural gas to nearly 600,000 customers in the state. NJR's nonregulated businesses include solar investments primarily in New Jersey and investments in several large midstream natural gas projects.

Essential Utilities Inc., formerly Aqua America, Inc., operates regulated utilities that provide water, wastewater, and natural gas services in the United States, with subsidiaries serving approximately six million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia. In addition to its water/wastewater utilities, the company purchased the Peoples natural gas distribution utility in March 2020. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, WTRG is the one of the largest regulated water utilities in the U.S. and has been in operation for over 135 years. The company has over 3,200 employees. The shares are a component of the S&P 400 Midcap Index.

AES Corp., based in Arlington, Virginia, is an independent global power company. In addition, the company owns three regulated utilities in the U.S. It generates approximately 32,000 megawatts of electricity. AES has operations in 15 countries, including the United States, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, India, and Bulgaria and has about 9,000 employees. The AES shares are a component of the S&P 500.

Since 1980, December has among the highest batting average -- or winning percentage of positive stock-market performances -- of any month. The S&P 500 rises in December 73% of the time, compared to an average of 63% for all other months. The other top months for stocks are November (73%, including a 4.5% increase in 2024) and April and May (both 71%). On average in December, stocks have risen 1.3%. The best Decembers have been 1991 (+11.2%), 1987 (+7.3%), 2010 (+6.5%), 1999 (+5.8%), and 1998 (+5.6%). Last year wasn't bad, with a 4.8% advance. There have been clunkers, such as 1980 (-3.4%), 1981 (-3.0%), 1986 (-2.8%), and 2018 (-9.2%). The month usually starts fast, coming off a PCE inflation reading and ahead of the Nonfarm Payrolls report. The Fed will be meeting in the month and we expect one more rate cut this year as inflation eases. Many companies will hold Investor Conferences and provide initial outlooks for 2025. As the second half of the month approaches, volume will tail off and thinly-traded market sectors could become more volatile. Sell-offs may present opportunities for generating tax losses or for buying quality stocks on sale (for long-term investors).