What Happened?

A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after an unexpectedly sharp rise in wholesale inflation fueled concerns about rising costs and their impact on corporate profits. The primary catalyst was the July 2025 Producer Price Index (PPI), a measure of inflation at the wholesale level, which jumped 0.9% against forecasts of a 0.2% rise. This represents the most significant monthly increase in over three years, pointing to mounting cost pressures for manufacturers, with tariffs cited as a key factor. This data complicates the Federal Reserve's upcoming interest rate decisions, as persistent inflation may prevent rate cuts, creating a headwind for cyclical sectors like Industrials.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.

Among others, the following stocks were impacted:

• Heavy Transportation Equipment company Wabash (NYSE: WNC) fell 3.1%. Is now the time to buy Wabash? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Specialty Equipment Distributors company Alta (NYSE: ALTG) fell 3.3%. Is now the time to buy Alta? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Home Construction Materials company Quanex (NYSE: NX) fell 3.3%. Is now the time to buy Quanex? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Home Construction Materials company Trex (NYSE: TREX) fell 3.1%. Is now the time to buy Trex? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Building Materials company UFP Industries (NASDAQ: UFPI) fell 3.1%. Is now the time to buy UFP Industries? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.

Zooming In On Alta (ALTG)

Alta’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 55 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 2 days ago when the stock gained 5.3% on the news that an in-line inflation report fueled hopes for interest rate cuts and the U.S. and China agreed to extend their tariff truce. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key measure of inflation, came in largely as expected, holding steady at 2.7% year-over-year. This reading boosted investor optimism that the Federal Reserve will have room to lower interest rates at its next meeting, which could reduce borrowing costs for companies and consumers. Adding to the positive sentiment, the U.S. and China extended their tariff truce for another 90 days. This development alleviates concerns about renewed trade tensions, which is a significant relief for industrial companies reliant on global supply chains and international sales. Together, these events create a favorable outlook for economic growth, benefiting cyclical sectors like industrials.

Alta is up 28.1% since the beginning of the year, and at $8.39 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $8.62 from July 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Alta’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $938.48.

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