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15 Industrial Stocks That Can Manufacture Gains in 2018

Leave it to television-star-turned-President Donald Trump to time the unveiling of a massive infrastructure spending plan for maximum effect. The stock market is on its heels, having fallen more than 11% from its late January high and still down 8% from that peak. However, the president on Feb. 12 unveiled a plan that could spark $1.5 trillion in infrastructure spending nationwide, reminding investors of why they began pouring into stocks two Novembers ago and putting a jolt into industrial stocks.

In the same sense the market peeled back from its highs for no real good reason (other than valuation concerns, finally), the spending proposal doesn't inherently make stocks worth more today than they were worth less than a week ago, when they were getting thumped. It's mostly a psychological game won by traders willing to buy on the big dips we see in the mist of economic strength.

That's how Sven Balzer, Head of Investment Strategy at private banking and investment management firm Coutts, sees the setback. "In our view, this is a short-term correction driven by technical factors rather than concerns about the underlying economic picture or corporate health," he says. "Significant declines in equities are almost always associated with a U.S. recession. Our research indicates a very low probability of this happening while the economic cycle is in expansion mode, and the U.S. Federal Reserve also says the likelihood of a recession is low."

Now that recession seems even less likely. The economy still is humming and the nation's factories almost as busy as they've been at any point in the past 20 years. With the potential for an infrastructure spending tailwind in place, it might be wise to add a little more industrial exposure to your portfolio than you've had in recent years. Here's a list of 15 industrial stocks to get you started on your search.

Caterpillar

Getty Images

Market value: $89.6 billion

Dividend yield: 2.1%

"If growth continues the, $149.21) is it."

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