Rate Cut Buzz Grows: Are These ETFs Gearing Up For A Fed Pivot?
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Aug 07 2025
0mins
Source: Benzinga
Market Shift to Defensive Sectors: As the U.S. labor market shows signs of weakness and discussions about rate cuts increase, investors are moving towards stable sectors like consumer staples, utilities, and real estate, with ETFs in these areas gaining popularity.
Fed's Cautious Stance on Rate Cuts: Recent comments from Fed officials highlight concerns over slowing job growth and inflation trends, suggesting that while core inflation is cooling, a policy shift may occur if economic conditions worsen, potentially benefiting defensive sector ETFs.
Analyst Views on DUK
Wall Street analysts forecast DUK stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DUK is 136.31 USD with a low forecast of 126.00 USD and a high forecast of 150.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
13 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
5 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 117.710
Low
126.00
Averages
136.31
High
150.00
Current: 117.710
Low
126.00
Averages
136.31
High
150.00
About DUK
Duke Energy Corporation is an energy holding company. The Company operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I) and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment conducts operations primarily through the regulated public utilities of Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, Duke Energy Florida, Duke Energy Indiana and Duke Energy Ohio. EU&I provides retail electric service through the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity to customers within the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States. The GU&I segment conducts natural gas operations primarily through the regulated public utilities of Piedmont, Duke Energy Ohio, and Duke Energy Kentucky. GU&I serves residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation natural gas customers, including customers served by municipalities who are wholesale customers. It also purchases a diverse portfolio of transportation and storage services from interstate pipelines.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.








