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The major indices are lower at midday. The labor market showed signs of strength last month. Nonfarm payrolls surprised, coming in at 162,000 for August, above expectations of 53,000 and last month's decline of 23,000. The unemployment rate stayed steady at 4.1%. The strong labor market added to the elevated inflation data in last week have bumped up odds of a rate hike to 60% at the next Fed meeting later this month. Crude oil is at $90 per barrel. The yield on the 10-year note is at 4.79%.

Vulcan Materials is the nation's largest supplier of construction aggregates, and a major producer of asphalt mix and ready-mixed concrete. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The company operates primarily in the U.S., with operations in 22 states, as well as in Mexico, Columbia, Canada, and Honduras. Founded in 1909, Vulcan Materials has approximately 11,000 employees. VMC shares are a component of the S&P 500.

Solstice Advanced Materials is a diversified specialty chemicals company created in late 2025 after being spun off from Honeywell. It sells chemicals and materials to a wide range of end markets. Its largest product category is refrigerants used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and autos, where Solstice sells low global warming potential refrigerants. The company also sells materials used for building and construction, semiconductor production, healthcare packaging, and defense. Additionally, Solstice runs the only US uranium conversion business currently in operation.

The Vickers Top Insider Picks is a daily report that utilizes a proprietary algorithm to identify 25 companies with compelling insider purchase histories based on transactions over the past three months.