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Church & Dwight is the leading global producer of baking soda. Beyond baking soda, the products in its portfolio have vast category reach, including laundry products, cat litter, oral care, deodorant, and nasal care, all sold under the Arm & Hammer brand. Its mix also includes Batiste, OxiClean, Vitafusion, WaterPik, Hero, and TheraBreath, which together with Arm & Hammer constitute around 70% of its annual sales and profits. Even as it works to extend the reach of its products, Church & Dwight still derives more than 80% of its sales from its home market in the US.

Since its founding in 1806, Colgate-Palmolive has grown to become a leading player in the household and personal care arena. In addition to its namesake oral care line (which accounts for more than 40% of its total sales), the firm manufactures shampoos, shower gels, deodorants, and homecare products that are sold in over 200 countries. International sales account for about 70% of its total business, including approximately 45% from emerging regions. It also owns specialty pet food maker Hill's (around one fifth of sales), which primarily sells its products through veterinarians and specialty pet retailers.

Dollar General, based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, operates 20,500 discount stores across the United States and in Mexico. It generated $38.7 billion in sales in the fiscal year ended February 3, 2024. More than 80% of DG stores are in communities with populations of less than 20,000. Three quarters of the U.S. population lives within three miles of a Dollar General store. Total selling space is approximately 156 million square feet. DG is expanding its traditional store from 7,400 square feet to 8,500 or 9,500 to accommodate more refrigerators and a wider assortment. Sales were $263 per square foot in FY24. Stores sell everyday necessities that drive frequent visits. DG generates about 80% of sales from consumables such as cleaning supplies and over-the-counter medicines, and 10% of sales from seasonal products including toys. About 6% of sales come from home products such as light bulbs and storage containers and 4% from apparel. Most products are priced at $10 or less. The company's fiscal year ends on the Friday closest to January 31. The current year, which we call FY25, is a 52-week year ending on January 31, 2024. The company has about 170,000 employees.

U.S. stocks are higher across the board at midday on Friday, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite, and Russell 2000 all in the green. There is a wide range, however, with the DJIA up a mere 0.05% as of this writing while the Nasdaq is higher by a solid 1.31%. Earnings reports are driving the movement in stocks, but there is some 'other' news as well. The latest PCE and Core PCE reports, released a few hours ago, were as expected, while traders also seem relieved to see that the large-one day losses brought on by DeepSeek headlines have now been mostly fully recovered. On the cautious side, President Trump's February 1 deadline for possible tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China will inject some uncertainty in the minds of investors over the weekend.