July 2025’s Dow Jones Winners: These 2 Stocks Crushed the Competition

Wall Street's blue-chip index had two clear standouts last month—while the rest lumbered like a boomer watching Bitcoin hit ATH.

The Contenders That Didn't Flop

Forget 'steady eddies'—these picks delivered returns so juicy they'd make a DeFi yield farmer blush. No names dropped here (this isn't your uncle's stock tips WhatsApp group), but let's just say one rhymes with 'Nvidia' and the other's ticker could double as a license plate for a Lambo.

Why Traditional Investors Are Panicking

When old-school industrials start pumping like memecoins, you know the suits are sweating. Bonus cynicism: Somewhere, a hedge fund manager is still explaining why 'blockchain is just a fad' between sips of his $28 artisanal oat milk latte.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Caterpillar

's (CAT -2.01%) shares increased 12.8% during the month, making it the index's top gainer. The company, part of the industrial sector, manufactures products such as construction and mining equipment, natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines.

While there wasn't any specific news that drove the increase, the market appears to have reacted positively to recent tariff agreements that imposed less severe levies than those previously bandied about by the TRUMP administration. At the end of April, before any deals were reached, management stated that tariffs could increase Caterpillar's costs by $350 million in the second quarter.

Caterpillar will report second-quarter results on Aug. 5.

2. Nvidia

's (NVDA -2.26%) stock price performance finished a close second, increasing 12.6% in July. The company's products are widely used in games, data centers, and autos.

It's created solutions for generative artificial intelligence (AI), and that's been rewarding for the company and shareholders. Last month's stock price MOVE was partly due to the Trump administration reversing its previous policy and approving Nvidia's sale of H20 chips to China. These are used for AI applications.

There have also been ongoing trade discussions between the U.S. and Chinese governments. Any easing of tensions could prove beneficial to Nvidia.

The company reported fiscal first-quarter results, which ended on April 27, at the end of May. Revenue grew 69% year over year to $44.1 billion.

Nvidia has scheduled its second-quarter earnings release for Aug. 27.