In this market, there are several “overlooked gems” that provide good opportunities — and pay dividends, according to ClearBridge Investments’ Michael Clarfeld. Stocks have been volatile this summer, with artificial-intelligence companies swinging up and down, depending on shifting investor views of infrastructure spending. Treasury yields have also weighed on stocks, with the 30-year bond yield climbing to a 19-year high last week before dipping back down. Yields declined on Monday after CNBC reported the Treasury Department could use its General Account to help fund increased purchases of government bonds. Despite the rocky summer, though, the market remains near their all-time highs. The S & P 500 closed at a new record of 7,798.99 on Aug. 13. And while there have been some periods when the bull market has broadened out to include more stocks, the market remains heavily concentrated in mega-cap technology companies. “The longer these things go on, like this market concentration and momentum, we get lulled into losing our perspective on how extreme the situation is,” said Clarfeld, portfolio manager in charge of ClearBridge’s dividend strategy. The funds he manages include ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund (SOPAX) and Franklin ClearBridge Enhanced Income ETF (YLDE). The former, rated four stars by Morningstar , yields 1.96% and has a 1% expense ratio. The latter boasts a 1.93% yield and 0.48% expense ratio. So far this year, both are slightly underperforming the S & P 500, which yields 1.02%. SOPAX YTD mountain ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund year to date Historical data shows that periods of narrow, momentum-driven markets are typically followed by periods of broader market participation — when dividend-growth portfolios excel, Clarfeld noted. ‘Pretty terrific opportunities’ Clarfeld isn’t predicting an immediate shift away from the current market environment, or that investors shouldn’t own tech. But he believes investors should be aware of risk and stay diversified. In the meantime, there are stocks that are going unnoticed by many investors right now, he said. “People are so myopically focused on things to do with AI that they’re overlooking things in other areas, and it’s really creating some pretty terrific opportunities,” Clarfeld said. He breaks it down into two areas: “pedestrian” companies that are high-quality businesses and “tangential” names that have been taken down during the concerns over the disruptive effect of AI on software . Two unexciting names Clarfeld likes are The Williams Companies and Unilever , which yield 2.98% and 3.46%, respectively. One of the largest natural gas pipeline companies in the country, Williams is a business not particularly commodity sensitive, he said. It is the second largest position in SOPAX, at 4.05% as of July 31. “We have been seeing a big growth in natural gas production and natural gas infrastructure for 15 years because of the shale boom and renaissance, and then it has gotten turbocharged over the last year or two as the energy demands are going surging with AI and data centers,” Clarfeld said. WMB YTD mountain The Williams Companies year to date On top of that, Williams has developed custom power solutions, its balance sheet is in good shape and it is growing earnings and cash flow, he said. Clarfeld sees “phenomenal growth” ahead for many years because of the need for data center power. Williams has an average analyst rating of overweight and 21% upside to the average price target, according to FactSet. Shares are up about 18% year to date. His other pick, U.K.-based Unilever, a global maker of consumer staples ranging from Dove soap to Hellmann’s mayonnaise, is executing well, Clarfeld said. “They’re growing in an industry or a sector where volume growth has been tougher to come by,” he said. “They’ve been having robust organic volume growth.” UL YTD mountain Unilever year to date Unilever makes up 2.67% of SOPAX. The stock has an average analyst rating of overweight and 11% upside to the average price target, according to FactSet. Shares are down fractionally year to date. Lastly, a third name Clarfeld likes is Automatic Data Processing , which took a hit earlier this year but has since rebounded. ADP, which offers a 2.42% dividend yield, uses software to process payrolls, he noted. ADP YTD mountain ADP year to date “When you think about businesses that are likely to be disintermediated by AI, payrolls would seem like it’s one of the last of them,” Clarfeld said. “It’s very mission critical.” ADP makes up 2.3% of SOPAX. It has an average analyst rating of hold and 2% upside to the average price target, according to FactSet. Other top holdings in the ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund include ExxonMobil , Microsoft , Alphabet , Apollo Global Management and Marsh & McLennan .

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Verum Exchange and Verum Mining have updated online mining of Verum Coin: users can now earn $10 every 24 hours by tapping a single button in the app. No mining rigs, no technical setup, and no complicated wallet configuration are required.

The feature is available in two places:

• Verum Exchange — the exchange and crypto mining app
• Verum Mining — built into Verum Messenger

Once mining is started, rewards accrue on a 24-hour cycle. Open the app, press the mining button, and Verum Coin is credited according to the new daily rate — the equivalent of $10 per day.

“We wanted mining to be something anyone can do in seconds,” the team said. “If you can open an app and press a button, you can mine Verum Coin and earn.”

Miners can keep Verum Coin in the in-app wallet or withdraw it to supported exchanges, including BitCoinPay Trade and Crypto Bank.

How to start

1. Download Verum Exchange, or open Verum Mining inside Verum Messenger.
2. Go to the mining screen.
3. Press the mining button.
4. Come back every 24 hours and collect your $10 in Verum Coin.

Online mining is live now. Open the app, tap the button, and start earning.

On Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that negotiations between the United States and Iran are still taking place, even after Tehran stated it has no intention of engaging in direct talks with Washington.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump labeled Iran’s leaders “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming they are lying about ongoing peace talks “whether Iran wants to admit it or not.” He repeated his assertion that the United States completely controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite maritime traffic through the crucial route lingering at only a small fraction of pre‑conflict levels.

He wrote, “Nothing reaches Iran unless we allow it, and nothing will pass unless a deal—or total surrender—is achieved.”

Earlier that day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters there is no imminent plan for U.S.–Iran negotiations, contradicting Trump’s earlier comment that talks would resume Monday afternoon. Baghaei added that Iran’s only current discussions are with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflicting statements have heightened uncertainty over the peace‑talk process and the broader conflict, now in its sixth month.

Trump’s assertion about new negotiations came a day after he said on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a massive strike against Iran “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.” He said in the same post that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off on that attack because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

Trump has claimed dozens of times throughout the more‑than‑five‑month‑long war that a deal is at hand. No permanent deal has been signed, and a temporary ceasefire reached in June has fallen apart.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to launch devastating strikes against Iran before backing off. After the latest example, oil prices on Monday fell and stocks surged.

BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a note Monday that a broader diplomatic understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still achievable this quarter, while raising the probability of its escalation scenario to 35% from 25%, citing mounting military, diplomatic and economic signs of rising U.S.-Iran tensions.

“Diplomatic progress is likely to be punctuated by periodic military flare-ups, while miscalculation by either side could trigger a renewed escalation,” BMI analysts wrote in a note. The firm said the key issue to watch is the future governance of the strait, as the Iran-Oman talks — potentially backed by Gulf states, China and the U.S. — point to efforts to build a post-conflict shipping framework.

Shipping risks persist even as diplomacy appears to be advancing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles (23 miles) northeast of Khasab, Oman — at the mouth of the strait — with a tanker’s master reporting an explosion in close proximity to the vessel at about 20:37 UTC Sunday (4:37 pm ET). The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.

The proposal Trump announced over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue ironing out some of the thorny issues that had derailed diplomatic efforts, according to The Associated Press, citing a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

The official said the proposal also includes a reopening of the Hormuz Strait and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

The U.S., for its part, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil, the official said, adding that no deal has been reached, although the mediation efforts remained underway.

Trump’s weekend reversal has lowered the temperature after days of escalating attacks across the Gulf. Kuwait said Saturday that Iranian forces launched a wave of drones within its airspace, with its military destroying multiple aircraft after Iran targeted critical infrastructure in the country’s north.

A parallel track with Muscat is also advancing. Iranian diplomats said Tehran was close to reaching a new arrangement with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a deal critical to preventing the war from escalating further, according to the Financial Times.

Iranian officials said negotiations over future management of the Hormuz Strait with Oman, which sits on the opposite shore of the waterway, are in their final stages. The agreed shipping route would be different from those used before, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Baghaei, adding that the new route was separate from the issue of the strait’s reopening or continued closure.