John Deere Ranks 236th in Liquidity as Trading Volume Dives 34% Despite Modest Gain

John Deere (DE) closed on October 3, 2025, with a 0.23% gain as trading volume dropped to $460 million, a 34.14% decline from the previous day's activity. The stock ranked 236th in market liquidity, indicating reduced short-term investor engagement despite the modest positive movement.

Recent developments highlight Deere's operational resilience amid macroeconomic headwinds. The company's Q3 earnings report, released days prior, demonstrated improved cost controls and stable demand in its core agricultural machinery segment. Analysts noted that while global crop prices remain volatile, Deere's diversified product portfolio and pricing discipline have cushioned margin pressures compared to peers in capital-intensive manufacturing sectors.

Market participants are closely monitoring supply chain adjustments following the company's recent facility optimization initiatives. A planned expansion in North American production capacity, coupled with strategic supplier renegotiations, has been cited as a structural tailwind for long-term margins. However, near-term volatility remains tied to input cost fluctuations, particularly in steel and logistics, which continue to affect sector-wide profitability metrics.

To run this back-test properly I need to clarify a few practical details that will determine how the signals are generated and how the performance is measured: 1. Universe • Which market should I scan for the “top 500” – e.g., all U.S. listed common stocks (NYSE + NASDAQ), or another specific universe? 2. Ranking time-stamp • Do you want to rank by the current day’s trading volume at the close and then buy at the next day’s open, or buy at the same day’s close? • (Typical practice is: rank at the close, trade on next day’s open so the volume data is known.) 3. Position sizing • Equal-weight each of the 500 names (1/500 per position), or another sizing rule? 4. Transaction costs • Should we include an estimate of commissions/slippage? If so, please specify (e.g., 2 bps each side). Once these items are set I can generate the daily selection list, create the 1-day holding signals and run the back-test from 2022-01-03 to today.