AdvanSix is a U.S. industrial chemical manufacturer producing Nylon 6 resin, caprolactam, ammonium sulfate fertilizer and other chemical intermediates. Its products sit upstream from consumer goods and are used in engineered plastics, packaging, fibers, agriculture and industrial manufacturing. Its manufacturing base and supplier spending are overwhelmingly domestic, which made it one of the strongest fits for this experiment.
Arcosa supplies physical ingredients and structures used to build infrastructure. Its businesses include construction aggregates, specialty materials and asphalt, utility structures, wind towers and inland barges. In less glamorous terms: rocks, roads, electrical infrastructure and very large pieces of steel. Much of what it sells is naturally tied to North American resources and local production.
nVent makes equipment that helps electricity get where it needs to go safely. Its portfolio includes electrical enclosures, connections, bus systems, switchgear, cable management and power-distribution infrastructure used by utilities, factories, commercial facilities and data centers. Most fundamental materials can be sourced or produced in the United States, while some electronics and specialized components remain globally interconnected.
Carrier manufactures heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment ranging from commercial HVAC systems and chillers to refrigeration and refrigerated-transport systems. Hospitals, factories, warehouses, food distribution networks, offices and data centers all require thermal management. America possesses most of the core material resources involved, although modern HVAC controls and components use a more global manufacturing supply chain.
This is an imaginary investment game. No real money is being invested. The experiment starts with exactly $2,000 divided equally among four real publicly traded companies. The number of fractional shares was permanently fixed using the August 27, 2026 baseline prices. The server periodically retrieves current market prices and applies them to those same share counts. Gains are allowed. Losses are allowed. The point is to see what actually happens.
The companies were deliberately selected to avoid fashionable consumer brands, entertainment businesses and speculative technology plays. The search focused on industrial companies that became independent from 2016 through 2021, including genuine corporate spin-offs, and that have existed independently for at least five years. Preference went to boring but necessary physical businesses involving chemicals, aggregates and infrastructure, electrical distribution, HVAC and refrigeration, with an additional preference for businesses whose fundamental raw materials are substantially available inside the United States.