The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series, in which consumer goods editor and analyst Austin Smith discusses topics across the investing world.

In today's edition, Austin helps investors learn about where the money comes from with one of the most exciting Dow components this year: Alcoa. The company takes part in highly cyclical aluminum production, which should be welcome news for investors as their impressive year-to-date performance could be read as a macroeconomic turn for the best. With a few different divisions and a massive reach Alcoa could easily be regarded as the fuel for manufacturing. Does its recent stock price gains spell a long-term turnaround?

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