Nevertheless, it was a tough year for solar stocks in 2023, as a strapped U.S. consumer grappled with inflation, and higher interest rates created a tougher lending environment for growth-fueled companies. With this in mind, First Solar (FSLR) is one top-rated name in the clean energy group that remains well-positioned to benefit from an improving macro environment going into the year ahead. As a result, the CME FedWatch tool is currently pricing in about 97% odds that the Fed's benchmark rate will be at least 25 basis points lower by the time the June 2024 meeting wraps up.