Edition #172
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

📈 Nvidia Powers Stocks as Fed Turns Hawkish

Last week, stocks climbed as Nvidia’s blowout earnings and raised revenue outlook reassured investors that AI spending still has room to run. Intel and other semiconductor stocks gave back gains Friday after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh struck a hawkish tone at Jackson Hole, saying inflation trends have not meaningfully improved and raising bets on a rate hike at the Fed’s next meeting.

This week, Broadcom reports quarterly results Wednesday, with investors watching whether its AI chip guidance can match Nvidia’s optimism after last week’s rally. The bigger catalyst is Friday’s jobs report, following July’s surprisingly weak hiring numbers, alongside a manufacturing activity survey earlier in the week. A soft jobs print could ease worries about a near-term rate hike, while a strong one would reinforce Warsh’s hawkish stance and pressure growth stocks like Nvidia and Broadcom.

Hot Topics

• Trump Targets Big Meat’s Grip on U.S. Beef Prices

• OpenAI to end model access to Cursor

• Meta to pay up to $18bn to settle children’s social media harm case

• The humanoid robot ‘Olympics’ is as ridiculous as it is impressive

• Advent and Stripe Abandon $50 Billion Pursuit of PayPal

• Trump Bets Oklahoma Smelter on a Governor’s Race

Investing Data Story

Gold dominates the list by count, but the three most valuable mining companies all earn their money from something other than gold.

The 20 Largest Mining Stocks by Market Cap

China’s AI Optimism Gap Widens

In China, 85% of people say AI does more good than harm, and 83% feel excited by products that use it, per the 2026 Ipsos AI Monitor. In the United States, those figures are 38% and 33%, both far below the 32-country average of 55% and 51%. Part of this likely comes down to what people actually see day to day. In China, AI is already everywhere, robotaxis on the street, chatbots at the hospital, shopping and mapping apps that quietly handle small decisions. It is easier to embrace a technology when its upside is visible. Beijing has also nudged companies to build useful applications now rather than chase the flashiest model.

That optimism gap comes with a catch. 52% of Chinese AI users say they trust the tools enough that they do not check the output, more than double the 23% rate in the US. Widespread trust without verification can accelerate adoption, but it also raises the odds that errors or bias go uncaught until they cause real damage, financial, medical, or otherwise. The US policy backdrop adds uncertainty too, the current administration's stance has been not to regulate AI, though the report notes that may now be shifting toward a hands on approach. Watch whether China's trust holds up as AI failures become more visible.

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Weekly Series: The Small-Cap Advantage

Exploring why the smallest corners of the public markets can sometimes create the biggest opportunities for individual investors.

#2 You Can Go Where the Big Money Can’t

A fund managing $1 billion cannot take a meaningful position in a stock that trades $200,000 a day. The math simply will not allow it. To build even a small holding without pushing the price against itself, a large fund needs hundreds of thousands of dollars in daily volume just to get through the door. That single constraint removes a huge pool of potential buyers from thousands of publicly traded companies.

You do not have that problem. You can buy 500 shares of a company no fund can touch, hold it for as long as your thesis plays out, and sell whenever you choose.

Retail investors now account for roughly 30% of daily US equity volume. That is a structural shift that has made individual investors the single largest discretionary force in many smaller stocks. You are not bound by index rules, ownership caps, or position minimums. In the part of the market where those constraints matter most, your size is not a disadvantage. It is the advantage.

This is #2 in our Small-Cap Advantage series, exploring where individual investors may still have an edge over larger institutions. Read #1 Wall Street Doesn’t Look Everywhere in last week’s edition.

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Earnings Performance

Ulta Beauty Inc (NASDAQ: ULTA)

Ulta Beauty Inc’s (NASDAQ: ULTA) category performance is the most revealing read-through from its Q2 earnings results. Fragrance and haircare are taking share of Ulta’s sales mix, while its two largest beauty categories remain softer. Fragrance delivered high-teen comparable growth, and haircare grew high single digits, while makeup was roughly flat and skincare and wellness declined modestly.

Net sales rose 8.9% to $3.04 billion, helped by comparable sales growth, Space NK and new stores. If fragrance and haircare momentum persists and makeup or skincare improves, there is scope for growth to broaden.

Other Earnings Updates

• NAPCO Security (NASDAQ: NSSC) Posts Record Q4 Revenue

• Tuya (NYSE: TUYA) Reports Q2 Revenue Up 16%, Profit Up 48%

• Citi Trends (NASDAQ: CTRN) Raises Fiscal 2026 Outlook

America’s Oil Record, With a Catch

US crude output just hit an all-time high, but this year’s extra barrels are coming from the Gulf of America and a Middle East price spike, not the shale growth that built this chart.

Read why this record may not hold up in US Oil Hits Record Highs, But Can It Last.

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Sports Become Wall Street’s Playground

Apollo Sports Capital just gave the Yankees’ parent company $2.6B in credit and equity, with CEO Al Tylis joining the board. The Steinbrenner family stays in charge, and MLB caps outside stakes at 15%, so this is financing, not ownership. Apollo calls sports a $2.5T market that’s still underfunded, and the numbers back the pitch. The Ross-Arctos Sports Franchise Index (RASFI), which tracks Big Four team values, has beaten stocks, bonds, and blended portfolios for two decades straight.

Still, the comparison flatters sports a bit. Franchise values in the index come from a small number of private sales appraised infrequently, unlike stocks that reprice by the second, so the index likely smooths over how a real downturn would feel. It also rests on a thin data set of transactions among a narrow pool of wealthy buyers, not a liquid market. And with ownership capped at 15% of any team, most of this growth story runs through debt, not equity. Watch whether leagues loosen those caps next.

Edition #171
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🧬 Rising Yields Shake Tech, Biotech Explodes

Last week, surging Treasury yields rattled growth stocks and dragged the S&P 500 down about 1.4%. Tech and semiconductors took the worst of it as higher borrowing costs pressured richly valued shares, while rising oil prices tied to Middle East tensions added to investor unease. Health care delivered a standout moment after a breakthrough mRNA cancer vaccine trial sent biotech soaring and lifted the broader sector. A rebound late in the week, helped by expanded Treasury buyback plans and solid business activity data, kept losses from snowballing.

This week, Nvidia earnings and Fed Chair Warsh’s first Jackson Hole keynote will test whether the AI trade and the bond market can stabilize. Investors also get the July core PCE reading, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, alongside a Q2 GDP revision.

Hot Topics

• Gold Set for Biggest Monthly Gain This Century

• Canadians Brace for Economic Pain as 50% US Tariffs Take Effect

• Nvidia Discusses Perplexity Investment at $30 Billion-plus

• AI Giant Hugging Face Explores $13 Billion Sale

• Moderna Shares Double on Cancer Vaccine Breakthrough

• Bitcoin Set for Biggest Weekly Gain in Three Years

• Bond Market Rout Hurts, But Opportunity Is Coming

Mine Delays Can Provide an Investor Edge

S&P Global’s July 2026 annual study of mine development timelines found that the average project takes 16 years from discovery to production. For the 29 projects still stuck in development, the wait has stretched to nearly 30 years, five times longer than in the 1990s. Unlike oil, where a shale producer can drill and deliver within months, a critical-minerals shortage today reflects investment decisions made over a decade ago. Any mine approved now will not produce meaningful tonnage until the late 2030s.

What does this mean for investors?

• Companies already in production have a structural moat that new entrants cannot replicate quickly.

• Sustained pricing power. When supply can’t respond for a decade, elevated prices tend to persist far longer than in commodities like oil.

• Streaming and royalty companies benefit from scarcity without bearing the permitting and construction risk.

• Early-stage miners can rerate sharply on positive newsflow like permits, feasibility results, or strategic investment, long before they produce an ounce.

In mine development, permitting delays are now the primary cause of postponements, with some projects pushed back by five years and others cancelled outright. The IEA’s July 2026 outlook reported that exploration spending fell about 45% for lithium and nickel in 2025, meaning fewer projects entering the pipeline. Today’s cutbacks risk constraining production in the late 2020s and early 2030s, exactly when supply deficits for copper and lithium are projected to hit. Understanding the project pipeline is where retail investors can build a genuine edge over the broader market.

Want to understand how investors can approach this part of the mining cycle? Our guide to gold explorers and developers explains the risks and potential catalysts from discovery through development.

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The Small-Cap Advantage

Exploring why the smallest corners of the public markets can sometimes create the biggest opportunities for individual investors.

#1 Wall Street Doesn't Look Everywhere

The average large-cap stock draws around 17 analyst price estimates. The average Russell 2000 company is followed by fewer than six. Drop to the micro-cap tier and the typical stock gets at most three, while more than 17% have no sell-side coverage at all. On top of that, well over 60% of daily US equity volume now comes from quant and rules-based strategies that allocate by index membership, not by conviction in any individual company. For a large and rising share of the market, small caps are not being evaluated and rejected. They are simply not being looked at.

For individual investors, though, this structural neglect is the opening. The institutions are often too large to act. The algorithms are not programmed to look. That leaves roughly 2,000 publicly traded US companies sitting in a corner of the market where doing your own homework can still surface something the crowd has not priced in. You are not bound by index rules, position minimums, or ownership caps. You can find, evaluate, and buy a stock that no analyst has written up and no fund has been able to touch. That flexibility is rare in a market where most of the volume runs on autopilot. Whether it becomes a genuine edge depends on how you use it.

This is #1 in our Small-Cap Advantage series, exploring where individual investors may still have an edge over larger institutions.

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Earnings Performance

Klarna Group PLC (NYSE: KLAR)

Klarna’s Q2 showed improving fundamentals, with revenue up 27% and U.S. transaction margin rising to 23% from 14% a year ago. Active consumers reached 120M, merchants surged 54% to 1.2M as J.P. Morgan Payments switched on Klarna across its network, and the Klarna Card hit 6.5M users, up from 1.3M. But the shares fell roughly 23% right after this release, contributing to a decline of about 66% since the IPO, so investors are clearly demanding more than margin improvement. The key question is whether Klarna can sustain U.S. margin expansion and convert it into durable earnings growth, especially after lowering its full-year gross merchandise volume (GMV) outlook.

Other Earnings Updates

• BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE: BJ) Raises FY2026 EPS Outlook

• Deere (NYSE: DE) Raises 2026 Profit Outlook After Strong Third Quarter

• Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) Raises FY27 Outlook After Strong Q2

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Central Banks Bought the Dip

Central banks purchased a record 289 tonnes of gold in Q2 2026, a 62% jump year over year and more than five times the revised Q1 figure of just 57 tonnes. They did it while gold prices fell 16%, the steepest quarterly decline since 2013. Poland led with 51 tonnes as it moves toward a self-set 700-tonne reserve target, and China added 33 tonnes, its biggest quarterly haul since late 2023. When reserve managers accelerate purchases into a falling market, they are building structural positions, not trading around headlines.

That conviction matters because the headline numbers understate the trend. The H1 total of 345 tonnes looks soft, the lowest since 2022, but almost all the weakness came from forced sellers like Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan liquidating reserves. Strip those out and underlying demand is as strong as any stretch in the past three years. The WGC’s latest survey found 74% of reserve managers plan to cut dollar exposure over the next five years, and Goldman Sachs flagged in August that surging demand for bullish gold options could push prices beyond its $4,900 year-end forecast, as dealer hedging around key strike levels mechanically amplifies moves higher.

The structural bid looks durable, but gold still needs actual buyers, not just survey respondents and options positioning. Whether price-insensitive central bank buying holds if gold pushes back toward $5,000 is the question that matters next.

How can investors translate a gold thesis into equity exposure? Our guide to gold stocks explains the differences between producers, developers, explorers, and royalty companies.

Edition #170
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

☝🏻 Tech and Cooling Inflation Lift Stocks to Records

Last week, cooler inflation data and strong tech earnings powered the S&P 500 to fresh all-time highs, marking a third straight winning week. July’s CPI came in at 3.4% annually, easing from June, while wholesale prices were essentially flat, taking some heat off the Fed rate hike debate. Tech and AI names led, with the Nasdaq 100 jumping roughly 2.3% and the Russell 2000 also hitting records. Still, the rally told two stories as corporate earnings remained strong while consumers pulled back, with retail sales falling 0.6% and Michigan sentiment dropping sharply.

This week, the focus shifts to how households are actually holding up, with Home Depot, Walmart, Target and Lowe’s all reporting earnings after that weak retail sales print. The FOMC minutes from the July meeting land midweek, while flash PMI readings close the week and will show whether manufacturing momentum is firming or fading. The gap between record stock prices and softening consumer confidence is the tension investors need to watch most closely right now.

Hot Topics

• Billionaire Peter Thiel buys stake in shale oil firm

• Stripe Clinches Over $7 Billion Deal to Buy AI Firm OpenRouter

• Nvidia Downsizes Plans for $250 Billion Guarantee of OpenAI Data Center

• Groq Valued at $3.5 Billion in Funding Round After Nvidia Deal

• Alibaba to sell Lingxi Games in more than $2 billion deal

• Ferrari’s first-ever electric car sold for record $40m

• Companies like Caterpillar and Cummins Find New Demand from Data Centers

Data Center Tracking

According to the AI Data Center Index, there are now 346 data center facilities in its index, 294 of which are plotted on this map covering 64 countries. The most notable operators are Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, Meta, and Nvidia, but the index tracks 225 distinct operators across 117.2 GW of capacity.

Meanwhile, Data Center Tracker is tracking America's AI data center buildout, along with community response and legislative action. To date, it has tracked 1,486 actions and $2.6T in investment. Only a third of tracked actions have been favorable for communities, with nearly 40% still pending.

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Investing Data Story

A ranked look at the largest US-accessible public video game companies by market cap. The biggest gaming stocks span several different business models.

Ranked: Top Public Video Game Stocks by Market Cap

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Earnings Performance

Sigma Lithium (NASDAQ: SGML)

Low operating costs are providing Sigma Lithium (SGML) meaningful protection against lithium price volatility while preserving strong margins. Sigma’s Q2 earnings story is about higher production, lower unit costs, and stronger profitability. Production increased 52% sequentially to 35,400 tonnes, helping net revenue reach a record $55 million, up 29%. At the same time, costs declined.

That cost improvement translated into a 60% gross margin and 47% adjusted EBITDA margin, while Sigma generated $27 million of operating cash flow in the first half. The key takeaway for investors is that Sigma is not just producing more; it is getting substantially cheaper to operate as volumes recover. That matters ahead of plans to increase production capacity 1.8x by year-end 2027 and 2.5x to 830,000 tonnes per year by year-end 2028.

Other Earnings Updates

• Pan American Silver (NYSE: PAAS): Posts Record Q2 Returns

• Bending Spoons (NASDAQ: BSP): Reports 126% Q2 Revenue Growth

• Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB): Posts Record ARR, Raises Outlook

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

On Holdings: Stuck in the Middle

On Holding (NYSE: ONON) reported Q2 results on August 11 that sent shares down 20% in their worst day since its 2021 IPO. Revenue missed estimates, and management trimmed full-year sales growth guidance from “at least 23%” to the low 20s. The Americas was the weak spot, with constant-currency growth slowing to 13% as the U.S. wholesale market turned promotional.

On has outperformed Nike, which is down roughly 40% over the past year, but has lagged Adidas, which has managed a partial recovery on lifestyle momentum and leaner inventory.

What makes On’s selloff notable is the quality underneath. Gross margin hit a record 65.4%, more than 15 points above Nike. Direct-to-consumer sales grew 34% and now account for nearly half of revenue. Asia-Pacific grew 55%. These are not the numbers of a company in trouble.

The market’s problem is growth pace, not profitability. When a stock is priced for 30%+ and delivers low 20s, the multiple compresses regardless of margin quality. On is now below its IPO price and down 33% year-to-date. Closing the gap between valuation and fundamentals requires the Americas to re-accelerate.

Edition #169
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

💪 Weak Jobs, Strong Stocks, All Eyes on CPI

Last week, Wall Street surged to record highs as easing Iran tensions sent oil lower and a blowout earnings season kept buyers in charge, with 85% of S&P 500 companies beating expectations and aggregate profits tracking 47% growth. Tech and semiconductors led, pushing the Dow above 54,000 and the S&P 500 past 7,700 for the first time. The July jobs report showed the economy unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs against expectations for a gain of 83,000, but markets welcomed the weakness because it undercuts the case for a Fed rate hike, with futures rising on the news.

This week, the focus shifts to inflation with July’s Consumer Price Index, Producer Price Index, and retail sales all on the calendar. Headline CPI is expected to ease to around 3.8% from 4.2%, largely on falling energy costs after the Iran ceasefire. With the Fed holding rates at 3.50% to 3.75% and markets already rethinking the odds of a September hike, a tame inflation print alongside soft jobs data could effectively shelve the tightening threat and keep the rally intact heading into a historically choppy stretch for stocks.

Hot Topics

• ‘Sell America’ Debate Re-Emerges

• Paramount Offers Safeguards for $110bn WBD Deal

• Thor Explorations Reports Segilola Gold Results

• Artificial Intelligence Used to Design Brand New Viruses

• Starlink Threat Exaggerated, T-Mobile CEO Says

• Chinese Robot Maker Unitree Targets $9B IPO Valuation

Paper Gains Flatter The Index

The S&P 500’s Q2 earnings growth looks spectacular, but the chart shows how concentrated the upside has become. Blended earnings are tracking at 47.4% year over year, the strongest result since Q2 2021. Yet a handful of companies are doing much of the lifting.

Alphabet reported a roughly $98B pre-tax gain on equity securities, primarily from higher valuations on stakes including SpaceX. Amazon’s earnings received a similar boost from the rising value of its Anthropic investment. Those gains are valid under GAAP, but they are not the same as faster sales, wider margins, or stronger underlying demand. They can also reverse when private-company valuations fall.

The concentration goes beyond these paper gains. Micron’s EPS surge is the chart’s largest contributor, while Chevron and NVIDIA also add meaningfully to the headline. Strong index-level earnings are encouraging, but investors should watch for broadening in the second half. A healthier advance would see more of the other 495 S&P 500 companies contributing to growth, not just a few outsized winners.

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Investing Data Story

The 20 largest travel stocks US investors can buy in 2026, ranked by market cap, and why business model beats raw revenue on valuation.

Ranked: The 20 Largest Travel Stocks, and What Drives Their Value

Retail Keeps Buying

Retail investors have bought SpaceX (SPCX) stock every trading day since its June 12 IPO, according to Vanda Research. That streak held even as the stock fell more than 50% from its intraday high of $225.64 to below its $135 offering price.

On Wednesday, individual investors bought a net $22.7 million of SpaceX shares in the first hour of trading, more than three times the average opening-hour inflow. The buying came as the stock dropped 14% after the company’s first earnings report showed nearly $16 billion in quarterly spending on AI and data centers.

Vanda says retail investors view SpaceX as an AI story, not a space exploration play, and are treating the heavy capital spending as a down payment on future growth. The firm notes that retail buyers see SpaceX as a stock with “10-bagger potential.”

The first major lockup expired on Thursday, making up to 911.5 million insider and pre-IPO shares eligible for sale. That more than doubles the public float from 639 million to 1.55 billion shares. The stock closed up 6.1% on the day, suggesting enough demand to absorb early selling. Short interest stood at 36% of float as of Wednesday’s close, according to S3 Partners.

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Earnings Performance

Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS)

Disney’s fiscal Q3 looked weak at first glance. GAAP EPS fell 48% to $1.51, but that was mostly because last year’s quarter included a $3.3 billion non-cash Hulu tax benefit. Excluding that, adjusted EPS rose 28% to $2.06, beating expectations, as revenue grew 7% to $25.2 billion. Operating income jumped 21%, driven by strong Entertainment and Experiences results.

The weak spots were Sports, where operating income fell 17% on higher NBA rights costs and a carriage dispute, and a roughly $450 million impairment on Disney’s A+E investment. Management reaffirmed its outlook and increased planned share buybacks, but investors should watch whether streaming profits and park demand stay strong after the boost from Toy Story 5.

Other Earnings Updates

• PhenixFIN (NASDAQ: PFX) Posts Six-Year High NAV

• ADM (NYSE: ADM) Raises 2026 Profit Outlook

• SpaceX (Nasdaq: SPCX) Reports 92% Revenue Growth

• Lilly (NYSE: LLY) Reports 48% Revenue Growth

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

The Iron Ore Supply Gap

Rio Tinto’s iron ore chief, Matthew Holcz, believes the market is writing off iron ore too soon. His argument rests on supply, not demand. The major Australian mines built during the 2005 to 2015 boom are ageing and depleting faster than many forecasters expect, while the industry has grown much larger. Rio estimates the world will need 800 million tonnes of new supply over the next decade just to maintain current output, yet only 300 million tonnes has been committed. Rio alone plans to spend more than $13B in the Pilbara between 2025 and 2027. With marginal production costs higher than in the previous cycle, Holcz believes iron ore prices have a solid floor beneath them.

Rio’s supply case is credible, but it is not a free pass for iron ore prices. Guinea’s Simandou project, one of the world’s largest new iron ore mines, is beginning to add major new supply to the seaborne market. That could pressure prices before depletion becomes the dominant force, while China’s slowing steel demand remains a major risk for iron ore prices and the earnings of major exporters such as Rio Tinto. The balanced view is that iron ore may retain a firmer long-term floor than bears expect, but investors should expect a volatile transition, rather than a sustained shortage.

Edition #168
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

❇️ Big Tech Lifts Markets as Yields Climb

Last week, stocks capped a wild month on a strong note, powered by big technology earnings even as the Federal Reserve held rates steady and signaled it could still hike. Microsoft delivered a blowout report, and Amazon jumped about 15%, reassuring investors that heavy AI spending is paying off. Meanwhile, Apple slid on soft Services and China sales, and Meta fell as well. Beneath the rally, bond yields surged to multi-year highs as inflation worries resurfaced, and rising oil prices added pressure. It was a reminder that markets can turn fast.

This week, all eyes turn to the monthly jobs report, the biggest release before the next inflation reading and Fed meeting. A soft number could stoke fears the labor market is cooling but also revive hopes for rate cuts, while a hot print would likely push yields higher and rattle stocks. Earnings from Palantir, AMD, Eli Lilly, Disney, and Costco will test whether the momentum holds, and SpaceX posts its first results as a public company. With yields elevated and the rate path unclear, expect choppy trading.

Hot Topics

• Alibaba Unveils Its Most Capable AI Model to Date

• AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb Reportedly Discuss $400B Merger

• Coldcard Flaw Drains $89M From 4,500 Bitcoin Wallets

• Robinhood Makes More from Prediction Markets than Equity Trades

• Musk Cools Off Tesla-SpaceX Merger Talk

• Apple Struggles to Keep Pace With AI Bug Hunters

• Equinox Gold Confirms New Leadership as Orla Merger Closes

Conviction Meets The Margin Call

Situational Awareness, the AI fund run by 25-year-old former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, sold its entire public stock portfolio to Ken Griffin’s Citadel on Wednesday. The fund had returned 439% net in the first half of 2026 and swelled to around $45B at its peak in early July, loading up on AI infrastructure names like Nebius, SanDisk, Micron, CoreWeave, and SK Hynix with roughly 4x leverage. In a 24 July letter, Aschenbrenner called the selloff one of the best buying windows since early 2025 and invited investors to add cash on 1 August. He also kept the fund’s crown jewel, a private stake in Anthropic reportedly worth about $5B.

The trigger was SK Hynix’s US listing on 10 July, which unwound leveraged Korean equity positions and dragged the stock down 47% from its June peak. The rest of the long book fell 35% to 55% behind it. At the same time, short bets against software names like Adobe ran the wrong way, tightening the vice. Prime brokers at Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Bank of America issued margin calls, and at 4x leverage the math left no room for conviction. Situational Awareness now survives as essentially an Anthropic holding company with a hedge fund attached. Watch whether other leveraged AI funds face the same squeeze.

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Investing Data Story

The 20 largest travel stocks US investors can buy in 2026, ranked by market cap, and why business model beats raw revenue on valuation.

Ranked: The 20 Largest Travel Stocks, and What Drives Their Value

China’s Robot Ban Retaliation Threat

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added foreign-made robots and power inverters to its covered list, blocking new imports over cybersecurity and supply-chain risks. China is not named, but the target is clear. China ships an estimated 85% to 87% of the world’s humanoid robots, with Unitree and AGIBOT each moving more than 5,000 units last year against a few hundred for US names like Tesla and Figure AI. Washington’s logic is to shield domestic developers and critical infrastructure while the sector is still young. On Thursday, China’s commerce ministry demanded the decision be withdrawn and threatened countermeasures, saying it damages trade stability.

For investors, the near-term hit looks small, since most Chinese makers barely sell in the US yet and analysts say the ban will not slow China’s development given its vast home market. The real risk is escalation. Beijing’s strongest cards are rare earth supplies, and US market access for firms like Tesla and Nvidia, and the timing is awkward ahead of a Trump-Xi meeting in September. It is also a headwind for planned Chinese humanoid IPOs. Watch whether Beijing acts before September.

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Earnings Performance

ExxonMobil Holdings Corp (NYSE: XOM)

ExxonMobil Holdings Corp (NYSE: XOM) reported Q2 2026 earnings of $14.5 billion. The biggest takeaway is the company’s ability to generate enough cash to fund growth and return capital at the same time. Through the first half of 2026, ExxonMobil generated $19.9 billion in free cash flow and returned $18.6 billion to shareholders through dividends and buybacks.

Quarterly operating cash flow reached $23.6 billion and free cash flow totaled $17.2 billion. The company returned $9.4 billion to shareholders, reduced net debt by more than $7 billion, and benefited from record Permian production and stronger refining and chemical margins.

Other Earnings Updates

• Sanofi (Nasdaq: SNY) Raises 2026 Sales Guidance

• Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) Posts Record June Quarter

• Shell (LSE: SHEL) Reports $9.8B Q2 Adjusted Earnings

• Meta (Nasdaq: META) Reports Profit Fall on Rising Costs

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Nike’s Risky China Reset

Nike is tearing down most of its online sales network in China. From January 2027, it intends to cut off thousands of third-party sellers and funnel shoppers into its own app, website, and official flagship stores. The logic is sound. China sales fell 17% last quarter, and the marketplace had become a cluttered, discount-heavy mess that cheapened the brand. Selling fewer products at full price beats flooding the market at a discount. For CEO Elliott Hill, nearly two years into his turnaround, this is a bet that controlling the experience rebuilds pricing power and trust.

But the risk is real, and investors should weigh it. Nike’s biggest China distributor, Topsports, saw its shares crater roughly 24% on the news, and one analyst called the move a strategic misstep because wholesale online is a key channel for clearing excess inventory. The deeper worry is that this addresses distribution when the real question is product. If Chinese consumers are choosing rivals because Nike’s lineup feels stale, a cleaner storefront alone will not fix that. The upside case is a stronger, premium brand emerging in 2027. The downside is short-term sales pain with no guaranteed payoff. Watch the next few quarters closely.

Edition #167
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

📉 AI Jitters Knock Tech Off Balance

Last week, markets slipped as the first wave of Big Tech earnings landed with a thud and ballooning AI spending plans spooked investors. Technology and communication services led the retreat, with all three major indexes closing lower and the Nasdaq bearing the brunt. Rising Middle East tensions pushed oil prices up sharply before they eased, adding another layer of worry.

This week, the calendar is packed, and the stakes are high. The Federal Reserve delivers its latest rate decision, and Chair Kevin Warsh’s tone will likely matter more than the widely expected hold, while fresh readings on second-quarter growth and the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge round out the macro picture. It is also the busiest stretch of earnings season, with Microsoft and Meta reporting midweek, Apple and Amazon close behind, plus Boeing, Visa, and Ford in the mix. The tape may hinge on whether those results justify all that heavy AI spending, so for investors, keeping an eye on the big picture rather than the daily swings is the smarter play here.

Hot Topics

• 25 Tech Firms Warn Against Open-Weight AI Curbs

• DeepSeek Reportedly Pauses Funding After Viral Posts

• AstraZeneca’s Cancer Medicines Spur Profit Growth]

• London Stock Exchange Launches 24/5 Trading Venue

• Starship’s Thirteenth Flight Test

• The Peptide Wild West

• Waymo Explores Uber Split as Robotaxi Tensions Deepen

• DeepSeek Prioritises AGI Over Profit

Seven Stocks, a Third of the Index

The Magnificent 7, which are Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Tesla, made up 31.5% of the S&P 500’s market value as of July 24, 2026.

The share climbed steeply from 13% in 2018 to a 33.5% peak in late 2025, with a dip in 2022 during the tech selloff. It has eased slightly to 31.5% in the latest reading.

New US Tariffs Hit 60 Trading Partners

Sixty trading partners face new US import duties of either 10% or 12.5%, announced July 23 by the US Trade Representative. The higher 12.5% rate is the default, applied to 41 partners including China, Russia, Japan, and most of the Gulf and Latin America. A smaller group of 19, among them Canada, Mexico, India, and the UK, draws the lower 10% rate. For some partners, marked with an asterisk, the rate shown is net of the standard Most-Favored-Nation tariff they already pay, meaning the new duty sits on top of existing rates.

The move is the administration’s most substantial effort yet to rebuild its tariff wall after the Supreme Court struck down the earlier “Liberation Day” version in February, ruling 6-3 that Trump had no authority to impose those levies under emergency powers law.

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Earnings Performance

Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM)

Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) delivered a strong second quarter, generating free cash flow of $2.2 billion despite lower gold prices, weaker production, and earthquake-related disruption at its Australian mine. The company maintained its 2026 guidance and returned $1.9 billion to shareholders.

With $9.0 billion in cash, Newmont can fund growth and shareholder returns. Catalysts include stronger second-half production and permitting progress at a major Canadian project. However, higher costs and capital spending pose risks, while weaker gold prices would likely prompt Newmont to reduce buybacks first.

Other Earnings Updates

• Southern Copper (NYSE: SCCO): Posts Record Net Income

• Texas Instruments (Nasdaq: TXN): Reports 23% Sales Growth

• Philip Morris (NYSE: PM): Posts First $11B Quarter

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Robotaxis Race Toward $415 Billion

Goldman Sachs Research forecasts the global robotaxi market reaching roughly $415 billion by 2035, with the commercial fleet exploding from about 7,000 vehicles last year to some 6 million. Growth is a genuine hockey stick, close to zero until 2027 and then compounding sharply. Notably, the US is expected to be the smallest of the four regional markets by 2035 at around $48 billion, with China, Europe and the rest of the world driving the bulk of the total. The wider autonomous vehicle sector, spanning hardware, software and services, could approach $2 trillion, though much of that reflects existing activity shifting from human to autonomous rather than new spending.

Trucking may be the bigger story. The global AV trucking market is pegged at $560 billion by 2035, and autonomous trucks are expected to undercut human drivers on cost per mile in the US by 2028. On personal car ownership, Goldman’s base case is that disruption fears are overstated for the next decade, since owning a car remains cheaper than rideshare, though a full shift to shared AVs could eventually cut US annual vehicle sales from around 16 million to 10 to 13 million.

Edition #166
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

💰 Banks Boom as Chips Wobble

Last week, the big banks stole the show, with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan posting record profits on booming trading and a busy AI deal pipeline. Tech was rougher as chipmakers like Nvidia and Micron swung on doubts about whether massive AI spending will pay off, and a shock warning from IBM sent its shares tumbling. Still, the rally kept broadening into energy, industrials and speculative corners. A jump in oil after fresh Strait of Hormuz tension, plus tough Fed talk on rates, kept nerves on edge.

This week, the spotlight swings to Big Tech, with Tesla and other giants reporting as investors hunt for proof that heavy AI spending is paying off. It is also the final stretch before the Fed’s next meeting, so every inflation read matters, especially with high oil keeping a rare rate hike, not a cut, in play. Strong, broad results could lift the record run further, while soft guidance or another oil spike would test nerves fast. For investors, watch whether earnings strength spreads beyond a few big names.

Hot Topics

• IBM shares plunge 25% as customers shift spending to AI

• Burberry's Europe sales hit by Iran war while US and China grow

• Intuitive Surgical Falls on Obamacare Fears

• Trump Media’s Truth API Launch Signals a Strategic Shift in Revenue Generation

• The AI boom just found two new winners: Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase

• DeepSeek Earns Impressive AI Revenue Amid Market Changes

• Recent Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF Inflows Indicate Market Recovery

Beat And Still Fell

Second-quarter earnings season showed how high the bar has become for large US companies. Between July 14 and 16, several names beat forecasts and still saw their shares fall.

TSMC - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (NYSE: TSM) reported a 77% jump in profit and dropped about 5%. Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) came in line with expectations, guided slightly lower for the current quarter, and fell 10% after hours to a one-year low. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) posted a record quarter and fell around 4%. Only Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) and JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM), which beat by wide margins, rose. The one clear miss, International Business Machines Corp (NYSE: IBM), fell 25% in its worst day on record.

The pattern is that expectations, not results, are driving the market, and a beat is no longer enough when the price already assumes it.

Not All AI Bets Are Equal

Returns across the AI value chain are diverging, so which layer an investor picks matters more than it used to. Software application stocks have varied the most. Returns have been more uniform among hyperscalers and chip and semiconductor makers, with most names moving up together so far.

That uniformity is now being tested. Last Friday, July 17, chip stocks fell broadly, and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) led the declines among the largest technology names. The trigger was not weak earnings but valuation. Investors are asking whether the hundreds of billions of dollars that AI hyperscalers are spending will earn a high enough return to justify current chip prices. Even after the drop, a leading gauge of chipmakers is still up 68% for the year, so the fall is small next to the rally before it. Santander Asset Management described the move as a positioning problem rather than a fundamental one, since earnings momentum has stayed strong.

Explore AI Stocks Beyond the Big Names

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Earnings Performance

BlackRock (NYSE: BLK)

BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) posted another record quarter in Q2 2026, supported by strong client inflows and rising assets under management. ETFs remained the main growth engine, attracting $178 billion of net inflows during the quarter and accounting for most of BlackRock’s $192 billion in total net inflows. Assets under management reached a record $15.3 trillion, while the quarterly dividend increased to $5.73 per share.

Other Earnings Updates

• Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS): Posts Record Revenue, EPS

• JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM): Reports $21.2B Q2 Profit

• Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS): Reports Q2 EPS of $20.98

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Retail Keeps Buying

Retail investors are still the biggest structural buyers of US stocks, and they are putting more money to work than usual this month, according to Citadel Securities. Citadel says July 2026 is on track to be its second-strongest month for retail net buying since January 2020, and the strongest July in its records.

Separately, Citadel notes that retail investors sold semiconductor and hardware stocks on the two most recent down days for the SOX (the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index), a rare departure from the buy-the-dip pattern that has characterized this cycle. Both of those down days were followed by a sharp rebound.

Edition #165
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🏦 Tech Powers Markets, Big Banks Up Next

Last week, stocks climbed as technology and chip names drove the tape, shrugging off a midweek dip in semiconductors to leave the S&P 500 and Nasdaq near record highs. Renewed Middle East tension put a floor under oil, so energy stayed in the picture.

This week, the calendar turns heavy, with June inflation data landing alongside the first big bank results of the season. New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh also heads to Capitol Hill for his first testimony, so every word on rates will be parsed closely. A cooler inflation print would ease pressure and support risk appetite, while a hot one could revive worries about a rate hike later this year. Retail sales and consumer sentiment round out the week, giving you a clean read on whether spending is holding up before summer fades.

PRESENTED BY CANCAMBRIA ENERGY CORP

CanCambria Energy Corp. (TSXV: CCEC) (OTCQB: CCEYF) (FSE: 4JH) is building a scalable tight gas development platform in Central Europe. Years of underinvestment, declining domestic production, reduced reliance on Russian imports, and persistent energy security concerns have pushed pricing well above North American benchmarks. CanCambria’s goal is to apply proven unconventional techniques and scale in this higher-priced natural gas market.

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Hot Topics

• SK Hynix plunges after Nasdaq debut amid diminishing earnings optimism

• Robinhood’s Blockchain Launch: Challenges and Memecoin Frenzy

• TSMC posts record revenue in second quarter on AI demand

• Apple sues OpenAI, two former employees for trade secrets theft

• Rivian stock falls 18% as company sells 75 million shares to raise capital

• ‘Super’ El Niño could cause global food price shock lasting into 2028, analysts say

• China’s AI Large Language Models: A Competitive Edge Over the U.S.

Small Caps vs Large Caps

Small caps are finally leading. The top panel tracks the yearly total return of IWM (the iShares Russell 2000 ETF, a proxy for US small caps) relative to SPY (the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, a proxy for large caps). For most of the past decade, those bars sit below zero, the Russell 2000 lagging the S&P 500 year after year, a stretch long enough that many investors stopped watching small caps entirely.

2026 breaks the pattern. So far this year IWM is up roughly 20.7% against SPY’s 11.3%, one of the widest positive gaps on the chart.

One year is not a trend. What separates a real rotation from another false start is breadth and earnings, not a single green bar.

Still, the setup earns attention. After years of large-cap concentration, a genuine rotation would reprice a corner of the market that most portfolios are underweight. Watch whether the outperformance holds into year-end, and whether it is broad or driven by a handful of names.

GLP-1 Prescriptions Surge, Oversight Risk Rises

US prescription estimates for semaglutide and tirzepatide have climbed into the multi-million range, with tirzepatide catching up fast to semaglutide, according to Symphony Health data cited by Bloomberg Opinion.

That demand remains positive for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, but the access channel is under more scrutiny. A Yale secret-shopper study of 49 online GLP-1 providers found gaps in patient screening, raising regulatory and reputational risk for telehealth platforms and compounders.

There’s no doubt GLP-1 demand is still strong, but investors should separate durable branded-drug growth from the weaker economics of loosely controlled online prescribing.

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Investing Data Story

The regions that consume the most gas are not the ones producing it, and the geopolitical fractures of recent years have made that imbalance harder to manage.

The New Geography of Natural Gas

Earnings Performance

Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL)

Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL) posted record Q2 revenue of $17.7 billion, up about 14% year over year (19% on a GAAP basis to $19.76 billion), and beat estimates with adjusted EPS of $1.56. But operating margin fell for the third straight year, to 7.92%, as the highest quarterly fuel expense in its history squeezed profitability. Demand and pricing power are lifting the top line, but fuel is eating the gains. Watch whether Delta can maintain premium fares if fuel prices remain elevated into the fall.

Other Earnings Updates

• Penguin Solutions (NASDAQ: PENG): Posts Record Net Sales

• Enerpac (NYSE: EPAC): Reports Q3 Sales Rise 6%

• Kura Sushi (NASDAQ: KRUS): Reports $85.9M Q3 Sales

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Tesla Delivery Rebound Tests EV Demand Bears

Tesla reported 480,126 second-quarter deliveries, roughly 25% above last year and well ahead of Wall Street expectations near 406,000. The beat matters because it suggests demand may be stabilizing after boycotts, weaker sales, and pressure from BYD.

WHAT’S DRIVING IT

• Price support: Tesla has leaned on lower-cost Model Y and Model 3 versions, plus cheaper lease and loan offers in Europe, to keep demand moving.

• Brand reset: The delivery beat suggests some backlash tied to Elon Musk’s politics may be easing, though reputational risk remains hard to measure.

• Europe momentum: AP cited May trade data showing stronger overseas performance, including a reported 300% jump in Germany.

• US pressure: Cox Automotive estimated Tesla’s US sales fell 20% year over year in Q2, pointing to uneven demand across regions.

Tesla’s Q2 numbers weaken the bear case that demand is structurally broken, but they do not erase regional weakness or margin pressure. The key watch item is whether delivery growth can hold without deeper discounts.

Edition #164
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🦾 Stocks Climb as Rate Hopes Grow

Markets finished the shortened week, June 29 to July 2, on a positive note after a softer-than-expected June jobs report strengthened expectations that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to raise interest rates further this year. The Dow closed at another record high, while communication services and financials helped offset weakness in parts of technology. Investors also welcomed easing oil prices and lower geopolitical concerns, supporting overall market sentiment.

This week, investors will focus on the release of the Federal Reserve’s June meeting minutes on Wednesday and the unofficial start of Q2 earnings season, led by PepsiCo and Delta Air Lines. Markets will also watch whether softer economic data continues to strengthen expectations for lower interest rates later this year.

PRESENTED BY HAMAK STRATEGY LTD

Hamak Strategy (LSE: HAMA) (OTCQB: HASTF) is a junior exploration company building exposure to gold assets in established West African mining regions.

Get all the details in our in-depth investor guide.

Download the Exclusive Investor Report.

Hot Topics

• Jane Street Group Acquires 5% Stake in Hertz Global Holdings

• Microsoft joins AI-driven tech layoff wave with 4,800 job cuts

• Chip Stocks Rally in AI Trade Revival After Plunge

• Strategy’s Bitcoin Sale: Implications for Investors

• Lockheed Martin to buy Ultra Maritime for $3.45 billion

• HSBC Highlights Big Tech’s AI Investments as Profitable Ventures for Investors

CEO Video Interview

CanCambria Energy (TSXV: CCEC) (OTCQB: CCEYF) (FSE: 4JH) has assembled one of the largest contiguous gas land positions in Hungary, with a flagship tight gas project targeting first production in 2027. In this interview, CEO Paul Clarke walks through the investment case from subsurface to shareholder value.

Watch Now at Europe’s Gas Gap and the Hungary Play

Earnings Estimates Buck the Trend

The biggest shift ahead of earnings season was stronger expectations. Consensus second-quarter EPS estimates rose during the quarter, led by the Energy (+61.5%) and Information Technology (+8.7%) sectors, a sharp departure from the typical pattern of downward estimate revisions. Revisions across most other sectors were far more modest.

The trend points to improving business conditions, while also showing how concentrated the earnings outlook has become. Strong results from Energy and Technology would reinforce the market’s earnings momentum, while the sectors’ outsized contribution leaves overall S&P 500 earnings increasingly dependent on their performance.

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Investing Data Story

As Europe’s reliance on imported LNG deepens and domestic output falls, the conditions favouring investment in local gas supply are becoming difficult to ignore.

Tracked: Europe’s LNG Imports Are Causing A Supply Shift

Earnings Performance

General Mills (NYSE: GIS)

General Mills Inc (NYSE: GIS) ended fiscal 2026 with fourth-quarter results that met expectations, but management made clear that the turnaround remains a work in progress. The packaged foods company expects another challenging year, guiding for fiscal 2027 organic sales between down 1.5% and up 0.5%, while launching a $3 billion cost savings program through fiscal 2030 to improve profitability and cash generation.

The company is shifting its focus from broad pricing actions toward product innovation, packaging improvements, and brand investment as it seeks to restore sustainable growth. While management pointed to improving household penetration and stronger base volumes as encouraging signs, it also warned that financially pressured consumers, elevated promotional activity, and uncertain category demand remain important risks to the recovery.

Other Earnings Updates

• FactSet (NYSE: FDS): Reports 6.4% Revenue Growth in Q3 2026

• UniFirst (NYSE: UNF): Reports Q3 Profit Drop on Merger Costs

• MSC Industrial (NYSE: MSM): Reports 41% Rise in Q3 EPS

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Meta’s AI Monetization

Meta’s plan to sell excess AI compute to external customers reframes its massive infrastructure investments. The company is reportedly considering two approaches: renting out raw GPU capacity to AI developers, similar to infrastructure providers like CoreWeave, or offering access to AI models and services hosted on its own cloud platform. Either path transforms spare data center capacity into a recurring revenue opportunity, increasing asset utilization and improving returns on billions of dollars invested in AI infrastructure

The announcement shifts the investment narrative from AI spending to AI monetization. AI compute demand continues to outpace supply as enterprises and model developers accelerate AI adoption, creating a large and expanding addressable market for cloud infrastructure and AI services. Even if cloud revenue remains a relatively small contributor to Meta’s business, higher utilization of its AI assets could improve capital efficiency, support long-term margins, and enhance returns on its aggressive AI investments.

Edition #163
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🔴 Tech Stocks Drag Markets Into the Red

Last week, technology and semiconductor stocks drove the S&P 500 down nearly 2% and the Nasdaq 4.6% lower, snapping a strong run. A global chip rout, sparked by a Bank of America note warning of up to three rate hikes before year-end, rattled AI-linked names and spread from Asian markets to Wall Street. The Dow held up better, defensive sectors and health care outperformed, hinting at a rotation underway. The week closed cautiously after Iran targeted ships in the Strait of Hormuz and reports surfaced that OpenAI may delay its IPO, adding uncertainty around AI infrastructure spending.

This week, chip stocks have begun to claw back losses, but the bigger tests are still ahead. Fed Chair Warsh is speaking today at the ECB forum, his first public appearance since a hawkish debut that left markets pricing a two-thirds chance of at least one rate hike before December. Thursday’s June jobs report, released a day early ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, then takes over as the main event, with markets expecting around 110,000 to 118,000 new positions, a slowdown from May’s 172,000. A strong number or hawkish Warsh tone could extend pressure on growth stocks, while a softer outcome may offer relief, and thin holiday trading could amplify any moves.

PRESENTED BY CANCAMBRIA ENERGY CORP

CanCambria Energy Corp. (TSXV: CCEC) (OTCQB: CCEYF) (FSE: 4JH) is building a scalable tight gas development platform in Central Europe. Years of underinvestment, declining domestic production, reduced reliance on Russian imports, and persistent energy security concerns have pushed pricing well above North American benchmarks. CanCambria’s goal is to apply proven unconventional techniques and scale in this higher-priced natural gas market.

Download the Exclusive Investor Report.

Hot Topics

• Anthropic’s Mythos 5 AI model cleared by U.S. for wider use

• Ripple CEO Says Saylor Hurt Crypto Market

• Anthropic accuses Chinese rival Alibaba of Stealing

• Alibaba sues US government over defence blacklist

• SK Hynix Seeks $29 Billion IPO

• Cboe enters prediction markets race

• OpenAI unveils custom chip it designed with Broadcom

• Copper soars but smelters can’t bank on it to survive

CEO Video Interview

CanCambria Energy (TSXV: CCEC) (OTCQB: CCEYF) (FSE: 4JH) has assembled one of the largest contiguous gas land positions in Hungary, with a flagship tight gas project targeting first production in 2027. In this interview, CEO Paul Clarke walks through the investment case from subsurface to shareholder value.

Watch Now at Europe’s Gas Gap and the Hungary Play

Power Demand Outpaces Supply

BlackRock believes rising electricity demand and recurring supply shocks will increase the value of infrastructure that can deliver reliable power quickly, making energy security a long-term investment theme rather than a temporary response to geopolitical events.

The chart compares the deployment times of different power generation technologies, highlighting a growing mismatch between rapidly rising electricity demand and the time required to build new supply. Utility-scale solar and natural gas plants can come online within a few years, while offshore wind, carbon capture, and nuclear projects often take significantly longer, with commercial fusion remaining highly uncertain.

The key takeaway is that speed is becoming a competitive advantage as AI data centers, electrification, and cooling drive structural growth in electricity demand. If demand continues to outpace new capacity, companies exposed to grid infrastructure, natural gas generation, utility-scale solar, energy storage, electrical equipment, and power transmission could be well positioned to benefit.

Where Analysts See Upside

Every sector of the S&P 500 is expected to rise in price over the next 12 months, according to industry analysts’ target prices compiled by FactSet. The biggest expected gains are in media/telecom companies (+32%), retailers and consumer brands (+27%), and tech (+27%). The smallest expected gains are in industrial companies (+10%) and property/real estate (+11%).

Industry analysts remain largely optimistic; however, the S&P 500 is currently trading above its long-term average valuation, suggesting much of the optimism may already be priced in.

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Investing Data Story

As Europe’s reliance on imported LNG deepens and domestic output falls, the conditions favouring investment in local gas supply are becoming difficult to ignore.

Tracked: Europe’s LNG Imports Are Causing A Supply Shift

Earnings Performance

TD Synnex Corp (NYSE: SNX)

TD Synnex Corp (NYSE: SNX) had a standout quarter. Revenue hit $19.6 billion, up 31% from a year ago and well ahead of the company's own forecast. Profit margins held firm, and earnings per share of $4.85 (on an adjusted basis) were up 62% year on year.

The growth was broad, both its traditional IT distribution business and its Hyve unit (which builds custom hardware for large tech companies) put up strong numbers. Demand for AI infrastructure was a key driver.

The company returned $151 million to shareholders through buybacks and dividends, and lifted its quarterly dividend by 9%.

Looking ahead to Q3, TD SYNNEX is guiding for revenue of $18.2-$19B. That’s slightly below this quarter’s record, which is typical seasonal softness, but still represents solid growth on last year.

Other Earnings Updates

• Micron (Nasdaq: MU): Posts Record $41.5B Revenue in Fiscal Q3

• Worthington Steel (NYSE: WS): Reports Q4 Loss on Impairment Charge

• H.B. Fuller (NYSE: FUL): Posts Record Q2 Operating Cash Flow

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Investor Guide: Inside the Blockchain Stack

Blockchain infrastructure is one of the most active areas of digital asset investing right now. Our guide breaks down exactly where fees accrue across the stack. Read it here.

World’s Oil Buffer Running Dry

With the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the global oil market was burning through its buffer stock at a pace not seen since before the Iraq war. The next update is due July 7, and it will be interesting to see how projections fare with the Strait nominally open under the June 17 deal but operating at a fraction of normal capacity. A fresh exchange of strikes between the US and Iran over the weekend, followed by both sides pausing and talks resuming in Doha, suggests any assumption of a sustained reopening looks increasingly fragile.

Edition #162
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🌪️ Iran Deal and Fed Shock Keep Markets Guessing

Last week, U.S. stocks had a volatile but positive four-day run, with markets closed for the Juneteenth holiday. A surprise U.S.-Iran peace deal reopened the Strait of Hormuz, sent oil prices sharply lower, and lit a fire under equities early in the week, with the Dow hitting a record high and the Nasdaq surging more than 3% in a single session. The mood cooled midweek when the Federal Reserve, in new Chair Kevin Warsh's debut, held rates steady at 3.5%-3.75% but signaled a hawkish tilt, with nine of 18 policymakers projecting at least one rate hike by year-end, sending bond yields higher and trimming gains.

This week, May PCE prices, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, headline a busy Thursday alongside first-quarter GDP, durable goods, and personal spending data. A hot PCE print could reinforce the case for higher rates and pressure growth-sensitive parts of the market. Micron reports mid-week as a live read on AI-driven chip demand, and a strong result there could keep technology sector momentum intact. With geopolitical risk fading, rates are now the bigger variable to watch.

PRESENTED BY HAMAK STRATEGY LTD

Hamak Strategy (LSE: HAMA) (OTCQB: HASTF) is a junior exploration company building exposure to gold assets in established West African mining regions.

Get all the details in our in-depth investor guide.

Download the Exclusive Investor Report.

Hot Topics

• Getty Images Up 200% in Early Trading After OpenAI Deal

• Microsoft and Chevron Sign 20-Year Power Deal For Texas Data Center

• China’s Gold Imports Surge to Most in More Than Two Years

• Bank of England Transforms Stablecoin Regulation with New Framework

• Robots will replace 700,000 delivery workers ‘sooner or later’

• Trading platform Robinhood to cut 10% of workforce in restructuring

• SpaceX to acquire the AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion

• Humble Robotics Launches Driverless Electric Truck

US Data Center Buildout

Cleanview tracks US data centers and power projects from the first permit to completion. Planned facilities now stretch across Texas, the Southeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, and parts of the Mountain West, showing that hyperscale demand is expanding well beyond the industry's traditional hubs. The sheer number of planned projects relative to operating facilities suggests the AI infrastructure buildout remains in its early innings rather than nearing saturation.

The map is ultimately a story about electricity demand. Every planned data center represents future load that must be supplied, often years before the grid is ready. As AI infrastructure scales, the key question is shifting from who is building data centers to who can deliver the power. Utilities, independent power producers, transmission developers, and energy storage companies that can solve the power bottleneck may capture as much value as the data center operators themselves.

What matters for investors is that power availability is increasingly becoming the limiting factor for AI growth. That makes grid infrastructure, generation capacity, and interconnection pipelines some of the most important assets in the AI economy.

Earnings Expectations Are Accelerating

FactSet data shows Q2 earnings estimates are rising rather than falling, a rare sign of strengthening fundamentals. The most telling chart shows expected S&P 500 earnings growth increasing to 22.0% from 18.7% since March. That’s unusual because analysts typically lower estimates as a quarter progresses.

Energy and Technology are driving the improvement. Energy earnings growth expectations jumped to 121.8% from 48.3%, while Technology increased to 59.6% from 48.7%. Meanwhile, Health Care swung from expected growth to a 9% decline, highlighting how uneven the earnings recovery remains.

The investor takeaway is that earnings momentum remains strong, but leadership is concentrated. The market’s earnings story is increasingly tied to AI-driven technology profits and higher energy prices, making those sectors critical to sustaining broader earnings growth.

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Investing Data Story

As Europe’s reliance on imported LNG deepens and domestic output falls, the conditions favouring investment in local gas supply are becoming difficult to ignore.

Tracked: Europe’s LNG Imports Are Causing A Supply Shift

Earnings Performance

John Wiley & Sons Inc (NYSE: WLY)

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: WLY) posted record margins on AI and research growth. The company’s most interesting growth story is emerging outside its traditional publishing business. AI revenue increased from $23 million in fiscal 2024 to $49 million in fiscal 2026, while recurring AI revenue grew from roughly $1 million to $8 million over the past year. Management expects that recurring component to grow another 2-3x in fiscal 2027, suggesting AI is evolving from experimental licensing deals into a more durable revenue stream.

Fiscal 2026 adjusted revenue was $1.68 billion, adjusted EBITDA rose 10% to $440 million, adjusted EPS increased 15% to $4.19, and free cash flow jumped 55% to $195 million. AI revenue grew 23% to $49 million, supported by expanding partnerships across the AI ecosystem.

Other Earnings Updates

• Smith & Wesson (NASDAQ: SWBI): Reports 26.7% Q4 Sales Rise

• Safe Bulkers (NYSE: SB): Posts Q1 Net Income of $22.2M, Triples YoY

• CarMax (NYSE: KMX): Reports Q1 Revenue Rise, EPS Dip

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Investor Guide: Inside the Blockchain Stack

Blockchain infrastructure is one of the most active areas of digital asset investing right now. Our guide breaks down exactly where fees accrue across the stack. Read it here.

Edition #161
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🚀 Iran Deal and SpaceX Send Markets Flying

Last week, US stocks whipsawed on geopolitical headlines before finishing higher. Escalating US-Iran tensions and a three-year-high inflation reading of 4.2% dragged the S&P 500 down more than 2% mid-week, before peace-deal optimism and SpaceX’s blockbuster market debut powered a broad recovery with tech leading the way.

This week, the Federal Reserve wraps up its two-day policy meeting, and Chair Kevin Warsh holds a press conference, giving investors their clearest signal yet on where rates are headed. The Fed is widely expected to hold steady, but any hint of future hikes could rattle a market still digesting 4.2% inflation and freshly lower oil prices. Retail sales and housing data also land this week, offering a read on consumer health, and markets close Thursday for Juneteenth, making it a compressed but consequential four-day stretch.

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The Crypto Company (OTC: CRCW) is focused on operating businesses across crypto, blockchain infrastructure, and emerging technologies such as AI, with a goal of growing revenues and improving profitability across its portfolio.

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Hot Topics

• Fox to Buy Roku in $22B Deal

• Anthropic’s AI Models Face U.S. Government Export Controls

• Iran war adds to AI boom as demand for gas turbines rises

• China’s BYD aims to be world’s biggest car firm within five years

• El Niño Points to 10 Sectors Worth Watching

• SpaceX set to extend rally after record IPO

• Flutter’s London Exit Marks Another Blow for UK Equities

• Adobe CFO Departs Amid CEO Search

• Founders Fund launches game show starring Sam Altman, Palmer Luckey

Investing Data Story

These 9 North American small- to mid-caps stand out for converting revenue into cash, earning strong returns on capital, and carrying low debt.

9 Small-Mid Caps Quietly Compounding Cash

Retail Bullishness Broadens

The Schwab Trading Activity Index (STAX) measures actual client trading behaviour across generations, and May’s reading suggests the post-April selloff anxiety has largely faded.

The latest data shows a sharp rise in younger investor sentiment. Millennials’ score climbed 11.2% to 54.1, nearly matching Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation, while Gen Z rose 11.4%.

Gen X remained the strongest buyer with a score of 61.6, continuing to add to semiconductor names such as Nvidia, Micron, and Intel during pullbacks.

Diversified ETFs featured prominently in the most-bought names, and smaller accounts outpaced larger ones on the bullishness scale, suggesting conviction remains selective rather than broad. May’s reading also sat well below February and March highs, so the recovery looks real but not euphoric. Watch whether single-stock risk appetite returns in June as the cleaner signal of how deep this rebound runs.

Rethinking Emerging Markets

The chart shows the growth of a $100 investment since 2010. US equities climbed to roughly $720 by the end of 2025, while emerging markets reached $186. The result is a record concentration in US equities, with the US now accounting for about 65% of the MSCI All Country World Index.

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Investing Data Story

As Europe’s reliance on imported LNG deepens and domestic output falls, the conditions favouring investment in local gas supply are becoming difficult to ignore.

Tracked: Europe’s LNG Imports Are Causing A Supply Shift

Earnings Performance

Adobe Inc (NASDAQ: ADBE)

Adobe Inc (NASDAQ: ADBE) delivered a record fiscal Q2, reporting revenue of $6.62 billion, up 13% year over year, while raising its full-year guidance. Non-GAAP EPS reached $5.96, operating cash flow totaled $2.17 billion, and total ARR grew to $27.1 billion, reflecting continued momentum across the company’s AI and subscription businesses.

Despite the strong quarter, shares fell as investors focused on Adobe’s decision to expand freemium offerings and delay planned Creative Cloud price increases, a strategy management said could pressure near-term ARR growth. The selloff was compounded by leadership transitions, including CFO Dan Durn’s upcoming departure and the company’s ongoing CEO succession process.

Other Earnings Updates

• Oracle (NYSE: ORCL): Posts Record Q4 Revenue as Cloud Infrastructure Surges

• Lovesac (NASDAQ: LOVE): Names New CFO, Posts Q1 Net Sales of $138.2M

• Chewy (NYSE: CHWY): Posts Record Quarterly Profitability

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Investor Guide: Inside the Blockchain Stack

Blockchain infrastructure is one of the most active areas of digital asset investing right now. Our guide breaks down exactly where fees accrue across the stack. Read it here.

Ethanol Finds a New Growth Market at Sea

Major shippers, including A.P. Moller Maersk and Vale, are adopting ethanol as a marine fuel because it is abundant, available today, and cost-competitive with other low-carbon alternatives.

For investors, shipping creates a potentially significant new source of demand for ethanol beyond gasoline blending. As commercial use expands, higher fuel consumption from the marine sector could support ethanol demand, pricing, and production growth, particularly in key producers such as the United States and Brazil.

2026 Asset Returns at a Glance

Edition #160
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🚨 Hot Jobs Data Ends a Nine-Week Win Streak

U.S. stocks snapped a nine-week rally last week after a blowout May jobs report upended rate expectations. The economy added 172,000 positions, nearly double forecasts, while unemployment held at 4.3%. The strong data pushed the 10-year Treasury yield above 4.5% and the 30-year above 5%, raising fears the Fed will hold rates higher for longer. The Nasdaq shed roughly 4.7%, with tech and semiconductors leading the selloff, while defensive sectors held up as investors rotated to safety.

This week, May CPI takes centre stage, with core inflation expected at around 2.9% annually, a reading that could cement a Fed hold later this month. Producer prices and earnings from Oracle and Adobe will add colour on inflation and AI spending. The anticipated Nasdaq debut of SpaceX, potentially the largest IPO in history at a ~$1.78 trillion valuation, looms over markets and could pull capital from other sectors and stoke volatility.

PRESENTED BY CANCAMBRIA ENERGY CORP

CanCambria Energy Corp. (TSXV: CCEC) (OTCQB: CCEYF) (FSE: 4JH) is building a scalable tight gas development platform in Central Europe. Years of underinvestment, declining domestic production, reduced reliance on Russian imports, and persistent energy security concerns have pushed pricing well above North American benchmarks. CanCambria’s goal is to apply proven unconventional techniques and scale in this higher-priced natural gas market.

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Hot Topics

• AI Is Turning Natural Gas Into a Growth Fuel

• Tate & Lyle Accepts Bid From Ingredion in Loss for London

• OpenAI’s Ambitious Transformation of ChatGPT into a Superapp

• Google inked a $920M compute agreement with SpaceX

• UK AI start-up PhysicsX hits $2.4bn valuation following Temasek-led deal

• Nvidia snaps up Kumo AI in latest acquisition

• Planet Labs Stock Growth Story Builds

• Biopharma M&A Points to a Durable Deal Cycle

Investing Data Story

These 9 North American small- to mid-caps stand out for converting revenue into cash, earning strong returns on capital, and carrying low debt.

9 Small-Mid Caps Quietly Compounding Cash

El Niño’s Market Pressure Points

The World Meteorological Organization puts the probability of an El Niño event between June and August 2026 at 80%, with NOAA estimating a 96% chance it persists into early 2027. The lead time is long enough to act.

The mechanism is well understood. Warmer Pacific sea-surface temperatures dry out Southeast Asia, threatening palm oil and rice output from the world’s dominant producers. Brazil, which generates roughly 60% of its electricity from hydropower, faces reservoir depletion and expensive fossil fuel backup. Asian rice farmers already cutting planting due to elevated costs tied to Hormuz disruption, face compounding pressure.

Not all the angles are bearish. Fertilizer producers benefit as farmers under yield pressure maximize crop nutrition spend. Water infrastructure attracts defensive flows during drought cycles. Reinsurers face near-term correlated losses across drought, flood, and wildfire perils -- but premium repricing typically follows 12 to 18 months later.

The caveat: forecasts model the direction of risk, not its magnitude. A moderate event looks meaningfully different from a strong one.

Watch agricultural commodity futures as the leading signal. Equity repricing in exposed sectors typically lags by weeks to months.

Ten sectors with direct exposure, and what the risk looks like in each, are mapped out in full here → El Niño Points to 10 Sectors Worth Watching

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Investing Data Story

As Europe’s reliance on imported LNG deepens and domestic output falls, the conditions favouring investment in local gas supply are becoming difficult to ignore.

Tracked: Europe’s LNG Imports Are Causing A Supply Shift

Index Rules and the IPO Queue

With SpaceX’s IPO imminent, Nasdaq has changed its rules to allow exceptionally large IPOs to join the Nasdaq 100 much sooner after listing. That means SpaceX could enter the QQQ ETF within weeks of listing, creating significant index-driven demand.

S&P Dow Jones Indices has taken the opposite approach. The S&P 500 still requires at least a year of public trading and sustained profitability. SpaceX’s S-1 shows a $4.9 billion net loss in 2025 and a further $4.3 billion loss in Q1 2026, largely reflecting the consolidation of xAI following the February 2026 acquisition. While SpaceX’s core business was reportedly profitable in 2024, the combined company is unlikely to meet S&P’s requirements anytime soon.

The contrast highlights two competing philosophies. Nasdaq prioritizes market relevance and rapid inclusion. S&P prioritizes profitability and operating history.

That distinction matters because index membership increasingly drives capital flows. Investors often view passive funds as neutral, but index providers make active decisions about which companies qualify and when. In SpaceX’s case, Nasdaq investors may gain exposure within weeks, while S&P 500 investors could wait years.

Watch how QQQ absorbs SpaceX. It will provide a real-world test of whether rapid index inclusion enhances market efficiency or amplifies volatility.

Earnings Performance

Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO)

Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) posted record AI revenue in Q2, but shares fell as investors focused on the lack of an increase in full-year AI guidance and management’s revised AI systems strategy.

The more interesting story may be Broadcom’s long-term track record of value creation. Revenue has grown from $1.4 billion in 2005 to $63.9 billion in FY2025, not because of a single product cycle, but through a disciplined acquisition strategy that paired market-leading infrastructure assets with aggressive operational improvements. Acquisitions transformed the company from a semiconductor supplier into a diversified infrastructure technology platform.

The chart highlights why Broadcom’s competitive advantage extends beyond AI. Its ability to acquire critical technology franchises, expand margins, and convert earnings into cash flow has been the primary driver of shareholder value for two decades. VMware is now the next major test of that playbook. If management can execute as successfully as it has with prior acquisitions, the deal could become a meaningful driver of earnings and cash flow growth for years to come.

Other Earnings Updates

• G-III Apparel (NASDAQ: GIII): Posts Q1 Earnings Beat, Lifts Guidance

• Lululemon (NASDAQ: LULU): Cuts Full-Year Outlook as Profit Falls

• Planet Labs (NYSE: PL): Posts Record Q1 Revenue of $94M

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Investor Guide: Inside the Blockchain Stack

Blockchain infrastructure is one of the most active areas of digital asset investing right now. Our guide breaks down exactly where fees accrue across the stack. Read it here.

Edition #159
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🚀 Tech Powers Stocks to Nine Straight Wins

Last week, US equity markets extended their remarkable run to nine consecutive weekly gains, with the S&P 500 closing May up 5% and the Nasdaq jumping more than 8% for the month. Technology was the clear engine, powered by blowout earnings from the hardware sector and growing confidence around AI demand, while a potential US-Iran ceasefire extension helped energy prices pull back.

This week, the calendar is packed. Broadcom reports earnings midweek, and with AI chip revenue forecast to have nearly tripled year over year, the results will either confirm or complicate the AI growth story driving this rally. The May jobs report arrives Friday, the single biggest test for the Fed’s next move, with investors hoping for a number strong enough to signal resilience but soft enough to keep rate-cut hopes alive. Add in the looming SpaceX roadshow, with the expected-record $1.75 trillion IPO set to price next week, and markets face a week where once again a lot can shift fast.

PRESENTED BY HAMAK STRATEGY LTD

Hamak Strategy (LSE: HAMA) (OTCQB: HASTF) is a junior exploration company building exposure to gold assets in established West African mining regions.

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Hot Topics

• Nvidia Unveils New AI PC Chip

• Berkshire Hathaway Makes Major Homebuilding Acquisition

• Where Investors May Profit Beyond SpaceX

• SoftBank plans $87B Investment in 5GW French AI Data Center

• A Rare Earths Civil War

• Americans Would Rather Live Near Nuclear Plants Than Data Centers

• Carbon TerraVault Begins CO₂ Storage in California

Investing Data Story

These 9 North American small- to mid-caps stand out for converting revenue into cash, earning strong returns on capital, and carrying low debt.

9 Small-Mid Caps Quietly Compounding Cash

Tin’s Structural Deficit

Solder accounts for 50% of global tin demand, and there is no viable substitute. Every AI server rack, EV battery management board, and solar inverter runs on tin-soldered printed circuit boards, making this metal a direct infrastructure play on electrification and compute expansion.

Tin on the London Metal Exchange (LME) is trading around $55,225 per tonne, up 36% year-to-date and near its all-time high. The problem is that the rally appears to be driven more by investor positioning than immediate physical scarcity.

The International Tin Association (ITA) has noted that when tin hit record highs in January, underlying supply conditions had not materially changed. Instead, speculative buying, particularly on Chinese exchanges, was a major factor behind the move.

Near-term fundamentals have improved. Mine supply is recovering, exchange inventories have been rising, and the market is moving closer to balance. Yet prices remain historically elevated.

That doesn’t mean the long-term investment case has disappeared. Myanmar’s largest mine remains restricted, Indonesia continues its crackdown on illegal operations, and the ITA expects global tin demand to grow by around 40% by 2030, driven by EVs, solar installations, and data centre expansion.

The long-term outlook for tin remains compelling, but current prices appear to be running ahead of today’s supply-demand reality.

We've updated our full guide to tin stocks, covering producers, developers, and ETFs, with the latest data. Read the updated guide →

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Earnings Performance

Salesforce Inc (NYSE: CRM)

Salesforce Inc (NYSE: CRM) delivered record first-quarter results with EPS up 52%. AI adoption is accelerating fast enough to materially change Salesforce’s growth profile, not just its marketing narrative. Its AI agent platform, Agentforce, hit $1.2 billion in annual recurring revenue in Q1 FY27, up 205% year-over-year, as the company reported $11.1 billion in total quarterly revenue, 13% higher than a year ago.

The company shows a sharp ramp in Agentic Work Units, which jumped from 304 million in Q2 FY26 to 1.6 billion in Q1 FY27, with cumulative AWUs delivered reaching 3.8 billion. That matters because it shows customers are moving from AI experimentation into real production usage.

Other Earnings Updates

• Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW): Posts Record Sequential Revenue Growth

• Costco (NASDAQ: COST): Posts 11.6% Sales Rise in Q3

• Dell (NYSE: DELL): Posts 88% Revenue Jump on AI Server Surge

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Where $18 Trillion of Market Value Was Created

AI infrastructure, semiconductors, and digital advertising emerged as the dominant drivers of market cap growth, accounting for the majority of gains since 2022.

Edition #158
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

👀 AI Chips and Bond Jitters Close Out a Wild Week

Last week, US stocks managed to eke out gains despite a turbulent stretch driven by surging bond yields and Middle East uncertainty. Semiconductor and AI stocks stayed resilient after Nvidia’s strong earnings and guidance reinforced confidence in AI spending, despite post-earnings profit-taking in Nvidia shares.

This week, markets open Tuesday after Monday’s Memorial Day holiday, leaving four sessions to absorb a packed economic calendar. The standout releases are the first-quarter GDP revision and the core PCE price index. With new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh now at the helm and bond traders already pricing in a possible rate hike by year-end, a hotter-than-expected inflation number could rattle equities, especially rate-sensitive sectors like real estate and utilities. Earnings from Salesforce, Costco, and Dell will add a consumer and enterprise spending lens, giving investors a clearer picture of whether corporate America is holding up under elevated energy costs.

PRESENTED BY THE CRYPTO COMPANY

The Crypto Company (OTC: CRCW) is focused on operating businesses across crypto, blockchain infrastructure, and emerging technologies such as AI, with a goal of growing revenues and improving profitability across its portfolio.

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Hot Topics

• Stock Markets Are Increasingly Vulnerable to Rising Bond Yields

• What to Know About the SpaceX IPO

• Delivery Hero shares surge to 18-month high as Uber eyes takeover

• Supply hits galvanize zinc as expected surplus fails to show

• Don’t look now, Amazon. Walmart is coming for your customers

• Platinum, Rhodium to Outpace Palladium in 2026

• Sustainable Fashion Brand Sold to Shein

• NextEra plans to buy Dominion Energy for $66.8 billion

• Elon Musk lost another lawsuit. Will he keep fighting?

Investing Data Story

These 9 North American small- to mid-caps stand out for converting revenue into cash, earning strong returns on capital, and carrying low debt.

9 Small-Mid Caps Quietly Compounding Cash

Luxury Spend Turns Positive

U.S. fashion luxury card spend is now growing across every income bracket simultaneously. Bank of America internal card data shows higher-income consumers up roughly 15% year-over-year so far in Q2, with middle and lower cohorts posting high single-digit and low single-digit gains, respectively.

The synchronized recovery matters. After troughing near -17% for lower-income shoppers in Q1 2024, all three cohorts are now in positive territory simultaneously, a first since before the 2024 luxury downturn. LVMH, Kering, and Richemont all flagged soft U.S. demand as a 2025 headwind; this data flips that narrative.

The risk is the gap between spending intent and actual conversion. Luxury stocks remain oversold after March’s sharp selloff on Middle East tensions and oil price spikes. Card data leads, but if Hormuz disruption persists, foot traffic and travel retail revenue will lag the signal.

Gulf Shock Splits Aluminium Market

The Iran war has caused a major supply shock in the aluminium market, with missile strikes damaging Gulf smelters and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupting logistics. The Gulf produces over a fifth of non-Chinese aluminium, and output has plummeted to its lowest level in over a decade. While the headline LME price is only up 14% and appears relatively calm, the real stress is showing up in physical premiums that have doubled or more in some regions, rapidly draining warehouse stocks, and tightening time spreads that signal genuine near-term scarcity.

China is producing more but is close to its government capacity cap, and exchange stockpiles can only cushion the shortfall for so long. Physical buyers are already paying significantly more to secure metal, and the longer the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, the worse the deficit is likely to get.

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Earnings Performance

Frontline Plc (NYSE: FRO)

Frontline Plc (NYSE: FRO) shares slipped on Friday after the tanker operator reported Q1 adjusted earnings of $1.55 per share, missing Wall Street expectations.

However, results show tanker demand is being driven by distance, not just volume. Even with lower overall Gulf exports, vessel utilization stayed tight because ships are spending longer at sea, and more Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) are tied up waiting, rerouting, or repositioning. While Arabian Gulf exports fell by roughly 13.8 million barrels per day, Asia replaced part of that supply with longer-haul barrels from the Atlantic Basin, West Africa, and the Americas.

Frontline reported Q1 2026 revenue of $714.2 million and adjusted profit of $344.9 million, or $1.55 per share, while reported EPS reached $2.51 due to vessel sale gains. Frontline’s fleet breakeven is around $24k/day, while current contracted Q2 VLCC rates are already above $180k/day.

Other Earnings Updates

• TruGolf (NASDAQ: TRUG): Reports Q1 Net Loss Cut Nearly in Half

• Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL): Reports Q2 Orders Up 8%, Raises Outlook

• Home Depot (NYSE: HD): Reports Q1 Sales of $41.8B

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

The Gold Stocks Playbook for a New Bull Cycle

Gold has reclaimed its place in investor conversations, but the equities behind the metal rarely move as one. Senior producers, mid-tiers, juniors, royalty companies, and explorers each respond to a different mix of forces. Understanding which tier you are buying matters as much as the bullish thesis on gold itself.

This series breaks the gold mining sector into its working parts. Each piece looks at a distinct tier or category, what defines it, how the economics differ, and what investors should weigh before committing capital. The goal is not to pick winners, but to give retail investors a framework they can apply when the next gold name lands in their inbox.

From scale and predictability at the top of the market, to the asset-light royalty model, to the geographic risk embedded in every project, the series builds a complete map of how to think about gold equities.

Explore the full breakdown:

• Guide to Investing in Gold Mining

• Gold Stocks to Buy: A Framework for Gold Equities

• Senior Gold Producers: A Survey of the Tier

• Newmont (NYSE: NEM) Shows What Scale Buys in Gold Mining

• Mid-Tier Gold Miners: What to Know About the Growth Tier

• Alamos Gold Shows What Mid-Tier Growth Looks Like

• Junior Gold Producers and Single-Asset Operators

• Gold Royalty and Streaming Companies

• Gold Explorers and Developers

• Jurisdiction-Focused Gold Stocks

Edition #157
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🛢️ Oil and Yields Crash the AI Party

Last week, stocks finished mixed as a hot inflation print and a jump in Treasury yields cooled an otherwise tech-led tape. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq scratched out small gains while the Dow drifted flat, with semiconductors and AI names doing most of the heavy lifting before a Friday pullback. The Trump-Xi summit produced warm words but no real breakthroughs, while crude pushed toward $109 on stalled Iran talks.

This week, Nvidia’s earnings on Wednesday share the stage with FOMC minutes from Powell’s final meeting, the first big read on the policy mood as Kevin Warsh takes over the Fed. Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target and TJX will offer a close-up of the US consumer amid sticky inflation. With rate-hike odds for 2026 now near 45% and the AI trade looking stretched, a clean Nvidia beat plus dovish minutes could refuel the rally, but any disappointment risks a sharper rotation out of the high fliers.

PRESENTED BY CANCAMBRIA ENERGY CORP

CanCambria Energy Corp. (TSXV: CCEC) (OTCQB: CCEYF) (FSE: 4JH) is building a scalable tight gas development platform in Central Europe. Years of underinvestment, declining domestic production, reduced reliance on Russian imports, and persistent energy security concerns have pushed pricing well above North American benchmarks. CanCambria’s goal is to apply proven unconventional techniques and scale in this higher-priced natural gas market.

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Hot Topics

• SpaceX Holders Sign Off on 5-for-1 Stock Split Ahead of IPO

• IBM: New FDU Model Aims To Accelerate Enterprise AI Deployment

• U.S. drill bit makers ramp up shift to steel as tungsten prices surge

• Regeneron Sinks After Late-Stage Melanoma Trial Failure

• Roundhill DRAM ETF Hits $6 Billion in Five Weeks

• The Current State of the Global Bond Market and Its Effects on Cryptocurrency

• Cerebras IPO jumps to almost $70bn valuation

• What does AI do when no-one’s watching?

• Big risks and rewards in IPOs at SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic

Investing Data Story

Global gas benchmarks show a wide price gap, with North America far below Europe and Asia, shaping trade, margins, and energy stocks.

Visualized: Natural Gas Price Gaps Reshape Global Energy Trade

The State of Copper Exploration

Mining companies spent $3.3 billion looking for new copper deposits in 2025, up just 2% on the year and still well below the 2012 peak of $4.7 billion. That is striking given copper was already trading near $10,000 a tonne when those 2025 budgets were set, and prices have since pushed higher still, currently around $13,500 a tonne. In previous cycles, high prices triggered a surge in exploration. This time, the response has been muted, and within that budget, more spending is going on, extending existing mines rather than hunting for new ones.

The implication is a tightening supply pipeline at exactly the point where demand from electrification, grid investment, and data centres is accelerating. New discoveries take 15 to 20 years to reach production, so today’s underinvestment shows up as tomorrow’s deficit. That favours three types of companies:

• Established miners that already produce copper from long-life mines

• Smaller companies with advanced projects close to production, which big miners may want to buy

• Early-stage explorers

The risk to this view is cyclical. A China slowdown, recession, or substitution could pressure prices in the near term, even as the structural case strengthens.

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Earnings Performance

Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO)

Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO) AI infrastructure orders from hyperscalers are now expected to hit $9 billion in FY26, up from $2 billion in FY25, a sign that AI networking demand is accelerating faster than expected. The company already booked $5.3 billion of AI orders year-to-date, driven by both switching and optical networking products.

That demand is flowing into results. Q3 revenue rose 12% to $15.8 billion, non-GAAP EPS increased 10% to $1.06, and Service Provider & Cloud orders surged 105%. For investors, the takeaway is that Cisco is emerging as a key supplier in AI infrastructure buildouts, not just a legacy enterprise networking company.

Other Earnings Updates

• Sigma Lithium (NASDAQ: SGML): Posts Record 1Q26 Margins

• Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT): Reports Record Q2 Revenue

• Honda (NYSE: HMC): Posts First Annual Loss on EV Writedown

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

The Gold Stocks Playbook for a New Bull Cycle

Gold has reclaimed its place in investor conversations, but the equities behind the metal rarely move as one. Senior producers, mid-tiers, juniors, royalty companies, and explorers each respond to a different mix of forces. Understanding which tier you are buying matters as much as the bullish thesis on gold itself.

This series breaks the gold mining sector into its working parts. Each piece looks at a distinct tier or category, what defines it, how the economics differ, and what investors should weigh before committing capital. The goal is not to pick winners, but to give retail investors a framework they can apply when the next gold name lands in their inbox.

From scale and predictability at the top of the market, to the asset-light royalty model, to the geographic risk embedded in every project, the series builds a complete map of how to think about gold equities.

Explore the full breakdown:

• Guide to Investing in Gold Mining

• Gold Stocks to Buy: A Framework for Gold Equities

• Senior Gold Producers: A Survey of the Tier

• Newmont (NYSE: NEM) Shows What Scale Buys in Gold Mining

• Mid-Tier Gold Miners: What to Know About the Growth Tier

• Alamos Gold Shows What Mid-Tier Growth Looks Like

• Junior Gold Producers and Single-Asset Operators

• Gold Royalty and Streaming Companies

• Gold Explorers and Developers

• Jurisdiction-Focused Gold Stocks

Edition #156
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🚀 Stocks Hit Record Highs on Jobs Beat

Last week, Wall Street stretched its winning streak to six weeks, the longest since 2024, as the S&P 500 climbed 2.3% and the Nasdaq jumped 4.5% to fresh records. Strong Q1 earnings, especially from mega-cap tech and AI names, drove the tape, while a hotter-than-expected April jobs report reassured investors on growth. Sentiment held up even as the US and Iran traded fresh strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, with traders betting the ceasefire would stick.

This week, April CPI is the main event, followed by PPI, retail sales, and consumer sentiment, with results from Cisco, Alibaba, and Applied Materials testing AI and tech enthusiasm. A hotter inflation print could dent rate cut hopes and pressure the richly valued tech leadership that has powered the rally, while Iran headlines and the US-China summit remain key swing factors for risk appetite.

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Amazon Opens Its Logistics Empire

FedEx and UPS stocks dropped after Amazon launched a service that opens its entire logistics network to outside businesses.

Amazon Supply Chain Services bundles freight, fulfillment, distribution, and parcel shipping into a single offering. Early customers include Procter and Gamble, 3M and Lands’ End. Amazon has already passed both legacy carriers to become the largest US parcel shipper by volume, per ShipMatrix.

Morgan Stanley analyst Ravi Shanker called the launch a potential “watershed moment” for North American freight. The clearest losers are parcel incumbents FedEx and UPS, whose B2B and healthcare pivots now face a credible new bidder with surplus warehouse and air capacity.

Solar Leads, Coal Retreats

Global electricity generation grew by over 850 TWh in 2025, with renewables and nuclear together adding more than the total increase, while coal-fired output fell for the first time outside a crisis period in a decade.

Solar PV led the way with a record 600 TWh jump, and wind held steady at around 200 TWh of new generation. Coal flipped from a 155 TWh gain in 2024 to a roughly 50 TWh decline in 2025, as China and India recorded simultaneous drops for the first time in fifty years.

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Earnings Performance

ZipRecruiter Inc (NYSE: ZIP)

ZipRecruiter Inc. (NYSE: ZIP) posted Q1 2026 revenue of $107.5M, landing above the midpoint of its own guidance, but the headline GAAP figure was a $4.7M net loss. Management’s preferred metric, Adjusted EBITDA, came in at $9.7M (a 9% margin), and the chart shows how it gets there: stripping out $8.4M of stock-based compensation, $7.4M of interest expense, and $2.9M of depreciation, partly offset by other income and a small tax benefit.

For retail investors, the key takeaway is that the business generates operating profitability on an adjusted basis, but interest costs from its debt load and ongoing share-based pay to employees are weighing on bottom-line results. CEO Ian Siegel framed the quarter around AI-powered matching and market share gains, themes worth tracking in subsequent quarters to see whether revenue growth reaccelerates.

Other Earnings Updates

• Vistra (NYSE: VST): Reports Q1 Profit Swing to $1B

• Gilead Sciences, Inc (NASDAQ: GILD): HIV Growth Offsets Acquisition Costs

• Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS): Q2 Earnings Show Strong Streaming Growth

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Closing the Gap

Alphabet has closed the gap on Nvidia in a remarkable run, with both companies now sitting near the $5 trillion mark. Nvidia surged ahead through 2024 as AI chip demand exploded, peaking well above Alphabet for much of 2025. But Alphabet’s steady climb through 2025 and into 2026, driven by its own AI silicon ambitions and cloud momentum, has brought the Google parent within striking distance of overtaking the chipmaker as the world’s most valuable company.

Edition #155
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

💼 Jobs Week Tests Market Momentum

Stocks ended last week near record highs, but the story now shifts from earnings to the economy. Tech and communication services continue to lead, helped by strong AI spending and solid profit growth; firmer oil prices keep inflation concerns in play. The rally remains healthy, but elevated expectations leave less room for disappointment.

This week’s labor data is the main event. Economists expect payroll growth to slow from March’s 178,000 gain, with unemployment seen holding near 4.3%. If the jobs report is weak, Treasury yields could fall, lifting rate-sensitive sectors like real estate and utilities. If the report is strong, expensive growth stocks may come under pressure.

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Medtech’s Lost Decade

The S&P 500 compounded at 12% annually from 2017 to 2025, while medtech returned just 3%, the weakest performance among industries tracked by McKinsey & Company.

Nearly 80% of public medtech companies delivered flat or negative returns over the past four years. Yet, medtech is not a bad business. A 25% EBITDA margin ranks 5th across all ten sectors, and a 7% revenue growth outlook for 2025-27 matches the S&P 500. The problem is capital efficiency. Return on invested capital (ROIC, a measure of how efficiently a company generates profit from the money it deploys) sits at just 6% for the sector.

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) is the clearest exception, as a 19% ROIC and consistent revenue growth from its da Vinci surgical robotics platform shows what disciplined reinvestment actually looks like in this space.

More broadly, medtech companies are shifting capital toward higher-margin areas like heart valve repair and robotics, but stronger margins and better capital allocation will be needed for the sector to close the gap with the wider market. Watch for names already demonstrating measurable margin expansion and rising ROIC.

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Earnings Performance

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE)

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) beat first-quarter profit estimates, but its stock has modestly lagged major exchange peers in 2026, while rivals such as Cboe Global Markets and CME Group have posted strong double-digit gains. While ICE has also benefited from heightened market volatility, its more diversified business mix has made it a lower-beta play on the trading surge.

Other Earnings Updates

• Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN): Posts AWS Growth at 15-Quarter High

• Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT): Posts $37B AI Run Rate, Up 123%

• Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL): Posts 63% Cloud Growth as Backlog Nears $460B

• Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO): Posts 18% EPS Growth in Q1 2026

• Visa Inc. (NYSE: V): Q2 Earnings Surge 17% on Revenue Growth

• T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS): Posts 15% Postpaid Revenue Growth, Raises Guidance

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Beijing Eases Yttrium Grip

A single 60-ton shipment of yttrium oxide cleared Chinese customs in March, 50% more than all yttrium exported to the U.S. combined since Beijing imposed controls last April. Prices had surged roughly 6,900% in the 12 months to February as aerospace and semiconductor firms rationed supplies, and some coating production lines idled.

Yttrium oxide is indispensable to aerospace, forming the thermal barrier coatings that keep jet engines from overheating. When supply tightens, engine overhaul facilities and new-build programs face immediate production risk. U.S.-bound shipments collapsed from 333 tons in the eight months before controls to just 17 tons afterward, forcing North American coating suppliers to reserve material for tier-one customers such as Boeing and Airbus.

China’s export control system requires companies to apply for licenses to ship rare earths abroad, with aerospace and defense end uses facing the most scrutiny. U.S. domestic alternatives at MP Materials and Lynas Rare Earths are scaling, but a commercially viable non-Chinese supply is still years away.

The risk is that this shipment reflects tactical easing tied to trade talks, not a durable policy shift. Watch aerospace supplier margins and yttrium spot prices as leading indicators of whether this opening holds.

OPEC’s Grip Is Loosening

The UAE is leaving OPEC, a major blow to the cartel’s already-fading authority. As OPEC’s fourth-largest producer at roughly 12% of output, Abu Dhabi’s exit is driven by a desire to expand production beyond quota limits toward a 5 MMbpd target.

With the Strait of Hormuz blockade already paralyzing Gulf exports, the immediate market impact is muted, but the longer-term signal suggests that once the Iran conflict ends and barrels return, a multi-way market share war between OPEC remnants, the UAE, and U.S. producers could send oil prices sharply lower.

Edition #154
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

🤖 Chips and Peace Hopes Push Markets to Records

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed the week at fresh all-time highs, with technology and semiconductors doing most of the work. The Philadelphia Semiconductor index surged more than 10% on the week, its 18th straight winning session, while the broader S&P 500 gained about 0.5%. With a quarter of S&P 500 companies now reported, more than 80% have beaten estimates, putting the index on track for double-digit profit growth for the sixth straight quarter.

The Fed wraps its two-day meeting April 29 with a rate hold widely expected at 3.50%–3.75%, so all eyes will be on Chair Powell’s tone around inflation. April 30 then delivers a triple hit: the first read on Q1 GDP, March core PCE (the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge), and the Employment Cost Index, all before the open. Five of the Magnificent Seven (Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Apple) report between April 29 and May 1, with AI capital spending in sharp focus.

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401(k) Millionaires are a Growing Club of Few

Fidelity now counts roughly 625,000 millionaire 401(k) accounts out of nearly 25 million it administers, a record high, but still under 2.5% of its account holders.

Strategic Oil Inventories

While this chart highlights the scale of strategic crude inventories entering 2026, particularly China’s dominant position, it should be viewed as a pre-crisis baseline.

Since the Iran conflict disrupted Middle East supply flows, major consuming nations have drawn on emergency stockpiles to stabilize markets, materially reducing available inventories in the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea. China likely retains the largest strategic cushion by a wide margin, but absolute barrel counts alone no longer tell the full story.

What matters now is remaining usable reserves, recent drawdowns, and how many days of import cover each country still holds, which together determine who has the greatest capacity to withstand a prolonged supply shock.

European Gas Prices: Shock and Persistent Premium

The Middle East conflict sent TTF (European gas benchmark) prices sharply higher in late February 2026, briefly approaching oil parity. A two-week ceasefire brought some relief, but prices remain nearly 40% above pre-conflict levels. The forward curve shows the market now prices in a sustained premium well into 2028, reflecting a structural supply shortfall due to damaged Qatari infrastructure and delayed expansion projects. A ceasefire alone is not a price reset.

AI Investment: From Niche to Mainstream

Global corporate AI investment grew fortyfold between 2013 and 2025, hitting $581 billion last year, a 130% jump in a single year. Private investment led at $345 billion, with M&A close behind, both roughly doubling year-over-year. The chart shows investment was largely flat through most of the 2010s, then began compounding sharply after 2020. For a retail investor, the message is clear: AI capital commitment is no longer speculative; it is structural and accelerating.

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Earnings Performance

GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE)

GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) is seeing demand for engine services exceed its ability to supply parts and capacity, with backlog covering the vast majority of near-term revenue and engine removals already ahead of plan. This creates unusually strong visibility, as much of 2026 services activity is effectively pre-committed rather than dependent on future flight trends.

That strength is reflected in the quarter. Adjusted revenue grew 29% to $11.6B, operating profit rose 18% to $2.5B, and EPS increased 25% to $1.86. Free cash flow reached $1.7B, up 14%, while orders surged 87%, supported by a commercial services backlog above $170B.

The key takeaway is durability. Even with softer air traffic expectations, services growth is supported by backlog, maintenance cycles, and constrained supply, not just demand. This supports pricing power and earnings resilience, with execution on capacity the main variable to watch.

Other Earnings Updates

• Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG): Reports 7% Sales Growth in Q3 2026

• Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA): Reports Q1 Deliveries, Output

• UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH): Reports Q1 2026 Results

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

The Infrastructure Bet Behind AI

Since ChatGPT’s launch, the hyperscalers (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Oracle) have more than doubled their annual capital expenditures, with Google alone exceeding $150 billion in 2025. This spending funds the data centers, chips, and networking that every AI product runs on.

For an investor already holding these stocks, the chart reframes them: these are no longer just cloud or advertising businesses. They are the foundational infrastructure layer of the AI economy, and they are spending accordingly.

Agentic AI: The Coverage Gap

Major insurers, including Berkshire Hathaway, Chubb, and Travelers, are tightening coverage for AI-related damages just as enterprise adoption of agentic AI accelerates. That leaves businesses increasingly exposed to a category of loss that is fast, potentially large, and difficult to attribute.

That matters because agentic AI is not just software; it can act. Systems that browse the web, execute code, call APIs, and modify live databases can trigger errors or unauthorized transactions at machine speed, with losses landing before a human can intervene.

For investors, the bigger story is where spending shifts next. If insurers are unwilling to absorb broad AI risk, companies will need to build their own safeguards, from monitoring tools and access controls to compliance systems and cybersecurity layers. That creates a picks-and-shovels opportunity in AI governance infrastructure.

The caveat is that adoption may become more measured. As liability exposure becomes clearer, enterprises may slow high-risk deployments until stronger guardrails are in place, delaying near-term demand while reinforcing the long-term need for governance tools.

Consumer Confidence Hits Historic Low

Edition #153
Investing Unlocks: How to Capitalize on the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

We analyze recent trends and opportunities, offering strategic insights that help you manage risks and identify growth opportunities for your portfolio.

⛽ Hormuz Shuts Again, Markets on Edge

The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Friday after Iran briefly declared the Strait of Hormuz open, sending crude oil tumbling nearly 10%. Tech and financials led the charge all week, with the Nasdaq notching its longest winning streak since 1992.

Iran closed the Strait again over the weekend, and markets are opening Monday with oil jumping and equities under pressure. G7 energy and finance ministers hold an emergency call today, and Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh faces the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, both capable of sharp moves in either direction. Earnings from Tesla, Boeing, GE Aerospace, and UnitedHealth report mid-week.

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Defense Tech Boom

Defense funding is surging, with investment jumping to $11.2B in 2025 and staying elevated into 2026, signaling sustained investor appetite.

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Earnings Performance

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC)

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) delivered broad-based growth in Q1 2026, with all four segments contributing to higher earnings and reinforcing the strength of its diversified model.

Consumer Banking remained the largest profit driver, generating $3.1B in net income, up 21%, while Global Wealth and Investment Management led growth, with net income rising 32%, supported by strong asset flows and higher asset management fees. Global Banking and Global Markets delivered steady contributions, with net income of $2.1B and $2.0B, respectively, reflecting solid investment banking activity and continued momentum in trading.

Returns remained strong across the franchise, led by a 27% return on average allocated capital (ROAC) in Consumer Banking, highlighting disciplined capital allocation and consistent profitability across segments.

Other Earnings Updates

• Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX): Q1 Revenue Up 16%; EPS Boosted by One-Off

• PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP): Reports Q1 2026 Results

• ASML (NASDAQ: ASML): Boosts 2026 Outlook with €8.8B Q1 Results

Analyst Strong Buy Ratings This Week! 📈

Looking for stocks with strong analyst backing? These companies have earned top-tier "Strong Buy" ratings from analysts, signaling potential upside for investors.

Whether you’re eyeing small-to-mid cap opportunities in the U.S. and Canada or want to stick with trusted S&P 500 blue-chip picks, this list highlights stocks that experts believe could outperform.

🔍 Do your research and see if any of these fit your portfolio!

Anthropic Adoption Accelerates

Ramp AI Index shows business AI adoption crossed 50% for the first time in March, up from 35% a year ago. Anthropic adoption has surged since January, despite the Defense Department designating it a security risk.

AI Capability Far Exceeds Usage

A wide gap persists between what AI could do and what workers actually use it for across occupations. The chart shows theoretical task coverage far exceeding observed usage in nearly every category. This matters as enterprises shift from experimentation to scaled deployment.

Research from Anthropic suggests LLMs could handle a large share of tasks in fields like finance, law, and software, but real-world usage remains limited by legal, technical, and workflow constraints.

AI’s near-term impact is constrained more by integration and governance than capability. The pace at which usage converges with potential remains uncertain.