Edition #178
Investing Unlocks: How to Read the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

News, earnings, analyst moves and one chart worth your time.

🛡️ Safe Havens Lead Stocks to Fresh Highs

Last week, the S&P 500 gained about 1.2% and set its first record high since August, while smaller companies slipped. Consumer staples, utilities, energy and health care led the charge, as tech stalled on fresh worries about AI spending. Benchmark Treasury yields, which shape borrowing costs across the economy, hit their highest level since 2002 before strong bond auctions eased them back. Oil stayed elevated on Middle East shipping risks and a Gulf hurricane, and consumer sentiment fell to its lowest in five months.

This week, September inflation takes center stage, with consumer and producer price reports landing alongside retail sales and the Fed’s Beige Book, a regional snapshot of business conditions. Earnings season also kicks off with the big banks, giving investors an early read on how companies are coping with higher fuel and borrowing costs. With the Fed already raising rates and markets expecting another hike by December, a hot inflation print could push yields higher and test the rally. Last week’s broad gains are a timely reminder that spreading bets beyond tech can help when yields are the market’s biggest swing factor.

Hot Topics

• Anthropic lines up a possible $2 trillion IPO
  Anthropic could list as soon as mid-October, right before the US midterms, in what would be one of the largest IPOs ever, after Broadcom agreed to lend it up to $42 billion to help it lease Broadcom’s own AI chips. It means retail investors may soon get a shot at buying into one of the AI boom’s biggest private names.

• AI bubble warnings are spiking, but the data is mixed
  Ray Dalio warned the AI boom is nearing bubble territory, and Nvidia-backed AI data center developer Firmus just scrapped its $44 billion Australian IPO after investors balked at the price, but Bank of America says retail clients actually turned net buyers of stocks again for the first time since late July.

• SpaceX Drives US IPO Boom as September Slows
  US IPOs have raised $139 billion so far this year, more than four times last year’s pace, but June alone supplied 71% of it. This matters because outside that one record month the market looks far steadier, which helps investors judge how many new listings may really be coming.

• Paramount closes its $110 billion Warner Bros Discovery deal, forms Skydance
  The deal closed October 6, with the combined company trading as Skydance (NYSE: SKYD). It creates one of the largest media and entertainment companies in the US, reshaping the field for anyone invested in streaming or traditional TV.

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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.

#8 Cheap and Broken Are Not the Same Thing

Small caps have surrendered their earlier lead this year. Through October 9, the Russell 2000 was up 13.1%, slightly behind the S&P 500’s 14.1% gain. But the shift in performance does not change the question investors need to ask. Are they buying a good business at an attractive price, or a struggling business that simply looks cheap?

July data showed that 41.5% of Russell 2000 companies had reported losses over the preceding 12 months. That makes business quality an essential consideration when choosing small caps.

A low stock price is not the same thing as a good deal. A company trading at 8 times earnings may offer value if those earnings are sustainable, supported by cash flow and backed by manageable debt. The same multiple can be misleading if profits are temporarily inflated, cash keeps flowing out, or a refinancing deadline is approaching.

An unprofitable company is not automatically broken. Some are investing for growth, while others are working through a temporary downturn. What matters is a credible path to sustainable profits and enough funding to get there. The small-cap advantage starts with understanding the business behind the valuation. That is how investors separate bargains from value traps.

This is #8 in our Small-Cap Advantage series, exploring where individual investors may still hold an edge over larger institutions. Read #7 The Math of Starting Small in last week’s edition.

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Earnings Performance

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE: LEVI)

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE: LEVI) announced financial results for its third quarter ended August 30, 2026. Adjusted EBIT margin climbed from 11.8% to 15.5%, a 370-basis-point expansion. But the company disclosed that tariff refunds, after reinvestment in the business, contributed 330 basis points.

That implies only about 40 basis points of the improvement came from other net factors. This changes the interpretation of the quarter. Rather than demonstrating a dramatic improvement in underlying operating efficiency, much of the margin expansion reflects a benefit that readers should not automatically extrapolate.

Other Earnings Updates

• PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) Lowers Full-Year EPS Outlook

• Delta (NYSE: DAL) Posts Record September Quarter Adjusted Revenue

Reporting this week: JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Johnson & Johnson, UnitedHealth, Abbott, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, BlackRock.

Upgrades and Downgrades 📈

The rating changes that caught our eye this week, and why the analysts moved.

Analyst ratings are opinions, not recommendations. Always do your own research.

AI’s Great Cash Handoff

A striking chart from a16z’s State of Markets report captures a historic handoff. Using BofA data, it tracks expected free cash flow, the cash left after spending, for five tech giants and four chipmakers. Over the next 12 months, the hyperscalers Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft and Oracle are forecast to dip below zero for the first time since at least 2007, while Nvidia, Micron, Broadcom and Applied Materials jump past $400B. The money hasn’t vanished. It is flowing into AI chips, power and networking, and a16z argues that strong corporate returns relative to funding costs support the bet, although the payoff from new AI investments remains unproven.

The catch is how the gap gets filled. The hyperscalers sold $121B of bonds in 2025, versus $28B a year from 2020 to 2024, and BofA expects $175B in 2026. That borrowing helps fund AI infrastructure, including chips that could lose value as newer hardware arrives. a16z says older GPUs still rent well, but that holds only while demand outruns supply. The chart is a forecast, not losses already booked. Watch whether AI revenue grows fast enough to lift cash flow back above zero, or whether borrowing keeps climbing to plug the hole.

Edition #177
Investing Unlocks: How to Read the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

News, earnings, analyst moves and one chart worth your time.

🏢 Stocks Hold Steady as Jobs Cool

Last week, Wall Street ended roughly flat as oil prices and rising bond yields kept investors on edge. Fuel costs stayed high, though they eased late in the week after major economies agreed to release emergency crude and diesel stockpiles. A Friday jobs report showed employers added just 29,000 jobs, far below forecasts, while unemployment rose to 4.2%. Tech stocks jumped on the news, since weaker hiring cooled bets that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates again this month.

This week, investors will watch Fed meeting notes and comments from policymakers for clues on whether another rate hike is still on the table. Oil prices and Treasury yields, which are the interest rates the government pays on its debt, stay front and center, because higher readings can pressure growth and tech shares. For investors, the message is to expect choppy trading.

Hot Topics

• Gold Stabilizes Above $4,000
  Gold is defying the usual playbook by staying above $4,000 an ounce even as US Treasury yields climb. This matters because it suggests investors still see gold as protection against inflation and uncertainty, not just a bet against yields.

• Analysts see another 20% upside for the S&P 500
  Wall Street analysts polled by FactSet are projecting the index could rise another 20% over the next 12 months after closing near record highs. This matters because it shows how bullish professional forecasts remain even with valuations already stretched.

• Quantum Stocks Eye a Washington Tailwind
  Congress could extend the National Quantum Initiative to 2034. Jefferies sees D-Wave, Rigetti, IonQ and Quantinuum as possible winners, but risks remain.

• Bitcoin Pushes Back Toward $87,000
  Bitcoin briefly approached $87,000 as strong institutional flows into exchange-traded funds boosted demand. The rally capped Bitcoin’s strongest quarter since late 2024, while elevated Treasury yields remain a potential headwind for speculative assets.

• Small Caps Face a Rates Versus Growth Tug-of-War
  The Russell 2000 gained about 0.9% Friday as weaker jobs numbers reduced Fed-hike expectations. Yet small companies tend to be more sensitive to financing costs, meaning 5%+ Treasury yields remain a substantial obstacle.

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Investing Data Story

In 2026, US dementia care costs are projected at $409B, versus a $1.67B US Alzheimer’s drug market, a gap of roughly 245 times.

Visualized: $409B Dementia Care Bill Dwarfs US Drug Market

Explore our latest data stories to uncover the trends, shifts, and opportunities shaping the investment landscape.

Explore Investing Data Stories →

Weekly Series: The Small-Cap Advantage

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

#7 The Math of Starting Small

A company with a $1 billion market cap needs to create $1 billion in value to double. A company worth $100 billion needs to create one hundred times that. The arithmetic is obvious, but its implications are easy to overlook. A single $50 million contract is transformative for a company doing $200 million in revenue. The same contract is much less meaningful for one doing $50 billion. Growth at a small company moves the needle in a way that is simply not possible at the top of the market.

Smaller companies operate in less saturated markets, grow revenue from a lower base, and can meaningfully change their trajectory with a single product launch or partnership. The math of starting small means that the same quality of execution can produce a larger percentage return for shareholders. For the individual investor, this is the core appeal. You are investing at the stage where growth can still compound visibly rather than getting lost in the sheer scale of the business.

This is #7 in our Small-Cap Advantage series, exploring where individual investors may still hold an edge over larger institutions. Read #6 When the Company Changes Before the Price Does, in last week’s edition.

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Earnings Performance

CarMax, Inc. (NYSE: KMX)

CarMax, Inc. (NYSE: KMX) is pushing its finance arm further down the credit spectrum, with CarMax Auto Finance (CAF) financing 22% of Tier 2 volume in Q2, up from 10% a year ago. CAF income climbed 32.1%, helped by lower loan-loss provisioning and a $16.6 million gain on auto loan sales.

Expanding Tier 2 lending could make each retail sale more profitable, but it also adds credit risk. The key question is whether CarMax can sustain that growth without materially higher losses. Read CarMax (NYSE: KMX) Beats Q2 Estimates, Shares Slide

Other Earnings Updates

• Acuity (NYSE: AYI) Reports Fiscal 2026 Results, EPS Up 36%

• Nike (NYSE: NKE) Expects Fiscal 2027 Revenue To Fall

• Taylor Devices (NASDAQ: TAYD) Reports Q1 Sales Decline

Reporting this week: Constellation Brands, Levi Strauss, PepsiCo and Delta Air Lines. These results should provide useful reads on consumer spending, pricing power and travel demand as investors assess whether economic weakness is moving from labor data into corporate earnings.

Upgrades and Downgrades 📈

The rating changes that caught our eye this week, and why the analysts moved.

Analyst ratings are opinions, not recommendations. Always do your own research.

AI Talk Spreads Beyond Tech

AI has become a standard topic on S&P 500 earnings calls. In the second quarter of 2026, 97% of tech companies mentioned it, but the bigger story is outside tech. Financials jumped from 70% to 91% and communication services from 67% to 90%. Energy rose from 50% to 71% and industrials from 50% to 67%.

Not every sector joined in. Utilities fell from 47% to 28%, and materials and consumer staples also slipped.

Mentions on a call cost nothing, so they say little about real results. What matters is whether the companies now talking about AI start to show it in their margins, spending and output over the next few quarters. This should give us more insight into who is using AI to generate financial gains and who is just talking about it.

Edition #176
Investing Unlocks: How to Read the Hot Topics From The Last 7 Days

News, earnings, analyst moves and one chart worth your time.

📈 Oil Relief and Tech Lift Stocks Higher

Last week, US stocks posted their first weekly gain in three, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 up, as oil prices slipped on hopes of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Tech led the way, helped by a big jump in Meta after it unveiled a new AI assistant. The wild card was the bond market, where the benchmark Treasury yield, the return investors earn on government debt, hit 5.18%, a level not seen since 2007, and that made for choppy trading.

This week, investors get the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge, the PCE price index, along with the September jobs report. After the Fed’s first rate hike in nearly three years earlier this month, hotter numbers could fuel bets on more increases, which would pressure stocks and push yields higher. Micron’s earnings will also test whether the AI chip boom still has legs, while Fed speakers and Middle East headlines could keep oil and yields moving. For investors, that means expect bumpy trading, and keep an eye on bond yields for clues on where stocks go next.

Hot Topics

• Oura is expected to IPO this week
  It is the first real test of appetite for new listings after a sluggish September, so a strong debut could encourage other issuers, but most of the proceeds go to existing shareholders rather than the company.

• Is an Agentic Bank Run Coming?
  If AI assistants move household cash from checking accounts paying about 0.1% into accounts paying 3.3% to 5.0%, banks could lose the cheap deposits they lend from. That makes it a longer-term risk theme for bank stocks, not a near-term trade.

• AMD hits $1 trillion market cap for the first time
  It shows money moving back into the AI trade, as the stock is up about 185% this year and trades near 41 times forward earnings, so expectations are high and it now has little room for a miss.

• The West's Power Squeeze Is Just Getting Started
  Low snowpack and a shrinking Lake Powell are cutting hydropower just as AI data centers pull more electricity, which puts pressure on Western utilities and could favor makers of on-site power equipment

• The Next AI Trade Shifts From Builders To Users

  Morgan Stanley argues the next phase of AI investing may reward companies that use AI well rather than only those that build it, and it points to banks, insurers, health care and big retailers as the sectors to watch.

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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.

#6 When the Company Changes Before the Price Does

A small company that restructures its cost base, exits a failing division, and starts generating free cash flow for the first time does not get an instant re-rating. If no analyst covers it and no fund holds it, the market can take quarters to notice the change. The stock price can reflect the old story long after the business has moved on. For the investor who spotted the shift early, that lag between reality and perception is the opportunity.

Small caps led for most of 2026. The Russell 2000 ran well ahead of the S&P 500 through spring and summer, then handed almost all of it back from August, and the two now sit within a quarter of a point of each other at 13.13% against 12.90%. That round trip is a reminder that index moves say little about individual companies. The re-rating that matters happens one business at a time, and it does not show up in a benchmark.

A company that doubles its earnings power while trading on last year’s multiple is offering a discount that won’t survive a single analyst initiation report. Once coverage arrives, the gap closes fast. The individual investor’s edge is finding these transitions before the professional market catches up. The perception gap is not a flaw. It is the mechanism that creates asymmetric returns.

This is #6 in our Small-Cap Advantage series, exploring where individual investors may still hold an edge over larger institutions. Read #5 When Doing Your Homework Still Pays, in last week’s edition.

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Earnings Performance

BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE: BB) (TSX: BB)

BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE: BB) (TSX: BB) delivered a notably stronger Q2 FY27, with revenue rising 26% year over year to $163 million and adjusted EBITDA climbing 81% to $47 million, a 29% margin. QNX was the standout, posting record quarterly revenue of $80 million, up 27%, while adjusted EBITDA grew faster at 41% and gross margin expanded four percentage points to 87%. QNX is becoming more profitable as it scales.

The longer-term opportunity is to capture more software value from each vehicle as automakers shift toward centralized computing. These architectures require more sophisticated software management, integration and safety certification, potentially expanding QNX’s role per vehicle. Record design-win activity strengthens that future royalty pipeline, while Q2 operating cash flow of $29 million shows improving profits are converting into cash. Investors should watch whether those design wins translate into sustained royalty growth as programs enter production.

Other Earnings Updates

• Worthington Enterprises (NYSE: WOR) Posts 13% Sales Growth

• THOR Industries (NYSE: THO) Reports FY26 Profit Decline

• ABTC (NASDAQ: ABAT) Hits Record FY26 Revenue, Up 407%

Reporting this week: Carnival Corp, Micron Technology, Jefferies, Vail Resorts, CarMax, Conagra Brands, Accenture, and McCormick.

Upgrades and Downgrades 📈

The rating changes that caught our eye this week, and why the analysts moved.

Analyst ratings are opinions, not recommendations. Always do your own research.

Households Now Hold A Record Share In Stocks

US households now hold 48.2% of their financial assets in stocks, directly or through funds, a record in Federal Reserve data back to 1945 and up from 44.7% in the first quarter. That matters because savers have never had more riding on equities, and it has happened just as cash and Treasuries started paying around 5% for the first time since 2007, so the safe alternative is the most competitive it has been in nearly twenty years. Watch the Fed's next Financial Accounts update on December 10 to see whether the share keeps climbing.

Edition #175
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 Keeps Stocks Afloat After Fed Hike

Last week, the Fed raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years and signaled another hike could come this year, which jolted stocks midweek. Tech shares bounced back and crypto stocks jumped, while banks stumbled and companies facing higher fuel costs struggled.

This week, the calendar is light on data but heavy on Fed talk, with about 10 policymakers set to speak as investors look for clues on how many more hikes may be coming. Restaurant and retail earnings from Darden and Costco will add a read on how shoppers are handling high prices. With yields near 5% and oil elevated, expect choppy trading, since higher borrowing costs can weigh on stock prices.

Hot Topics

• CNN, MS NOW and Politico to Sue Jointly Over White House Ban

• The GPU Depreciation Debate Behind This Week’s AI Dip

• Rare earths force Trump to be less hostile before Xi summit

• TSX30 2026 Sets Record With Celestica On Top Again

• US Nears First Deep-Sea Mining Permits

• Anthropic, Accenture to invest $2 billion in AI model evaluation

• Sugar’s El Nino Setup Could Fuel a 2027 Super Rally

• Private Equity’s Small Cap Backlog Keeps Piling Up

• Warner Bros, Paramount Rise as Settlement Talks Ease Merger Hurdle

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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.

#5 When Doing Your Homework Still Pays

In the large-cap world, you are competing against hundreds of analysts, institutional trading desks, and algorithms that process every data point within minutes. Your edge there is essentially zero. In small caps, the landscape is different. Many companies have no analyst coverage at all. Their earnings calls might have five people listening. Their SEC filings go unread for days. The investor who takes the time to read a 10-K, listen to a quarterly call, and check the footnotes has a genuine informational advantage that simply does not exist at the top of the market.

Small caps have historically produced nearly twice as many stocks gaining 50%+ in a calendar year as large caps as reported by Polen Capital. This suggests that extreme large-cap concentration has overshadowed the richer opportunity set in small caps, particularly for managers with the flexibility to look beyond conventional screens.

That advantage is available to anyone willing to do the work. You do not need a Bloomberg terminal or a Wall Street network. Company filings are free on the SEC website. Many small-cap earnings calls are publicly accessible. Industry data is increasingly accessible online. The opportunity in small caps is not about having access to information that others do not have. It is about being one of the few people who actually bothers to look at information that is sitting in plain sight. In this corner of the market, diligence is still a genuine competitive edge.

This is #5 in our Small-Cap Advantage series, exploring where individual investors may still hold an edge over larger institutions. Read #4 Why Nobody Wants It Until They Do, in last week’s edition.

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Earnings Performance

LuxExperience (NYSE: LUXE)

LuxExperience (NYSE: LUXE) posted its best quarter yet since buying YNAP. June quarter sales rose 7.6% excluding currency swings, all three businesses grew, and adjusted profit stayed positive for a third straight quarter. Shares jumped more than 20% on the news, helped by FY27 growth guidance and a $50M buyback. But this may still be more promise than payoff. Mytheresa carries nearly all the profit, and the group’s 7% to 9% margin target is still a long way off.

Other Earnings Updates

• Vera Bradley (NASDAQ: VRA): Reports Q2 Profit, Sales Up 1.1%

• Forgent (NYSE: FPS): Posts Record Backlog, Revenue Up 94%

• Trip.com Group (NASDAQ: TCOM): Posts Q2 Net Loss After SAMR Penalty

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!

Big Tech’s Long Battery Bet

Meta and Google are starting to build long-duration batteries into their data center plans. Standard lithium-ion batteries hold power for only a few hours, while these systems can store it for many hours or even days. That suits AI data centers, which need steady power around the clock as their owners also lean on wind and solar. BloombergNEF counts at least 150 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of new US projects announced, permitted or financed since the start of 2025, more than five times the total planned at the end of 2024. Google plans a 30 GWh system in Minnesota, and Meta has reserved up to 100 GWh from Noon Energy. Big buyers could help these technologies scale and get cheaper.

The catch is that this technology has long been costly and unproven at scale, and a pipeline is not a working battery. Much of the 150 GWh is still on paper. Meta’s 100 GWh is a reservation, and its first project is only 2.5 GWh, due in 2028. The upside case is that AI demand turns a niche clean-energy idea into a real market. The downside is delays and costs that stay high. Watch whether the first large systems come online on time and on budget.

Edition #174
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 Inflation Sets Up Fed Showdown

Last week, stocks slipped as inflation data came in hotter than expected, pushing bond yields higher and raising the odds of a Federal Reserve rate hike. Oil prices spiked on Middle East tensions, adding pressure on consumers and companies alike. Small caps and industrial stocks bore the brunt of the selling, while tech held up better. Markets staged a late-week rebound once the inflation data cleared up the uncertainty, even though it pointed toward tighter policy ahead.

This week, investors are bracing for the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, with markets pricing in a strong chance of a quarter-point hike, the first since 2023. Retail sales and import price data due midweek will offer fresh clues on how consumers and trade are holding up under higher costs.

Hot Topics

• Nvidia, Palantir and Booz Allen restrict Anthropic use

• How obscure yttrium became a global flashpoint

• China blasts Anthropic’s AI slowdown call

• A more than 10% chance AI kills us all

• A four-time Fortune 500 CFO joins Polymarket

• Why Africa’s mineral rush matters for investors

• Robinhood crypto activity snapped back in August

• Musk’s tunnel startup The Boring Company raises $3B at $23B valuation

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Investing Data Story

NVIDIA leads a semiconductor market concentrated around AI, chipmaking equipment, and memory, but big valuations still carry big expectations.

Top 20 Semiconductor Stocks by Market Cap

Explore our latest data stories to uncover the trends, shifts, and opportunities shaping the investment landscape.

Explore Investing Data Stories →

Weekly Series: The Small-Cap Advantage

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

#4 Why Nobody Wants It Until They Do

For the better part of a decade, US equity market gains became increasingly concentrated in a handful of mega-cap technology names. The top 10 companies in the S&P 500 grew to represent almost 40% of the entire index. Small caps were broadly ignored. Then, beginning in 2025, the rotation began. By mid-2026, the Russell 2000 was up roughly 23% for the year, outpacing the S&P 500 by more than 9 percentage points.

This pattern repeats across market history. An asset class falls out of favor, prices compress because capital is chasing something else, and the investors who bought during the quiet period collect the gains when sentiment shifts. The opportunity for individual investors is that you can position during the unpopular phase, when prices are low and attention is elsewhere, without needing a committee or a mandate to approve it. By the time the headlines arrive, the best of the move has already happened. Being early is uncomfortable, but it is where the returns live.

This is #4 in our Small-Cap Advantage series, exploring where individual investors may still hold an edge over larger institutions. Read #3 The Market Gets It Wrong More Often Here, in last week’s edition.

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Earnings Performance

Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL)

Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) announced Q1 FY27 results with strong revenue growth. Oracle’s fiscal first quarter revenue rose 30% to $19.3 billion and cloud infrastructure revenue jumped 121%, beating every estimate, but shares reversed a 7.5% opening gain to close down 1.7% as investors weighed a $664 billion backlog against negative free cash flow and the debt needed to fund AI data centers.

Other Earnings Updates

• Kroger (NYSE: KR): Reports Q2 Results, Cuts Sales Guidance

• National Beverage (NASDAQ: FIZZ): Reports Q1 Profit Decline

• Core & Main (NYSE: CNM): Posts Record Q2 Share Buybacks

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!

Berkshire’s Cash Bet Keeps Paying

The cash pile Warren Buffett spent years building reached a record $397.4 billion by the end of March 2026. New CEO Greg Abel, who took over from Buffett at the start of the year, has since begun putting more money to work. Berkshire became a net stock buyer in the second quarter, ending 14 straight quarters of net selling, while stepping up buybacks. Even after all that, it still had roughly $365 billion in cash and short-term investments at the end of June.

That leaves Berkshire with plenty of dry powder, something individual investors increasingly lack. BofA’s Bull & Bear Indicator recently hit 9.5, deep in sell-signal territory, while its private wealth clients are holding a record-low 9.4% of their portfolios in cash. AAII’s latest survey paints a similar picture, with individual investors holding 71.1% of their portfolios in stocks, well above the historical average of 61.5%, while their 14.3% allocation to cash remains far below its 22.5% historical average.

There is still plenty of money sitting on the sidelines across the wider financial system, including nearly $8 trillion in U.S. money-market funds. But that doesn’t necessarily give an individual investor much flexibility when markets fall. What matters is the cash available in your own portfolio.

That’s where Berkshire’s enormous reserve offers a useful lesson. Cash isn’t valuable simply because it cushions a selloff. Keeping some money in reserve means that when an investment you’ve wanted suddenly gets cheaper, you can take advantage rather than simply watch the opportunity pass.

Edition #173
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.

😬 Rate Hike Fears Return After Hot Jobs Data

Last week, energy and shipping stocks led early gains as oil prices spiked on renewed Middle East tensions, while broader markets found their footing midweek after a Federal Reserve official signaled a more patient, dovish stance. That calm didn’t last. A much stronger than expected August jobs report on Friday flipped the script, pushing traders to price in higher odds of a rate hike rather than a pause, and pulling technology and consumer shares lower into the close. Major indexes ended the week roughly flat, masking a genuinely volatile five sessions underneath.

This week, investors turn to a heavy run of inflation data, with producer and consumer price reports due in the back half of the week, the final readings before the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting later this month. These numbers carry real weight, a hotter than expected print could firm up bets on a rate hike, while a softer one may ease pressure on stocks and bonds alike. Oil markets stay in focus too, with Middle East tensions still capable of sending energy and transportation shares swinging in either direction.

Hot Topics

• The Refining Squeeze Behind Record Diesel Prices

• John Ternus’s first test at Apple: selling a $2,000 foldable iPhone

• Rising Food Prices Put Agriculture Stocks in Focus

• SEC Moves to Open Private Markets to Everyday Investors

• AI’s Power Grab Puts the US Grid at a Crossroads

• Chevron expands Venezuela presence with $7 billion plan

• Lululemon’s Tariff Refund Masks a Deeper Sales Slide

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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

Weekly Series: The Small-Cap Advantage

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

#3 The Market Gets It Wrong More Often Here

When 15 analysts cover a stock, new information gets priced in within hours. When nobody covers it, the same information can sit unnoticed for weeks. That is the core of the small-cap opportunity. Less attention means slower price discovery, and slower price discovery means prices can stay wrong for longer. A company can report improving margins, win a major contract, or quietly transform its business, and the stock can sit at the old price because nobody is watching closely enough to update the picture.

This is not a theory. The data shows it every year. On average, according to Polen Capital, small caps nearly double large caps’ count of stocks that gain 50% or more in a given year. That dispersion vanishes in the heavily covered end of the market, where mispricings correct fast. Of course, the same inattention that creates the opportunity can also leave a stock mispriced for a long stretch, in either direction, and thin trading can squeeze both entry and exit.

In small caps, mispricings have room to develop and time to pay off. The edge isn’t secret information. It’s the straightforward work most of the market skips, because these companies are too small to register with them.

This is #3 in our Small-Cap Advantage series, exploring where individual investors may still hold an edge over larger institutions. Read #2 You Can Go Where the Big Money Can’t, in last week’s edition.

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Earnings Performance

Guidewire Software Inc (NYSE: GWRE)

Guidewire Software (NYSE: GWRE) is turning its cloud transition into a more profitable growth engine. Subscription and support revenue grew 32% year over year in Q4, while its GAAP gross margin expanded six points to 74%. That combination matters because Guidewire is not simply adding recurring revenue. The economics of delivering that revenue are improving as the business scales. GAAP operating margin consequently reached 15%, up seven points from a year earlier.

For investors, the widening margins suggest that Guidewire can convert continued cloud adoption into earnings growth faster than revenue growth. ARR still advanced 19% year over year, giving the company a sizable recurring base over which to spread costs, while subscription and support has grown to 65% of quarterly revenue. The key question is whether Guidewire can sustain this operating leverage as cloud migrations continue and newer products expand, rather than sacrificing the margin gains to support growth.

Other Earnings Updates

• Samsara (NYSE: IOT): Crosses $2.1 Billion in ARR With Margins Rising

• NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP): Posts Record Q1, Raises Outlook

• Campbell’s Co (NASDAQ: CPB): Reports Q4 Results, Cuts Dividend

Nvidia Bets Beyond The Hyperscalers

Nvidia’s latest quarter raised a question worth sitting with, and we walked through it in full on valuethemarkets. The short version, Nvidia’s non-hyperscaler data center revenue, sovereign AI, neoclouds and enterprise deployments, hit $40.3B last quarter, up 138% year over year and now nearly matching the $48.7B hyperscalers spent. That group makes up about half of Nvidia’s data center business and is growing 100% a year. Confident in the trend, Nvidia guided to roughly 70% revenue growth in fiscal 2028, implying sales near $700B against the $570B Wall Street expected.

The picture has holes. Some growth leans on financing structures harder to evaluate than a straight sale, including a $105B guarantee behind OpenAI-linked leases. In China, homegrown rivals like Huawei and newly public Enflame have pushed Nvidia’s share down to an estimated 55%, per Reuters Breakingviews. More telling, Nvidia’s own 10-Q now admits the exclusion is letting rivals build developer ecosystems that could challenge it beyond China too. The bull case is real diversification. The bear case is circular demand and a rival ecosystem taking root globally. Watch both.

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!

Oura’s Profitable Ring

Oura filed its S-1 on September 3, moving toward a Nasdaq listing under OURA that bankers reportedly value above $16B, up from the $10.9B mark it fetched last year. Revenue for the nine months through June hit $1.21B, up 74% from $697.6M a year earlier, built on 5 million paid members in a category Oura now shares with Whoop and Samsung. The company is also genuinely profitable, $60.8M in net income for those nine months versus just $1.6M a year prior, on a 55% gross margin. That is unusual for a hardware IPO.

Two retail partners supply 22% of revenue, Oura depends on third-party AI models and data centers it does not control, and the company itself warns it has only recently turned profitable, with no guarantee that holds. Tariffs and trade tensions could also push up hardware costs just as management expects growth to slow from its current pace. Whether the $16B tag survives the roadshow says more about investor appetite for wearables than about Oura’s underlying business.

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.

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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.

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Hot Topics

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

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

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• 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.

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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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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

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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.

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Hot Topics

• AI Is Turning Natural Gas Into a Growth Fuel

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• OpenAI’s Ambitious Transformation of ChatGPT into a Superapp

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• 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.

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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.