For months, economists and retailers have warned about the financial strain facing lower- and middle-income consumers. Higher earners, on the other hand, have largely been sheltered from the effects of the rising costs of living.
But that may be changing.
A growing number of CEOs and industry insiders, from retailers as varied as Walmart and ThredUp, have said they're seeing shifts in the behavior of consumers earning $100,000 a year or more.
Dollar General's CEO Todd Vasos is the latest to join that growing chorus.
Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Global Consumer and Retail conference, Vasos said it's no longer the chain's core consumer base (low- and middle-earners) who are feeling the financial strain.

#Consumer #strain #higher

Reddit (RDDT) stock finally gave investors something to cheer about. Shares jumped about 6% on Sept. 10 after Piper Sandler data showed Reddit's user base grew 8% month over month in August. That marked the company's strongest monthly gain of 2026 and a sharp reversal from the roughly 2% decline in July.
The move also snapped a four-session losing streak. But there's still a major problem. Reddit shares remain down 30% in 2026 and down roughly 38% over the past year. The big question now is whether August marked the beginning of a real turnaround or just another short-lived bounce. Let's take a closer look.
Goldman Sachs Expects Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to Raise Rates This Week — But Not Because of Oil Prices.
Morgan Stanley Doubles Down on Apple Stock as New Offerings Become 'More Exciting'
The EV Bubble Has Burst. How to Play Rivian Stock Now.

#Stock

Parnassus Investments, an investment management company, released the "Parnassus Growth Equity Fund" second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. During the quarter, the Fund (Investor Shares) returned 17.49% (net of fees), outperforming the Russell 1000 Growth Index's 16.74%. Holdings in Information Technology and Consumer Discretionary sectors boosted relative returns, while Communication Services and Financials holdings detracted. For the year-to-date period, the Fund returned 6.17% (net of fees), outperforming the Russell 1000 Growth's 5.33%. The firm remains constructively bullish on U.S. equities and continues to be selective, valuation-sensitive, and focused on disruptive growth opportunities through active stock selection. Growth stocks advanced during the second quarter, as the Russell 1000 Growth Index generated strong double-digit returns driven by increased confidence in the durability of the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure build-out. Additionally, reviewing the Fund's top five holdings could help identify its best picks for 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Parnassus Growth Equity Fund highlighted Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX). Netflix, Inc., a leading subscription-based streaming entertainment platform, detracted from the fund's performance during the quarter. On September 15, 2026, Netflix, Inc. closed at $77.90 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $324.37 billion. Netflix, Inc. posted a one‑month return of -3.50%, while its shares lost 36.99% over the past 52 weeks.
Parnassus Growth Equity Fund stated the following regarding Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) reported solid first-quarter results, but company management did not raise revenue guidance for the full year, disappointing some investors. Cofounder Reed Hastings announced plans to step down from the board, which may have further weighed on shares."
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) ranks 13 on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 121 hedge fund portfolios held Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) at the end of the second quarter, down from 144 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

#Growth #investor

On August 31, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO), and Humain announced that their joint AI infrastructure buildout in Saudi Arabia is officially live. The deployment links AMD's Instinct MI355X GPUs and EPYC CPUs directly with Cisco's Silicon One-based 800G switches, giving Humain a foundation to offer GPU-as-a-service across the Middle East. Beyond this immediate launch, the trio plans to deploy up to 250 MW of capacity powered by next-gen AMD MI400 Series GPUs starting in 2027, staying on track for a massive 1 GW platform by 2030.
The milestone highlights how compute and networking have fused into a single market. But financially, AMD and Cisco present two very different investment profiles.
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD)'s Q2 2026 results demonstrated massive top-line expansion, driven almost entirely by data center demand. Revenue surged 50% year-over-year to $11.5 billion, while non-GAAP EPS rose 82% to $1.66. Its Data Center segment alone more than doubled to $6.7 billion (+107% YoY), accounting for 58% of total revenue as EPYC server chips and Instinct GPUs continue to gain enterprise traction.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)'s Q4 and full-year FY2026 report reflected a mature cash-flow powerhouse capturing an architectural transition. Q4 revenue grew 18% YoY to a record $17.3 billion, pushing full-year revenue up 12% to $63.3 billion. Non-GAAP EPS for Q4 reached $1.22 (+23%), with FY2026 non-GAAP EPS hitting $4.33. Cisco logged $9.3 billion in AI infrastructure orders for the fiscal year (up 4.5x YoY) and maintained a non-GAAP operating margin of 35.9%, generating $14.2 billion in annual operating cash flow.
While AMD clearly leads on top-line growth velocity, Cisco holds the upper hand in raw profitability, structural gross margins (66.3%), and shareholder return via capital repurchases and dividends.

#revenue #advanced

(Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blasted the US companies ramping up investment in artificial intelligence, faulting them for failing to build ties with communities amid a wave of popular concern over data centers boosting the cost of living.
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#renames

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Updated Aug. 26, 2026 7:41 pm ET
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OpenAI is launching a second startup fund—this time pulling from its own balance sheet.

#updated #openai #fund #time

Jefferies has raised its price target for Haleon (Haleon PLC (LSE:HLN, NYSE:HLN), the consumer health company behind Sensodyne and Advil, to 410p from 400p, maintaining its Buy rating.
The broker highlighted a 70 basis point margin beat in the first half of the year, though it warned this revived concerns about whether Haleon was investing enough behind growth.
Haleon shares rose 0.28% to 364.10p in morning trading on Monday, after opening at 363.10p, with the stock reaching an intraday high of 364.50p.
Haleon delivered organic sales growth of 3.1% in the second quarter, split between a 1.7% rise in prices and a 1.4% increase in volumes.
Oral Health grew 6.2%, driven by the Sensodyne and Parodontax brands, while Pain Relief accelerated 4.6% on Voltaren gel expansion.

#Health #NYSE

Demis Hassabis, the ****** el Prize-winning co-founder of Google DeepMind, is stepping down from running the AI lab day-to-day. He's becoming DeepMind's chairman and taking on a new role as Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)'s chief scientist, while Koray Kavukcuoglu, DeepMind's US-based chief technology officer, takes over operations as senior vice president reporting directly to CEO Sundar Pichai, without the CEO ****** le. The same week, longtime chief scientist Jeff Dean left along with three other senior researchers to launch a new startup called Discovery Loop. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shares fell 4% on the news.
The reorganization lands at a rough moment when Gemini 3.5 Pro has now missed three release deadlines while Anthropic and OpenAI keep shipping. That leaves investors wondering whether this is a smart restructuring meant to fix a stalling AI effort or a sign Google's AI leadership is unraveling right when it can least afford it.
Even if Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)'s Google isn't leading on raw model intelligence, it still has advantages few rivals can match: its own cloud business, custom TPU chips, and distribution across products used by billions of people, backed by $132 billion in net income last year. Artificial ****** ysis CEO Micah Hill-Smith argued Google "could end up doing very well" in the AI race overall because of that broader ecosystem, even without the top model. Kavukcuoglu was already more involved than Hassabis in DeepMind's work with Google Cloud, and people close to the cloud division reportedly welcomed his promotion as a sign the company will prioritize shipping products over pure research. That kind of tighter focus is exactly what several DeepMind engineers say has been missing on coding and agentic AI.
This management swap also means the company is losing a lot of its smartest people. Jeff Dean, Noam Shazeer, and John Jumper have all left within months of each other, and current employees describe deep frustration over sustained 60-hour work weeks, plus a controversial Pentagon defense deal that triggered resignations and sparked the first unionization drive at a frontier AI lab. More than 580 employees signed an open letter urging Pichai to reconsider the deal. Google's models "are currently not competitive with the bleeding edge" on intelligence and coding benchmarks. On top of that, Gemini 3.5 Pro remains unreleased after three missed deadlines even as rivals keep pace. Some employees describe the reorganization as a shift of power away from London toward Mountain View, undermining DeepMind's independence at precisely the moment it needs clear direction.

#googl #cloud #people #employees

ZeroStack Corp. (NASDAQ: $ZSTK) has struck a $1 billion crypto contribution deal that would add nearly 926 million MemeCore (CRYPTO: $M) tokens to its balance sheet while giving MemeCore-linked investors a large equity position in the Nasdaq-listed company.
Under the definitive agreement, Puple AI Inc. and Blockcat Pte. Ltd. will contribute 925,925,926 $M tokens, valued at $1.08 each, in exchange for 3.5 million ZeroStack common shares and pre-funded warrants covering up to 36,198,293 additional shares.
The warrants are priced at $25.19 per share, more than 12 times ZeroStack's recent market trading price. Shares tied to the warrants cannot be issued until shareholders approve the transaction under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635 and will be subject to a lock-up lasting up to 10 years after closing.
More From Cryptoprowl:
MEXC July TradFi Trading Shifts Toward AI Storage as SNDK Futures Volume Surges More Than 15x Times

#NASDAQ #tokens

Starbucks (SBUX) is currently trading with a very low implied volatility rank which means options on the coffeehouse chain are cheap compared to the last 12 months. That could mean it's a good time to look at a breakout trade such as a long strangle. A long strangle is constructed through buying an out-of-the-money call and an out-of-the-money put. The…

#strangle #money #trading #volatility

Shares of Micron Technology and Sandisk have clocked phenomenal returns over the past year, primarily due to the mission-critical role of the memory chips produced by them for running artificial intelligence (AI) workloads in data centers.
Faster memory chips and larger storage help solve a key bottleneck in AI data centers by enabling the rapid transport of large volumes of data to data center accelerators. As a result, accelerator chips, such as graphics cards and custom processors, don't have to sit idle and waste energy. However, a closer look at the AI infrastructure ecosystem makes it clear that memory isn't the only bottleneck impeding accelerator performance.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
The rapid transport of data has created an incredible demand for optical networking components, which use light to quickly transmit massive amounts of data over long distances via fiber-optic cables. Investment banking and brokerage firm Rosenblatt Securities estimates that optical component companies could increase production capacity by 12x between 2025 and 2030.
However, even that won't be enough to meet the booming demand for optical components. Rosenblatt predicts that supply will trail demand by 50% in 2030 despite the massive increase in production through the end of the decade. This explains why optical and photonics components supplier Lumentum Holdings (NASDAQ: LITE) has been experiencing incredible growth in revenue and earnings.

#signal #chips #demand #components

Though it's not foolproof investing wisdom, and it is stock-specific, there is something to the "boring is beautiful" thesis. It's one reason that so many income investors and risk-averse market participants embrace consumer staples stocks.
The other side of the boring coin is that mundane doesn't captivate hearts, minds, and investor capital when growth stocks are in vogue, and that's very much the case these days. Many market participants are chasing tech stocks and pondering what's next in the world of artificial intelligence (AI).
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Those trends don't necessarily mean that Wall Street is in the midst of another round of Dutch tulip mania, nor that a bubble will imminently burst, but investors' adulation for what they perceive as glitzy names helps explain how some defensive stocks can slip through the cracks, even when those companies are delivering solid showings. Such is life for Sysco (NYSE: SYY), the king of food distributors.

#stocks #many #market #participants

JEPI pays monthly at a high single-digit yield while RDVY has compounded 352% over 10 years, and both are invisible to the SSA earnings test.
VPU adds defensive utility income at roughly 3% yield and 0.09% in fees, holding steady when chip cycles or rate spikes hit growth funds.
It sounds nuts, but SoFi1 is giving new Active Invest users up to $3,000 in stock for a limited time, and all it takes is a $50 deposit to get started.2 See for yourself (Sponsor)
You did the math and claimed Social Security at 62. Then you kept working and ran into the Social Security earnings test. Before full retirement age, Social Security can withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above the annual limit. That can significantly reduce the benefit you expected to collect alongside your paycheck.
Investment income is different. Dividends, interest, and capital gains generally do not count as earnings for the test. That creates another option for workers who claimed early but still want additional income: build a portfolio that generates cash without increasing earnings subject to the limit. Three ETFs can fill different roles in that strategy: JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NYSEARCA:JEPI), First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (NYSEARCA:RDVY), and Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF Shares (NYSEARCA:VPU).

#security #test #claimed

Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) will report its fiscal second-quarter earnings before the market opens on Aug. 19. Much like its chief rival, Home Depot, the home improvement and building-products retailer's business has been stuck of late as it contends with soft demand. While Lowe's reported better-than-expected results last quarter, management maintained a soft outlook, setting low expectations for the year.
Lowe's shares are down by about 10.5% year to date. Already trading at a cheap valuation compared to its main peer, the stock could become even more of a bargain if investors react negatively to the upcoming earnings release.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
For the quarter that ended on Aug. 1, sell-side forecasts call for revenue of $26.2 billion and earnings of $4.24 per share. That would amount to year-over-year sales growth of 9.3% and a 2% decline in earnings.
Lowe's has made some large acquisitions since last year, including Foundation Building Materials and Artisan Design Group. While those purchases have increased its top line, sluggish same-store sales coupled with higher interest expense and lower margins have led to less-stellar near-term bottom-line results. That said, these acquisitions, part of the company's pivot toward a greater focus on the contractor market, could pay off in the long term.

#signal

Image source: The Motley Fool.
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET
Executive Director of Investor Relations - Nicholas Arens
Chair and Chief Executive Officer - Jennifer Rumsey
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer - Mark Smith

#executive #motley #fool #tuesday

Updated Aug 07, 2026, 5:07 pm EDT / Original Aug 07, 2026, 7:41 am EDT
Retail investors
were buying **** eX
SPCX
+15.83%
all the way through its four-week losing streak—and now they might finally have something to show for it.
SPCX
+15.83%
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#company #rights

Our **** ysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here.
Hmm, this feels soft.
The American private sector added 44,000 jobs in July, which is the hiring equivalent of a shrug. Economists wanted 75,000. June got revised down to 95,000. It's the weakest month since January.
Education and health services accounted for 36,000 of those 44,000 jobs. Strip out that sector, which hires on demographics and reimbursement schedules with no interest in the business cycle, and the rest of the private economy added 8,000. For, like, the entire country.
Financial activities and professional services covered most of the rest but trade and transportation shed 8,000, mining lost 6,000, manufacturing scraped up 2,000, construction found 1,000, and goods production fell 3,000. The companies hiring hardest had fewer than 50 employees, which is not how a confident economy behaves.

#Jobs #economy

Baron Capital, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter for the "Baron Health Care Fund". A copy of the letter is available to download here. The Fund gained 11.99% during the quarter, compared with the 10.48% gain for the Russell 3000 Health Care Index and the 15.44% gain for the Russell 3000 Index. Since inception, the Fund appreciated 10.61% on an annualized basis, compared with 10.02% for the Benchmark and 14.83% for the Index. Strong stock selection in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, health care equipment, and life sciences tools and services supported the Fund's outperformance, although limited exposure to managed care stocks reduced relative returns. The Fund remains positive on health care due to improving biotechnology funding, strong acquisition activity, recovering managed care margins, and growth from an aging population, chronic disease, medical innovation, and higher health care spending. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know the best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Baron Health Care Fund highlighted Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) as a notable performance contributor. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets human pharmaceutical products in the United States and internationally. On August 03, 2026, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) closed at $1,121.36 per share. The one-month return of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) was -9.24%, and its shares gained 46.40% over the past 52 weeks. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) has a market capitalization of $1.06 trillion.
Baron Health Care Fund stated the following regarding Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY), currently best known for its diabetes and obesity GLP-1 therapies, contributed to performance as commercial execution and pipeline data reinforced investor confidence in the company's long-term leadership. All three major pharmacy benefit managers now cover Lilly's obesity portfolio, including its new daily oral GLP-1, Foundayo. This marks a reversal from last summer, when CVS Caremark provided preferred coverage for Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and raised concerns about a potential price war. The shift suggests that patients and physicians prefer Zepbound and are driving demand. Clinical trial data further reinforces our view that Lilly has one of the strongest next-generation metabolic pipelines in the industry. Phase 3 data showed retatrutide delivered weight loss in the high-20% range at higher doses and nearly 20% at lower doses, while maintaining excellent tolerability. We are also excited about eloralintide, where Phase 2 data showed Zepbound-like efficacy and tolerability, with combination data expected soon. Long term, we continue to view Lilly's portfolio as the gold standard in a category that we believe can exceed $150 billion."

#Health #investor #letter

July 27, 2026, 5:55 am EDT
In a compact control room overlooking the Andes, a handful of engineers with power company AES monitored a wall of screens tracking Chile’s power output. AES Andes, a subsidiary of the U.S. firm, is a leading generator in Chile and its renewable output keep rising with solar arrays and batteries.
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#company #output #july #jones

Interested in BankUnited, Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better.
BankUnited reported Q2 2026 net income of about $71 million, or $0.97 per share, with management emphasizing record growth in non-interest-bearing demand deposits (NIDDA), which reached 34.4% of total deposits.
Deposit growth helped lift profitability: total deposits excluding brokered deposits rose $1.1 billion, net interest margin improved to 3.06%, and average deposit costs declined as the bank reduced reliance on higher-cost wholesale funding.
Loan growth lagged expectations because of tougher competition and tighter pricing in lending, prompting BankUnited to cut some business and lower its full-year core loan growth outlook to 4% to 5% from 6%.
BankUnited (NYSE:BKU) reported second-quarter 2026 net income of about $71 million, or $0.97 per share, as management highlighted record non-interest-bearing demand deposit growth, improved profitability metrics and a more cautious approach to loan growth amid heightened competition.

#Growth #income #Share

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is one of the best large cap stocks to buy according to **** ysts. On July 8, Salesforce announced that the US Air Force 441st Vehicle Support Chain Operations Squadron is utilizing Missionforce National Security to manage its $13.5 billion fleet. This platform replaces legacy ERP silos, providing a unified, interoperable digital backbone for over 84,000 vehicles across nearly 389 locations.
The implementation enables the squadron to consolidate fragmented logistics into a strategic advantage, improving visibility for commanders and reducing service downtime. By utilizing the Salesforce Government Cloud Plus Defense, the Air Force has gained a scalable, IL5-authorized environment to support global mission readiness and operational control.
photo by Business-laptop-campaign-creators on Unsplash
Missionforce National Security streamlines **** et logistics, accelerates contingency planning, and improves budgeting accuracy through real-time data integration. The squadron is now positioned to leverage predictive **** ytics and future AI capabilities to automate manual tasks, validate vehicle data, and optimize maintenance schedules.
Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is a global enterprise software company that provides CRM and cloud-based business applications across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and data **** ytics. Its Customer 360 platform, powered by data tools and trusted AI, enables organizations to unify customer data and drive personalized engagement.