XLE's put/call ratio hit 2.57, with the most crowded trade being a one-month put that only pays off if energy stocks drop 12%.
USO has surged 126% YTD, but $6 diesel and freight earnings warnings of 5 to 10% signal that high crude is becoming an economic drag.
If energy breaks, defensive rotation candidates XLP (up 10% YTD) and XLV (up 25% over one year) stand to benefit.
Read More: Avoid these 13 retirement mistakes before they derail your future (sponsor)
Energy is the year's best-performing sector, and on Wednesday the options market bet heavily that it is about to break. Volume in Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSEARCA:XLE) options ran roughly 70% above normal, with more than twice as many puts as calls changing hands and nine of the ten busiest contracts on the day being puts. The single most crowded trade was a 57-strike put expiring one month out, a structure that only pays off if XLE falls roughly 12% from here. Our own full-chain read on XLE puts a live put/call ratio at 2.57, with ratios above 16 at the Sept. 23 expiration and above 13 at Sept. 25.

#above #call #ratio #trade

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) is down by -0.58% today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI) (DIA) is down by -0.95%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) is down by -0.69%. E-mini S&P futures (ESU26) are down -0.56%, and September E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQU26) are down -0.67%.
Stock indexes are falling today, with the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrials posting 6-week lows. Stocks are under pressure as elevated crude oil prices raise inflation expectations and push bond yields higher worldwide. The 10-year T-note yield rose to a 19-year high of 5.04% today. The 10-year German Bund yield rose to a 17-year high of 3.57%, and the 10-year ******* an JGB bond yield rose to a 30-year high of 3.04%. Also, enthusiasm for the AI trade, the major driver of stock gains this year, remains tempered as debate continues over whether the technology may inflict catastrophic harm and whether political pressure for new regulations may slow development.
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.

#year #today #jones

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 Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) as a new addition. Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) is a leading biotechnology company specializing in the manufacture and sale of synthetic DNA-based products. On September 15, 2026, Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) closed at $138.10 per share. Over the past month, Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) returned 2.97% while its shares gained 443.64% over the past 52 weeks. Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) has a market capitalization of $9.09 billion and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $23.30 and $155.44.
Parnassus Growth Equity Fund stated the following regarding Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"During the quarter, we added Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST), a biotechnology company with a proprietary silicon-based DNA synthesis platform. Twist Bioscience provides exposure to two powerful long-term trends in Health Care, AI-supported drug discovery and next-generation sequencing. The company's proprietary silicon-based DNA synthesis platform enables higher throughput and lower costs than traditional methods, creating a durable competitive advantage and positioning Twist to take share in a growing market."
Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 42 hedge fund portfolios held Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) at the end of the second quarter which was 30 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) 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

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Ford Motor Chief Executive Jim Farley strongly rejected claims from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy that the automaker was growing overly reliant on Chinese car companies, including through its business tie-ups overseas and a battery plant in Michigan.

#listen #chief

Selling a home for $890,000 leaves roughly $328,000 taxable after the $500,000 joint exclusion, adding $9,240 in Medicare surcharges two years later.
Section 121's $500,000 joint exclusion ceiling hasn't risen with inflation since 1997, leaving longtime homeowners exposed to large taxable gains on ordinary homes.
Rebuilding cost basis with documented improvements, deferring optional IRA withdrawals, and budgeting for the Medicare surcharge from proceeds reduces the sale's financial impact.
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For more than 40 years, the house did exactly what its owners hoped it would do. A couple who paid $62,000 for their home in 1984 closes on the sale this year at $890,000. The IRS lets them exclude up to $500,000 of gain under Internal Revenue Code Section 121. Any taxable gain left after the exclusion, basis adjustments and selling expenses flows into adjusted gross income (AGI). That figure helps determine the modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) Social Security uses to calculate Medicare's income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA) two years later. The sale closes in 2026. The Medicare bill arrives in 2028.

#medicare #years #selling #later

In the quarter ended 31 July 2026, the company's gross profit was $157.0m compared with $143.4m in the same period last year.
Gross margin increased by approximately 320 basis points to 52.0%, primarily due to International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff refunds, partly offset by costs related to a new joint venture royalty structure and temporary expenses from the warehouse management system rollout.
During the quarter, Lands' End posted $302m in net revenue, marking a 2.7% increase year-on-year. Its US e-commerce segment saw the strongest growth, with revenues up 9.0% to $182.4m.
This rebound followed earlier disruption related to the implementation of a new warehouse management system, with carryover shipments contributing to the quarterly rise.
Revenue of Lands' End Outfitters business rose by 4.4% to $69.3m, led by enterprise accounts, which offset ongoing challenges in the school uniform business caused by service processing delays.

#related #Warehouse #management #system

I get cautious when an artificial intelligence (AI) stock asks investors to pay today for profits that may not show up for years.
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been the dominant player in AI hardware for some time, but its stock still deserves a closer look even after gaining more than 360% over the past three years (as of Sept. 2, 2026). Is Nvidia stock now priced for distant hopes, or is it one of the tech sector's rare exceptions?
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 »
Nvidia's results for its fiscal 2027 second quarter (which ended July 26) show how much the company is already benefiting from AI infrastructure spending. The company's revenue rose 106% year over year to $96.2 billion. The performance was mainly driven by the data center segment, where revenue increased 117% year over year to $89 billion. The company also generated $63.7 billion in generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) operating income during the quarter. This pace of growth is particularly impressive considering Nvidia's massive size.
Nvidia is also converting a large portion of its revenues into cash. The company's free cash flow reached $69.9 billion, while the company returned roughly $46 billion to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends in the first half of its fiscal 2027. This shows that Nvidia has significant funds to invest in research and development, secure future supply, and return capital to shareholders.

#company

NNN and ADC both carry ~70% AFFO payout ratios, but Agree's two-thirds investment-grade tenant mix and 3.7x net debt ratio outshine NNN's 5.7x.
NNN's 37-year consecutive dividend increase streak impresses, but its non-investment-grade tenant roster creates meaningful tail risk that Agree's portfolio avoids.
Just released. Our ***** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.
Two of the largest net lease REITs cut checks to shareholders on the same day. NNN REIT (NYSE:NNN) sent out $0.62 per share on August 14, 2026, its first payment at a raised quarterly rate. Agree Realty (NYSE:ADC) delivered $0.267 per share on August 14, 2026 as part of its monthly payout schedule. Same date, same sector, and remarkably similar payout ratios. The grades diverge on what backs each dollar.
The August payment marked NNN's 37th consecutive annual dividend increase, one of the longest streaks in the REIT universe. The 3.3% increase in the quarterly rate lifted the annualized dividend to $2.48 per share.

#same #payout #increase #investment

Ondas (ONDS) falls 6% and Red Cat (RCAT) drops 3% with no company-specific news or filings behind either move this session.
DRNZ slips 2% while SPY falls just 0.5%, bracketing the drone complex and flagging this as a risk-appetite withdrawal, not a fundamental repricing.
The 10-year yield at 4.8% and Brent crude above $91 on U.S.-Iran tensions compress valuations hardest for pre-profit, small-float drone names.
Act now: the ****** yst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and AeroVironment didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
The drone complex is selling in a strict beta ladder this Tuesday morning, and the ordering itself is the story. The smallest and least profitable names are falling hardest, the sector fund is falling less, and the broad market is falling least of all. That pattern identifies today's action as a risk-appetite event rather than drone-specific news flow.

#risk

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) recently announced a major expansion of its child and family behavioral coaching program, extending access to 13 million commercial members. First launched in 2023, the program targets low-severity needs like mild anxiety, ADHD, and sleep issues through virtual sessions and 24/7 support. The move adds 5 million individuals at no cost to employers, reflecting a broader effort to catch mental health concerns early before they escalate into high-cost medical claims.
This expansion highlights an essential question: Is UnitedHealth's shift toward early clinical intervention and margin management enough to offset persistent cost inflation and Medicare Advantage headwinds?
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) delivered a strong Q2 2026 performance, beating expectations on both revenue and earnings as cost refinement and operational discipline supported profitability. Consolidated revenue reached $112.03 billion, exceeding the $110.85 billion ******* yst consensus, while adjusted EPS surged to $6.38, comfortably above the $4.90 estimate and up from $4.08 in the prior-year period. Net income totaled $5.48 billion, or $6.04 per share.
The company's medical benefit ratio (MCR) also improved significantly to 86.7% from 89.4% in Q2 2025, beating the 88.5% Wall Street estimate and indicating stronger premium capture relative to medical costs. Management also raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $19.50–$20.00 from more than $18.25 while maintaining its revenue target above $439 billion.
Bulls highlight UnitedHealth's powerful multi-segment scale across insurance and Optum services. The deployment of $1.5 billion into artificial intelligence is already streamlining prior authorizations and mitigating fraud, waste, and abuse. Furthermore, Optum's reach into care delivery and pharmacy services diversifies revenue beyond traditional underwriting. Robust cash generation continues to support shareholder return, reinforced by expanded full-year profit targets.

#billion #cost #medical #NYSE

With a market cap of $14.1 billion, lululemon athletica inc. (LULU) is a leading technical athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories company that designs innovative products for yoga, running, training, and a wide range of active lifestyles. The company combines advanced fabric technology with functional design and community-driven product development to create high-performance offerings that promote wellbeing and meaningful customer engagement.
Shares of the athletic apparel maker have underperformed the broader market over the past 52 weeks. LULU stock has decreased 39.4% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied 20.6%. Moreover, shares of the company are down 42.3% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's nearly 13% gain.
Barron Trump, 20, Now Worth $150 Million — More Than Mom, Melania — From Crypto And $39 Energy Drink
Billionaire Michael Saylor Warns Against Buying a House Because 'Every 36 Years You Actually Pay the Cost of the House in Tax to the Government'
QQQ Just 'Gamma Flipped' as Market Makers Were Forced to Sell. Here's What Our Top Chart Expert is Tracking Next.

#moreover

Another day, another round of upside for a neocloud. Following CoreWeave's (CRWV) and Nebius' (NBIS) time in the sun, Sydney-based Iren Limited (IREN) saw its shares end the week about 9% higher after it revealed that its first cloud deployment for Microsoft (MSFT) was complete, and it has also received the Exemplar Cloud status from Nvidia (NVDA).
Iren's Horizon 1 is the first of four deployments from the company to Microsoft under a five-year, $9.7 billion contract inked last year in November. Here, Nvidia validated Iren's GB300 NVL72 deployment and granted it the Exemplar Cloud status. Iren joins CoreWeave, Nebius, AWS, Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure in receiving this recognition.
A $210 Billion Reason to Buy AMD Stock Here
CoreWeave vs Nebius: Both Companies Reported Strong Earnings, But Here's the Stock You Should Buy
As Oracle Deepens Its Partnership with AWS, Here's How You Should Play ORCL Stock

#cloud #NVIDIA

As the second quarter earnings season begins to wind down, Wall Street and Main Street alike are tallying up the scores, and the numbers have been unquestionably strong.
With just under 90% of companies in the S&P 500 (^GSPC) having released second quarter earnings, roughly 80% have reported year-on-year EPS growth, putting the quarter in the 94th percentile for the metric, per Bank of America research.
Those results, plus Wall Street consensus forecasts for the third and fourth quarters, put the S&P 500 on track for four consecutive quarters of EPS growth exceeding 20%, per BofA, a phenomenon that has only happened 10 times since 1936.
Part of that story, according to Bank of America strategists led by Savita Subramanian, is the AI boom that has largely been driving the US equity market.
The second quarter has seen broad earnings growth, with 10 out of 11 sectors on pace for positive year-on-year movement, BofA noted. Yet, "even so, AI remained the index's primary growth engine," the strategists wrote. While the median AI-related stock notched EPS growth of 28%, the median non-AI-related stock saw growth of just 12%.

#quarter #street #second #America

Three crypto companies, Bitdeer (BTDR), Forward Industries (FWDI), and Bit Digital (BTBT), report quarterly earnings this week, each coming off a quarter deep in the red.
The three prints span exposure to major tokens, including Bitcoin (BTC), Solana (SOL), and Ethereum (ETH). All three **** ets fell last quarter, likely driving heavy paper losses. Now the earnings will show how deep the damage ran.
Bitdeer opens the week on Monday. It will report its second-quarter 2026 results before the US market opens on Monday, August 10, at around 7:00 a.m. ET
In the first quarter, Bitdeer reported a $159.5 million net loss, pressured by weaker cryptocurrency prices. Revenue, however, rose to $188.9 million, while adjusted EBITDA remained positive at $14.4 million.
The second-quarter results come amid a strong period for Bitdeer shares. BTDR gained roughly 83% during Q2, significantly outperforming Bitcoin, which fell 14.08% over the same period.

#three #Monday #report

Last week was busy for Veritas Capital.
On Thursday, the New York-based private equity firm, which makes investments in government-adjacent and regulated industries, agreed to acquire Texas-based Saber Power Services, marking its third acquisition announcement in less than a week.
Days earlier, it agreed to acquire federal contractor Steampunk and environmental consultancy Trinity Consultants, and submitted a 914 pence-per-share proposal for London-listed Bodycote, valuing the industrial services company's equity at about £1.56 billion ($2.1 billion).
The bid places Veritas in a takeover contest with CVC Capital Partners, which proposed 915 pence per share. The bidders face a Sept. 2 deadline.
This dealmaking spree followed Veritas's July agreement to buy facilities management and engineering business BGIS.

#week #Equity

Soybeans are trading with Wednesday AM losses of 6 to 7 ½ cents. Futures were pressured by weaker products, crude and a wetter forecast on Tuesday, with contracts steady in some deferreds to down 15 cents in the nearbys. Open interest was down 3,006 contracts. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price was down 13 3/4 cents at $11.34 1/2. Soymeal futures were down $1.20 to $3.20, with Soy Oil 18 to 62 points lower. Crude oil, down $5.20, added some pressure. There were 137 deliveries issued against August soybeans overnight, with 322 for August bean oil.
USDA reported another 132,000 MT of 2026/27 soybean sold to China on Tuesday morning.
Coffee Prices Rise as Brazil Rain Forecasts May Delay Harvest
Why Have Cocoa Prices Recovered?
Cocoa Prices Slip as Overbought Conditions Spur Technical Selling

#prices #cocoa #futures

Investors are torn between walking away from the AI trade as spending soars with little ROI to show for it, and staying in for fear of missing the next bull run.
One ***** yst is clear: some of the biggest AI infrastructure players won't survive this shakeout, and Oracle is at the top of his worry list.
Matt Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak, recently said in a program on CNBC that the AI infrastructure race started with five or six major players. He now expects only one or two to come out on top.
Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) sits on the losing side of that call. The ***** yst said on CNBC that Oracle is worried that a major customer, widely believed to be OpenAI, might walk away from some data center lease commitments. Maley points to Oracle's own admission that its AI bet may not pay off the way management expected. In his words:
"It's just the amazing amount of spending that they've put in. And when they, they themselves are the ones admitting that they may have a tough time monetizing this to the way that they had been thinking even six months ago and certainly a year ago. That does bring the situation into question."

#spending

This has been an active year in the mergers-and-acquisitions landscape across the biopharmaceutical industry. One of the more notable deals was Vertex Pharmaceuticals' acquisition of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals for $10 billion in cash (the transaction hasn't closed yet). This is the largest acquisition in Vertex Pharmaceuticals' history, and it will enable the biotech giant to gain several promising pipeline candidates in endocrinology. Could there be an even more massive acquisition on the horizon in the industry? It's hard to say for sure, but if there is, Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) may be the acquisition target.
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 »
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a little over 70% of adults in the country are overweight or obese. Excess weight is linked to a range of serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and many others. Recent breakthroughs are helping address the issue. Anti-obesity medicines are allowing patients to lose weight and reduce their risk of developing a range of conditions. But this market is still in its early stages and is projected to expand rapidly over the next decade. According to some estimates, it will be worth $190 billion in 2035, compared to just $79 billion last year.
No wonder, then, that many pharmaceutical giants are looking to dip their toes in this **** e. But discovering and developing brand-new therapies from scratch in any field is expensive and time-consuming. That's why well-established drugmakers often prefer to acquire companies with promising mid and late-stage **** ets. That's where Viking Therapeutics comes in. The company's portfolio includes subcutaneous VK2735, currently in phase 3 clinical trials, as well as an oral version of the drug, which should begin late-stage studies by year-end. Further, Viking Therapeutics developed VK3019, another weight-loss candidate, which recently started phase 1 clinical trials.
Viking Therapeutics has one of the more impressive weight-loss pipelines among mid-cap biotechs, making it a great target for a pharmaceutical leader looking to fast-track the process and land some highly promising anti-obesity pipeline candidates overnight. Viking Therapeutics' phase 3 studies for VK2735 are expected to be completed by late 2027. If the results are very strong, the company's shares will soar, making it a much more expensive acquisition target. So, if any pharmaceutical giant is going to make a move, it probably will be before then.

#viking #NVIDIA #weight #promising

SummaryView Transcript
Paul Svindland, former CEO of Celadon, reveals the emotional toll of the company's bankruptcy. He recounts how FreightWaves breaking the news prematurely led to chaos, stranded drivers, and fuel cards being shut off during the harsh winter of 2019. Despite the operational health of the business, a mountain of financial and legal issues ultimately led to its demise. Svindland shares his candid thoughts on the challenges of a massive trucking turnaround and his new chapter with Mallory Alexander.
When FreightWaves published its Celadon bankruptcy scoop on a Friday night in December 2019, CEO Paul Svendlund had intended to wait until Sunday — flying into Indianapolis to brief his management team — before communicating the Chapter 11 filing to fuel-card providers and drivers the following Monday. The early publication triggered an immediate shutdown of fuel cards, stranding drivers on the road during winter holiday season and creating what Svendlund described as roughly 36 hours of chaos.
"I'm not going to lie to you. I mean, it was the first and probably only time in my professional career that I literally actually cried because I felt I let everybody down." — Paul Svendlund, former Celadon CEO
Svendlund, now CEO of Mallory Alexander and a turnaround veteran who also led Pacer and STG Logistics, told FreightWaves the filing was structured as a liquidating Chapter 11 rather than a straight Chapter 7, preserving the entity while winding it down because ******* et value exceeded outstanding loan balances. The company was burning approximately $1 million per month just to fund legal defense for former officers after exhausting its directors-and-officers insurance — a cash drain that made lenders unwilling to continue extending credit even as operations had stabilized.

#chapter #celadon

September S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESU26) are up +0.24%, and September Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQU26) are up +0.32% this morning as a selloff in chipmakers abated, while investors awaited earnings from two of the world's largest AI spenders and the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision.
Chip and AI infrastructure stocks edged higher in pre-market trading, stabilizing after days of selling. Providing some relief was data storage company Seagate Technology Holdings (STX), which climbed over +5% in pre-market trading after posting blowout FQ4 results and issuing FQ1 guidance that smashed Wall Street's estimates. Also, SK Hynix executives said on the earnings call that strong memory-chip demand could persist for years, although shares of the memory chip giant tumbled more than -9% in Seoul as its 13-fold surge in quarterly net profit failed to impress investors.
Nasdaq Futures Plunge as Chip Selloff Rages On, FOMC Meeting and Earnings on Tap
Ahead of Microsoft Earnings, Here's What Barchart Data Says Comes Next for MSFT Stock
Broadcom Leads 3 AI Stocks Quietly Raising Their Dividends, One by 161%

#earnings #futures #selloff #investors

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#access #reference #believe

US tech stocks sank before the bell on Tuesday as a sell-off in Korean memory makers underscored concerns about AI circular financing deals, overshadowing a drop in oil prices and earnings optimism.
Contracts on the Nasdaq-100 (NQ=F) fell 0.9%, signaling further losses for the tech-heavy index, while those on the S&P 500 (ES=F) dropped 0.2%. But Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) edged into the green, up 0.1%.
South Korea's Kospi (^KS11) stock benchmark tumbled over 10% on Tuesday as investors dumped shares in top memory chipmakers SK Hynix (SKHY, 000660.KS) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), which sank more than 14% and 13%, respectively.
Sentiment on the AI trade has soured amid reports that Nvidia (NVDA) is exploring a $250 billion funding backstop for OpenAI (OPAI.PVT), further intertwining the two companies and heightening worries about circular financing. Tech traders also grew nervous that Chinese competition is narrowing the AI gap with US companies, undermining prospects for a payoff.
Oil prices, meanwhile, continued to retreat after the US and Iran halted active fighting and President Trump said the two sides were in diplomatic talks. "There's a good chance that something could happen, and if it does, good," Trump said aboard Air Force One on Monday. "If it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing."

#sank #circular #financing #further

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) today is down -0.09%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI) (DIA) is up +0.10%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) is down -0.29%. September E-mini S&P futures (ESU26) are down -0.07%, and September E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQU26) are down -0.22%.
Stock indexes are under modest today amid weakness in software and cybersecurity stocks. The markets are waiting for earnings results after the close today from Alphabet to see evidence that the company's investments in artificial intelligence are generating returns, as it plans to more than double capital spending from 2025 to as much as $190 billion this year. On the positive side, energy producers and service providers are moving higher with today's rally in WTI crude oil to a 6-week high.
PayPal Says a $53 Billion Takeover Offer from Stripe Undervalues It. How to Play PYPL Stock Here.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos Called Amazon's Customer Service to Prove a Point But Waited in Silence for More Than 10 Minutes — 'It Was Really Long'
Micron Stock Is Near Bear-Market Territory. Here's Why ASML's Guidance Says Buy the Dip.

#mini

The initial deal behind the American AI boom seems to be: private investors would help finance it, taking on the risk; private companies would initially own the benefits of the breakthroughs, then distribute them to public markets later; and the government would help regulate the industry after the fact. In China, by contrast, the deal is that companies still have to compete for investment and customers, while the government provides the compute.
That bargain is showing signs of collapse — on the U.S. side. As costs soar, Chinese competitors gain ground and Washington increasingly considers AI to be a national-security **** et, President Donald Trump is considering taking a governmental stake into AI companies. While both the populist left and the right, and the AI companies themselves, have lauded the proposal, one person isn't cheering: Billionaire Michael Bloomberg.
In an opinion column published in Bloomberg Opinion on Monday, the media company's founder attacked the proposal, arguing that it would turn Washington from an industry regulator into an investor with incentives for profit, leading to "cronyism."
"Somewhere, Karl Marx is smiling," Bloomberg wrote of the centrally planned economy on offer, while the propaganda possibilities would "make George Orwell blush."
The former New York City mayor argued that Americans do not need their governments to own AI companies in order to share in the technology's gains. For one, once they go public, they could just buy shares. But also, consumers and businesses already benefit from AI through fraud detection, medical research, bookkeeping and other helpful applications, he wrote, while the resulting economic growth could eventually generate more tax revenue for public services.

#opinion

Well-known investor Michael Burry thinks you don't know what you're investing in.
"95% of investors likely have no idea what they really own," Burry, who is known for predicting the 2008 financial crisis, said on social media. "Let me re-phrase that. 95% of investors like to have no real idea of what they own."
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
Millionaires under 43 hold only 25% of their wealth in stocks. Here's where their money is actually going

#wealth #actually #well #michael

China cut crude imports to 7.8 million bpd in May, accounting for 74% of the entire global trade decrease, while keeping its 1.4 billion barrel reserve intact.
The Hormuz closure removed 14% of global supply yet prices climbed just 30%, a fraction of the 130% spike during the 1973 OPEC embargo.
When China's August import data rebounds, the cushion keeping US gas near $3.85 vanishes, making that single data point oil's most critical warning signal.
This lithium producer surpassed a $1B private valuation, joining some of America's most powerful startups. Now you can invest in EnergyX alongside global giants like General Motors, but only through July 16. (sponsor)
The Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint carrying roughly 20% of the world's oil, was declared closed again on July 11 by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy. Within 72 hours, US forces struck roughly 140 military targets, Iran launched missile and drone retaliation against the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, and Washington reinstated a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Brent crude jumped more than 4% on July 13 to $79.26, its highest level since June 22, and by this morning was trading around $84 to $86, up roughly 5% on the week, according to CNBC and Al Jazeera. The two largest oil ETFs are up roughly 10% to 13% over the past week.

Ovid Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:OVID) is one of the 10 Fastest Growing Tech Penny Stocks to Buy.
On July 8, 2026, Ovid Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:OVID) announced several strategic appointments. Kevin Norrett will join Ovid as chief business officer to lead business and corporate development functions, as well as strategic partnerships. Most recently, Norrett served as chief business officer at Soleno Therapeutics.
Ovid also promoted Charles Carter to CFO, where Carter will lead business and financial operations. Carter succeeds Jeffrey Rona, who will remain a long-term advisor to the company through 2027. Victoria Fort was promoted to chief strategy officer, leading enterprise strategy, investor relations, and operational growth initiatives.
In May, Ovid Therapeutics reported Q1 EPS of (12c), compared with the consensus of (11c). CEO Meg Alexander said the first quarter reflected "focused execution" and continued progress across the company's pipeline of small molecule medicines for intractable brain conditions. Alexander said development programs remain on track, the clinical organization has expanded, and the company expects to be well capitalized into 2029.
Ovid Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:OVID) develops small-molecule medicines for brain disorders, including epilepsies and seizure-related neurological disorders in the United States.

By Shubham Batra
NEW DELHI, July 13 (Reuters) - India's retail inflation breached the central bank's target for the first time in 17 months, government data showed on Monday, setting the stage for interest ‌rate hikes in an economy at risk from a prolonged Middle East conflict.
The consumer price index ‌rose to 4.38% year-over-year in June, higher than the 4.3% forecast in a Reuters poll.
Inflation was led by higher fuel and food costs, which rose amid Iran war-driven supply disruptions and a delay in seasonal rains.
The Reserve Bank of India, which targets inflation at 4% with a tolerance band of 2 percentage points on either side, had kept its policy rate unchanged in June but raised its inflation forecast, watching for knock-on impact from supply-driven pressures.