Dow Jones futures will open Sunday evening, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures.
The stock market was mixed, with the 10-year Treasury yield at 5%. The Nasdaq rose modestly, amid continued sector rotations among growth stocks. The S&P 500 largely held its ground but the Dow Jones and small-cap Russell 2000 fell solidly to three-month lows.
Robinhood Markets (HOOD) surged back into a buy zone Friday as part of bullish upside reversal for bitcoin and other crypto plays. Coinbase Global (COIN) flashed an aggressive entry. The iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) also is actionable.
Sandisk (SNDK) and Moderna (MRNA), the top S&P 500 performers so far this year, are in buy areas as well. So is Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), another top-10 S&P 500 stock.
Robinhood stock is on SwingTrader. AMD stock is on the IBD 50.

#futures #jones #Bitcoin #year

What is the purpose of the 'pro-human' event in D.C.?
What bipartisan bill is the House planning to pass?
What is Zach Cregger's 'gameplay first' approach to 'Resident Evil'?
Full Summary
From opposite sides of the political spectrum, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Trump administration strategist Steve Bannon will both lead what they are calling a "pro-human" rally on Tuesday, Sept. 15, in D.C. to warn of the dangers posed by artificial intelligence.

#House #full #summary #bernie

On Monday, Sept. 21, Sandisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) takes a spot in the S&P 100, a subset of the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) made up of 100 of its largest blue-chip companies. Dell Technologies, Palo Alto Networks, and Arista Networks enter with it. The announcement came from S&P Dow Jones Indices on Sept. 4, and the changes take effect before Monday's open.
Four companies are leaving to make room: Nike (NYSE:NKE), Colgate-Palmolive, Simon Property Group, and Honeywell Aerospace.
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 swap says a lot about how 2026 has gone. Sandisk shares have gained more than 600% this year, more than any other stock in the S&P 500.
Nike's stock, meanwhile, reached a 52-week low this week. And Sandisk, worth about $260 billion, is currently more than four times the size of the roughly $54 billion sportswear giant.

#sandisk #networks #four #Companies

Choosing the right mortgage lender could save you thousands of dollars. Shopping for one should be one the first steps you take when buying a house.
Comparing lenders and lining up preapprovals early gives you some benchmarks to work from, and when your real estate agent recommends lenders, you'll have a better sense of whether they're offering a good deal. Plus, having preapprovals in hand lets buyers and agents know you're serious.
Real estate agents typically have a roster of recommended lenders, often built on years of repeat business. "Choosing a lender is not just about obtaining financing," says Matthew Martinez, a California real estate broker. "It is about choosing one of the most important members of the transaction team."
Agents vet lenders to add to their networks, and they know what separates a good one from a bad one. Here are the four questions they say you should ask any lender you're considering.
A lender may offer a special program based on your profession, income or location that can make the mortgage more affordable.

#agents #estate #good #know

FleetCor and CEO Ronald Clarke agreed to a $100 million payment resolving Federal Trade Commission litigation. The settlement follows years of court action over hidden charges involving commercial fuel cards. Harm reached tens of thousands among small-business customers seeking lower operating costs. Regulators say promised savings disappeared beneath undisclosed billing practices.
Federal regulators accused FleetCor, which now operates as Corpay, of imposing unauthorized fees totaling hundreds of millions. Investigators found improper late penalties despite timely remittance or company barriers that prevented payment. Officials cited misleading claims about gas savings, fraud controls, plus card-related expenses. Those practices harmed operators across the United States, according to a 2019 complaint.
Regulators found FleetCor often waited several billing cycles before adding many charges. Delayed timing made extra costs harder for customers to notice. Invoices omitted fee disclosures, pushing account holders toward separate management reports. Even those documents obscured some amounts among unrelated details or excluded them entirely.
"FleetCor deceived its small business customers by promising fuel savings that never materialized," Christopher Mufarrige said. He directs FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. Agency officials also criticized hidden and unauthorized charges. Settlement terms channel restitution toward harmed account holders.
In 2023, one federal district court granted summary judgment to the FTC on every count. Its ruling found hidden charges and false representations involving savings, fees, plus fraud-control features. Permanent injunction terms barred FleetCor from billing without informed consent alongside clear disclosures. That order also prohibited deceptive fuel-card claims or hiding material information behind hyperlinks.

#fleetcor #savings

At the start of September, the global network of transportation partners that retail giant Amazon relies upon to process an average of between 15 and 17.2 million delivery orders per day was suddenly thrust into public attention.
A cargo plane operated by 21 Air ran off the runway at Miami International in a major accident that killed five people traveling in a van on a nearby road.
Since the Sept. 6 crash, Amazon suspended its operations with 21 Air, pending an ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The retail platform said it made the choice after it "spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances."
While operating with an unblemished safety record, another of Amazon's network of thousands of transportation partners ended up in the limelight this week when it filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Florida court, Tampa Bay Business Journal reported.
Launched out of Winter Haven in Polk County in 2005, CLJ Transporting is a cargo carrier and dedicated Amazon Freight Partner that had been running deliveries for Amazon within a 200-mile radius of Davenport in the central part of the state for more than a decade.

#amazon #network

For decades, CVS seemed like the perfect business. It was convenient, sold a mix of products people wanted, and everyone was forced to go there (or to one of its rivals) when they needed to pick up a prescription.
Now, however, the company has been fighting a war on many fronts. Consumers can order much of what made the chain convenient for delivery, and various online services, including Amazon, now fill prescriptions.
"At the rear of the store, business at pharmacy counters is being squeezed by stingier drug reimbursement rates and pharmacist wages. In the aisles, sales of everything from greeting cards to cosmetics are feeling the effects of cut-price competition," according to the Financial Times.
It's an evolving situation that has caused CVS rival Rite Aid to shut down all its stores, while CVS and Walgreens have closed thousands of locations between them.
"The whole drugstore four-wall economic model is collapsing on itself, in my opinion," said Josh ****** s, a portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors, told the Financial Times.

#business #amazon #walgreens

On September 8, 2026, the Wall Street Journal reported United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)'s fiscal fourth-quarter results, in which adjusted earnings per share of $0.69 beat ***** yst expectations even as revenue of $7.64 billion came in below consensus.
The grocery wholesaler guided for fiscal 2027 net sales of $31.2 billion to $31.8 billion, a return to growth after full-year fiscal 2026 sales declined 2% to $31.2 billion. The business said full-year adjusted EBITDA rose 27% to $701 million and free cash flow hit a record $323 million as it continued executing what CEO Sandy Douglas called its second year of a value-creation strategy.
United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)'s turnaround is improving the financial metrics that matter most for a food distributor. Full-year adjusted EBITDA increased 27%. Net debt fell by $295 million and net leverage improved to 2.2 times. The stronger balance sheet gives UNFI more financial flexibility as it works to return to sales growth.
UNFI's natural-products business is providing an important growth engine. Fourth-quarter natural-products sales increased 6.6%, even as conventional-products sales declined 8.6%. The stronger performance in natural products backs up UNFI's strategy of expanding business with customers that can drive growth as the business restructures its operations.
Management also expects fiscal 2027 sales to reach $31.2 billion to $31.8 billion, up from $31.15 billion in fiscal 2026. Adjusted EPS should reach $3.00 to $3.50 versus $2.65 previously. Management anticipates about 10 basis points of margin expansion at the midpoint, which could help UNFI reach its fiscal 2028 margin target a year earlier than planned.

#billion

CleanSpark just announced a Mag 7 tenant for its first AI site, in a bullish disclosure for the former bitcoin miner as it seeks $2B in financing for its first AI site at a time when capital could get more expensive following the Fed's rate hike yesterday.
CleanSpark announced its first-ever AI lease on July 14 – a 20-year, $6.6B deal for 175 critical IT MWs at its Sandersville, Georgia, facility. But at the time, CleanSpark didn't disclose the tenant.
An SEC filing from today reveals that tenant is Meta, the social-media stalwart turned digital marketing giant and burgeoning AI lab, by way of its wholly owned subsidiary, Anviran. But that's not even the most interesting part – this ******* ociation also means that Meta holds an LOI for 885 MW from CleanSpark's Sealy and Brazoria, Texas, sites, since CleanSpark in July said the Sandersville counterparty also signed an exclusivity agreement for those sites.
The filing says that Meta will serve as "guarantor of rent and operating expenses," with the parent company backstopping Anviran.
And this backstop is more important now than ever. As we covered on the show yesterday, the Fed's 25-basis-point rate hike could lead to not just higher borrowing costs but also tightened credit access for non-investment-grade companies.

#tenant

Micron (NASDAQ: MU) and Sandisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) have been two of the best-performing stocks in the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) so far this year. Sandisk is leading the way with an incredible 550% gain. Micron is in fourth place, up by over 220%. That means both of these stocks have tripled (or more than tripled in Sandisk's case), but I think that's just the beginning. In fact, if you invested $2,500 in each of these stocks, for a total of $5,000, I think that the combined value of those stakes will rise to $15,000 by the time 2028 arrives.
While that may sound far-fetched, the math backs it up, suggesting that these are two of the best investments you could make in the stock market right now.
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 reason these two have done so well in 2026 is that there is no spare memory chip production capacity left. Micron and Sandisk are two of just three big players in this industry, and all of their production is being eaten up by massive demand for additional artificial intelligence computing power. AI processors and servers need heavy volumes of memory to function efficiently, and as a result, there's now a serious shortage of memory, so prices are skyrocketing.
This supply-and-demand imbalance is the culprit behind rising prices for consumer computing hardware, as these devices all require memory chips, too.

#NVIDIA #memory #flashing #best

Michael Burry is back to short selling.
The investor who bet against the U.S. housing market to become one of Wall Street's most renowned contrarians will serve as a senior adviser to Minerva Investment Management as the business prepares to establish a short-biased investment vehicle.
The decision comes less than a year after Burry liquidated Scion ******* et Management, the hedge fund where he handled his ******* ets.
Scion's regulatory registration was terminated in November 2025, Reuters confirmed. The firm had managed about $155 million as of March of that year.
Later, Burry moved most of his public market ******* ysis inside his paid "Cassandra Unchained" newsletter.

#michael #wall

Updated Sept. 17, 2026 4:53 pm ET
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1006 ET – U.S. pending home sales fell 3.5% week-over-week to their lowest level in almost three years, Redfin says. Declining homebuying demand is giving buyers breathing room. It means less competition and more room to negotiate for the house hunters who are still shopping. New listings fell slightly, -0.5%, from a week earlier, but they’re still up 1.5% year-over-year, and there are still hundreds of thousands more home sellers than buyers in the market. More homes on the market equals less pressure on buyers to rush into a decision or pay more than they want. Home-sale prices are holding steady. The median home-sale price rose 2% year-over-year. That stability means prices aren’t soaring, and that sellers aren’t in immediate danger of home values dropping. (chris.wackwsj.com)

#still #fell #means

CAIRO (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied Friday in a government-organized show of defiance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February.
Iran's government has sought to rally the people and stress national unity, even as the economy worsens under a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and new U.S. sanctions. On Friday, it claimed another attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway it has sought to control since the start of the war.
Estimates varied of the number of people volunteering to receive limited military training and defend the country in an effort described as "Janfaday-e Iran," or the "ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran." They marched through downtown Tehran in combat uniform, carrying flags, as onlookers cheered.
For days, state media have encouraged Iranians to join the campaign, saying training with **** ault rifles would begin soon. The volunteers would be an additional layer of security to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and the Basij militia, which has played a key role in quashing anti-government protests.
Tehran's Guard chief, Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh, told the state broadcaster that over 600,000 people had registered to participate, with over 1 million expected to take part in the training. On Friday morning, the broadcaster estimated over 300,000 people were on the streets.

#government #training #since

Every time Silicon Valley's biggest names line up behind a single message, someone eventually asks who benefits from such universal agreement. This time, that someone was the investor best known for calling the housing crash before almost anyone else saw it coming.
Michael Burry has spent the past year building a reputation as one of the AI industry's loudest skeptics. His latest target is not a stock but a story. When three of the sector's most powerful executives suddenly agreed the technology needed to slow down, Burry saw the timing as less about caution and more like a self-serving pitch.
Burry has spent much of 2026 building short positions against companies tied to the AI trade, disclosing bets against Nvidia, Tesla, Micron, Applied Materials, Caterpillar and a leading semiconductor ETF, according to TheStreet.
On September 14, Burry published a post on X and on his Substack, Cassandra Unchained, arguing that people should take a moment to understand how self-serving it is for OpenAI, Anthropic and other big hyperscaler executives to talk about slowing things down. The post circulated quickly across financial media, Yahoo Finance reported.
Related: Michael Burry doubles down on his surprising AI bet

#michael #time #someone

Wall Street has spent years obsessing over when the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates, but billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller thinks investors may be asking the wrong question.
The senior macro investor argues that U.S. interest rates are already too low and that future rate cuts aren't essential, according to the Financial Times.
His argument comes at a critical period.
Treasury bonds have been under selling pressure amid inflation fears, growing U.S. public debt, and considerable bond issuance by artificial intelligence startups, CNBC noted. And it puts the focus of market chatter back on borrowing rates.
Druckenmiller's warning came at a Piper Sandler conference in New York, where he also targeted Federal Reserve officials who say current monetary policy is restrictive.

#reserve

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 Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) as a newly added position. Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) develops, manufactures, and sells data storage devices and solutions using NAND flash technology in the United States and internationally. On September 15, 2026, Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) closed at $1,530.90 per share. Over the past month, Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) declined 2.32%, but its shares are up 1,530.74% over the past year. Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) has a market capitalization of $224.15 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $90.22 to $2,354.39.
Parnassus Growth Equity Fund stated the following regarding Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Other positions added during the quarter included Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a leader in flash memory solutions; Comfort Systems, a mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractor. Sandisk makes NAND flash memory, which is seeing a surge in demand from data centers and AI workloads. While NAND remains cyclical, we believe the combination of accelerating AI-driven storage demand and constrained supply provides an attractive opportunity to participate in the current upcycle."
Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) is on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 128 hedge fund portfolios held Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) at the end of the second quarter which was 114 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) 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 fre

On the September 11 episode of Mad Money, Jim Cramer expressed strong optimism for Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) ahead of its upcoming **** yst presentation, as he said:
Thursday, we have two important **** yst meetings. Brinker... We have them all the time on the show. Brinker, you know, is Chili's, and the company never fails to wow me. I think this meeting will be no exception.
Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) continues to demonstrate operational strength across the casual dining sector, driven by sustained customer traffic and menu innovation at Chili's Grill & Bar. In its fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, the company generated $1.54 billion in total revenue, bringing full-year revenues to $5.81 billion. Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter reached $3.07, representing a 23% year-over-year increase.
Chili's reported a 5.6% increase in comparable store sales, marking its 21st consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales growth. The sustained momentum has been supported by the ongoing success of the $10.99 "3 for Me" everyday value platform as well as targeted menu launches, including the Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which helped support traffic as Chili's continued positioning its value proposition against fast-food offerings. According to the company's CEO Kevin Hochman, the Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich "overdelivered" on the management's estimates.
Despite consistent top-line momentum, Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) faces ongoing execution risks **** ociated with sticky cost inflation and broader macroeconomic pressures on consumer spending. Elevated wholesale prices for core commodities, especially beef and produce, continue to weigh on restaurant operating costs, while wage growth across regional markets keeps labor expenses elevated.

#elevated #analyst

Interested in NVIDIA Corporation? Here are five stocks we like better.
NVIDIA released CUDA-Q Logical, an open-source software layer that links GPUs with quantum processors to solve practical error correction challenges.
Early testing by Fermilab and Sandia National Laboratories shows dramatic efficiency gains, including a seven-fold faster design cycle and reduced physical qubit requirements.
Quantum hardware firms IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum could benefit as standardized software lowers development costs and enables deeper integration with NVIDIA's infrastructure.
Many investors view quantum hardware developers and classical semiconductor leaders as competing forces in high-performance computing. Recent developments demonstrate that the two architectures are becoming deeply interdependent.

#hardware #here

Auxier ******* et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ******* et Management highlighted UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) as a material contributor. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is a multinational health benefits company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. On September 14, 2026, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) closed at $383.55 per share. Over the past month, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) declined 4.38%, while its shares gained 10.86% over the past 52 weeks. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has a market capitalization of $344.27 billion with a 52-week trading range between $255.97 and $461.62.
Auxier ******* et Management stated the following regarding UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Leads the Way in Reshaping the Insurance Industry with AI UnitedHealth Group is among the companies that have successfully integrated AI into various parts of their operations. One of the most significant benefits has been in administrative functions, where AI has helped save tens of thousands of hours through increased automation and efficiency. As an example, automated transcription of patient encounters has contributed to lower levels of clinician burnout. Management reports that they are generating about $2 of value for every $1 spent on AI due to reductions in manual labor. We like this measured approach to implementing AI where it can provide clear operational benefits and attractive returns, which has been a key strategy of current CEO Stephen Hemsley. UnitedHealth's success in AI use highlights the technology's potential on the user side where companies can benefit without the high upfront cost of building the infrastructure. Cigna Group is projecting $200 million in

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

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) cut its full-year 2026 identical-sales forecast excluding fuel to 0.2%–0.8% from 1%–2%, reflecting a sharper-than-expected slowdown in consumer demand. Second-quarter identical sales rose just 0.2%, down from 3.4% a year earlier and below the 0.9% ****** yst estimate.
The weakness reflects pressure on middle- and lower-income consumers, while a Cyclospora outbreak reduced quarterly identical sales by roughly 35 basis points and Medicare prescription-drug pricing changes created an approximately 140-basis-point headwind for pharmacy revenue. Importantly, Kroger maintained its full-year adjusted FIFO operating-profit forecast of $5.0 billion–$5.2 billion and delivered adjusted EPS of $1.09, ahead of the $1.06 consensus.
The strongest bullish argument is that The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is currently protecting earnings despite the deterioration in sales momentum. Second-quarter adjusted EPS increased 5% year over year to $1.09, while adjusted FIFO operating profit was $1.076 billion. Kroger's gross margin rate actually increased by 13 basis points, although the overall gross-margin percentage was 22.4% versus 22.5% a year earlier, suggesting that pricing, sourcing, and cost-management initiatives are helping offset weaker volumes. The company's higher-margin businesses are also becoming increasingly important: adjusted e-commerce sales grew 20% in the quarter, and Kroger Precision Marketing profit increased 24%. That mix shift gives Kroger an earnings lever even when supermarket traffic and comparable sales are weak.
There is also evidence that management is actively responding to the competitive pressure rather than simply accepting slower growth. CEO Greg Foran has been pursuing tighter sourcing, simpler operations and lower prices, with Reuters reporting plans to cut prices across thousands of products to regain shoppers from Walmart, Costco and Aldi. The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)'s balance sheet provides room to fund that strategy: its net debt-to-adjusted-EBITDA ratio was 1.91x, below its stated target range of 2.30x–2.50x, while the company repurchased $1.0 billion of shares in the second quarter and $1.2 billion year to date. It also raised its dividend 11%, marking the 20th consecutive year of increases. If sales stabilize while e-commerce, retail media and cost efficiencies continue expanding, the unchanged $5.0 billion–$5.2 billion operating-profit forecast could prove more important to valuation than the reduced top-line outlook.

#year

With Agentic AI accelerating CPU server chip demand, Wall Street believes Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is one of the primary beneficiaries taking share. On September 9, Piper Sandler ******* yst David O'Connor initiated coverage on AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) with an Overweight rating and a $600 price target.
Analyst O'Connor estimates revenue for FY26-30 to grow at a 50% CAGR, while earnings per share compound at 65%.
The server-CPU share gain story for AMD is simple, Agentic AI is expected to increase demand for server CPUs. This is because the workloads require continuous control-plane activity, API calls, database queries and tool execution. AMD will benefit from this use based on its high-frequency and general-purpose processors with its Venice portfolio.
Even AMD executives have highlighted that AMD is now transitioning from merely a semiconductor supplier to a provider of rack-scale systems and software. It is also positioning its server CPU portfolio for increased demand from agentic AI workloads.
The company reported second-quarter revenue of $11.5 billion, beating ******* yst estimates. This includes $6.7 billion from data centers, up 107% year-over-year. The segment performance was attributed to EPYC processors and Instinct GPUs.

#workloads

Auxier ****** et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ****** et Management highlighted UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) as a material contributor. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is a multinational health benefits company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. On September 14, 2026, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) closed at $383.55 per share. Over the past month, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) declined 4.38%, while its shares gained 10.86% over the past 52 weeks. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has a market capitalization of $344.27 billion with a 52-week trading range between $255.97 and $461.62.
Auxier ****** et Management stated the following regarding UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Leads the Way in Reshaping the Insurance Industry with AI UnitedHealth Group is among the companies that have successfully integrated AI into various parts of their operations. One of the most significant benefits has been in administrative functions, where AI has helped save tens of thousands of hours through increased automation and efficiency. As an example, automated transcription of patient encounters has contributed to lower levels of clinician burnout. Management reports that they are generating about $2 of value for every $1 spent on AI due to reductions in manual labor. We like this measured approach to implementing AI where it can provide clear operational benefits and attractive returns, which has been a key strategy of current CEO Stephen Hemsley. UnitedHealth's success in AI use highlights the technology's potential on the user side where companies can benefit without the high upfront cost of building the infrastructure. Cigna Group is projecting $200 million in me

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.

#reddit #august #month #rddt

Wednesday’s Senate confirmation hearing wasn’t the first time much of the American public met Dr. Nicole Saphier and heard her perspective; President Donald Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general is a health and wellness influencer who has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers through her podcast and social media platforms.
In some ways, the surgeon general position – often referred to as the nation’s doctor – is the original health influencer, tasked with translating science into terms that are easy to understand and guiding the public on ways to improve their health.
“For a decade, I have specialized in translating complex, fast-evolving medical information on various media platforms into content that millions of Americans can understand and use, including during the uncertainty of the global pandemic,” Saphier, a radiologist and Fox News contributor, said in Wednesday’s hearing.
“I realized then how badly this country needs public health communication that is straightforward and grounded in the best evidence available,” she said. “My years of communicating directly with the public have prepared me to explain complex topics in a way that they can understand.”
But experts say that social media has changed how people receive health information, with increasingly blurred lines as to who is considered to have authority and expertise – and that bringing an influencer into the role of surgeon general presents both opportunities and challenges.

#public #saphier #hearing

Piper Sandler believes Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) is the leader in ASIC chips, holding 75% share of the ASIC market for AI inference. On September 9, firm ******* yst David O'Connor initiated coverage on the stock with an Overweight rating and a $460 price target.
O'Connor estimates demand running twice the available supply for Broadcom, which makes the ability to deliver chips central to his thesis. Even though the chipmaker boasts demand, component availability and deployment timing will determine its conversion into earnings.
The biggest advantage that Broadcom holds is that it doesn't need to win new customers, but to keep expanding what it ships to the ones it already has. The company is already ramping Meta's MTIA program and OpenAI's Jalapeno chips, along with two other customers.
Google's TPU program remains Broadcom's major volume ASIC program, while Anthropic is also scaling deployments using AVGO-enabled TPU compute. Broadcom also boasts a rising networking attach rate, which is currently around 30%. This would likely generate an estimated $20-30 billion of total content per gigawatt of deployed capacity.
The firm has a line of sight to 12 gigawatts of demand in fiscal 2027, rising toward an estimated 38 gigawatts by fiscal 2030. This underpins a roughly 51% EPS compound growth rate through the decade.

#asic

The Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $177 billion in federal grants since the president took office for his second term, according to a tracking tool released Wednesday by a pro-democracy nonprofit and a group of researchers and scientists.
The cuts affected all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with health, nutrition, the environment and disaster relief making up the largest share of cuts, the States United Democracy Center and Grant Witness organization found.
Among the grants that were eliminated, frozen or delayed were ones related to maternal health in Michigan, education research in Mississippi and ***** istance to minority farmers in Iowa, the researchers found. California, Texas, New York, Illinois and North Carolina saw the highest amounts of interrupted grant money. The tracking tool is called Lost Funds.
"By bringing thousands of funding disruptions from the Trump administration together in a publicly accessible, verified database, Lost Funds puts the magnitude of their impact on full display," Scott Delaney, co-founder of Grant Witness, said in a statement.
The $177 billion finding represents nearly 10% of federal discretionary spending, the groups said.

#administration

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 Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) as a newly added position. Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) develops, manufactures, and sells data storage devices and solutions using NAND flash technology in the United States and internationally. On September 15, 2026, Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) closed at $1,530.90 per share. Over the past month, Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) declined 2.32%, but its shares are up 1,530.74% over the past year. Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) has a market capitalization of $224.15 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $90.22 to $2,354.39.
Parnassus Growth Equity Fund stated the following regarding Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Other positions added during the quarter included Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a leader in flash memory solutions; Comfort Systems, a mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractor. Sandisk makes NAND flash memory, which is seeing a surge in demand from data centers and AI workloads. While NAND remains cyclical, we believe the combination of accelerating AI-driven storage demand and constrained supply provides an attractive opportunity to participate in the current upcycle."
Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) is on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 128 hedge fund portfolios held Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) at the end of the second quarter which was 114 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) 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 fre

Billionaire Ray Dalio's Bridgewater **** ociates has disclosed several new picks in its Q2 filings. In this article, we are going to focus on two non-AI stocks in which the fund opened new stakes in the June quarter.
Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) is the larger of the two. Bridgewater bought about 108,700 shares worth roughly $32.1 million, a 0.13% portfolio weight. Toy company Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) was another notable new pick as the fund bought a stake worth about $20.8 million in the company.
Let's focus on VMC in this article and see whether the stock is a decent buy-the-dip opportunity. It's down about 14% so far this year.
Vulcan Materials is a major producer of construction aggregates in the US. Aggregates are crushed stone, sand and gravel, the base material under roads, bridges, foundations and parking lots. Demand for these materials comes from public infrastructure, private non-residential and residential projects.
The bull case

#bridgewater #vulcan

On the September 11 episode of Mad Money, Jim Cramer expressed strong optimism for Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) ahead of its upcoming **** yst presentation, as he said:
Thursday, we have two important **** yst meetings. Brinker... We have them all the time on the show. Brinker, you know, is Chili's, and the company never fails to wow me. I think this meeting will be no exception.
Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) continues to demonstrate operational strength across the casual dining sector, driven by sustained customer traffic and menu innovation at Chili's Grill & Bar. In its fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, the company generated $1.54 billion in total revenue, bringing full-year revenues to $5.81 billion. Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter reached $3.07, representing a 23% year-over-year increase.
Chili's reported a 5.6% increase in comparable store sales, marking its 21st consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales growth. The sustained momentum has been supported by the ongoing success of the $10.99 "3 for Me" everyday value platform as well as targeted menu launches, including the Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which helped support traffic as Chili's continued positioning its value proposition against fast-food offerings. According to the company's CEO Kevin Hochman, the Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich "overdelivered" on the management's estimates.
Despite consistent top-line momentum, Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) faces ongoing execution risks **** ociated with sticky cost inflation and broader macroeconomic pressures on consumer spending. Elevated wholesale prices for core commodities, especially beef and produce, continue to weigh on restaurant operating costs, while wage growth across regional markets keeps labor expenses elevated.

#NYSE