Intel's 7% drop and AMD's 6% slide outpace NVIDIA's 3% pullback, an order that is the reverse of AI exposure ranking, suggesting a positioning unwind rather than a demand shift.
SOXX falling 6% against QQQ's 2% drop confirms the sell-off is chip-specific, not a broad Nasdaq retreat.
Amodei explicitly ruled out halting AI training, and Anthropic itself committed to deploying AMD's MI450 GPUs in a disclosed partnership.
Just released. Our **** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and NVIDIA made the cut. Enter your email to see the other nine names and why NVDA earned its spot. The report is free. Enter your email and see the full list.
Chip stocks are sliding in early Monday trading after an AI pacing appeal over the weekend rippled beyond memory suppliers and into logic and accelerator names. Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) stock is falling 7% to $95.96, AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) stock is down 6% to $486.80, and NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) stock is declining 3% to $212.50. Intel is falling hardest of the three, NVIDIA is falling the least, and AMD sits in the middle, an ordering that runs opposite to each name's exposure to AI accelerator demand.

#nvda

Reuters reported that McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) said it would buy privately held Precision Medicine Group in a deal valued at about $2.25 billion as part of a "years-long effort to strengthen its higher-growth businesses."
McKesson has been reshaping its portfolio by exiting non-core **** ets and streamlining its operations while investing in businesses such as oncology and specialty care. Precision Medicine Group, based in Bethesda, Maryland, provides clinical research, laboratory testing, and commercialization services that help biopharma companies develop and launch new medicines. It will become part of McKesson's Oncology & Multispecialty segment once the deal closes, though McKesson gave no completion timeline. CEO Brian Tyler said the acquisition would "enhance our clinical research and commercialization services, strengthen clinical trial execution, and broaden our clinical service offerings."
The deal fits neatly into a growth strategy McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) has already been executing, not a scattershot bet. The company has spent recent years exiting non-core **** ets while specifically building out oncology and specialty care. It means this acquisition extends a strategy management has already proven willing to follow through on.
McKesson is adding Precision Medicine to its strongest-performing division rather than using the acquisition to revive a struggling business. Revenue in the Oncology & Multispecialty segment jumped 33% to $14.2 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, while JP Morgan **** yst Lisa Gill said the acquisition will likely strengthen McKesson's biopharma offerings.
The purchase reflects disciplined capital recycling, not new debt-fueled expansion. McKesson said in April it would sell a minority stake in its medical-surgical solutions business to Apollo Funds for $1.25 billion while pursuing an IPO for that unit, showing the company is actively shedding slower-growth **** ets to help fund investments like this one.

#medicine #acquisition #deal

On August 4, Qualys Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) reported second-quarter revenue of $182.2 million, up 11% from a year earlier, and used the moment to raise its own bar for the rest of 2026. A company that was already growing at a healthy clip just told Wall Street it expects to grow even more than it previously promised, and it backed that up with a jump in cash generation that outpaced revenue by a wide margin.
Qualys grew revenue from $164.1 million to $182.2 million year over year, and the profit line grew even faster. GAAP operating income rose 20% to $61.9 million, pushing the operating margin to 34% from 31% a year earlier. Non-GAAP operating income climbed 16% to $81.4 million, a 45% margin compared to 43% in the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA rose 14% to $83.8 million, a 46% margin. Operating cash flow told the sharpest story of the quarter, jumping 77% to $59.6 million from $33.8 million, which lifted cash flow as a share of revenue to 33% from 21%.
On the back of that quarter, Qualys raised its full-year revenue guidance to a range of $732.0 million to $738.0 million, up from a prior range of $721.0 million to $727.0 million. Full-year non-GAAP earnings per share guidance moved up to $7.74 to $7.88, from $7.44 to $7.65, and GAAP earnings per share guidance rose to $5.76 to $5.90. The company also pointed to expanding platform reach during the quarter, including a FedRAMP High Authorization for its TotalCloud solution, sponsored by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, which brings cloud-native application protection capabilities onto the FedRAMP Marketplace for federal and other regulated customers.
The guidance raise came with a smaller growth number attached. Third quarter revenue guidance of $185.5 million to $187.5 million implies growth of 9% to 10%, down from the 11% Qualys just posted, and the full-year guidance range of 9% to 10% growth points the same direction. The gap between GAAP and non-GAAP results also widened this quarter, with GAAP net income of $52.4 million sitting well below the $69.2 million non-GAAP figure, a distance driven by adjustments that GAAP accounting does not recognize.
Qualys leaned on a busy stretch of announcements to make its case for the next leg of growth, including a Converge partnership tied to cyber insurance discounts, four international ROCon customer conferences, and Frost & Sullivan recognition in cloud and application runtime security. Those are the kinds of announcements that build a longer-term pipeline rather than move the needle immediately, and the guidance itself suggests management is not pricing in an acceleration from here.

#qualys #Margin

Sands Capital, an investment management company, released its "Sands Capital Select Growth Fund" Q2 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Select Growth Fund targets U.S. businesses driving significant structural change through disruptive innovation. The fund returned 23.2% in the quarter, outperforming the Russell 1000 Growth Index's 16.7%. U.S. large-cap growth equities rebounded sharply, driven by improving corporate fundamentals and renewed investor confidence in AI, despite geopolitical uncertainties. However, the market's gains were narrow, concentrated among AI beneficiaries. The portfolio's success stemmed from strength in AI infrastructure holdings, especially memory and storage, supported by better pricing and tightening supply. As AI development advances, continuous demand for compute capacity is expected, prompting investments in memory, CPUs, AI chips, and semiconductor manufacturing to address emerging bottlenecks essential for scaling AI. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Sands Capital Select Growth Fund highlighted Shopify Inc. (NASDAQ:SHOP). Shopify Inc. (NASDAQ:SHOP), a Canada-based e-commerce technology company that provides a cloud-based platform for individuals and companies to create and manage their operations, detracted from performance in the quarter. On September 01, 2026, Shopify Inc. (NASDAQ:SHOP) closed at $139.82 per share. Over the past month, Shopify Inc. (NASDAQ:SHOP) declined 3.06%, and its shares are down 0.29% over the past year. Shopify Inc. (NASDAQ:SHOP) has a market capitalization of $181.44 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $94.00 to $182.19.
Sands Capital Select Growth Fund stated the following regarding Shopify Inc. (NASDAQ:SHOP) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Shopify Inc. (NASDAQ:SHOP) is a leading global ecommerce platform enabling the next generation of retail. Shares declined as concerns around AI-related expenses and forward guidance overshadowed strong quarterly results. Revenue grew 32 percent, the company's fastest growth rate since 2021, supported by strength in North America and higher payments penetration. Investors focused on rising LLM costs ***** ociated with Sidekick, Shopify's AI ***** istant, and second-quarter guidance that implied sequential deceleration. In our view, these concerns are manageable. Shopify is embedding AI into its platform to improve merchant productivity, product discovery, conversion, and win rates, creating potential latent pricing power over time. Early traction is encouraging, with Sidekick usage up 400 percent and Campaigns usage up 300 percent year over year. We maintain conviction in Shopify's long-term growth, supported by enterprise adoption, international expansion, rising take rate, and AI-driven discovery and product enhancements."

#shop

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For many renters, their monthly rent payment is the biggest recurring expense. If you have a rewards credit card or are struggling to keep up with your basic needs, you may wonder if you can use your credit card to pay your landlord.
While it's technically possible to pay rent with a credit card, it's important to understand the potential pitfalls and the right way to do it. Here's what you need to know.
Yes, it's possible to pay rent with a credit card. You may have a few different options, depending on your situation.
Some landlords and property managers use a payment system that allows tenants to pay with a credit card. Unfortunately, many of these services charge a convenience fee, which typically ranges from 2% to 3% of the payment amount but can be higher.

#card #possible

Last Updated: Aug. 31, 2026 at 5:48pm ET
8월. 31일 오전 10:05 New York 시간
By
Karishma Vanjani

#updated #york #karishma

Companies worried for years about whether an employee's password had been stolen.
Now they have to worry about AI "workers," too.
Okta (OKTA) reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $805 million, up 11%, while subscription revenue reached $793 million, up 12%. Remaining performance obligations increased 17% to nearly $4.86 billion.
The company boosted its yearly outlook as organizations increasingly face a category of identity that was virtually nonexistent in mainstream commercial IT only a few years ago: autonomous AI agents.
"Every agent needs a trusted identity and clear controls over what it can access and do," CEO Todd McKinnon said.

#okta #million #identity #remaining

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.
Indians sold 50 tons of old gold jewelry for cash last quarter. That's a 43% jump from the same period last year for a population that loves ****** ding gold. What changed? Prices.
Indian families are rushing to lock in their gains by selling old jewelry for cash. But here's the twist: Indian gold buyers also spent about $20.75 billion, up nearly 50% from last year.
The logic is straightforward: A gold chain bought years ago at, say, $314-419 per 10 grams is suddenly "worth" 4-5x that at the price peak. Suddenly, the gold that felt like a permanent family ****** et starts looking more like an investment position with a visible, bankable profit.
Usually when this happens, people trade old jewelry for new, but this time they opted for cash.

#jewelry

Langdon Partners' Q2 2026 investor letter for the Langdon Global Smaller Companies Strategy revealed a 9.4% return, lagging behind the MSCI World Small Cap Net Index's 17.0% gain, with a year-to-date return of -10.7% versus the index's 35.3%. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Despite the improvement, the seven-percentage point lag behind the benchmark is considered disappointing, and year-to-date performance is still below long-term expectations. The market sends signals through share prices, where rising prices indicate improvement and falling prices suggest decline. However, blindly following these signals can be misleading. The portfolio's performance reflected this, with technology lagging and consumer discretionary stocks performing well. The quarter emphasized that market expectations can shift quickly, demanding careful ***** sment of a business's long-term earning potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Langdon Global Smaller Companies Strategy highlighted Miami International Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MIAX). Miami International Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MIAX) is a financial services company that builds and operates various financial marketplaces in the United States. On August 26, 2026, Miami International Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MIAX) closed at $43.39 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $4.30 billion. Miami International Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MIAX) posted a one‑month return of -5.67%, while its shares gained 22.26% over the past 52 weeks.
Langdon Global Smaller Companies Strategy stated the following regarding Miami International Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MIAX) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"We initiated a position in Miami International Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MIAX) during the second quarter. MIAX operates electronic exchanges across several areas of the U.S. financial markets. Exchange businesses can possess attractive characteristics, including transaction-based revenue, operating leverage and network effects that may strengthen as liquidity and participation grow. Our interest in MIAX rests on the combination of its existing position in U.S. listed options, its proprietary technology infrastructure and its ability to introduce new products across a broader derivatives platform.
The company has continued to gain share in certain markets while investing in new products and partnerships. Because much of its technology and operating infrastructure is already in place, higher trading volumes may support attractive incremental margins over time. That potential is meaningful but not ***** ured. Exchange operators face substantial competitive, regulatory and execution risks. Their economics can also be affected by trading activity, pricing, market structure and the actions of large incumbents..." (Click here to read the full text)

#holdings #global #smaller

Consensus has the earnings arriving, and the multiple falling, yet the scenario that follows leaves a holder within a few percent of today's price unless the market goes on paying a richer forward multiple than it does today.
Cisco Systems (CSCO) trades at about $111 a share, roughly 30 times the last twelve months of normalized earnings. That is a demanding price for a networking company; the defense is that the earnings ***** ysts expect will grow into it. They would. What that is worth to a holder is the smaller answer.
Thirty Times Today, Twenty Times On Fiscal 2028 Earnings
Today's price is about 21.5 times the earnings ***** ysts expect for fiscal 2027, and about 20.0 times what they expect for fiscal 2028, a multiple 34% lower than the trailing one. That drop is not an earnings growth rate: the trailing figure is normalized net income with stock-based compensation added back, a basis not defined identically to the ***** ysts' own adjusted earnings, so the two multiples are not a like-for-like series. Consensus for fiscal 2027, about $5.13 a share on the ***** ysts' adjusted basis, is barely ahead of the $5.05 to $5.11 non-GAAP range management guided.
Margins Have To Hold While The Mix Fights Them

#earnings #consensus #holder

December British pound (B6Z26) futures present a buying opportunity on more price strength.
See on the daily bar chart for the December British pound futures that prices are in an uptrend and have just hit a 13-week high. See, too, at the bottom of the chart that the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) indicator is in a bullish posture, as the blue MACD line is above the red trigger line and both lines are trending up. Sterling bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage.
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.

#chart #House #futures #b6z26

Greenhaven Road Capital, an investment management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The fund achieved an approximate 11% net return in the second quarter, indicating progress from the first quarter. Key changes to the portfolio will include lower concentration and increased investments with near-term catalysts, alongside a proactive stance on profit-taking. The focus will remain on owning strong businesses and conducting research that challenges consensus views, as several major investments are poised for significant events within the year. Despite declines in market multiples, underlying businesses continue to grow, suggesting a favorable positioning for returns. Additionally, reviewing the Fund's top five holdings could help identify its best picks for 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Greenhaven Road Capital highlighted Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR). Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) is a leading legal finance company that offers litigation finance, ****** et recovery and ****** et management services. On August 14, 2026, Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) closed at $4.37 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $959.58 million. Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) posted a one‑month return of 8.71%, while its shares lost 67.89% over the past 52 weeks."
Greenhaven Road Capital stated the following regarding Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) is the 800-pound gorilla of litigation finance. It sees the most cases and has the best settlement data, giving it an advantage in selecting and funding cases profitably. More than 285 funded cases have concluded; 90% ended in a win or profitable settlement. Those investments produced an 82% return on invested capital over a weighted average life of 2.6 years, resulting in a 25% IRR.
As outlined in previous letters and the presentation sent last quarter, Burford has invested more than $150M in price-fixing cases involving proteins—chicken, beef, turkey, and pork. For much of that capital, Burford retains all of the upside rather than sharing it with a client, and it controls when the cases settle.

#capital #limited #road

Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOGL) latest earnings report put two enormous sums front and center: a full-year capital expenditure guidance range that it increased to as much as $205 billion and a Google Cloud backlog that has climbed to $514 billion.
The scales of these figures invite comparison -- which one should investors weigh more heavily? The answer becomes more clear when these numbers are understood as two sides of the same coin.
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 »
Alphabet is pouring unprecedented sums into artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure precisely because customer demand -- quantified by its towering backlog -- is accelerating. One number represents its investments, while the other is proof that the investments are paying off.
Alphabet's AI infrastructure budget will be directed toward servers, GPUs, CPUs, memory, custom chips called Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), data center construction, and the networking gear that stitches everything together. Roughly 60% of the company's recent capital outlays went into servers, while the remaining 40% funded facilities and connectivity.

#NVIDIA

Earnings season can be humbling, so I hope you allow me the opportunity to boast when given the chance. The last time I wrote about Nu Holdings (NYSE: NU) -- on June 3 -- the Latin American fintech was sliding. The parent company of Brazil's fast-growing NuBank was reeling from ******* yst downgrades and mounting headwinds.
I argued that it wasn't too soon to call a bottom on the stock, the same day it hit a 52-week low of $11.20. For now, I was right. Following weeks of upticks and a jump after posting blowout results after Thursday's market close, Nu has jumped almost 40% from its June low.
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 »
I guess it's time for another bold prediction: Nu's bounce is just getting started.
Nu Holdings has come a long way in a short time. The digital banking platform that launched in Brazil just a dozen years ago, in the form of a no-fee credit card for mass-market users, now reaches more than 62% of the country's adult population.

#same

There is a plausible scenario in which Elon Musk's ******* eX (SPCX) reaches its ambitious goal of $100 billion in annual recurring revenue (ARR) by year-end.
SpaceX reiterated its goal of reaching $100 billion in ARR by year-end, a target that may not be as insane as it appeared on the company's earnings call transcript last week.
"As a baseline, 2Q's [ARR] run-rate was just $31 billion, meaning management is aiming to more than triple that in just six months. We see this target as likely very achievable, driven mainly by neocloud and Cursor contribution," Deutsche Bank ******* yst and ******* eX bull Edison Yu said in a note on Monday.
"Neocloud carrying the largest load In 2Q, neocloud revenue was $1.6b billion, all coming from Anthropic (ANTH.PVT); this deal alone should ramp up to $3.75 billion in 3Q in quarterly revenue," Yu explained. "In addition, the Google (GOOG, GOOGL) agreement is set to ramp up next month and hit full $920m/month rate beginning in Oct. Then most recently, ******* eX signed a $6.7bn over six month deal which we suspect could possibly be with the US government. And lastly, we expect one more large neocloud deal to get potentially signed before year-end considering industry compute supply/demand dynamics. Putting it all together, this could generate $45- 50bn of ARR exiting December."
Here's how Yu estimates this number will be reached:

#revenue #deal

Markets now price 53% odds of a September rate hike, punishing SCHD's bond-proxy tilt while FDRR screens dividend payers for positive yield correlation.
FDRR's top three holdings are NVIDIA, Apple, and Alphabet, which together exceed 22% of the portfolio, fueling an 86% five-year return but adding significant growth-stock concentration risk.
Directing new contributions to FDRR while leaving existing SCHD lots intact captures the rate hedge without crystallizing embedded capital gains in taxable accounts.
Don't wait: the ***** yst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just revealed his top 10 AI stocks. See the full list FREE now.
The Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHD) is the default income holding for millions of investors. SCHD screens for cash-rich payers, delivers a yield above the S&P 500, and costs almost nothing to hold. Yet the fund was built for a world of falling or stable long rates, and that world is under pressure.

#screens #yield

Conestoga Capital Advisors, an ******* et management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The letter reports a positive market shift towards Small Caps, with the Russell 2000 Index achieving its best first half since 1991 and the Russell 2000 Growth Index up 25.7% in Q2, fueled by AI enthusiasm and semiconductor stocks. However, market leadership was uneven, mirroring the Tech Bubble, as high-beta stocks outperformed while high-quality companies lagged, impacting Conestoga's quality-focused strategies. Management expressed confidence in long-term outcomes, noting that speculative leadership won't last as monetary policy tightens and market breadth improves. The firm remains committed to high-quality growth businesses, expecting these to regain favor as leadership broadens. The Conestoga Small Cap Composite returned 14.32% net-of-fees in the second quarter, with 25.71% for the Russell 2000 Growth Index. Narrow Index leadership hurt the relative results, but it also hid Composite improvements. In addition, please check the Strategy's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Conestoga Capital Advisors highlighted Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:PRM) as a newly added position in the small cap composite. Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:PRM) is a leading manufacturer of firefighting products, electronic components, lubricant additives, and engineered machinery. On August 4, 2026, Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:PRM) closed at $33.25 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $5.44 billion. Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:PRM) posted a one-month return of 0.95%, while its shares gained 115.61% over the past 52 weeks.
Conestoga Capital Advisors stated the following regarding Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:PRM) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:PRM) provides mission-critical fire safety and specialty chemical solutions. We initiated a position based on the company's durable earnings profile, disciplined capital allocation, and strong competitive position in niche markets. Recent long-term contract wins, including a five-year agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency, reinforce confidence in PRM's ability to generate predictable cash flow while continuing to expand its earnings base through both organic growth and acquisitions."
Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:PRM) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 37 hedge fund portfolios held Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:PRM) at the end of the first quarter, up from 33 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:PRM) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising

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.
Management attributes the decision to skew toward organic production growth to a macro view that global oil and product inventories, including Strategic Petroleum Reserves, must be refilled.
Performance outperformance is driven by a 'stacked innovation' framework, combining faster well construction, optimized targeting, and aggressive stimulation techniques to maximize NPV per acre.
The company has successfully transitioned from drilling wells in 30 days to just 5 days, reflecting a continuous improvement culture that offsets inflationary pressures.
Operational efficiency gains, specifically reaching over 21 hours of average pumping time per day, are being utilized to maintain a capital-efficient run rate of approximately $1 billion per quarter.

#management

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) completed its full $50 billion OpenAI investment and built a roughly 5% stake, the Financial Times reported on July 31. The payment became possible after Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) revised its OpenAI agreement on April 27 and ended the exclusivity that had constrained rival cloud providers.
Amazon originally committed $15 billion immediately and another $35 billion after specified conditions were met. Paying the full amount before an OpenAI initial public offering turns a conditional commitment into real equity risk. The broader February partnership also carries a much larger commercial channel. AWS became the exclusive third-party cloud distributor for OpenAI Frontier, while OpenAI committed to consume roughly 2 gigawatts of Trainium capacity. The companies also expanded an existing $38 billion AWS agreement by $100 billion over eight years.
Pixabay/ Public Domain
That makes Amazon's investment more than just a wager on OpenAI's private valuation. It can drive AWS utilization, establish Trainium inside frontier-model workloads and put OpenAI products in front of enterprise customers. Amazon's Q2 2026 numbers show the capacity to absorb the bet: AWS revenue rose 37% to $42.2 billion, and total operating income increased 43% to $27.5 billion.
The cost is material. Amazon raised planned 2026 capital spending to $220 billion, while trailing free cash flow swung to a $7.6 billion outflow. A $50 billion private stake adds valuation and liquidity risk just as infrastructure spending consumes cash. Insider Monkey's database showed 353 hedge funds holding Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) at the end of Q1 2026, down from 381 in Q4 2025.

#openai #amazon

Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (NYSE:ICE) delivered second-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street's earnings expectations while matching revenue forecasts, supported by continued growth across each of its three operating divisions.
Investors responded positively to the report, with the company's shares rising about 1.8% in premarket trading on Thursday.
ICE reported adjusted diluted earnings of $1.90 per share for the second quarter, surpassing ***** ysts' consensus estimate of $1.88.
Quarterly revenue totaled $2.67 billion, in line with market expectations and 5% higher than the same period a year earlier.
"We are pleased to report our second quarter results, which reflect continued revenue and earnings per share growth and record open interest across our exchange complex," said Jeff Sprecher, ICE Chair and Chief Executive Officer.

#quarter #exchange #continued #across

The MAGS ETF returned 158% since its April 2023 launch but has fallen 4% in 2026 while the S&P 500 gained 8%.
Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft stand out for combining strong cash flows with AI monetization, while Tesla and Apple face steeper growth questions.
Buying the Magnificent 7 as a single basket no longer makes sense, as each stock sits at a different stage of turning AI spending into profit.
Don't wait: the **** yst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just revealed his top 10 AI stocks. See the full list FREE now.
The artificial intelligence boom reshaped the stock market faster than almost any investing trend in recent memory. When OpenAI released ChatGPT in late 2022, investors quickly realized AI wasn't another speculative technology story -- it was becoming the next computing platform.

#mags #april

The European Central Bank is expected to leave rates unchanged at its meeting concluding today, choosing patience over prediction and preserving maximum room for manoeuvre ahead of a big decision by September.
Neither traders nor ******* ysts believe the ECB will deliver a second consecutive hike today after last month's increase. That means the deposit rate is seen remaining at 2.25%, a level officials have described as being "appropriate" as they evaluate implications of a re-escalation in the US-Iran conflict.
In an economists' panel for Bloomberg I sat on, most economists left open the chance of a second quarter-point rise in rates by September, when policymakers will have new quarterly projections.
A ceasefire following the June ECB meeting along with weaker-than-anticipated inflation that month had bolstered hopes that the worst of the crisis may have passed. However – fresh hostilities recently, placing Brent oil back around USD 100 a barrel, have revived expectations for more tightening ahead.
Traders currently wager that an initial June move will be followed up by another in September and a final one by the end of this year. The ECB's projections last month were based on ******* umptions for a total of three hikes this cycle.

#september

For the first time in the program's history, Medicare is covering weight-loss drugs, and the price tag looks almost too good to pass up.
Beginning July 1, eligible Part D enrollees can access medications including Wegovy, Foundayo, and the Zepbound KwikPen for a flat $50 monthly copay through a temporary federal demonstration called the Medicare GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) Bridge.
That is a massive discount compared to the retail price of these drugs, which can exceed $1,000 per month without insurance coverage.
It arrives at a moment when roughly 56% of GLP-1 users say affordability is a significant challenge, a poll from KFF, the health policy research organization, found.
But this is not traditional Part D coverage, and the distinction creates financial consequences that could blindside enrollees who ******* ume the program works like every other Medicare prescription benefit they have used.

#part #drugs

Concerned about an AI bubble? Sign up for The Daily Upside for smart and actionable market news, built for investors.
Big things come in small packages.
While tech giants like Nvidia and Apple usually hog the limelight, small- and mid-cap stocks have quietly taken the lead this year. While large-cap indexes are up a respectable 10% on average, smaller companies are sprinting ahead. The S&P MidCap 400 is up 14%, the Russell 2000 has surged about 20%, and the S&P 600 has climbed 21%. It might be time for financial advisors to give the rest of the market a second look.
"You can't deny the incredible returns large-cap funds have generated in recent years, and it's hard to get clients to move away from those numbers, especially given the underperformance of small-caps over the past 10 years," said Andrew Van Alstyne, founder of High Rock Wealth Management. Nonetheless, he sees plenty of upside in small- and mid-caps, typically allocating 20% to 25% of his clients' portfolios to the ****** e. "I've had strong confidence in this sector for a couple of years now. Even in years that small caps have underperformed, I would say that there is still a tremendous opportunity."
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Madison Small Cap Fund, managed by Madison Funds, released its Q2 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded fhere. The small-cap market showed exceptional strength in Q2, largely due to anticipated peace in the Middle East. The Russell 2000 Index began to rally, propelled by Information Technology, Health Care, and Industrials. The Madison Small Cap Fund (Class I) returned 12.7% in the quarter, underperforming the Russell 2000's 21.5% and Russell 2500's 20.2%. While strong gains were seen in Info Tech investments, recent investments in underperforming software companies negatively impacted overall performance. Nevertheless, confidence in the long-term potential of these software investments remains high. The firm is optimistic about small caps, noting their recent outperformance over large caps, recovery in certain software sectors, and improvements in some housing stocks toward the end of the second quarter. Please review the Fund's top five holdings to gain insights into their key selections for 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Madison Small Cap Fund highlighted Extreme Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXTR). Extreme Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXTR) is a cloud driven enterprise networking company that develops and markets network infrastructure equipment and related software. On July 16, 2026, Extreme Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXTR) closed at $29.76 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $3.93 billion. Extreme Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXTR) posted a one-month return of -3.92%, while its shares gained 71.86% over the past 52 weeks.
Madison Small Cap Fund stated the following regarding Extreme Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXTR) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Extreme Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXTR) (market capitalization of ~$4 billion) is a global provider of cloud driven enterprise networking solutions. The company designs and manufactures wired and wireless LAN (local area network) hardware, software-defined networking (SDN) fabric, and cloud-native management tools. They enable critical connectivity for high density, high-security environments, including professional sports stadiums, healthcare systems, and large-scale government and private enterprises. Extreme has successfully pivoted from a legacy hardware vendor to a cloud-managed, software-defined platform, creating deep "stickiness" within its customer base. In enterprise networking, the "specification moat" is significant. Once an organization builds its network fabric and security policies within Extreme's cloud dashboard, the operational risk and cost of migrating to a competitor are prohibitively high. Their strategy of offering superior simplicity and faster deployment times allows them to aggressively take market share from slower-moving, larger incumbents like Cisco and Juniper. The current industry-wide transition to Wi-Fi 7 is a catalyst, as these new hardware deployments inherently drive higher attach rates for Extreme's cloud-management software. We also believe th

PNC Financial Services Group reported record quarterly revenue of $6.88 billion on Wednesday, up 21% from a year earlier, as surging capital markets activity and the addition of FirstBank drove broad gains across the business.
Net income for the second quarter came in at $2.06 billion, or $4.81 per diluted share, a 25% increase from the same period a year ago. On an adjusted basis, which excludes FirstBank integration costs and other one-time items, diluted earnings per share were $4.85, compared with $3.85 a year earlier, the company said.
Capital markets and advisory revenue rose to $577 million, up 80% from last year, thanks to record M&A advisory fees and strong results in other capital markets areas. Total fee income was $2.28 billion, a 20% increase from the second quarter of 2025.
Net interest income totaled $4.11 billion, a 16% year-over-year increase, reflecting contributions from commercial loan growth, the FirstBank deal and a decline in deposit costs. Net interest margin expanded 16 basis points year over year to 2.96%.
Average loans totaled $363.2 billion, up 13% from a year earlier, and average deposits climbed 8% to $457 billion, the company said.

Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ:PLUG) is one of the Best Penny Stocks to Invest In According to Billionaires. Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ:PLUG) has announced significant developments over the past months, which have resulted in the stock gaining around 10% over the past 6 months.
Firstly, the company posted results for its fiscal Q1 2026 quarter on May 11. During the quarter, the company reported 22% year-over-year revenue growth to $163.5 million. Although still negative, the gross margins improved sharply from -55% to -13%, driven by cost cuts, better service execution, and more efficient fuel sourcing.
More recently, on June 24, Plug Power announced completing a major milestone at the Måde Power-to-X facility in Esbjerg, Denmark, operated by European Energy. Management noted that the project involved installing, testing, and handing over a 5 MW GenEco PEM electrolyzer system.
The company's containerized system design simplified on-site work and sped up the path to production. With this project, Plug Power now has more than 70 GenEco electrolyzer systems running across six continents, giving it a growing base of operating experience to refine design and commissioning.
Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ:PLUG) is an alternative energy technology firm. It designs, develops, commercializes, and manufactures hydrogen and fuel cell systems for the material handling and stationary power fields.

Artisan Partners, an investment management firm, issued its first-quarter 2026 investor letter for the "Artisan Mid Cap Value Fund". A copy of this letter is available for download here. In Q1 2026, the portfolio underperformed the benchmark Russell Midcap Value Index as the market favored momentum-driven stocks over quality factors. Some holdings faced company-specific setbacks and negative sentiment. The Fund's Investor Class: ARTQX returned -4.93%, Advisor Class: APDQX declined by -4.90%, and Institutional Class: APHQX fell by -4.97%, all trailing the Index's 3.68% gain. The equity market in the quarter was mixed, with mid- and small-cap indices showing resilience despite lagging large-cap growth stocks. Volatility increased, initially fueled by interest in AI and private credit, but escalated after the outbreak of war in Iran, leading to rising oil prices. Sector performance varied, with energy leading the gains. The Fund continues to seek companies capable of value growth during market dislocations at attractive entry points. Also, review the Fund's top five holdings to see its best picks for 2026.
In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, Artisan Mid Cap Value Fund highlighted ICON Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:ICLR). ICON Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:ICLR) is a clinical research organization that provides outsourced development and commercialization services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. On July 7, 2026, ICON Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:ICLR) stock closed at $168.72 per share. One-month return of ICON Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:ICLR) was 16.69%, and its shares gained 12.08% over the past 52 weeks. ICON Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:ICLR) has a market capitalization of about $12.92 billion.
Artisan Mid Cap Value Fund stated the following regarding ICON Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:ICLR) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
"Among the biggest decliners were ICON Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:ICLR), Humana, Gartner and Pinterest, each of which dropped by 30% or more during the quarter. ICON, a leading provider of outsourced clinical development services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, was the largest detractor. The stock fell sharply—nearly 49% in a single day—after the company announced it would delay its financial results due to an internal review of its accounting, specifically related to revenue recognition in recent years. While ICON indicated its cash position remains intact, the situation raises uncertainty around reported earnings and has pressured investor confidence in the near term. This development comes at a challenging time for the broader contract research industry, where funding constraints and cautious spending by biotech and pharmaceutical companies have already weighed on demand. Although the lack of updated financials limits near term visibility, we believe the stock reflects a more attractive valuation based on conservative ****** umptions for free cash fl

With a market cap. of $29.8 billion, Bozeman, Montana-based Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) is a global ***** ytics software company, recognized for pioneering predictive ***** ytics and data science to help businesses make smarter decisions. Its industry-leading solutions, including the widely used FICO® Score, support organizations in over 80 countries by improving risk management, fraud prevention, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency across multiple industries.
FICO is set to report its Q3 2026 results soon. Ahead of the release, ***** ysts expect the company to post an EPS of $10.41, a surge of 51.8% from $6.86 in the year-ago quarter. The company has exceeded Wall Street's EPS estimates in three of the last four quarters while missing on another occasion.
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Jonathan Wygant, Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of Veracyte (NASDAQ:VCYT), reported the exercise of 24,000 options and immediate open-market sale of the same number of shares for a total transaction value of approximately $1.09 million, according to the SEC Form 4 filing dated May 27, 2026.
Metric
Value
Shares traded (direct)
24,000