Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

In the latest close session, Copa Holdings (CPA - Free Report) was down 4.34% at $144.05. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.79% loss on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.26%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.55%.

Shares of the holding company for Panama's national airline have appreciated by 6.28% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Transportation sector's gain of 3.77%, and the S&P 500's gain of 4.28%.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Copa Holdings in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on August 5, 2026. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $1.9, marking a 47.37% fall compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $1.07 billion, indicating a 26.86% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $16.54 per share and a revenue of $4.39 billion, demonstrating changes of +1.6% and +21.3%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Copa Holdings. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 8.97% increase. Right now, Copa Holdings possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, Copa Holdings is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 9.11. This signifies a discount in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 11.27 for its industry.

We can also see that CPA currently has a PEG ratio of 1.11. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The average PEG ratio for the Transportation - Airline industry stood at 0.83 at the close of the market yesterday.

The Transportation - Airline industry is part of the Transportation sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 178, putting it in the bottom 28% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.

Underperforming the S&P 500, shares of USA Rare Earth (USAR 6.87%) inched 3.7% higher in 2025, while the index rose 16.4%. The first half of 2026, however, featured a very different story. According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, shares of USA Rare Earth soared 81.3% through the first six months of 2026.

With analysts consistently providing bullish outlooks on the stock and the rare-earth company reporting progress toward commencing commercial operations, investors found sufficient cause to click the buy button over the past several months.

Image source: Getty Images.

Digging into the sources of this mining stock's rise It didn't take long after the ball dropped before investors started bidding USA Rare Earth stock higher. Shares rose more than 88% in January after the company announced a partnership with the French government to develop a metal and alloy production facility in France that management expects to commence operations in late 2026.

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Reporting progress toward the start of domestic operations, USA Rare Earth announced in late January that it had selected Fluor to assist with its Definitive Feasibility Study for the company's cornerstone Round Top Rare Earth Project in Texas. Plus, the company announced that it had signed a non-binding Letter of Intent with the U.S. Department of Commerce and entered into a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, totaling about $1.6 billion in federal funding. In addition, the company announced $1.5 billion in private funding provided by Inflection Point.

Analysts also espoused a more bullish outlook on USA Rare Earth stock in the early part of the new year. On Jan. 26, Roth Capital hiked its price target to $35 from $25, and the following day, Benchmark boosted its price target to 45 from $15.

Despite a strong start to the year, shares dipped in February and March. But the decline didn't persist. In April, USA Rare Earth stock headed higher after the company reported that its subsidiary had poured commercial-grade yttrium (a rare-earth metal) at its facility in the United Kingdom. The company lauded the achievement, characterizing it as a milestone that sets it apart as one of the few companies to do so outside China.

Another catalyst for the stock's rise in April was the company's announcement that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Serra Verde Group, a large-scale producer of all four magnetic rare-earths, including the valuable heavy rare-earth dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium, for about $2.8 billion. According to USA Rare Earth management, the acquisition will de-risk the company as Serra Verde is expected to achieve annualized run rate earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of $550-$650 million by the end of 2027.

How are things looking in the second half of the year? Despite the strong performance in the first half of 2026, the second half of the year hasn't provided much for investors to celebrate, with shares sinking more than 20% as of this writing since June 30. For a speculative stock such as USA Rare Earth, the volatility is to be expected. Thus, those with lower risk tolerances who are interested in growth stocks that provide rare-earth exposure will be more interested in a rare-earth ETF.

Modine (MOD - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $234.28, demonstrating a -4.73% change from the preceding day's closing price. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.79% loss on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.26%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.55%.

The stock of heating and cooling products maker has fallen by 10.42% in the past month, lagging the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector's gain of 5% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.28%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Modine in its upcoming release. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.43, reflecting a 34.91% increase from the same quarter last year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $895.49 million, indicating a 31.15% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.

Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $7.73 per share and revenue of $4.03 billion, indicating changes of +53.98% and +26.76%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Modine. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant. Modine presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, Modine is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 31.81. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 12.64, which means Modine is trading at a premium to the group.

It's also important to note that MOD currently trades at a PEG ratio of 0.8. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Automotive - Original Equipment industry had an average PEG ratio of 0.8.

The Automotive - Original Equipment industry is part of the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 109, putting it in the top 45% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.

According to a report, the company plans to skip higher-performance versions of some of its processors along the way.

Omar Gallaga has covered technology, digital culture and other topics for outlets including CNET, NPR, WIRED, Texas Monthly, MSNBC, Consumer Reports, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic and the Austin American-Statesman, where he was a longtime tech reporter, editor and podcaster. He lives in the Texas Hill Country.

3 min read

Apple is changing the way it will handle the release of its next flagship M processors going forward, according to a report from Bloomberg's Power On newsletter.

Power On author Mark Gurman wrote that in a race to get to its M7 generation of processors, which use neural processing to improve AI performance, Apple will skip some iterations of processors along the way. For instance, whereas Apple may have released Pro, Max and Ultra versions of some M-series processors, it may not do so for the next one in line, M6, due out this fall.

Apple's M5 processors for desktop and laptop Mac computers, as well as some iPads, started becoming available in those products in the fall of 2025.

Bloomberg previously reported anticipated changes in the M6 roadmap in June, but is now reporting how Apple's plans for its processor lineup, up to the M8, are being influenced by artificial intelligence, including competition from companies like Nvidia. Gurman points to the development of advanced AI performance for the M7 Ultra processor as one reason for accelerating the chip-release roadmap. An even more advanced M8 processor codenamed Soko is also in the works, according to the report.

A representative for Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.

Apple's long game on AIApple has not been as overtly aggressive with its AI efforts as other tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Meta and OpenAI. But as Gurman suggests in his report, it has been quietly laying the groundwork for its long-term AI goals using technology it developed, even on failed projects such as the canceled Apple Car.

The company has delayed versions of its Siri assistant to refine its AI capabilities while continuing to develop processors that can handle the high demands of on-device AI rather than offloading processing to data centers, as many AI services do.

This strategy has served Apple well in the past: Wait for others to introduce new technology, learn from their mistakes, and then release its own products that are more refined. It's how Apple dominated headphones with its AirPods and what it did in wearables with the Apple Watch.

But with AI, Apple is battling competitors -- including partners like Google -- on several fronts. And that is requiring the company to shift its strategy in several ways. With its processors, Apple is pushing for improvements in memory bandwidth and Neural Engine improvements, said Mahdi Eslamimehr. executive vice president at Quandary Peak Research.

"Skipping the M6 Pro, Max and Ultra to pull the M7 generation forward is the clearest signal yet that AI has displaced CPU and graphics as the organizing principle of Apple's chip roadmap," Eslamimehr told CNET.

That move, he said, is bolstered by the company's hardware chief, John Ternus, taking over as CEO in the fall. "That silicon-first bet now has backing at the very top of the company," Eslamimehr said.

Apple, he said, won't be competing with Nvidia on the data center side of the AI business where it dominates with its processors, but will instead focus on making devices that excel as private, on-device AI computing powerhouses that eventually "would push local performance toward workstation class."

The payoff for Apple power users, he said, will be more powerful hardware-native AI, but it might not be until late 2027 before they get their hands on top-tier Apple M7 hardware.

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OMAR GALLAGA

Omar Gallaga has covered technology, digital culture and other topics for outlets including CNET, NPR, WIRED, Texas Monthly, MSNBC, Consumer Reports, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic and the Austin American-Statesman, where he was a longtime tech reporter, editor and podcaster. He lives in the Texas Hill Country. See full bio

By PYMNTS  |  July 13, 2026

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Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI announced Friday (July 10) includes allegations that highlight the importance of protecting corporate data when employees leave, TechCrunch reported Monday (July 13).

The lawsuit includes allegations that a former employee who went to work for OpenAI exploited an authentication bug to access the company’s network after leaving Apple. It does not describe the nature of the bug, according to the report.

The company said that it fixed the bug upon learning about it and that only the one former employee exploited the bug when it was active, per the report.

Apple alleged that the former employee failed to return an Apple-issued laptop when leaving the company, misused the access of an acquaintance who was an Apple employee at the time but later went to work for OpenAI, discovered the authentication bug after leaving Apple, and failed to report that bug as required by his employment agreement, according to the report.

TechCrunch reported Monday that the allegations show why companies often immediately cut off access by departing employees, as well as the risks companies face if they fail to do so completely.

It was reported Friday that Apple sued OpenAI and two former Apple employees now working at OpenAI, including the one later featured in the TechCrunch report, alleging that they stole trade secrets from Apple to support OpenAI’s development of devices.

The suit alleged that one employee emailed himself information about Apple’s suppliers and asked Apple employees to bring parts to OpenAI during job interviews; that the other employee downloaded confidential files from Apple’s network and coached an Apple employee on how to copy confidential files; and that “at every level, from members of its Technical Staff to its Chief Hardware Officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI has been stealing Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information.”

An OpenAI spokesperson told CNBC: “We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.”

PYMNTS reported Monday that Apple’s lawsuit echoes the company’s legal battles in the 2010s against various companies making Android phones, including one legal fight that lasted eight years before the two sides reached a settlement.

A fisheye view of thousands of servers at Facebook’s data center in Luleå, Sweden, in 2013. The facility illustrates the scale of Meta’s infrastructure but is separate from its $50 billion Louisiana expansion.

AFP via Getty Images

On July 13, Meta said it would put more than $50 billion into a single Louisiana data center, more than doubling its planned capacity to 5 gigawatts. Twelve days earlier, Bloomberg reported that the same company was developing plans to sell its "excess" AI computing capacity to outsiders. Read those two headlines together and something doesn’t add up. One of the largest buyers of compute on earth is telling the market it needs vastly more, and that it expects to have enough to spare, within 12 days.

That contradiction is not really about Meta. It’s the question the whole AI buildout has been dodging: how much of the compute already bought is actually being used?

The most flattering answer is also the most revealingStart with the most charitable reading, because it’s probably the right one. Meta is building for the future and renting out the slack until it needs it. That isn’t a stretch. It follows a basic cloud logic: build at scale, then sell the capacity you aren’t using yet. AWS turned that model into Amazon’s most profitable business. If that’s the play, selling "excess" compute is the smartest move on the board.

But it only works when the provider can measure its own utilization precisely, so it knows exactly how much slack it can safely lease out. The real question about Meta is not whether building ahead is wise. It’s whether Meta can prove which story it’s in. Without a utilization number, no outsider can separate "deliberately built ahead" from "bought more than the workloads will absorb." That gap is not academic. Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta plan to spend roughly $725 billion in 2026 capital spending, primarily for AI data-center equipment, up 77% from last year. Even a small utilization miss across a buildout that large can strand billions in equipment sitting warm, waiting for work.

The polite word for selling that gear is optionality. The blunt one is overbuilding.

Why the market cheered the confusionThe stock reaction is the tell. Meta shares rose about 8.8% on the report, while a chunk of the chip complex sold off the same day. Micron dropped 10.6%. AMD fell nearly 7%. Even Nvidia slipped.

Meta's plan was probably a catalyst rather than the whole cause; semiconductors had run up hard, and doubts about whether AI spending could hold this pace were already in the air. But the split is hard to unsee. Investors paid up for the company that found a fresh way to earn money off its infrastructure, and stepped back from the companies whose growth assumes hyperscalers keep buying hardware forever. For most of this boom, the market rewarded whoever built the most. That afternoon offered an early sign that investors may be starting to grade something harder: what the buildout actually returns.

The number every board is about to get asked forHaving sat through enough capital-allocation reviews to recognize the pattern, I hear “we can always sell the excess” differently. It doesn’t sound like confidence. It sounds like management doesn’t want to say how much of the capacity it actually expects to use.

Every company in this race can quote its inputs: GPUs bought, gigawatts planned, dollars committed. What public disclosures rarely include is the one figure that would settle it: how much of that capacity is doing real work, rather than sitting warm and depreciating. Meta may have a strong answer, and it’s plainly still expanding rather than retreating, which is exactly why the resale plan is worth watching. It hints that owning the most compute is no longer the whole game. The gear has to be used, priced, and measured against a result.

Resale is a thin safety net anyway. AI hardware can lose value quickly, each new chip generation raises the bar, and specialized clouds already compete hard on price, so capacity that looks scarce today can cheapen the moment a few sellers crowd in. A 5-gigawatt buildout still depends on transformers, transmission lines and other grid hardware, and those physical constraints don’t care how the compute eventually gets billed.

What executives should do about itThe buildout wasn’t necessarily a mistake. Demand may grow into it. But the metric the market rewards is shifting under everyone’s feet. Phase one measured ambition by how much you would spend. Phase two measures how well you use it. Before the next infrastructure check clears, boards and CFOs should ask three plain questions: what share of the AI compute we already own is in productive use, what business result it produces, and who owns moving that number. If nobody can answer, you don’t have an infrastructure strategy. You have a very expensive warehouse.

Key Takeaways Tesla stock historically moves in cycles of innovation.A new suite of multi-decade catalysts looms. As the AI boom roars, Tesla Energy will cash in. Catalysts: The Spark that Unleashes Large Stock AdvancesStocks don’t move because they are “cheap” or they have done well in the past. Instead, stocks move on new information and expectations about the future, prompting Wall Street investors to reassess their value. The most common catalysts come in the form of earnings beat or bullish forward guidance that exceeds Wall Street expectations. However, often the most potent catalysts come in the form of a new, innovative product announcement. For instance, Apple ((AAPL - Free Report) ) announced the iPhone in January 2007. By the time the product was released in June 2007, Apple shares had already gained 50% as investors correctly began to discount the bullish impact the breakthrough product would have on the company’s earnings.

Elon Musk: This Generation’s DisruptorTesla ((TSLA - Free Report) ), under the direction of CEO Elon Musk, is the perfect example of a disruptive growth stock. Through bold risk-taking, vision, and engineering, Elon Musk transformed Tesla from an obscure electric vehicle startup into the largest automaker in the world (by market cap).  Challenging an industry that had not seen a successful startup in more than a century wasn’t a walk in the park. Musk innovated at every step of the way, leveraging his Silicon Valley background and producing never-before-seen technology that reached far beyond EVs. Here is a list of the game-changing products Elon Musk has unveiled since 2006:

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Tesla Stock Performance Hasn’t Been in a Straight LineFor Elon Musk, the success hasn’t come in a straight line. Throughout Tesla’s 16-year history as a public company, Tesla and Elon Musk have faced SEC lawsuits, political backlash, a plethora of short sellers, and constant doubt (which continues today). That said, any unbiased investor must acknowledge the blatant success before them. Since going public, Tesla’s stock performance has been breathtaking. TSLA shares have gained ground in 14 of the 16 years it’s been public, accumulating monster gains of some 36,000% along the way.

Although Tesla’s long-term performance is undeniable, its intermediate-term performance has been lackluster. TSLA shares are essentially where they were in late 2021 amid slowed growth, shrinking margins, expired tax credits, and Elon Musk’s political controversies. Before investors write off Tesla as a “has-been”, it’s worth studying its history. The current lackluster price action is not the first time investors have faced a frustrating multi-year price consolidation. Tesla shares were dead money from the mid-2010 IPO until 2013 as the company struggled to become profitable, gain investor attention, and prove the EV concept. Next, from ~2014 to ~2020, Tesla shares were essentially flat as some investors took chips off the table after the massive IPO move. What investors must understand is that long, frustrating share price consolidations are the norm for Tesla. In other words, Tesla has always been a stock that delivers massive gains in bursts before consolidating. Investors should also understand that these consolidations serve a purpose. Frustrating stock returns breed fear, uncertainty, and doubt. That said, Elon Musk and his team never stop innovating.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Latest Delivery Numbers ImpressTesla's latest delivery numbers confirm that the EV maker has officially turned around its legacy business. The 480,000 global vehicle deliveries mark the best Q2 ever. What makes the delivery number even more impressive is that Tesla beat expectations and surpassed its prior quarter results despite the end of the EV tax credit last year. Better yet, Europe, which has been an especially sore spot for Tesla EV sales, has turned the corner. Tesla registrations rose in several European markets in June

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Wall Street Warms Up to OptimusAccording to a recent research report from Nomura, Tesla has raised the annualized production capacity target for its Optimus Gen 3 humanoid robot at the Fremont plant to roughly 70,000 units, using factory space repurposed from older vehicle assembly lines. Looking ahead, Tesla plans to add another 70,000 units of capacity at its Austin facility by 2028. These near-term expansions are laying the groundwork for a highly ambitious, long-term capacity target of 1.5 million units. The Optimus timeline is bullish for Tesla. CEO Elon Musk has long predicted that Optimus will eventually become the company’s best-selling product.

Tesla Robotaxi is ScalingAfter many delays, Tesla’s highly anticipated robotaxi business is finally beginning to scale. Initially launched in Austin in 2025 with safety supervisors, Tesla has officially crossed the milestone of deploying unsupervised robotaxis (no driver or safety monitor inside the vehicle). Recently, Tesla has expanded to other markets such as Dallas, Houston, and Miami. Meanwhile, Tesla’s low-cost Cybercab has been spotted in public testing. Because of its unique “unboxed” manufacturing process, Tesla expects to efficiently scale Cybercab to millions of units. The Cybercab will give Tesla a huge cost advantage over competitors like Waymo.

Long-time Tesla investor and bull Cathie Wood believes that robotaxis will be “Elon’s gift to patient Tesla shareholders.” Wood expects the autonomous taxi market to scale from $1B today to $10T over the next 5-10 years. Additionally, Wood expects that Tesla’s costs will be 50% lower than Waymo’s by the end of the decade.

FSD to Have Wider Reach, Generate More RevenueElon Musk just announced that after a complex transition, vehicles built between 2019 and 2023 will be able to access Tesla’s modern Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology. In other words, if you drive an older Tesla, your car will continue to get “smarter” via optimized “Lite” neural networks for supervised driving. This will allow Tesla to capture previously unrealized FSD subscription revenue from its older models. Even before this news, Tesla FSD was scaling nicely:

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Tesla Energy is on FireMcKinsey predicts that U.S. electricity demand will soar by ~50% by 2050. Although solar energy production requires higher start-up capital than coal, it is zero-emission, and long-term generation costs are far lower. The latest energy production data tells the story. Solar energy accounted for 12.8% of U.S. electricity in May, surpassing coal (12.2%) for the first time in history. While low-cost natural gas remains the dominant electricity source (~37%), solar is catching up. In fact, solar and battery storage accounted for a staggering 91% of U.S. power capacity installed in Q1 2026. In other words, Tesla’s red-hot energy business has a long runway that is just gaining momentum.

Image Source: Ember

Elon Musk Announces TeraFab ProjectElon Musk unveiled TeraFab in March 2026, a joint initiative between Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI aimed at producing advanced semiconductor chips at an unprecedented scale. The project involves a planned $20 billion factory in Austin, Texas, designed to supply chips for Tesla vehicles and SpaceX orbital data centers. Recently, Tesla announced its first big hire for its TeraFab project, Gary Jiang. Jiang is a semiconductor manufacturing legend who spent 18 years at Intel ((INTC - Free Report) ). The Jiang hire is another example of how Tesla is building a flurry of potential new non-EV businesses that could help drive the stock for decades to come.

Bottom Line

While Tesla’s price action has been lackluster lately, history proves that these frustrating lulls are often the quiet before the storm. The latest delivery numbers prove that Tesla’s EV business has turned the corner. Meanwhile, a plethora of upcoming catalysts set up the next bull run.

Alphabet Inc. is resilient due to its integrated hardware/software AI stack, but valuation is elevated at current levels. Cloud backlog stands at $462 billion, with significant customer concentration risk from Anthropic and a need to monitor backlog conversion rates. Capex is surging, with 2026 guidance at $185 billion and risks if spending outpaces monetization, especially into 2027-2028.

Big tech hyperscalers like Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta are positioned for significant free cash flow growth as CapEx investments begin to yield returns post-2028. Semiconductor and memory stocks have led the market, but expectations are now high, making risk-to-reward more attractive in hyperscalers and select software names.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $534.39, demonstrating a -4.21% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.79%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.26%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.55%.

The chipmaker's stock has climbed by 9.05% in the past month, exceeding the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 3.44% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.28%.

The upcoming earnings release of Advanced Micro Devices will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on August 4, 2026. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $1.6, signifying a 233.33% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $11.28 billion, indicating a 46.79% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $7.22 per share and a revenue of $48.98 billion, representing changes of +73.14% and +41.39%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Advanced Micro Devices. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.54% higher. Advanced Micro Devices is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Looking at valuation, Advanced Micro Devices is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 77.3. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 27.79, so one might conclude that Advanced Micro Devices is trading at a premium comparatively.

We can additionally observe that AMD currently boasts a PEG ratio of 1.4. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. The average PEG ratio for the Computer - Integrated Systems industry stood at 1.04 at the close of the market yesterday.

The Computer - Integrated Systems industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 6, putting it in the top 3% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.

Nvidia (NVDA - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $203.53, demonstrating a -3.52% change from the preceding day's closing price. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.79% loss on the day. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.26%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.55%.

Heading into today, shares of the maker of graphics chips for gaming and artificial intelligence had gained 2.81% over the past month, lagging the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 3.44% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.28%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Nvidia in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $2.09, signifying a 99.05% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $91.58 billion, up 95.91% from the prior-year quarter.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $9.1 per share and a revenue of $385.48 billion, demonstrating changes of +90.78% and +78.52%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Nvidia. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.

Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 1.24% rise in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Nvidia is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Nvidia has a Forward P/E ratio of 23.19 right now. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 57.17, so one might conclude that Nvidia is trading at a discount comparatively.

It's also important to note that NVDA currently trades at a PEG ratio of 0.45. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. NVDA's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.01 as of yesterday's close.

The Semiconductor - General industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 25, finds itself in the top 11% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow NVDA in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

In the latest close session, MasterCard (MA - Free Report) was up +2.08% at $537.70. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.79% for the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.26%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.55%.

Heading into today, shares of the processor of debit and credit card payments had gained 7.5% over the past month, outpacing the Business Services sector's gain of 4.59% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.28%.

The upcoming earnings release of MasterCard will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on July 30, 2026. In that report, analysts expect MasterCard to post earnings of $4.75 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 14.46%. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $9.06 billion, reflecting a 11.45% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $19.61 per share and a revenue of $37.01 billion, signifying shifts of +15.29% and +12.87%, respectively, from the last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for MasterCard should also be noted by investors. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.06% upward. MasterCard is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Digging into valuation, MasterCard currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 26.86. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 11.4 of its industry.

Also, we should mention that MA has a PEG ratio of 1.64. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. As the market closed yesterday, the Financial Transaction Services industry was having an average PEG ratio of 0.84.

The Financial Transaction Services industry is part of the Business Services sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 69, putting it in the top 29% of all 250+ industries.

The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.

Jul 13, 2026, 3:17 p.m.

4 min read

Baiju Bhatt (right) and Vlad Tenev, founders of Robinhood (Getty Images/Spencer Platt)Summary

Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum layer-2 launched July 1 to host tokenized stocks, has quickly become one of crypto’s busiest new networks, with about $312 million in total value locked and 3.6 million daily transactions.Despite Robinhood’s pitch of a regulated venue for tokenized real-world assets, those assets account for only about $12.8 million on the chain, while memecoins like CASHCAT and stablecoins dominate activity and market value.The chain’s future hinges on whether speculative memecoin traders convert into users of its tokenized equity and real-world asset offerings.Robinhood Chain, the blockchain network built by the popular trading app to power tokenized stocks, has become one of the busiest new chains in crypto. But despite being built around tokenized stocks and other real-world assets (RWAs), speculative memecoin trading has so far become the network's defining use case.

A cat-themed token called CASHCAT, named after Robinhood's former mascot before the company rebranded, has surged 2,158% over the past 7 days, and the memecoin has a $156 million market cap. By comparison, tokenized real-world assets on the chain are worth just $12.81 million, of which $10.68 million is stocks, with the rest split across commodities, tokenized ETFs and a $410,000 sliver of U.S. Treasuries as of Monday morning.

The contrast comes as the chain has posted explosive early growth since it officially went live on July 1.

Data reviewed by CoinDesk shows that total value locked for the chain reached about $135 million, up more than sevenfold from $17 million on July 3, according to DefiLlama. It even ranked among the top three networks for decentralized exchange trading volume over the past week, generating $3.1 billion in volume.

Robinhood chain's trading volume by DEX (DeFiLlama)This means the tokenized-equity book remains tiny in a chain that clears billions of dollars in weekly trading volume. The pattern is similar to when prominent exchange Coinbase launched its own network, Base, in 2023. Memecoins and speculation filled it first, while the durable applications arrived later, per CoinDesk reports from that time.

Robinhood Chain also recently surpassed Base in daily transaction count, according to Token Terminal. "Robinhood Chain overtook Base in just 1.5 weeks. Yesterday, Robinhood Chain processed 10.4 million transactions versus Base's 6.4 million," it posted on X.

What is Robinhood Chain?Robinhood Chain is an Ethereum layer-2 built on Arbitrum's Orbit stack. It settles transactions on the Ethereum network and uses ether to pay network fees.

An anchor product of the chain is Stock Tokens, onchain versions of equities like Nvidia and Apple that trade around the clock and, unusually, are structured as tokenized debt securities barred to U.S. persons. Crypto applications, including Uniswap, Chainlink and the Morpho lending protocol, were also integrated at launch.

As of Monday morning, the value of all tokens locked on the protocol is $312 million, and the total asset market cap is $480 million. The chain has drawn nearly 800,000 lifetime active addresses, processed 3.6 million transactions in a day, and cleared $838 million in decentralized exchange volume over 24 hours. Fees run a fraction of a cent per transaction.

Robinhood positioned it as a regulated venue where tokenized real-world assets plug into decentralized finance (DeFi), enabling blockchain-based versions of traditional financial assets to interact with onchain lending, trading and other applications.

Yet the composition of activity tells a different story.

According to data tracked by Dune Analytics, asset management accounts for 40.5% of value locked on the chain, while lending accounts for 38.3%. Spot exchanges are 11.9% and perpetual futures 5.2%. Real-world assets, Robinhood's flagship use case behind the chain's existence, are just 4.1%.

The CASHCAT memecoin has also spawned an entire ecosystem of Robinhood-themed tokens, including Cash Dog in Hood, Little John, Hoodrat, and Arrow, none of which existed two weeks ago. The launchpad feeding them, NOXA.fun, and a trading bot called basedbot now have their own dedicated tracking dashboards.

Stablecoins account for much of the remaining activity.

Global Dollar, the USDG token issued by the Paxos-led consortium Robinhood helped found, holds about $200 million of the roughly $299 million stablecoin market cap on the chain, with Ethena's USDe making up most of the rest.

'Works great for memes'While the chain may not yet be serving its original purpose, speculative trading often provides the earliest burst of activity on new blockchains, generating addresses, liquidity and transaction volume well before their intended use cases mature.

But it remains to be seen if the traffic converts. Memecoin traders run to where the activity is and are not loyal to any specific chain, meaning Robinhood Chain's current users may not overlap with the investors it ultimately hopes to attract.

And the platform's executives might even be leaning into that behavior.

On July 2, Robinhood's CEO, Vlad Tenev, told CNBC that assets without utility do not serve a lasting purpose and that tokenized real-world assets were the durable direction for crypto.

Six days later, as CASHCAT climbed, he posted that while the company is building the chain to be the best for real-world assets, 'it works great for memes too.' He later followed the token's X account.

The key question over the coming months is whether Robinhood can convert speculative demand into adoption of its tokenized equity platform. If tokenized real-world assets grow beyond today's roughly $13 million while memecoin activity fades, the strategy may be working.

But if real-world assets stay flat while the speculation moves on to the next flashy chain where memecoins start to rack up quick profits, Robinhood Chain may risk following a familiar crypto pattern: attracting an early wave of speculation without becoming the financial infrastructure it was built to support.

Read more: Robinhood Chain surges into top five by DEX volume: Bernstein

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Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

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Jito has published JIP-38, a governance proposal that would formally designate the protocol as a token-centric network, under which all major network revenues will flow to the DAO and be governed by JTO token holders.

The only exception is 20% of JTX platform fees, which will continue to be reinvested in JTX development, according to the proposal posted on July 13.

JIP-38 is now live.

Value should live with the Network. This proposal formally establishes Jito as a token-centric network, committing 100% of the Jito DAO's revenue share from @JTX_trade to programmatic buyback and burns of $JTO for at least 1 year from JTX launch.

— Jito (@jito_sol) July 13, 2026

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The plan would commit 100% of the DAO’s JTX revenue share to open-market JTO buybacks and permanent token burns for a minimum of one year through Q4 2027.

As noted, buybacks would be executed automatically through a Rev Splitter mechanism overseen by the Dev Council, while governance documentation would be updated to reflect the network’s token-centric policy.

JIP-38 also outlines governance and implementation measures including updating official governance documentation to reflect Jito’s token-centric model, progressively automating the Rev Splitter, and completing existing revenue allocation mandates before conducting a comprehensive review of all protocol fee streams in Q4 2027.

That review will evaluate the effectiveness of buybacks, growth incentives, and other capital deployment strategies, after which JTO holders will determine the network’s next long-term revenue allocation framework through governance voting.

According to the proposal, this framework is intended to ensure that the value generated by the network accrues to the token rather than external corporate entities.

JTO surged as much as 8% shortly after the team unveiled JIP-38, per CoinGecko.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Gold price (XAU/USD) remains under selling pressure near $3,995 during the early Asian session on Tuesday. The precious metal extends its downside as renewed US-Iran tensions keep inflationary pressures high. Traders await the release of the US June Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report and Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Kevin Warsh testifies later on Tuesday. 

Bloomberg reported on Monday that US President Donald Trump reinstated the US blockade of Iranian ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and demanded a 20% reimbursement on all other cargo shipped through the waterway. Trump added that the US would keep up attacks on Iran, saying that “we’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow.”

A reinstatement of the blockade on Iranian ports may prompt Tehran to step up attacks on ships seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz. This, in turn, could trigger energy-driven inflation concerns and force the Fed to maintain its higher-for-longer rate stance. It’s worth noting that Gold is often used amid geopolitical uncertainty but does not yield interest, making it less attractive when interest rates are high. 

The US CPI inflation data will be in the spotlight later in the day. Analysts expect the headline CPI to decline by 0.1% MoM in June, while the core CPI is projected to show a rise of 0.3% during the same period. In case of a softer-than-expected outcome, this could weigh on the US Dollar (USD) and support the USD-denominated commodity price in the near term. 

Gold FAQs Gold has played a key role in human’s history as it has been widely used as a store of value and medium of exchange. Currently, apart from its shine and usage for jewelry, the precious metal is widely seen as a safe-haven asset, meaning that it is considered a good investment during turbulent times. Gold is also widely seen as a hedge against inflation and against depreciating currencies as it doesn’t rely on any specific issuer or government.

Central banks are the biggest Gold holders. In their aim to support their currencies in turbulent times, central banks tend to diversify their reserves and buy Gold to improve the perceived strength of the economy and the currency. High Gold reserves can be a source of trust for a country’s solvency. Central banks added 1,136 tonnes of Gold worth around $70 billion to their reserves in 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council. This is the highest yearly purchase since records began. Central banks from emerging economies such as China, India and Turkey are quickly increasing their Gold reserves.

Gold has an inverse correlation with the US Dollar and US Treasuries, which are both major reserve and safe-haven assets. When the Dollar depreciates, Gold tends to rise, enabling investors and central banks to diversify their assets in turbulent times. Gold is also inversely correlated with risk assets. A rally in the stock market tends to weaken Gold price, while sell-offs in riskier markets tend to favor the precious metal.

The price can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can quickly make Gold price escalate due to its safe-haven status. As a yield-less asset, Gold tends to rise with lower interest rates, while higher cost of money usually weighs down on the yellow metal. Still, most moves depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAU/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Gold controlled, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to push Gold prices up.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would reimpose a naval blockade against Iranian ships and their customers in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that handles roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments.

Oil prices jumped sharply on the news. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed to $83 a barrel on Monday, up from about $71 a week prior.

Stocks, on the other hand, broadly sold off on the renewed tensions. The S&P 500 was down about 0.8% on the day, the Dow Jones Industrial fell 0.26%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped about 1.55%.

Trump announces "Iranian Blockade" policyTrump laid out the policy on social media, calling it "THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE." He said that the U.S. would stop only Iran's ships and customers from moving through the strait, while “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”

He also said the U.S. would seek reimbursement equal to 20% of the value of all other cargo passing through, money Trump described as covering the cost of securing the region.

International pushback on transit feesThat part ran into immediate pushback from the international community. Soon after the announcement, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) -- the United Nations body that regulates global shipping -- publicly rejected the proposed transit fee, stating “there is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait.”

Renewed conflictThe U.S. and Israel began military action against Iran on Feb. 28, effectively closing the strait and sending Brent to a high near $128 a barrel by early April. A June 18 peace agreement reopened the waterway and pulled prices back down -- Brent averaged $85 a barrel in June.

Now, that deal is unraveling. Over the weekend, U.S. Central Command said the military struck about 140 targets in Iran, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Monday it had hit U.S. bases in other Gulf nations.

Iran says the strait is again closed, while U.S. Central Command says it remains open to lawful traffic, stating, “U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations.”

Should you buy oil stocks now?The case for oil stocks is obvious enough: supply is hamstrung, leading to a spike in oil prices. Producers like ExxonMobil (XOM +3.95%) and Chevron then get to pocket the difference.

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Here's my hesitation. This premium has already been baked in largely. Both stocks are up big this year as traders react to the developments in Iran and the rise in oil prices. They’ve also been seriously volatile after their initial runups, as each sign of peace and reignition of the conflict has led to big swings week to week.

To add to this, while supply is temporarily reduced because of the conflict, the long-term supply and demand trends don’t point in the right direction for oil stocks. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) latest projections, global production is expected to outpace use.

Intel (INTC - Free Report) closed at $103.12 in the latest trading session, marking a -6.12% move from the prior day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 0.79%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.26%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 1.55%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the world's largest chipmaker had lost 11.83% lagged the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 3.44% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.28%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Intel in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on July 23, 2026. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.21, up 310% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $14.35 billion, up 11.58% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $1.06 per share and a revenue of $58.36 billion, demonstrating changes of +152.38% and +10.42%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Intel. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.84% higher within the past month. Intel presently features a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

In terms of valuation, Intel is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 103.62. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 57.17.

The Semiconductor - General industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 25, this industry ranks in the top 11% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow INTC in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

Pfizer (PFE - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $24.48, moving +1.28% from the previous trading session. The stock's change was more than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.79%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.26%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.55%.

Coming into today, shares of the drugmaker had lost 7.78% in the past month. In that same time, the Medical sector gained 5.5%, while the S&P 500 gained 4.28%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Pfizer in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on August 4, 2026. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.68, down 12.82% from the prior-year quarter. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $14.45 billion, indicating a 1.39% decline compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $2.96 per share and a revenue of $61.87 billion, demonstrating changes of -8.07% and -1.14%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Pfizer. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.9% lower within the past month. As of now, Pfizer holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In the context of valuation, Pfizer is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 8.17. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 16.41.

The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 169, which puts it in the bottom 32% of all 250+ industries.

The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.

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Baidu Inc. (BIDU - Free Report) closed at $113.39 in the latest trading session, marking a -3.52% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.79%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.26%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.55%.

The web search company's stock has climbed by 1.52% in the past month, falling short of the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 3.44% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.28%.

The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Baidu Inc. in its upcoming release. The company is expected to report EPS of $2.13, up 12.11% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $5.03 billion, indicating a 10.05% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $8.22 per share and revenue of $20.09 billion. These totals would mark changes of +7.59% and +11%, respectively, from last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Baidu Inc. should also be noted by investors. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed an unchanged state. Currently, Baidu Inc. is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Digging into valuation, Baidu Inc. currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 14.3. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 17.4.

We can additionally observe that BIDU currently boasts a PEG ratio of 1.66. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Internet - Services industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.66 as of yesterday's close.

The Internet - Services industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 104, which puts it in the top 43% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.

It wasn't that long ago when Oracle (ORCL 6.29%) looked poised to become a $1 trillion company. However, those plans came to an abrupt halt as the stock shed 40% of its value over the past year.

Fellow cloud platform provider IBM (IBM +0.93%) hasn't fared well either, but its flat year-to-date performance looks timid in comparison. Both companies are primed to capitalize on artificial intelligence tailwinds and are already gaining market share. The dip makes Oracle look more attractive, while IBM is less risky.

Image source: Getty Images.

Cloud is a big part of the story Both companies generate a large portion of their revenue from cloud computing, so it's good to start there. IBM lists hybrid cloud under its software segment. IBM's cloud revenue increased by 13% year over year in Q1, which lifted software sales up by 11% year over year. The overall revenue growth rate across the company was 9%.

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Oracle gets more out of its cloud division, and it's at the centerpiece of the company's artificial intelligence plans. Oracle Cloud revenue surged by 47% year over year in its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter. The Cloud Infrastructure segment accounted for more than half of its cloud revenue and almost doubled year over year. This development suggests overall cloud revenue growth rates will continue to accelerate.

Oracle even reached $638 billion in remaining performance obligations. It offers good revenue visibility, but it depends largely on OpenAI. ChatGPT's parent company agreed to a five-year deal worth more than $300 billion, set to begin in 2027. That's almost half of Oracle's remaining performance obligations, and it comes from a company that remains unprofitable.

How OpenAI will cover a $60 billion bill each year for five years starting in 2027 remains anyone's guess, and that's far from OpenAI's only financial commitment. Remaining performance obligations only translate into revenue if the customer can actually pay, and OpenAI's large influence on Oracle's future business results is part of the reason why the stock has slumped.

IBM Z is a catalyst, but it's small for now The IBM Z portfolio consists of the company's mainframe computers, which promise zero downtime. They are valuable resources for real-time AI inference, with a single machine having the ability to process more than one million transactions per second.

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Naturally, this part of the business is important for AI infrastructure and has done extremely well. It's up 51% year over year, suggesting that IBM isn't as heavily tied to cloud computing as Oracle.

However, IBM Z is still a small part of the business. It's a small slice of Infrastructure revenue, which reached $3.3 billion. That was good for a 15% year-over-year improvement, but the entire Infrastructure segment accounted for a little more than 20% of total revenue. IBM Z's impact on the overall business is even smaller.

Oracle also has other business segments that are growing. Its revenue from hardware and services rose by 9% and 13% year over year, respectively, but those two segments make up less than 15% of Oracle's total revenue. Oracle's software sales were down 2% year over year and accounted for more than one-third of total sales.

IBM has more ways to diversify beyond cloud, but cloud computing is all Oracle has needed to deliver higher revenue and net income growth rates than IBM.

The valuations When Oracle looked set to reach the $1 trillion milestone, it traded at a much higher valuation than IBM. However, the correction and strengthening of fundamentals now mean Oracle trades at a discount to Big Blue. Oracle only trades at a 25 P/E ratio, while IBM trades at 26 times earnings.

Although those valuations are close, Oracle is growing faster. When looking at metrics that factor in growth rates, such as the forward P/E ratio and the PEG (price-to-earnings-to-growth) ratio, Oracle's lead widens.

While any concerns with OpenAI covering its array of expenses could hurt Oracle's backlog, it's having no issue with delivering impressive growth rates right now. Oracle's full-year fiscal 2027 guidance even implied 28% year-over-year revenue growth at the midpoint, with cloud computing doing most of the work.

IBM is also a strong contender that could rebound and deliver positive returns by the end of the year, but the Oracle dip may have been a bit too harsh. Investors who can choose only one may want to prioritize Oracle.

, /PRNewswire/ -- Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) between February 26, 2025 and February 24, 2026, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important August 24, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.

So what: If you purchased First Solar during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

What to do next: To join the First Solar class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/first-solar-inc/join or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than August 24, 2026. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered billions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Details of the case: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) defendants had overstated First Solar's capacity to manage the impact of U.S. tariff policy on First Solar's business; (2) defendants understated the extent to which its responses to U.S. tariff policy, including the intentional underutilization of production facilities in Malaysia and Vietnam, and attempted relocation of production to the U.S., were likely to negatively impact First Solar's projected performance in the 2026 fiscal year; and (3) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. 

To join the First Solar class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/first-solar-inc/join or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

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Big Pharma has a $300 billion problem, and biotech developers with promising drugs are becoming the fix. Major drugmakers are spending at a pace not seen since 2019 to replace medicines that will soon lose patent protection.

Key Takeaways: Big Pharma faces $300 billion in expiring drug patents through the decade. Total biopharma deal value could top $250 billion in 2026, the busiest year since 2019. SBIO’s June rebalance added 37 names ahead of a wave of trial and takeover news. According to PwC’s midyear deals outlook, more than $300 billion in branded pharmaceutical revenue will lose patent protection by the end of the decade. That loss, known as a loss of exclusivity, is pushing large drugmakers to buy new drug pipelines rather than build them in-house.

ALPS Advisors’ July spotlight shows the ALPS Medical Breakthroughs ETF (SBIO) holds mid-size biotech developers in that same targeted stage. That focus put the fund in the middle of June’s biggest headline. AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) agreed to pay $10.9 billion in cash for Apogee Therapeutics, Inc. (APGE), then SBIO’s largest holding.

See more: Biotech Gives SBIO Its Best Month Since 2023

PwC’s report also found large pharmaceutical companies are avoiding blockbuster mergers that draw heavy regulatory scrutiny. Midcap biotech bolt-on deals have become the sweet spot for dealmaking this year instead.

That shift is already showing up in the numbers. Total biopharma deal value is on pace to top $250 billion in 2026, according to PitchBook data cited by ALPS Advisors. That would mark the industry’s strongest year since 2019.

Regulatory news added another tailwind. On June 17, the FDA signaled a more flexible approval path for serious and rare diseases, according to ALPS Advisors. Days later, Definium Therapeutics Inc. (DFTX) raised an upsized $700 million in stock to fund its own drug submission. It chose capital over a buyout.

Inside SBIO’s Biotech Screening Rulesss SBIO tracks an index limited to U.S. biotech companies worth between $200 million and $5 billion, according to ALPS Advisors. Each company must have a drug in Phase II or Phase III FDA trials. Each must also hold enough cash to fund about two years of operations.

Broader benchmarks such as the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index lean toward the large-cap companies writing acquisition checks, according to ALPS Advisors. SBIO’s index sits on the other side of those deals, holding the smaller companies, which are usually the ones getting bought.

Twice a year, the fund’s index rebalances to keep pace. Its June 18 update added 37 companies and dropped 15, according to ALPS Advisors. That turnover brought Definium into the fund just four days before its trial results sent shares up more than 90%.

For more news, information, and strategy, visit the ETF Building Blocks Content Hub.

VettaFi LLC (“VettaFi”) is the index provider for SBIO, for which it receives an index licensing fee. However, SBIO is not issued, sponsored, endorsed, or sold by VettaFi, and VettaFi has no obligation or liability in connection with the issuance, administration, marketing, or trading of SBIO.

Roku (ROKU - Free Report) closed at $142.34 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.17% move from the prior day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.79% loss on the day. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.26%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.55%.

The video streaming company's stock has dropped by 2.07% in the past month, falling short of the Consumer Discretionary sector's gain of 0.62% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.28%.

The upcoming earnings release of Roku will be of great interest to investors. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $0.61, indicating a 771.43% growth compared to the equivalent quarter last year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $1.3 billion, indicating a 16.98% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $2.41 per share and revenue of $5.55 billion, indicating changes of +308.47% and +17.23%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Roku. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0% higher within the past month. At present, Roku boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Digging into valuation, Roku currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 58.35. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 13.28, which means Roku is trading at a premium to the group.

The Broadcast Radio and Television industry is part of the Consumer Discretionary sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 69, positioning it in the top 29% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.