Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

SpaceX has gotten on my speculative buy list, driven by its highly ambitious AI transformation and potential for explosive long-term growth. Current AI revenue is nascent, but projections suggest AI could comprise over 90% of SPCX's business by 2030, with revenue estimates reaching $365B. Execution risk is extremely high, with wide-ranging price targets ($62–$800) and significant near-term volatility expected due to insider share unlocks through 2027.

SPCX has fallen 35% from its peak, but Starlink profits, Starship progress and AI ambitions support a hold-and-watch approach.

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, XETRA:APC) has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California accusing OpenAI (Unlisted:OPAI), its hardware subsidiary io Products, and two former Apple employees of misappropriating trade secrets related to the development of OpenAI's planned consumer AI hardware.

The complaint alleges OpenAI engaged in a coordinated effort to obtain Apple's confidential information as it accelerated work on its hardware ambitions following its acquisition of Jony Ive's startup io Products for approximately $6.5 billion.

Apple named the OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI Group PBC and io Products as defendants, along with OpenAI Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan and former Apple engineer Chang Liu.

In the filing, Apple alleged that OpenAI and its employees took "illegal shortcuts" to develop AI hardware. "This much is clear, however: 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,” the company said in the filing.

The lawsuit claims Liu failed to return a company-issued MacBook after leaving Apple and exploited an authentication flaw to regain access to Apple's internal cloud storage, where he allegedly downloaded thousands of confidential hardware documents.

Apple further alleged that Tang Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple before joining OpenAI, instructed Apple employees interviewing with OpenAI to bring unreleased Apple components and prototypes to interviews for "show and tell" sessions.

According to the complaint, OpenAI also sought access to Apple's manufacturing know-how by misleading one of Apple's industrial design partners into believing it had permission to replicate a proprietary metal-finishing process for OpenAI devices. Apple additionally alleged that OpenAI has recruited more than 400 former Apple employees for its hardware division.

"Recently, significant evidence has emerged suggesting individuals employed by OpenAI wrongfully took Apple's secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement

OpenAI denied the allegations. “We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement.

The lawsuit marks a sharp deterioration in relations between the companies, which partnered in 2024 to integrate ChatGPT into Apple's operating system. More recently, Apple selected Google's Gemini models rather than OpenAI technology to power an updated version of Siri expected later this year.

Shares of Apple added 1.5% at about $320 on Monday morning.

© PhillDanze / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

The stock market’s biggest winners are changing. For much of the past two years, investors rewarded the companies building AI infrastructure, propelling Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) to become the world’s most valuable company. Now the market is beginning to recognize that the biggest opportunity may lie with the companies that turn AI into products consumers use every day. 

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) reached a new milestone this morning, climbing to an all-time high above $321 per share and lifting its market capitalization to roughly $4.73 trillion. That leaves it just $320 billion behind Nvidia’s $5.05 trillion valuation. In today’s market, that’s a surprisingly small gap.

Apple Has More Than One Engine Driving Growth It’s easy to focus on the iPhone, but that’s no longer the whole Apple story.

The tech and consumer electronic gadget giant generated more than $100 billion in trailing-12-month free cash flow. Few companies have that kind of financial firepower. It gives Apple the flexibility to invest aggressively in AI, repurchase billions of dollars of stock, increase its dividend, and still keep one of the strongest balance sheets in corporate America.

The numbers also show Apple becoming less dependent on hardware sales. Services — including the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music, AppleCare, advertising, and financial services — continue producing high-margin recurring revenue from an installed base that now exceeds 2 billion active devices.

Apple Intelligence is also still in its early innings, but deeper AI integration across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision products creates another reason for customers to upgrade while making the ecosystem even harder to leave.

Forget the chip wars—Apple’s massive cash pile and counter-intuitive AI strategy are putting Nvidia’s crown in serious jeopardy. © 24/7 Wall St. Pricing Power May Be Apple’s Biggest Advantage Ironically, one of Apple’s biggest risks could become one of its biggest strengths. Demand for AI servers has created a shortage of advanced DRAM and high-bandwidth memory, shortages that are driving memory prices higher, increasing manufacturing costs for smartphones, PCs, and other electronics. That could force Apple to raise iPhone prices after having just raised them by roughly 20% on select Mac and iPad models.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Apple didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Ordinarily, that would worry investors. Apple isn’t an ordinary hardware company. Consumer Intelligence Research Partners and Counterpoint Research continue to report industry-leading iPhone loyalty and retention rates. Apple has repeatedly demonstrated that customers will pay more when new devices deliver meaningful improvements. Even modest price increases spread across hundreds of millions of annual iPhone sales can generate billions of dollars in additional revenue.

Meanwhile, Apple’s massive share repurchase program keeps shrinking the number of shares outstanding. As earnings rise and the share count falls, earnings per share receive an extra lift even before new products contribute meaningfully.

Key Takeaway In short, Apple doesn’t need to outperform Nvidia in AI chips to become more valuable. In fact, its go-slow approach to AI has proved to be a winning formula. Rather, it simply needs to keep doing what it has done for years — expand its ecosystem, deepen customer loyalty, generate enormous free cash flow, and return that cash to shareholders.

Granted, risks remain. Higher memory prices could pressure margins, and AI features still need to prove they can drive a major upgrade cycle. Yet Apple enters those challenges from a position of unusual strength. More than $100 billion in annual free cash flow, over 2 billion active devices, recurring Services revenue, and unmatched pricing power give it multiple paths to growth.

Ultimately, Apple is only about $320 billion away from overtaking Nvidia. For a company that has added trillions of dollars in market value over the past few years, crossing the $5 trillion mark before the end of 2026 no longer feels like a stretch. It feels like the next logical milestone.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Apple didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reignited their nearly decade-long feud over the weekend, trading barbs after Apple sued OpenAI for allegedly stealing its trade secrets.

In a Saturday post on X, Musk replied to another post announcing that OpenAI was suing Altman’s company, invoking his longtime nickname for Altman: “Scam Altman strikes again…”

A few minutes later, Musk jabbed at Altman again, writing: “He takes scamming to a whole new level.”

Tesla founder Elon Musk (above) lashed out at OpenAI’s Sam Altman after Apple sued the AI company. Getty Images The world’s richest man continued his barrage of posts with an image of Altman that included the words “I’m doing this because I love it” – writing, “By ‘this’ he means scamming.”

“He might literally love scamming more than any human alive!” Musk added.

The stream of posts apparently caught Altman’s attention, who quickly took the opportunity to lash out at Musk’s own business ventures – including his debut of rocket-launch firm SpaceX on the Nasdaq last month, which was the largest-ever IPO. OpenAI has filed for its own IPO.

“[H]omeboy you’re the one sellling [sic] public market investors on short-term space datacenters,” Altman wrote in a Saturday post that has racked up nearly 15 million views.

Musk replied: “We start flying them next year. Maybe you can come see them if your parole officer approves. After stealing an open source AI charity, you then stole all of Apple’s phone technology! Wow. What do you plan for an encore? That’s tough to beat.”

In a lawsuit filed Friday, Apple alleged that “at every level… OpenAI has been stealing Apple’s trade secrets.” According to the complaint, one junior employee improperly used an Apple employee’s login credentials to access company servers.

Apple also alleges that OpenAI hardware chief Tang Tan – who spent 24 years at Apple, including as vice president of product design – solicited confidential information from Apple employees interviewing for jobs. Tan allegedly encouraged them to bring “actual parts” from Apple to “show and tell” sessions. 

The lawsuit harks back to Apple’s bruising legal war against Google’s Android ecosystem more than a decade ago – during which Steve Jobs vowed to wage “thermonuclear war” against what he called a “stolen product.”

Apple also previously accused Samsung of “slavishly” copying the iPhone with its smartphones. Samsung denied the allegations, and after years of courtroom fights the companies settled in 2018.

But Altman took Musk’s mockery on Saturday as a chance to promote OpenAI’s newest chatbot.

Last week, OpenAI released GPT-5.6 Sol while Musk launched Grok 4.5.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (above) criticized Musk’s SpaceX IPO. Getty Images “[T]here are a lot of benchmarks that suggest 5.6 sol is the best model in the world right now, but the most reliable way to tell is that elon is obsessed with me again,” Altman taunted.

Altman also replied to a post from a Tesla fan account accusing the OpenAI exec of being scared of Apple, responding: “[I] am not afraid of apple [sic], but i [sic] have tremendous respect for them. s-tier [sic] company.”

Nikita Bier, who leads X’s product division, responded: “Incredible trade secrets as well, some of the best.”

Musk and Altman initially worked together to launch OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit AI research lab – but they devolved from colleagues into public enemies as Musk launched a legal battle against OpenAI. 

Musk and Altman initially worked together to launch OpenAI in 2015. REUTERS In 2018, Musk left OpenAI’s board after donating tens of millions to the nonprofit. He later sued the company for attempting to transition into a for-profit vehicle, alleging he was misled into believing it would stay a nonprofit.

A jury ruled in favor of Altman and OpenAI, though Musk has said he plans to appeal the case.

Tensions between the pair heated up after Musk brought over AI researchers and engineering staffers from OpenAI for his own businesses, while also pressuring OpenAI to allow him to merge the lab with Tesla.

After OpenAI refused, Musk ended his donations to the company.

Last summer, Musk sued Apple and OpenAI, alleging they colluded to demote Grok in the App Store’s rankings of AI chatbots. The case is ongoing and has not gone to trial.

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2026-07-13T14:16:39.758Z

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Meta is pushing advertisers to use its AI tools — and results are proving chaotic: strangely twisted limbs, gibberish writing, or entirely changed products.

Meta's response to brands: That's on you, not us.

The tech giant has inserted a slew of AI features into its ad products in recent months. Working as designed, they can help make tweaks to ads that improve their likelihood of being clicked. But advertisers say the tools are clunky and generate misrepresentations and absurdities.

Business Insider spoke with eight advertisers and agency execs who said dealing with Meta AI problems had become routine.

Jessica Gleim, an ads consultant who works with female-founded brands, told Business Insider she regularly sees odd outcomes in Meta's AI creative recommendations for ads she's working on.

For one of her clients, a pajama brand, Meta recommended new assets that altered the actual product. The brand was promoting a pajama dress, and Meta suggested a new image with a shirt and pants. For another client, a networking group for women in Montana, Meta had a new vision for those ads: adding men.

Meta AI's suggested changes to a women's group ad included adding a man.  BI "It's not usable to help my clients grow their business," Gleim said.

While some of Meta's AI ad features are turned off by default, advertisers say they have been prone to bugs that accidentally turn them on. Karissa Tuccio, executive director of social and influencer at Mediassociates, said a bug that toggled AI settings on had regularly affected most of the 15 clients for whom she handles Meta advertising. She said she had flagged the bug to her Meta rep as recently as Thursday.

Meta's AI completely changed the product in this suggested ad tweak that Gleim encountered.  BI Outdoor retailer REI drew consumer backlash last month for running an Instagram ad depicting a nonsensical bike with two handlebars. REI said Meta had "auto-enrolled" it in an AI feature that spat out an "inaccurate" and "inappropriate" image.

A Meta spokesperson said that the company's terms of service state that "AI can make mistakes and that it is the advertiser's responsibility to review the AI outputs."

Advertisers' chief complaint about Meta's AI ad tools is simple: They feel they have to double-check all the AI features for each campaign to make sure nothing is inadvertently switched on or has gone haywire. With some advertisers and agencies running hundreds or thousands of ads at any given time, the extra steps required to wrangle the AI tools create more work.

REI's AI ad accident drew a big online backlash from customers.  BI "We somehow accepted that as a new standard operating procedure," said Rok Hladnik, CEO of the marketing agency Flat Circle, which manages around $200 million in annual Meta ad spending for numerous direct-to-consumer brands.

Brands and advertisers say that while AI failures can be an amusing talking point on the internet, they can pose real problems for a brand.

"When the AI starts generating weird creative or making unapproved changes, it can quietly damage brand perception — especially for anyone who cares about consistency," said Robert Webster, CEO of TAU Marketing, which manages around $500 million in annual ad spending across various platforms.

A Valentine's Day surpriseAround Valentine's Day, photographer and marketer Abigail Hogue was uploading an ad campaign to Meta. She works with a small business, Quite Literally Books, and had shot the creative assets for the holiday campaign with chocolates, macarons, candles, and books. Hogue was proud of the work she'd done.

"About 12 hours later, when everything was approved and started to run, I started getting some messages from friends and people that I knew and screenshots of some of these ads that were running, cheekily accusing me of AI slop," Hogue said.

The text on the products in the images was "garbled," and the "actual products look like knockoff iterations of themselves," she said.

Abigail Hogue was horrified at how Meta's AI altered her ad.  Quite Literally Books; BI When Hogue saw the AI ad, she went into a panic and edited the campaign in Meta's Ads Manager, turned off all AI creative enhancements, and then republished the ads.

She then spent hours in a back-and-forth with Meta customer service. Representatives told her it was a "sporadic" and "one-off occurrence," and also said it was a "glitch," according to screenshots of their exchange viewed by Business Insider. She requested a refund, and Meta acknowledged her request. Quite Literally Books said it hadn't received a refund as of Friday afternoon.

Other advertisers have told Business Insider about their strange Meta AI ads, ranging from an unrealistic granny in loungewear to a model whose leg appeared to be completely bent the wrong way.

Luke Jonas, chief growth officer of the marketing agency Nest Commerce, emphasized the importance of keeping a human in the loop when testing AI-generated ads.

"A machine optimizing for 6 million advertisers will occasionally give you two handlebars," Jonas said, referencing the REI ad.

While two advertisers said Meta appeared to have fixed a bug that was toggling AI settings on for their clients, Mediassociates' Tuccio said a similar issue persisted for her as of last week.

Tuccio said a Meta rep told her last week that Meta had developed a quality-control dashboard for big advertisers to ensure their ads don't go live with unwanted AI enhancements.

"She mentioned, 'If you guys have a big launch coming up, you can send me all the ad IDs, and we have an internal dash that will check to make sure all of the enhancements have been fully turned off,'" Tuccio said. "So that leads me to believe it has not been resolved."

'Meta's still the best platform'Starting last month, Meta began automatically applying an "AI info label" to ads when they use its AI tools — or third-party tools like Midjourney or Dall-E — to create or significantly edit their ads. To see it, users must click the three dots above an ad, select "about this ad," and then tap on "AI info." Google added labels last week to indicate whether ads were created or edited using AI.

Meta is also improving its AI image generation models. Last week, it began rolling out Muse Image, a model developed by its Superintelligence Labs, which can help advertisers develop their creative assets. (Following backlash, Meta on Friday removed a feature in Muse Image that let users generate AI images from other people's public Instagram posts, saying it "missed the mark.")

Still, advertisers say Meta's basic design encourages relinquishing control to the system, which can lead to disastrous results.

"The defaults are aggressive, the toggles are easy to miss, and the system is clearly designed to reduce friction so more money flows through the platform with less manual intervention," TAU's Webster said.

Meta says "millions of advertisers are finding value and improved performance using our Advantage+ creative tools to support ad creation." The Meta spokesperson added that the company's AI image generation tool, which creates variations based on a seed image provided by the advertiser, is turned off by default.

Meta isn't alone in automatically modifying advertisers' creative. Google's Performance Max and AI Max products also use AI to scrape ad copy from brand websites and automatically crop or shorten videos for placements such as YouTube Shorts. Some of these AI automation features are enabled by default, though Google has largely avoided the kind of high-profile issues Meta has seen.

Danny Weisman, cofounder of Obsessed Media, said the main complaint he's heard about Google from brands is that ads made with its AI tools could turn out looking "ugly."

"It's not like someone's hand is missing," he said.

Meta's ad business, which pulled in around $196 billion in revenue last year, remains essential to most brands' customer acquisition strategies. Its reach of 3.5 billion daily active users and highly sophisticated ad targeting platform make it difficult to quit, even if problems arise.

"That means it can make unpopular decisions that boost its own profits with near impunity, because most advertisers cannot realistically walk away," TAU's Webster said.

Then there's the simple truth: Meta ads generally get results.

"Meta's still the best platform," Gleim said. "It has the most robust options. It has the most data."

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Lara O'Reilly You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

Lara O'Reilly is the anchor of the CMO Insider newsletter.She is a senior correspondent who has covered the digital advertising, marketing, and media industries since 2010. Her current beat includes big tech companies like Alphabet, and Meta, and adtech firms, agencies,  publishers, the creator economy, and CMOs.Lara has previously worked as a reporter and executive producer at titles including The Wall Street Journal, Digiday, Yahoo Finance, and Marketing Week. She was previously Business Insider's senior global advertising editor from 2014 to 2017.Lara was named "Digital Journalist of the Year" by the London Press Club in 2016.Lara is a regular guest on TV and radio and has appeared on outlets such as the BBC, NPR, SiriusXM's Wharton Business Daily, and CTV Television Network. She also frequently speaks on stage at major events such as Web Summit, IFA, VivaTech, Advertising Week, and Cannes Lions.To get in touch with Lara O'Reilly, email [email protected] or contact her on Signal at @loreilly.71Check out Insider's source guide for tips on sharing information securely.Read some of Lara's recent work below:

Inside Amazon's plan to clobber rivals The Trade Desk and Google in a key area of advertisingMeet Cindy Rose, the former lawyer and top Microsoft exec set to become CEO of ad giant WPPHow X CEO Linda Yaccarino went from Elon Musk's fixer to out of a job in 2 yearsInside the political reckoning shaking up the ad industryMeet the 'reclusive' tech billionaire making an audacious bid to buy TikTokTop marketers are under a ton of pressure. They told me how they're trying to make themselves recession-proof.Big Tech workers got too used to perks. The pampering is over.

Sydney Bradley You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

Sydney Bradley has been covering media and tech for Business Insider since 2020. She breaks news and writes extensively about Instagram and Facebook, as well as new platforms and startups shaping social media, dating apps, the creator economy, venture capital, and tech culture.Sydney's reporting on Instagram was nominated as a finalist for the 2021 Los Angeles Press Club National Entertainment Journalism Awards.She graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in American Studies. You can follow Sydney's work on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram at @sydneykbradley.Have a tip? You can also contact her via encrypted messaging app Signal (@sydneykbradley.123), encrypted email ([email protected]), or standard email ([email protected]). Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.Selected stories:

Young founders are going viral modeDeath isn't the end: Meta patented an AI that lets you keep posting from beyond the graveDating apps are betting millions that AI will convince you to fall back in love with themHitting the social media jackpot is harder than ever — and it's changing the creator economyBig Tech's AI obsession is rattling creatorsNew startups race to bring back the 'old internet' vibes of the 2000sThe mysterious demise of a $1 billion social shopping appThe loneliness epidemic has given rise to a new crop of startups aiming to help people connect in real lifeIt's not just you — no one is posting on social media anymoreHow Instagram's unpredictable changes are giving influencers whiplashWhy YouTube subscriber counts have become an unreliable 'vanity metric' in the era of short videoInside the week that changed Facebook forever

Lucia Moses You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

Lucia Moses covers the media and entertainment business, with a focus on creators. She's broken stories about MrBeast's business ambitions, Google's movie initiative, and Netflix's push into podcasts.Her reporting has won the Los Angeles Press Club's National Entertainment Journalism Awards.She previously worked at Digiday and Adweek and graduated from Cornell University.Reach her at [email protected], X at @lmoses, LinkedIn, or via phone/text/Signal at (917) 209-8549.Popular articles

MrBeast tries to cut down on his massive spending without killing the magicTikToker Khaby Lame's $975 million deal is riding on a crashing stockActors speak out against AI-generated promos that put them in fake sex scenesRob McElhenney is betting on himselfDisney has a kid crisisWhy Hollywood should be terrified of YouTube, not NetflixAmazon Studios is growing fast and spending big on shows like 'Citadel,' but insiders say unclear creative direction, leadership shifts, and tech bureaucracy threaten to drive away staff and talent

Meta’s First AI Monetization PushIn a note, JPMorgan said Meta’s newly launched Model API marks the company’s first meaningful step toward external AI monetization. The public preview allows developers to build applications using Meta’s latest Muse Spark 1.1 model, opening the door to revenue streams beyond the company’s core digital advertising business.

The bigger surprise, however, may be the price.

According to JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth, comments from a Bloomberg interview with CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggest Meta plans to charge roughly 25% of what leading AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic cost, a pricing strategy the bank believes could help Meta quickly gain traction with developers and enterprise customers.

“API pricing at a fraction of competitors should help Meta gain external monetization scale,” Anmuth said.

A New Front In The AI RaceThe aggressive pricing comes as Meta appears to be shifting from building AI solely for internal products to competing directly in the enterprise AI market.

He also pointed to early signs of a broader enterprise strategy following the launch of Meta’s Business Agent platform and Model API, calling the move an encouraging step toward monetizing AI outside advertising.

Making A Massive AI Bet Pay OffThe monetization push also helps answer one of Wall Street’s biggest questions: how Meta plans to generate returns on its enormous AI spending.

JPMorgan expects Meta’s capital expenditures to reach $142 billion in 2026, up 104% year over year, before climbing to $202 billion in 2027, with the potential for further increases.

At the same time, Reuters recently reported that Meta plans to expand its AI compute capacity to 7 gigawatts in 2026 and 14 gigawatts in 2027, giving the company enough infrastructure to support both its own AI products and new external businesses.

Beyond selling AI models through APIs, Anmuth also sees another opportunity. Zuckerberg recently suggested excess computing capacity could eventually be rented out, giving Meta the flexibility to monetize its infrastructure if it builds more capacity than its internal AI products require.

For now, JPMorgan remains Neutral on Meta with a $725 price target, but said the company’s improving AI models, early monetization efforts and willingness to expand beyond advertising could create upside if developer adoption and enterprise demand accelerate.

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SummaryTesla, Inc. delivered 480,126 vehicles, exceeding consensus by 18%, while deliveries outpaced production, signaling healthy inventory reduction ahead of earnings.Consecutive EPS surprises, including a 17.15% Q1 beat, alongside consistent revenue outperformance have strengthened confidence in Tesla's near-term fundamentals.Analysts continue raising TSLA forecasts, with Q2 EPS estimates up 8.89% and revenue expectations climbing 4.8% over the past month.Consensus projects newer vehicle deliveries to surge 546% by FY30, supporting a higher-margin product mix beyond the mature Model 3/Y lineup.Robotaxi expansion, regulatory scrutiny, and widely dispersed earnings estimates remain key TSLA risks that could challenge Tesla's long-term valuation assumptions. LPETTET/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Investment Thesis The market has finally started to catch up with what has been happening at Tesla, Inc. (TSLA). While it was skeptical about the stock during the last few months due to

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Key Takeaways Coca-Cola is making digital capabilities core pillars of its consumer engagement strategy.Connected packaging links interactive experiences with insights, purchases and retailer campaigns.Consumer data guides innovation, targeted marketing and localized campaigns across global brands. The Coca-Cola Company's (KO - Free Report) digital transformation is evolving from a marketing support tool into a core pillar of its consumer engagement strategy. In first-quarter 2026, management repeatedly emphasized that digital capabilities are helping the company become more consumer-centric by delivering greater precision in how it reaches, understands and serves consumers. Rather than relying on broad campaigns, Coca-Cola is using data, personalization and connected experiences to strengthen engagement and encourage repeat purchases.

A key element of this strategy is connected packaging. Through the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour campaign, consumers can scan Coca-Cola packages to access interactive experiences, games, music, ticket giveaways and personalized content. Beyond driving engagement, these interactions provide valuable consumer insights that help Coca-Cola tailor future campaigns and product offerings more effectively. Management believes that this creates a direct link between brand engagement and purchase behavior while strengthening retailer partnerships through transaction-focused campaigns.

Digital capabilities also complement Coca-Cola's broader "4 I's" framework of insights, innovation, intimacy and integrated execution. Consumer data is shaping product innovation, such as the launch of Coca-Cola Zero Zero in Europe after identifying that many consumers seek caffeine-free beverages during evening occasions. The company is pairing these insights with targeted packaging, pricing and marketing to improve trial and repeat purchases. Similar localized digital campaigns support Sprite, Fuze Tea and regional brands across the global markets.

Importantly, Coca-Cola is embedding digital engagement across its distribution network rather than limiting it to marketing. Management noted that digital tools are helping connect consumers, retailers and bottling partners while improving execution at scale. As Coca-Cola continues integrating personalized experiences with its extensive global reach, its digital investments could deepen consumer relationships, improve campaign effectiveness and create a stronger platform for sustained long-term engagement.

Is Digital Push Driving Growth for PEP & MNST?Digital engagement is becoming a key competitive battleground in the beverage industry, prompting investors to assess whether PepsiCo Inc. (PEP - Free Report) and Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST - Free Report) are converting technology investments into stronger consumer growth.

PepsiCo is strengthening consumer engagement by combining digital activation with major global partnerships and personalized brand experiences. The company plans to leverage its FIFA, UEFA Champions League and Formula 1 sponsorships to create incremental consumer occasions, while expanding engagement through customized communications tailored to local markets and celebrations. It is also increasing consumer interactions around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reinforcing digital and experiential marketing as key drivers of brand relevance and long-term growth.

Monster Beverage is using digital transformation primarily to strengthen its commercial and operational capabilities while supporting consumer engagement through expanding e-commerce and innovation. The company reported record monthly sales at a key online retailer in March and said that it is modernizing enterprise platforms, commercial operations and supply chains through its digital transformation initiative, including an SAP S/4HANA upgrade. These efforts aim to enhance execution, improve consumer reach and support long-term growth.

Zacks Rundown for Coca-ColaKO shares have rallied 19.4% in the year-to-date period compared with the industry’s growth of 12.5%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, Coca-Cola is trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24.69X, higher than the industry’s 19.25X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KO’s 2026 and 2027 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 8.7% and 6.9%, respectively. Earnings estimates for both 2026 and 2027 have been unchanged in the past 30 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Coca-Cola currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.

It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) Alphabet is one of the most innovative companies in the modern technological age. Over the last few years, the company has evolved from primarily a search-engine provider to cloud computing, ad-based video and music streaming, autonomous vehicles, healthcare and others. In the online search arena, Google has a monopoly with roughly 90% of the online search volume and market. Over the years, the company has witnessed increase in search queries, resulting from ongoing growth in user adoption and usage, primarily on mobile devices, continued growth in advertiser activity, and improvements in ad formats.

GOOGL is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. GOOGL has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 32.5% for the current fiscal year.

For fiscal 2026, four analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.03 to $14.32 per share. GOOGL boasts an average earnings surprise of +34.4%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, GOOGL should be on investors' short list.

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On June 17, 2026, Jeff Bezos stood on a stage in Paris and told the world: “We’re going to have labor scarcity. People are pessimistic because a bunch of smart people are telling them to be pessimistic.” His company had cut 16,000 jobs five months earlier, in January 2026, citing AI as a driver. That contradiction defines the 2026 labor market.

Speaking at VivaTech 2026, as reported by Fortune, Fox Business, and The Hill, Bezos delivered a bull case worth hearing in full before the data pushes back.

Bezos’s Argument AI raises productivity, lowers costs, and creates more demand than the current workforce can meet. A bulldozer did not eliminate construction workers. When ATMs arrived, banks opened more branches and hired more customer-facing staff. Jevons Paradox: when a tool gets cheaper, people use more of it. Radiologists and software engineers get “elevated” rather than replaced. AI-driven productivity could lower the cost of essentials and let some dual-income households choose to have one earner step back. His clearest line: “AI is going to create a labor shortage.”

The Data That Contradicts Him Across tech, more than 115,000 jobs were cut through May 2026. Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that of more than 97,000 total job cuts in May, US employers cited AI as the leading reason for 38,579, about 40% of all cuts. Goldman Sachs estimates AI is eliminating roughly 16,000 US jobs per month, with Gen Z absorbing the heaviest impact. An HR Digest analysis pinned 22% of all 2026 layoffs on AI. Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman warns most white-collar tasks could be automated within 18 months.

Both sides may be right about different timeframes. Gartner projects AI will create more jobs than it eliminates beginning in 2028. Aggregate labor data still looks resilient: unemployment sat at 4.2% in June 2026, JOLTS openings rose to 7.59M in May, and average hourly earnings climbed to $37.64. Macro tightness supports Bezos’s directional claim; the monthly cut data supports the pessimists.

The Amazon Irony Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN | AMZN Price Prediction) is funding the future Bezos describes while thinning the workforce along the way. In Q1 2026, CEO Andy Jassy reported AWS revenue of $37.587 billion, up 28% year over year, the fastest growth in 15 quarters, alongside capital expenditures of $44.203 billion in a single quarter and full-year 2026 capex guidance of approximately $200 billion (see the Q1 2026 8-K). Jassy told analysts an internal service rebuild that “would have taken 40 or 50 people about a year” was completed by “five really smart, AI-forward-thinking people” in 65 days. That productivity gain is precisely what makes the labor picture ambiguous.

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The Investing Angle If AI expands demand for human labor, the infrastructure layer rides a multi-decade capex cycle. NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) is up 13.25% YTD, Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) up 15.99%, and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) up 14.26%. Microsoft has lagged at down 20.02% YTD, a reminder that even winners in the buildout face digestion risk.

If millions need new skills, retraining plays become structural beneficiaries. Coursera (NYSE:COUR) reported more than 20 generative AI enrollments per minute in Q1 2026, though the stock is down 22.42% YTD to $5.71 as enterprise growth lags consumer.

What Workers Should Do The most exposed roles are entry-level, task-based, and undifferentiated. The roles that survive are the elevated ones: oversight, auditing, specialized AI engineering, and training. Bezos may be right about where AI takes the labor market. Workers cut in January 2026 need a bridge to get there. The central question of 2026 is how long the transition takes. Retrain now.

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Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

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I hit the buy button on Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN | AMZN Price Prediction) again last week, and I plan to do it again this month. The louder the crowd complains about the $200 billion capex bill, the more convinced I am they are staring at the receipt while ignoring the meal being served.

Amazon is using its retail and logistics cash engine to fund a cloud infrastructure moat that competitors cannot easily replicate, and the enterprise AI commitments already stacked on top of it read like a decade of pre-paid revenue.

The Data Behind the Conviction AWS revenue reached $37.6 billion in Q1 2026, growing 28% year over year, the fastest pace in 15 quarters, on a base now running at $150 billion annualized. The AWS backlog sits at $364 billion, excluding the recent $100+ billion Anthropic deal. Those are signed contracts in the queue.

Amazon’s chips business (Graviton, Trainium, Nitro) crossed a $20 billion annual revenue run rate in Q1 2026 with triple-digit growth. OpenAI committed to roughly 2 GW of Trainium capacity starting 2027, and Anthropic secured up to 5 GW. CEO Andy Jassy called the unit “one of the top three data center chip businesses in the world”, with Trainium commitments alone over $225 billion.

Advertising crossed $70 billion in TTM revenue, unit growth in Stores hit 15%, and consolidated operating margin reached 13.1%, the highest ever. Return on equity sits at 24.3%, with interest coverage at 35x.

Why Not Microsoft or Alphabet Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) are obvious alternatives. Amazon is out-committing them on infrastructure while demand is already contracted. FactSet consensus pegs 2026 capex at $127.55 billion for Amazon versus $95.99 billion for Microsoft and $92.9 billion for Alphabet. AWS growth at 28% outpaces peer cloud growth. The hyperscaler pouring the most concrete when the customer roster already includes OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Uber, U.S. Bank, and the U.S. Army stands out on the infrastructure thesis.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Amazon didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

The Real Risk Trailing twelve-month free cash flow collapsed to $1.2 billion, a roughly 95% drop, and long-term debt climbed to $119.1 billion from $65.6 billion. Jassy addressed it directly: “in times of very high growth like now, where the CapEx growth meaningfully outpaces the revenue growth, the early years’ free cash flow is challenged until these initial tranches of capacity are being monetized.” Data centers carry 30-plus year useful lives, and chips and servers run five to six years. I am comfortable waiting for the monetization curve to meet the spending curve.

What Keeps the Buy Button Active The stock trades at $247.04, up only 7.03% year to date and 11.01% over the past year. Wall Street’s consensus target sits at $312.91, with 47 buy and 15 strong buy ratings against 4 holds and zero sells. A P/E near 32 for a company compounding operating cash flow at 20%+ with structural pricing power in the fastest-growing tier of enterprise computing is a bargain I keep taking.

For deeper reading on where the AI buildout money lands beyond chipmakers, our team’s 7 Stocks Powering the AI Boom (That Aren’t Chipmakers) report walks through picks I keep on my watchlist alongside this one.

I keep buying Amazon because the capex the market fears today is the exact invoice for the revenue the market has not yet learned to count.

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Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT | MSFT Price Prediction) at $384.36 looks compelling on the numbers.

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 13, 2026) - Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, a nationally recognized investor-rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) and certain of its officers.

This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Microsoft securities between May 1, 2025 and January 28, 2026, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/MSFT.

Microsoft Case Details

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements because they failed to disclose that:

Microsoft's Copilot family of products had experienced significant brand positioning, user experience, usage, data siloing, computational capacity, organizational, and interoperability problems; Microsoft's flagship proprietary AI model ranked well below competitors on a number of benchmark tests; Microsoft needed to increase by billions of dollars its capital expenditures and divert graphics processing unit ("GPU") and central processing unit ("CPU") capacity away from fulfilling demand for its profitable Azure services in order to improve the competitive positioning of its critical Copilot family of products and increase its AI-related research and development ("R&D"); and as a result of the above, Microsoft had failed to convert a significant percentage of its commercial Microsoft 365 users to paid Copilot subscriptions and Microsoft's Copilot offerings had lost market share to rival products, a trend that was increasing.What's Next for Microsoft Investors?

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm's site: bgandg.com/MSFT, or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Client Relations Manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 917-590-0911. If you suffered a loss in Microsoft you have until August 11, 2026, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff.

No Cost to Microsoft Investors

We, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC, represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.

Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC for Microsoft Securities Class Action?

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide. More at www.bgandg.com

"Our practice centers on restoring investor capital and ensuring corporate accountability, which serves to uphold the essential integrity of the marketplace," said Peretz Bronstein, Founding Partner of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC.

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/301529

Source: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

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Here at Zacks, we offer our members many different opportunities to take full advantage of the stock market, as well as how to invest in ways that lead to long-term success.

The Zacks Premium service makes this easier. It features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank; full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List; Equity Research reports; and Premium stock screens like the Earnings ESP filter. All of these can help you quickly identify what stocks to buy, what to sell, and what are today's hottest industries.

The service also includes the Focus List, which is a long-term portfolio of top stocks that boast a winning, market-beating combination of growth and momentum qualities.

Breaking Down the Zacks Focus ListIf you could get access to a curated list of stocks to kickstart your investment portfolio, wouldn't you jump at the chance to take a peek?

Enter the Zacks Focus List. It's a portfolio made up of 50 stocks that are set to beat the market over the next 12 months; each company selected serves as a foundation for long-term investors looking to create an individual portfolio.

Additionally, each selection is accompanied by a full Zacks Analyst Report, something that makes the Focus List even more valuable. The report explains in detail why each stock was picked and why we believe it's good for the long-term.

The portfolio's past performance only solidifies why investors should consider it as a starting point. For 2020, the Focus List gained 13.85% on an annualized basis compared to the S&P 500's return of 9.38%. Cumulatively, the portfolio has returned 2,519.23% while the S&P returned 854.95%. Returns are for the period of February 1, 1996 to March 31, 2021.

Focus List MethodologyWhen stocks are picked for the Focus List, it reflects our enduring reliance on the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Earnings estimates, or expectations of growth and profitability, come from brokerage analysts who track publicly traded companies; these analysts work together with company management to analyze every aspect that may affect future earnings, like interest rates, the economy, and sector and industry optimism.

Earnings estimate revisions are very important, since investors also need to take into consideration what a company will earn in the future.

The stocks that receive positive changes to earnings estimates are more likely to receive even more upward changes in the future. Take this example: if an analyst raised their estimates last month, they'll probably do so again this month, and other analysts will follow.

Utilizing the power of earnings estimate revisions is when the Zacks Rank joins the party. A unique, proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank uses changes to quarterly earnings expectations to help investors create a winning portfolio.

Four primary factors make up the Zacks Rank: Agreement, Magnitude, Upside, and Surprise. Each is given a raw score that's recalculated every night and compiled into the Rank, and with this data, stocks are then classified into five groups, ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Strong Sell."

The Focus List is comprised of stocks hand-picked from a long list of #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy) ranked companies, meaning that each new addition boasts a bullish earnings consensus among analysts.

Because stock prices react to revisions, buying stocks with rising earnings estimates can be very profitable. Focus List stocks offer investors a great opportunity to get into companies whose future earnings estimates will be raised, potentially leading to price momentum.

Focus List Spotlight: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD - Free Report) Advanced Micro Devices has strengthened its position in the semiconductor market on the back of its strong product portfolio. Santa Clara, CA-based AMD generated revenues of $34.64 billion in 2025. The company reports operations under three segments – Data Center, Client and Gaming, and Embedded – which accounted for 48%, 42%, and 10% of revenues, respectively.

AMD, a #3 (Hold) stock, was added to the Focus List on May 19, 2025 at $117.17 per share. Since then, shares have increased 376.14% to $557.89.

For fiscal 2026, three analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.08 to $7.22. AMD boasts an average earnings surprise of 6.5%.

Moreover, analysts are expecting AMD's earnings to grow 73.1% for the current fiscal year.

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NKE's brand investments are strengthening demand and engagement, but higher marketing and transformation costs may pressure near-term margins.

Nvidia stock is struggling to match the chip sector overall despite huge AI spending announcements.

It's hard to find a bargain in today's ascending market. I think I have a couple. I believe Nvidia (NVDA 2.43%) and Upbound (UPBD +0.43%) are surprisingly cheap stocks in today's investing environment.

They are two very different companies. You know one. You probably don't know the other. Let's take a closer look at these two investments that seem affordable, each in its own unique way.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Nvidia My first name needs no introduction. The world's largest company by market cap is the lead horse in the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. Its chips are the backbone of AI data centers. They specialize in AI inference and reasoning, large language model training, and high-performance computing.

Business is booming, as you can probably imagine. Revenue has more than doubled in two of the last three years, rising by a still-impressive 66% in the outlier year. The 85% top-line jump it cleared in its latest quarter is its strongest showing in more than a year. You should expect to pay a market premium for that kind of octane, but that's not the case here.

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Nvidia stock is cheaper than you probably think. Revenue growth should slow from here, and its chunky adjusted net margin north of 40% doesn't seem sustainable. The current valuation might still surprise you.

Analysts see revenue accelerating in the current quarter, then slowing in the second half of the fiscal year ending in late January. They see the top line ultimately rising 82% this year, cut in half to 41% next year. Wall Street pros see a similar trajectory on the bottom line, with adjusted earnings climbing 88% and 42% through these next two fiscal years, respectively.

Nvidia is now trading at 23 times this fiscal year's adjusted earnings and at just 16 times next year's multiple. The market for high-end AI chips will intensify, but nearly every potential rival is growing substantially more slowly and trading at loftier P/E ratios. With Nvidia trading near its lowest year-ahead earnings multiple in years -- and analysts continuing to underestimate its financial performance -- one of the cheapest stocks right now could be the one with the largest market cap.

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2. Upbound Upbound isn't a household name for most investors and even its customers. This is the parent company of Rent-A-Center, a chain of more than 1,700 retail locations that offers lease-to-own options for furniture, appliances, and consumer electronics. Upbound also has Acima, an enterprise software platform that enables other retailers to drive sales through its lease-to-own solution. Finally, there is Brigit, a recently acquired personal finance app that has become its faster-growing business.

This may seem like an odd combination of high tech on top of an old-tech retailer, but it works. Its flagship Rent-A-Center business is a cash cow. Acima amplifies its reach, and Brigit helps it drive engagement and expand its market.

I may have buried the lede by waiting until the third paragraph to point out its current 7.4% yield. A high payout for a consumer-facing company can be a red flag. There are some clear risks here, but -- for now -- the distributions are more than viable. Revenue is moving higher for the third year in a row. Upbound expects to earn between $4.00 and $4.35 a share this year on an adjusted basis. It's trading for a little more than 5 times this year's adjusted earnings.

Its payout ratio is just 37% at the midpoint of its adjusted earnings guidance. The dividend rate seems safe in the near term, and it has actually increased those quarterly distributions five times in the last seven years.

It wouldn't be fair to end the Upbound discussion there. Let's talk about things that can go wrong. One immediate risk is the economy. A softening economy would hit lower-income families the hardest, and that's the target audience here. Another potential pothole is its substantial debt. This is a leveraged company with an enterprise value more than double its modest market cap.

The last hiccup could be regulatory. Some people consider rent-to-own merchants predatory, but what is the alternative for consumers who are short on cash and have low credit scores when it comes to securing essential household hard goods? If there were an easier way to bake the historically tangled default risk into a lower-cost ownership model, wouldn't it exist already? Upbound won't pass every investor sniff test, but the stock is textbook cheap at the moment.

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Max Kettner, HSBC’s chief multi-asset strategist, argued on CNBC’s Closing Bell Overtime on July 7, 2026, that mega-cap tech business models have “fundamentally changed in terms of taking on debt and being cash flow negative,” but the real story is that Wall Street walks into Q2 earnings expecting the worst on capex, which sets up a beat with real fuel behind it.

The five stocks that matter are Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG | GOOG Price Prediction), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), and NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA). Microsoft reports first on July 29, 2026, roughly two weeks away, and will set the tone.

The Low-Expectations Setup “We go into the Q2 reporting season with basically saying, oh my gosh, are they really going to be upgrading capex even more?” If hyperscalers confirm they can keep spending without breaking, that would “take the wind out of the sails of some of the AI bears.”

Look at Q1 results against sell-side estimates. Alphabet reported EPS of $5.11 versus a $2.63 consensus, a 94.10% beat, with Google Cloud revenue up 63% year over year and backlog nearly doubling quarter over quarter to over $460 billion. Meta printed $10.44 versus $6.66, a 56.79% beat, though most surprise came from $8.03 billion tax benefit tied to Treasury guidance on R&D costs. Amazon delivered $2.78 versus $1.73, a 60.69% beat, with AWS growing 28%, the fastest in 15 quarters. Microsoft’s AI business run rate hit $37 billion, up 123% year over year. NVIDIA reported data center revenue of $75.25 billion, up 92%, guided to $91 billion in Q2, and disclosed total supply commitments of $119 billion in its quarterly release. Five reports, five beats, most substantial.

Consensus revenue beats have narrowed to 1.24%-3.60% for Microsoft, while EPS beats remain in mid-single digits, meaning the Street is catching up on the top line but still lowballing profitability. Our team’s coverage of the names driving AI infrastructure spending digs into how that plays out across the supply chain.

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Why the Debt Fear Is Overblown The concern is capex financing. Alphabet guided $175 billion to $185 billion for 2026. Amazon set the bar around $200 billion. Meta lifted its range to $125 billion to $145 billion. Free cash flow is compressing at Alphabet, down 46.63% year over year in Q1, and Amazon’s TTM FCF has collapsed as capex nearly doubled.

Tech issuance is only about 10% of total supply so far this year of total supply, meaning the hyperscalers can fund what they need without saturating credit markets. Prediction markets echo the confidence. Polymarket assigns a 94.7% probability that Amazon’s 2026 capex exceeds $170 billion and an 87.5% probability that it exceeds $200 billion. The market is not pricing a funding crunch.

The Broadening Trap and What to Watch Tech and AI within the S&P are up more than 40% since early March, while the other roughly 50% of the index has only clawed back its losses over the same window. Alphabet is up 18.84% from March 2 through July 7. Amazon is up 18.04% over the same window. NVIDIA gained 8.05%. Meta actually slipped 5.65%, and Microsoft fell 2.22%, both weighing on the group’s average while the broader complex ran.

Kettner expects broad-based earnings delivery in coming weeks, then a fading catalyst. Watch three things in Q2 earnings reports. Whether capex guidance ticks higher again, particularly at Alphabet after its $35.67 billion Q1 spend. Whether AWS maintains its 28% growth rate or accelerates further. And whether NVIDIA’s Q2 guide of $91 billion proves conservative when management reports in late August. Kettner thinks it will. Nobody expects the upgrade cycle to continue. If it does, the bears lose their footing.

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Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Wall Street analysts forecast that Netflix (NFLX - Free Report) will report quarterly earnings of $0.79 per share in its upcoming release, pointing to a year-over-year increase of 9.7%. It is anticipated that revenues will amount to $12.57 billion, exhibiting an increase of 13.5% compared to the year-ago quarter.

The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This reflects how the analysts covering the stock have collectively reevaluated their initial estimates during this timeframe.

Before a company reveals its earnings, it is vital to take into account any changes in earnings projections. These revisions play a pivotal role in predicting the possible reactions of investors toward the stock. Multiple empirical studies have consistently shown a strong association between trends in earnings estimates and the short-term price movements of a stock.

While investors typically use consensus earnings and revenue estimates as indicators of quarterly business performance, exploring analysts' projections for specific key metrics can offer valuable insights.

In light of this perspective, let's dive into the average estimates of certain Netflix metrics that are commonly tracked and forecasted by Wall Street analysts.

The average prediction of analysts places 'Revenue- United States and Canada (UCAN)' at $5.50 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +11.6%.

It is projected by analysts that the 'Revenue- Asia-Pacific (APAC)' will reach $1.52 billion. The estimate indicates a change of +16.4% from the prior-year quarter.

The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Revenue- Latin America (LATAM)' of $1.50 billion. The estimate indicates a change of +15.1% from the prior-year quarter.

The consensus estimate for 'Revenue- Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)' stands at $4.04 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +14.2%.

View all Key Company Metrics for Netflix here>>>

Netflix shares have witnessed a change of -8.7% in the past month, in contrast to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4.3% move. With a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), NFLX is expected closely follow the overall market performance in the near term. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .

Key Takeaways BAC will report 2Q26 results on July 14, with revenues and earnings expected to rise y/y.BAC may benefit from higher NII, solid investment banking fees and strong trading activity in Q2.Investors should watch guidance and management commentary before initiating any new position in the stock. Bank of America (BAC - Free Report) is scheduled to announce second-quarter 2026 results on July 14, before the opening bell.

The company began 2026 on a positive note, with robust trading and investment banking (IB) performance driving first-quarter results. BAC’s upcoming quarterly results are also expected to be solid despite rate uncertainty and lingering geopolitical headwinds. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s second-quarter revenues is pegged at $30.62 billion, indicating 15.7% year-over-year growth.

In the past seven days, the consensus estimate for earnings for the to-be-reported quarter has been revised higher to $1.13. The figure suggests a 27% rise from the prior-year quarter, as higher net interest income (NII) and solid capital markets business are likely to have supported BAC’s bottom-line growth.

Estimate Revision Trend
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Bank of America has an impressive earnings surprise history. The company’s earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average beat being 7.3%.

Earnings Surprise History
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Key Drivers of Bank of America’s Q2 PerformanceNII: The interest rate environment remained supportive for Bank of America’s NII in the second quarter. The Federal Reserve paused its rate-cutting cycle and has signaled the possibility of a rate hike later this year as inflation remains stubbornly above its target. Sustained healthy lending yields have been favorable for banks, including BAC.

Building on the momentum seen in the first quarter, Bank of America’s lending activity is expected to have strengthened further in the to-be-reported quarter. According to the Federal Reserve’s latest data, the demand for commercial and industrial loans, and consumer credit remained resilient in the second quarter, while the demand for real estate loans was comparatively modest.

Thus, robust loan growth, combined with easing deposit and funding costs, is likely to have supported BAC’s NII growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s second-quarter tax-equivalent NII is $16.24 billion, indicating a 9.6% increase from the year-ago quarter’s actual.

IB Fees: After a record-setting first quarter, global deal-making activity moderated amid geopolitical uncertainty, persistent valuation gaps, slowing economic growth, elevated inflation and interest rates, and a stubbornly high backlog of private equity exits. Nevertheless, strategic buyers remained active, pursuing transactions aimed at enhancing scale, strengthening resilience and improving supply-chain security in response to the challenging operating environment.

Hence, while deal value declined in the second quarter (as only a handful of big transactions dominated the space), the volume of global mergers and acquisitions (M&As) improved year over year. This is expected to have supported Bank of America’s advisory fees.

Then, the second quarter saw strong IPO activity and equity issuances, including a blockbuster mega offering from SpaceX and Google parent Alphabet Inc. Likewise, global bond issuance volume was solid, driven by corporate refinancing and infrastructure builds. Thus, growth in BAC’s underwriting fees (accounting for almost 40% of total IB fees) is expected to have been strong in the to-be-reported quarter.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BAC’s total IB income of $1.96 billion for the second quarter indicates a rise of 37% from the prior-year quarter’s actual.

Trading Income: Client activity and market volatility were strong in the second quarter, though both were less pronounced compared with the preceding quarter. Trading conditions were influenced by shifting expectations around artificial intelligence, persistent geopolitical tensions, lingering inflation concerns and a more hawkish stance from the Fed. Volatility was high in equity markets and other asset classes, including commodities, bonds and foreign exchange. Thus, BAC is likely to have recorded a strong trading performance this time as well.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for market making and similar activities of $3.93 billion for the to-be-reported quarter suggests a 24.5% rise on a year-over-year basis. Management anticipates trading revenues in the second quarter to increase 15% year over year.

Expenses: While Bank of America managed expenses prudently in the past, expansion into new markets by opening financial centers and efforts to digitize operations and upgrade existing financial centers are expected to have kept non-interest expenses elevated in the to-be-reported quarter.

Asset Quality: After setting aside a modest amount for potential loan losses in the first quarter, Bank of America is likely to have maintained a similar provisioning trend in the quarter under review. Although the period began with concerns related to the Middle East conflict, oil price volatility and persistent inflation, the subsequent ceasefire helped drive a meaningful decline in crude prices. This, coupled with resilient economic growth and broadly stable credit conditions, is expected to have supported a decline in the company’s provision for credit losses.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for non-performing loans and leases of $6.68 billion implies an 11.6% increase from the prior-year quarter.

What Our Model Reveals About BAC’s Q2 EarningsPer our proven model, the chances of an earnings beat for BAC are high this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is the case here, as you can see below.

Bank of America has an Earnings ESP of +0.64%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

The company carries a Zacks Rank #3 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

BAC’s Price Performance & Valuation AnalysisIn the second quarter, BAC shares gained 15.6%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index. In the same time frame, shares of two of its close peers JPMorgan (JPM - Free Report) and Citigroup (C - Free Report) rallied 10.8% and 21.4%, respectively.

2Q26 Price Performance
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Both JPMorgan and Citigroup are slated to announce quarterly numbers on the same day as BAC.

Let us check out the value Bank of America offers investors at current levels. BAC stock is trading at a 12-month trailing price-to-tangible book (P/TB) of 2.14X. This is below the industry’s 3.38X. This shows that the stock is relatively inexpensive.

Price-to-Tangible Book (TTM)
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The BAC stock is trading at a discount compared with JPMorgan, which has a P/TB of 3.27X. However, Citigroup has a P/TB of 1.47X, making it inexpensive compared with Bank of America.

How to Approach BAC Shares Before Q2 Earnings?Bank of America is well-positioned to continue to benefit from its vast scale, extensive capital markets operations and international footprint (which will drive significant fee income).

Given the industry-wide solid lending scenario, along with stabilizing funding costs and the possibility of a rate hike later this year, the company’s NII growth is expected to be robust. Management expects NII (FTE basis) to grow in the upper end of 6-8% in 2026.

BAC’s aggressive branch expansion across the United States as part of a broader strategy to solidify customer relationships and tap into new markets will further drive interest income growth over time. This will also help capitalize on cross-selling opportunities.

However, while Bank of America’s outlook remains constructive, investors may want to avoid rushing to buy the stock. Instead, they should closely watch management’s commentary on how geopolitical risk and market volatility affect the company’s performance and how the firm plans to navigate the current environment. Any revisions to BAC’s 2026 guidance for NII, IB, non-interest expenses and asset quality will be especially important, given the recent macro developments. Broader macroeconomic and policy trends that could materially shape the company’s performance trajectory should also be carefully considered.

Existing shareholders may hold BAC stock, given its strong fundamentals and proven resilience. Potential investors should carefully weigh these factors and assess their risk tolerance before initiating new positions.

Key Takeaways Walmart fee revenues rose at a double-digit rate, with record first-quarter net additions. Members spend four times more and make seven times more annual e-commerce visits than non-members. WMT can reach about 60% of the U.S. population with delivery in 30 minutes or less. Walmart Inc. (WMT - Free Report) is steadily expanding the role of Walmart+ within its omnichannel strategy, making membership an increasingly important source of recurring revenues and customer engagement. As shoppers place greater value on convenience and savings, the program is helping deepen interaction across the company’s digital and physical retail network.

The first quarter of fiscal 2027 reflected continued momentum. Walmart+ membership fee revenues increased at a double-digit rate, while net additions reached a record first-quarter high. The program also contributed to Walmart U.S. adjusted operating income, which rose 5.7% during the quarter, alongside improved e-commerce economics and other income benefits.

The value of Walmart+ extends beyond membership fees. Members generally spend four times more than non-members and make seven times more e-commerce visits annually. Those engagement trends complement Walmart’s broader digital performance, with Walmart U.S. e-commerce sales increasing 26%, supported by store-fulfilled delivery, marketplace and advertising.

Convenience is also strengthening the membership proposition. More than 36% of U.S. store-fulfilled deliveries were completed in less than three hours, while Walmart can now reach approximately 60% of the U.S. population with deliveries in 30 minutes or less. Faster fulfillment is supporting greater engagement and making the program more useful for everyday purchases.

Walmart+ is also becoming more relevant as consumers seek additional savings. Members increased their use of fuel benefits during the quarter as gasoline prices remained elevated.

The latest results suggest that Walmart+ is becoming a more meaningful part of WMT’s business model. By combining recurring fee revenues with higher spending, stronger digital activity and greater convenience, the program is supporting the company’s broader omnichannel momentum.

What Do the Latest Metrics Say About Walmart?Walmart, which competes with Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST - Free Report) and Target Corporation (TGT - Free Report) , has seen its shares rally 18.9% over the past year compared with the industry’s 16.4% growth. Shares of Costco have dipped 6.6%, while Target has gained 28.9% in the aforementioned period.

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From a valuation standpoint, Walmart's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 37.22, higher than the industry’s 33.98. The company is trading at a premium to Target (with a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 15.73) while trading at a discount to Costco (41.3). 

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Focus List Spotlight: JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM - Free Report) Headquartered in New York, JPMorgan Chase & Co. is one of the biggest global banks with assets worth $4.90 trillion and total stockholders’ equity worth $364 billion as of March 31, 2026. With operations in more than 60 countries, the company (incorporated under Delaware law in 1968) is one of the largest financial service firms globally.

JPM, a #2 (Buy) stock, was added to the Focus List on October 10, 2016 at $68.11 per share. Since then, shares have increased 394.01% to $336.47.

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, /PRNewswire/ -- (NYSE: JPM) Campbell Global, a leading timberland investment management firm and subsidiary of J.P. Morgan Asset Management, is pleased to announce the promotion of Michael Barbara to Head of Global Acquisitions, effective immediately.

Michael Barbara, Campbell Global, Head of Global Acquisitions In his new role, Mr. Barbara will lead Campbell Global's timberland investment activities worldwide, including investment origination, due diligence, transaction execution, and divestments. He will also continue his current responsibility as Head of Australasia. Michael will contribute to the firm's global investment strategy as a member of the executive team, investment committee, and price forecast team.

Mr. Barbara brings more than 20 years of experience in forestry and nature-based asset investment management. Prior to joining Campbell Global in September 2024, he was a founding employee at New Forests, where he held senior leadership positions including Chief Commercial Officer and Director of Business Development.

Throughout his career, Mr. Barbara has led origination and execution initiatives across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North America, and Africa, developing and implementing investment strategies focused on delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns through the sustainable management of timberland, land, carbon, and other nature-based assets. He is based in Sydney, Australia.

"We are delighted to recognize Michael's leadership and expertise with this well-deserved appointment," said Angela Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Campbell Global. "His deep industry experience and commitment to sustainable investment will continue to advance our platform and capabilities globally."

Campbell Global also extends its sincere gratitude to Stan Renecker, who has led acquisitions at the firm for more than 36 years. Mr. Renecker will remain with Campbell Global through December 31, 2026, to ensure a successful transition. His leadership and dedication have been instrumental to the growth and longevity of the firm.

About Campbell Global
Campbell Global, a J.P. Morgan Company, is a leading global investment manager focused on forestland, with headquarters in Portland, Oregon. With over four decades of experience, Campbell Global has managed more than 5 million acres worldwide for pension funds, foundations, family offices, and other institutional investors. As of December 31, 2025, the firm oversees $10.9 billion in assets and 1.5 million acres globally, supported by approximately 140 employees.

In March 2025, Campbell Global closed its Forest & Climate Solutions Fund II, raising $1.5 billion—the largest private timberland investment fundraise to date. Including separate account mandates, total capital raised for the strategy reached $2.3 billion.

About J.P. Morgan Asset Management
J.P. Morgan Asset Management, with assets under management of $4.3 trillion (as of 3/31/2026), is a global leader in investment management. J.P. Morgan Asset Management's clients include institutions, retail investors and high net worth individuals in every major market throughout the world. J.P. Morgan Asset Management offers global investment management in equities, fixed income, real estate, hedge funds, private equity and liquidity. For more information, visit: www.jpmorgan.com/am.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America ("U.S."), with operations worldwide. JPMorganChase had $4.9 trillion in assets and $364 billion in stockholders' equity (as of 3/31/2026). The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. Under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands, the Firm serves millions of customers in the U.S., and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients globally. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

SOURCE J.P. Morgan Asset Management

JNJ is set to report second-quarter results on July 15 as investors weigh strong growth drivers, new launches and patent headwinds shaping its long-term outlook.