Market Signal Briefing

Core & Main (CNM - Free Report) could be a solid addition to your portfolio given a notable revision in the company's earnings estimates. While the stock has been gaining lately, the trend might continue since its earnings outlook is still improving.

Analysts' growing optimism on the earnings prospects of this distributor of water and fire protection products is driving estimates higher, which should get reflected in its stock price. After all, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. Our stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is principally built on this insight.

The five-grade Zacks Rank system, which ranges from a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record of outperformance, with Zacks #1 Ranked stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 2008.

For Core & Main, there has been strong agreement among the covering analysts in raising earnings estimates, which has helped push consensus estimates considerably higher for the next quarter and full year.

The chart below shows the evolution of forward 12-month Zacks Consensus EPS estimate:

12 Month EPS

Current-Quarter Estimate RevisionsFor the current quarter, the company is expected to earn $0.48 per share, which is a change of +45.5% from the year-ago reported number.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Core & Main has increased 40.82% over the last 30 days, as two estimates have gone higher compared to no negative revisions.

Current-Year Estimate RevisionsThe company is expected to earn $2.94 per share for the full year, which represents a change of +38.0% from the prior-year number.

The revisions trend for the current year also appears quite promising for Core & Main, with two estimates moving higher over the past month compared to no negative revisions. The consensus estimate has also received a boost over this time frame, increasing 27.49%.

Favorable Zacks RankThe promising estimate revisions have helped Core & Main earn a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The Zacks Rank is a tried-and-tested rating tool that helps investors effectively harness the power of earnings estimate revisions and make the right investment decision.

You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Our research shows that stocks with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and 2 (Buy) significantly outperform the S&P 500.

Bottom LineInvestors have been betting on Core & Main because of its solid estimate revisions, as evident from the stock's 6.3% gain over the past four weeks. As its earnings growth prospects might push the stock higher, you may consider adding it to your portfolio right away.

Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CRNX) Discusses PALSONIFY Launch Progress and Phase 2 Atumelnant Results in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia January 5, 2026 8:30 AM EST

Company Participants

Gayathri Diwakar - Senior Director of Investor Relations
R. Struthers - Founder, President, CEO & Director
Alan Krasner - Chief Endocrinologist
Tobin Schilke - Chief Financial Officer
Isabel Kalofonos - Chief Commercial Officer
Garnet Howells

Conference Call Participants

Yasmeen Rahimi - Piper Sandler & Co., Research Division
Gavin Clark-Gartner - Evercore ISI Institutional Equities, Research Division
Tyler Van Buren - TD Cowen, Research Division
Leland Gershell - Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Research Division
Joseph Schwartz - Leerink Partners LLC, Research Division
Cory Jubinville - LifeSci Capital, LLC, Research Division
Alexander Thompson - Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Research Division
Jonathan Wolleben - Citizens JMP Securities, LLC, Research Division
Selena Zhang - Morgan Stanley, Research Division
Brian Skorney - Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, Research Division
Yuchen Ding - Jefferies LLC, Research Division
Jin Law - Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Research Division
Douglas Tsao - H.C. Wainwright & Co, LLC, Research Division
Catherine Novack - JonesTrading Institutional Services, LLC, Research Division

Presentation

Operator

Welcome to the Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Corporate Update Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] I will now turn the call over to Gayathri Diwakar, Head of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Gayathri Diwakar
Senior Director of Investor Relations

Thank you, operator. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us to discuss today's corporate update. On the call, we have Dr. Scott Struthers, Founder and Chief Executive Officer; and Dr. Alan Krasner, Chief Endocrinologists. Also joining for the Q&A portion will be Isabel Kalofonos, Chief Commercial Officer; Tobin Schilke, Chief Financial Officer; and Dr. Garnet Howells, Global Product Leader. Please note there's a slide deck for today's presentation, which is in the Events and Presentations section of the Investors page on Crinetics website. In addition, the press release is issued earlier today and is also available on the corporate website.

January 05, 2026 13:30 ET

 | Source:

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.

COSTA MESA, Calif., Jan. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Pollo Loco, the nation’s leading fire–grilled chicken restaurant chain, is here to prove that eating better doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor. Introducing Double Pollo Salads: packed with bold flavors, premium ingredients, and double the fire-grilled chicken.

“At El Pollo Loco, we’re always looking for fresh ways to deliver craveable and affordable meal options, without compromising premium ingredients or customer experience,” said Jill Adams, Chief Marketing Officer at El Pollo Loco. “With three delicious flavor options these Double Pollo Salads, packed with more than 50 grams of protein*, are sure to be a crowd pleaser.”

What are the three delicious flavors? Mexican Caesar, Street Corn and Bacon Ranch – with each salad featuring super greens and crisp lettuce topped with two scoops of El Pollo Loco’s signature citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chopped chicken breast, alongside unique blends of delicious, premium ingredients.

Mexican Caesar Salad – A double-portion of citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chopped chicken breast, hand-sliced avocado, crumbled cotija cheese, crunchy tortilla strips, chili lime seasoning and freshly-prepared salsa fresca on a bed of super greens and crisp lettuce. Pour on El Pollo Loco’s new Mexican Caesar dressing and dig in!Street Corn Salad – A double-portion of citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chopped chicken breast, hand-sliced avocado, crumbled cotija cheese, chili lime seasoning, corn and diced red peppers and freshly-prepared salsa fresca on a bed of super greens and crisp lettuce, served with El Pollo Loco’s creamy cilantro dressing.Bacon Ranch Salad – Available for a limited time only, a double-portion of citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chopped chicken breast, hand-sliced avocado, crumbled cotija cheese, bacon, chili lime seasoning, and freshly-prepared salsa fresca on a bed of super greens and crisp lettuce, served with a new House Ranch dressing. The Double Pollo Salads are available now, so order yours today!

*Street Corn and Mexican Caesar Double Pollo Salads each contain 52 grams of protein. Bacon Ranch Double Pollo Salad contains 61 grams of protein. All calculations are without dressing.

About El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq: LOCO) is the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant known for its craveable, flavorful, and better-for-you offerings. Named by USA Today 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards as a “Best Restaurant for Quick, Healthy Food” two years in a row, our menu features innovative meals with Mexican-inspired flavors made daily in our restaurants using quality ingredients. At El Pollo Loco, inclusivity is at the heart of our culture. Our community of over 4,000 employees reflects our commitment to creating a workplace where everyone has a seat at our table. Since 1980, El Pollo Loco has successfully expanded its presence, operating more than 500 company-owned and franchised restaurants across nine U.S. states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Washington. The company has also extended its footprint internationally, with licensed restaurant locations in the Philippines. For more information or to place an order, visit the Loco Rewards app or ElPolloLoco.com. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or X.

CONTACT:
El Pollo Loco
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/059d2d32-d884-4d0b-986c-b67612042df5

EL POLLO LOCO® LAUNCHES PROTEIN-PACKED DOUBLE POLLO SALADS: TWICE THE CHICKEN, ALL THE FLAVOR
El Pollo Loco® Launches Protein-Packed Double Pollo Salads

Kitco News

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Kitco NEWS has a diverse team of journalists reporting on the economy, stock markets, commodities, cryptocurrencies, mining and metals with accuracy and objectivity. Our goal is to help people make informed market decisions through in-depth reporting, daily market roundups, interviews with prominent industry figures, comprehensive coverage (often exclusive) of important industry events and analyses of market-affecting developments.

Oracle Corp (NYSE:ORCL, XETRA:ORC) has seen its shares slide 41% from mid-September 2025 highs, reflecting investor unease over the tech giant’s outlook and broader skepticism around OpenAI’s growth, according to UBS.

Despite the sell-off, the bank maintains a Buy rating on Oracle, citing potential revenue acceleration and a rebound in the AI narrative in 1H26.

UBS analysts highlight that confidence in Oracle could return if the company successfully ramps its Abilene data center, maintains lender support for its AI build-out, and introduces more transparent, capital-light financing options.

“While Oracle’s near-term performance is tied to broader OpenAI sentiment, there are several plausible paths for an OpenAI narrative reversal in 1H26,” UBS said. “This gives us confidence to remain positive on Oracle and other AI-exposed names.”

The correction in Oracle shares was not company-specific, UBS said, but part of a broader decline in AI-linked tech stocks amid investor concerns that OpenAI may struggle to meet its ambitious growth targets, which include a projected $200 billion in revenue by 2030. Factors driving caution include slowing ChatGPT user growth, competition from Google Gemini, and questions over OpenAI’s ability to fund its expansion without putting strain on partners like Oracle and Microsoft.

UBS sees several potential catalysts that could restore confidence in OpenAI—and by extension, Oracle and other exposed tech stocks—in 2026. OpenAI capital raises are already underway, reportedly targeting $100 billion at an $830 billion valuation. Additionally, ChatGPT usage metrics have improved, particularly in weekly active users. The release of GPT-6, expected in the first quarter, may potentially drive a step-change in AI performance, analysts believe. What’s more, OpenAI now deriving around 40% of revenues from enterprise customers, alongside plans for advertising and better free-to-paid conversion rates.

Developments from xAI and Oracle’s partnerships, including potential Grok 5 releases, which could bolster compute demand and backlogs.

UBS also noted that enterprise AI adoption remains early-stage, with just 17% of surveyed organizations at scale, but the trend is upward. OpenAI remains the dominant AI provider to enterprises, ahead of rivals such as Google Gemini.

From a valuation perspective, Oracle trades at 29x CY26 EPS and 11x FY30 EPS, which UBS considers reasonable given projected 32% EPS CAGR through FY30. The bank trimmed its price target from $325 to $280, citing both OpenAI concentration risk and execution uncertainty.

“Our bottom line is that this ‘OpenAI narrative reversal’ has a reasonable enough chance of playing out that we’re biased to remaining positive on Oracle and other OpenAI-exposed stocks in 2026,” UBS wrote.

Shares of Oracle traded lower on Monday at around $193.24.

Key Takeaways Vertiv is outperforming peers as AI-driven data center demand boosts orders and backlog momentum.
VRT is expanding capabilities through acquisitions that strengthen liquid cooling and service offerings.
Partnerships and AI-focused solutions are supporting Vertiv's growth across global data center markets.

Vertiv (VRT - Free Report) shares have gained 31% in the trailing 12-month period, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s increase of 22.6%. The Zacks Computers - IT Services industry declined 19.4% in the same time frame.

The company has also outperformed its closest peers, Super Micro Computer (SMCI - Free Report) and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE - Free Report) . Both Super Micro Computer and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise are expanding their capabilities in the AI infrastructure market. While Hewlett Packard Enterprise shares have rallied 5.8%, Super Micro Computer shares have plunged 15.1% over the trailing 12-month period.

The outperformance of VRT stock can be attributed to its extensive product portfolio, which spans thermal systems, liquid cooling, UPS, switchgear, busbars, and modular solutions. In the trailing 12 months, organic orders grew approximately 21%, with a book-to-bill of 1.4 times for the third quarter of 2025, indicating a strong prospect.

The backlog grew 12% sequentially and 30% year over year to $9.5 billion. This growth is primarily driven by the rapid adoption of AI and the increasing need for data centers to support the digital transformation.

VRT Stock Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Vertiv Expands Portfolio Through AcquisitionsAcquisitions have played an important role in expanding Vertiv’s portfolio. In December 2025, Vertiv finished its $1.0 billion purchase of PurgeRite.

This move strengthens its leadership in next-generation liquid cooling and thermal management services. The agreement improves system performance and reliability for High-Performance Computing and AI data centers by combining Vertiv’s thermal knowledge with PurgeRite’s flushing, purging, and filtration abilities.

The acquisition of Great Lakes and Weeleay has been noteworthy. The acquisition of Great Lakes strengthened Vertiv’s IT systems offering and deepened its presence in white space solutions. Vertiv’s acquisition of Weeleay enhanced its service capabilities by enabling real-time machine data analysis, operational trend identification and predictive actions for maintenance and energy optimization.

The global acceleration of AI adoption is driving significant demand for data center infrastructure. Vertiv is capitalizing on this trend, particularly in the Americas, which saw a 43% organic sales growth in the third quarter of 2025, and APAC, which grew 21% year over year.

Vertiv Benefits From Expanding Partner BaseVertiv’s rich partner base, which includes NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) , Caterpillar, Ballard Power Systems, Compass Datacenters, Oklo, Intel, ZincFive, and Tecogen, has been noteworthy.

In October 2025, Vertiv announced the launch of its gigawatt-scale reference architectures for the NVIDIA Omniverse DSX Blueprint, enabling faster, more flexible, and scalable deployment of next-generation AI factories. The company also announced the progress of its collaboration with NVIDIA, advancing 800 VDC power architectures to engineering readiness for next-generation AI factories.

VRT Initiates Positive 2025 GuidanceVertiv is benefiting from its strong portfolio and rich partner base, which will continue to benefit the company’s top-line growth.

For fourth-quarter 2025, revenues are expected to be between $2.81 billion and $2.89 billion. Organic net sales are expected to increase in the 18% to 22% range.

VRT expects fourth-quarter 2025 non-GAAP earnings per share between $1.23 and $1.00.

For 2025, revenues are now expected to be between $10.16 billion and $10.24 billion. Organic net sales growth is expected to be between 26% and 28%.

VRT’s Earnings Estimates Revisions Are SteadyThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter 2025 earnings is currently pegged at $1.28 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. The figure indicates a year-over-year increase of 29.29%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Vertiv’s fourth-quarter 2025 revenues is pegged at $2.86 billion, suggesting growth of 22.09% year over year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Vertiv’s 2025 revenues is pegged at $10.22 billion, suggesting growth of 27.53% year over year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings is currently pegged at $4.11 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. This indicates a 44.21% increase from the 2024 reported figure.

Vertiv Stock Is Trading at a PremiumVertiv is currently overvalued, as suggested by a Value Score of D.

In terms of the trailing 12-month Price/Book, Vertiv is currently trading at 19.14X compared with the broader Computer and Technology sector’s 10.74X.

VRT Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ConclusionVertiv is benefiting from its strong portfolio and rich partner base, which are driving order growth. These factors justify the company’s premium valuation.

Vertiv stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and has a Growth Score of A, a favorable combination that offers a strong investment opportunity, per the Zacks Proprietary methodology. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS, XETRA:WDP) is expected to post a mixed performance in its first fiscal quarter, according to Bank of America analysts who project stronger growth in the latter half of the year.

The analysts wrote that the quarter “will reflect several moving parts in the underlying business.”

At the box office, Zootopia 2 performed strongly, but this was partially offset by softer results from other live-action releases.

In the company’s Experiences segment, attendance was weighed down by lower international visitor traffic at domestic parks, as well as costs related to cruise ship pre-openings and dry docks. “More positively, DIS is facing an easier fiscal Q1 comp from the hurricanes last year,” the analysts added.

Bank of America also highlighted Disney’s upcoming cruise launch, noting that the company is on track to debut its largest ship to date, the Disney Adventure, in March 2026.

The analysts expect “flattish attendance growth, low-mid single digit per-cap increases augmented by a few points contribution from new cruise ships in H2, all driving high single digit topline growth.”

Disney made headlines in December by entering a three-year content licensing deal with OpenAI’s Sora, which includes a $1 billion equity investment and access for the AI platform to over 200 of Disney’s characters. The analysts wrote that while the partnership is “unlikely to have a significant P&L impact near term,” it could increase engagement with the company’s iconic intellectual property over time.

Noting these factors, Bank of America modestly lowered its first-quarter revenue estimate to $25.06 billion from $25.11 billion, and operating income to $4.5 billion from $4.7 billion. Full-year operating income was also trimmed slightly to $19.5 billion from $19.6 billion, with EPS now projected at $6.61.

Despite the mixed start, the analysts reiterated a ‘Buy’ rating and a $140 price target on Disney, which traded up 3.3% at about $115 in the early afternoon on Monday.

They cited growth in direct-to-consumer offerings, a reacceleration in parks, and multi-year sports initiatives as key drivers, writing that these factors “cement ESPN’s role as the premium sports platform.”

Bitcoin surprised the market by moving back above the $94,000 level over the weekend. Although the price pulled back slightly afterward, it is still holding near an important technical zone. This move is important because Bitcoin has not closed this strong on a weekly basis since mid-November.

Last week’s close near $91,550 marked the highest weekly close in nearly two months. Since breaking below this level in November, Bitcoin had struggled to regain momentum. This recent recovery suggests buyers are slowly stepping back in.

Why This Move Matters for BitcoinBitcoin’s rise did not happen during normal weekday trading. Instead, prices pushed higher over Saturday and Sunday. That is unusual and often seen as a sign of strong short-term demand.

Many analysts expected Bitcoin to climb later in the week, not so early. Because the move came faster than expected, the market may now need time to cool off before pushing higher again.

This does not mean the trend has turned bearish. It simply means Bitcoin may pause after moving up too quickly.

Short-Term Pullback Could Be HealthyAfter a strong rally, markets usually do not move straight up. A short pullback would be normal and even healthy for Bitcoin. It allows buyers to step in at lower levels and helps reset market sentiment.

If Bitcoin does dip, the area to watch is around $90,400. This level acted as resistance in late December and could now turn into support. As long as Bitcoin stays above this zone, the overall trend remains positive.

Only a clear drop below $90,150 would raise concerns that a short-term top has formed.

Altcoins and meme coins have seen sharp rallies in recent days. When smaller coins move too fast, it often signals that the market is getting overheated.

In past cycles, this type of activity has been followed by brief pullbacks across the market, including Bitcoin.

What Bitcoin Investors Should Expect This WeekBitcoin is still in an upward trend, but the market has moved from support into resistance. That shift increases the chances of sideways movement or a mild pullback in the coming days.

If Bitcoin holds above key levels, another push higher later this week is still possible.

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The first week of the year is starting out on a positive note, owing to the macro financial market response to the US’s attack on Venezuela being neutral. This makes the rest of the week appear rather bullish.

In line with the same, BeInCrypto has analysed three altcoins that investors should watch in the first week of January.

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Stellar (XLM)XLM trades near $0.233 at the time of writing, posting nearly 16% gains over the past seven days. Despite the recovery, Stellar remains capped by a downtrend line that has constrained price action for more than a month, limiting confirmation of a sustained reversal.

Breaking the downtrend requires XLM to reclaim the $0.241 resistance. The Parabolic SAR sits below the price, signaling an active uptrend. Continued capital inflows are necessary to sustain momentum. If demand holds, XLM could challenge $0.241 in the coming sessions.

Want more token insights like this? Sign up for Editor Harsh Notariya’s Daily Crypto Newsletter here.

XLM Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewFailure to escape the downtrend would expose downside risk. Under renewed selling pressure, XLM may retrace toward the $0.220 support. A breakdown below this level would invalidate the bullish thesis and could push the price further down to $0.206.

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Render (RENDER)RENDER surged 57% over the past week, ranking among the top-performing tokens. Alongside meme coins, AI-focused cryptocurrencies have gained strong traction since 2026 began. This renewed sector interest has driven speculative and fundamental demand, positioning RENDER as a notable beneficiary of the broader risk-on environment.

RENDER’s rally appears supported by solid capital inflows. The Chaikin Money Flow remains well above the zero line, signaling sustained accumulation. Strong holder participation increases the likelihood of continuation. If momentum holds, RENDER could extend gains beyond $2.18 and $2.34, reaching a two-month high.

RENDER Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewDownside risk persists if investors begin locking in profits. Increased selling pressure could push RENDER below the $2.00 psychological level. A breakdown may expose the $1.71 support, which would invalidate the bullish thesis and shift the near-term outlook toward consolidation or correction.

Onyxcoin (XCN)Another one of the altcoins to watch in the first week of January is XCN, which surged sharply over the past 24 hours, gaining 41% at its peak. The altcoin trades near $0.00595 after another failed attempt to break $0.00630. This level has been rejected three times over the past six weeks, remaining a critical resistance zone.

After losing momentum in late December, as the RSI highlights, XCN is showing renewed strength. Buyers appear to be returning, supporting the current rebound. For the rally to sustain, XCN must successfully retest $0.00535 as support, which would confirm stability and preserve short-term bullish structure.

XCN Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewDownside risk remains if support fails to hold. A drop below $0.00535 would weaken confidence and expose XCN to further losses. Under such conditions, price could slide toward the $0.00477 support, invalidating the bullish thesis and erasing recent gains.

TL;DR

Global digital asset products ended 2025 with $47.2bn of inflows, near 2024’s $48.7bn record, while weekly flows ended at $582m after $671m on Friday.
US inflows totaled $47.2bn, down 12% year on year, as Germany hit $2.5bn, Canada $1.1bn, and Switzerland $775m, up 11.5%.
Bitcoin inflows fell 35% to $26.9bn as Ethereum gained $12.7bn, up 138%, with XRP at $3.7bn and Solana at $3.6bn; other altcoins slipped 30% to $318m.

Digital asset investment products finished 2025 with $47.2bn of global inflows, just below 2024’s $48.7bn record, but the story shifted from simple accumulation to leadership change. The report frames a massive capital rotation away from Bitcoin as fresh demand leaned into a handful of large altcoins instead. Volatility was visible at the turn of the year: inflows of $671m on Friday still left the full week at $582m after earlier outflows. Overall appetite held up, yet the internal mix signaled a market repricing what it wants next for 2026 allocators across major product wrappers worldwide.

Capital Rotation Shows Up in Regions and Assets
Regionally, flows remained concentrated while momentum spread. The US accounted for $47.2bn of inflows in 2025, which the report says was 12% lower than 2024. Germany delivered the biggest reversal, posting $2.5bn of inflows after $43m of outflows in 2024. Canada also flipped, moving to $1.1bn of inflows from $603m of outflows. Switzerland added $775m, up 11.5% year on year. Taken together, a broader geographic bid for digital assets emerged even as the US stayed the anchor market, despite last year’s contrasting outflows, especially in Europe.

The asset breakdown sharpened the rotation narrative. Bitcoin inflows declined 35% to $26.9bn in 2025, and the report ties that drop to price falls. Some investors also sought protection, sending $105m into short-Bitcoin products, though those vehicles remained niche with $139m in total assets under management. Ethereum, by contrast, attracted $12.7bn of inflows, up 138% year on year. XRP rose 500% to $3.7bn and Solana surged 1000% to $3.6bn, highlighting new leaders capturing incremental allocations. Rather than broad diversification, the report presents growth as concentrated momentum in select protocols with deep liquidity and clearer narratives.

Yet the rotation was selective, not a blanket altcoin rush. The report notes “remaining altcoins” saw sentiment weaken, with inflows down 30% year on year to $318m. That split suggests investors concentrated risk in liquid, high-conviction names while bypassing the long tail. With global inflows ending near record territory, the signal was not broad risk-off behavior, but a targeted reallocation within crypto exposures that refined beta. Going forward, the key debate is whether this concentration persists or diffuses as conditions and relative performance evolve. It leaves smaller tokens facing a higher hurdle to attract inflows.

TL;DR

Polymarket and Parcl launch real estate prediction markets based on daily housing price indices.
The markets will settle using Parcl’s indices, allowing forecasts of monthly, quarterly, or annual price increases or decreases.
The initial rollout will focus on high-liquidity cities, expanding gradually to additional areas based on demand.

Polymarket and Parcl announced a partnership to create real estate prediction markets using Parcl’s daily housing price indices.

The markets will allow traders and analysts to anticipate price movements in major U.S. cities using objective, verifiable data. Polymarket will operate the markets, while Parcl will provide reference values and settlement information.

How These New Markets Will Work
Markets will settle according to Parcl’s daily indices, eliminating the need to deal with individual property complexity, leverage, or long time horizons. Traders can predict whether a city’s price index will rise or fall over monthly, quarterly, or annual periods, and threshold-style outcomes will be based on published index values. Each market will include a dedicated resolution page showing the final value, historical context, and calculation methodology, ensuring full transparency and public verification.

The program will initially focus on the largest U.S. housing markets, prioritizing high-liquidity cities. The rollout will be gradual, adding more metropolitan areas and index-based market types according to demand. Teams will also develop standardized templates and tools to facilitate the creation of new markets with consistent terms, dates, and reference points.

Polymarket: A Market to Measure Truth
Trevor Bacon, CEO of Parcl, said prediction markets represent a paradigm shift in how opinions are expressed and truth is measured. “Parcl is a reliable source for real estate pricing, and we believe the sector should be a major category within the prediction market ecosystem,” he said. Matthew Modabber, CMO of Polymarket, added that data clarity and verification are essential, and Parcl’s daily indices provide a solid foundation to build transparent and consistent markets.

One of the goals of the integration is to offer a faster, more transparent way to forecast housing prices in key cities, reducing the risks associated with direct property investment and long-term horizons.

This initiative positions Polymarket and Parcl as pioneers in tokenized and predictive real estate markets, combining prediction market liquidity with real-time housing price data

In brief
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said Ethereum has “solved” the blockchain trilemma of decentralization, security and scalability.
Buterin cited live mainnet upgrades and near-ready ZK-EVMs as solutions.
The shift underpins Ethereum’s long-term plan to scale throughput without centralizing the network.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has said the network has effectively solved blockchain’s long-standing “trilemma,” arguing that recent upgrades have transformed Ethereum into a “fundamentally new and more powerful kind of decentralized network” capable of achieving security, decentralization and scalability.

“Now, Ethereum with PeerDAS (2025) and ZK-EVMs (expect small portions of the network using it in 2026), we get: decentralized, consensus and high bandwidth,” he tweeted Saturday, referring to Peer-to-Peer Data Availability Sampling and Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines.

Now that ZKEVMs are at alpha stage (production-quality performance, remaining work is safety) and PeerDAS is live on mainnet, it's time to talk more about what this combination means for Ethereum.

These are not minor improvements; they are shifting Ethereum into being a…

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 3, 2026

“The trilemma has been solved - not on paper, but with live running code, of which one half (data availability sampling) is on mainnet today, and the other half (ZK-EVMs) is production-quality on performance today - safety is what remains.”

The claims come as Ethereum continues to navigate market volatility following last month's Fusaka upgrade. ETH is currently trading at $3,185, up 1.4% over the past 24 hours but about 36% below its peak of $4,946.05 reached on August 24, 2025, according to CoinGecko data.

On prediction market Myriad, owned by Decrypt's parent company Dastan, sentiment is cautiously optimistic. Users place a 56% chance on Ethereum's next move taking it to $4,000 rather than $2,500.

What is the blockchain trilemma?The blockchain trilemma refers to a belief thatblockchain networks can optimize for only two of the three core properties of decentralization, security and scalability at once. Previously, efforts to increase transaction throughput have required sacrificing decentralization, while highly decentralized networks have struggled to scale without compromising performance or costs.

Buterin contrasted Ethereum’s latest technical progress with that of earlier distributed networks. He compared BitTorrent, launched in 2000, as highly decentralized with massive total bandwidth but no shared consensus, and Bitcoin, introduced in 2009, as decentralized and secure but limited in bandwidth because computation on the network is replicated rather than distributed.

Ethereum’s roadmap seeks to overcome this constraint by separating data availability, execution and validation across the network.

A central component of this roadmap is PeerDAS, which Buterin has highlighted as a key feature of the Fusaka upgrade last month. PeerDAS allows nodes to verify that transaction data exists without downloading it in full by sampling small portions of data that can be reconstructed using erasure coding.

The approach reduces the computational and storage burden on validators, lowers the barrier to running a node and is expected to significantly increase Ethereum’s throughput, with a target of up to 12,000 transactions per second by 2026.

Ethereum’s future roadmapLooking ahead, Buterin said the full scope of Ethereum’s scaling strategy will roll out over several years. In 2026, he expects large gas limit increases that do not depend on ZK-EVMs, alongside the first opportunities to run a ZK-EVM node.

Between 2026 and 2028, further changes are expected, including gas repricings, updates to Ethereum’s state structure, and moving execution payloads into data blobs to make higher gas limits safer. From 2027 to 2030, Buterin said the network could see additional major gas limit increases as ZK-EVMs become the primary method for validating blocks.

Buterin also highlighted the potential of distributed block building. "A long-term ideal holy grail is to get to a future where the full block is never constituted in one single place," he said. "This will not be necessary for a long time, but IMO it is worth striving for us at least have the capability to do that.”

“Even before that point, we want the meaningful authority in block building to be as distributed as possible,” Buterin wrote, adding that it can be done either in-protocol or out-of-protocol with distributed builder marketplaces. "This reduces risk of centralized interference with real-time transaction inclusion, AND it creates a better environment for geographical fairness,” he explained.

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Polymarket is continuing its expansion into new economic frontiers, this time by partnering with a blockchain-based startup to offer new real estate-related betting markets. 

According to an announcement on Monday, onchain real estate platform Parcl will feed daily housing price indices data to Polymarket to power its new suite of real estate prediction markets. The integration will initially focus on “major” U.S. housing markets and expand in phases,  “based on user demand.”

These new curated housing-focused markets will settle against Parcl’s published price indices, which “provide independent index data and settlement reference values designed for transparent verification” and act as a “source of truth.”

Pitched as a “simpler way to trade housing outcomes” by giving traders and analysts “an objective, data-driven reference point for forecasting,” Polymarket’s new offering essentially turns housing price movements into tradable, speculative financial instruments — or a further financialization of real estate. 

In theory, these new markets will not only allow third parties to bet on urban housing markets but also provide hedging opportunities and better price discovery for buyers and sellers. 

How it works
Polymarket said it will create betting “templates” asking questions like “whether a city’s home price index finishes up or down over a month, quarter, or year, as well as threshold-style outcomes that settle against published index values.”

“Prediction markets work best when the data is clear, and the outcome can be verified without debate,” Polymarket CMO Matthew Modabber said in a statement. “Parcl’s daily housing indices give us a strong foundation to launch housing markets that settle transparently and consistently.”

The offering will focus first on “high-liquidity cities,” though the companies plan to standardize the market templates to “make it easier to create markets with consistent terms, dates, and resolution.”

Launched during the COVID pandemic, Parcl Labs creates housing market indices and price feeds for all “residential assets,” pulling information from public property records, county registrars, verified sales data, and other sources, according to its white paper. 

Parcl argues its price feed “represents the sole presently available daily estimate of residential real estate price per square foot across multiple markets … that looks at all available transactions in a systematic and standardized way.” Its API offers insights on “prices, supply, sales, listings, rentals, investor activity, and new construction at both market and unit levels.”

Polymarket’s number of new markets is continuing to grow monthly, driven in part by its relaunch in the U.S. and efforts to break into sports forecasting. The Polygon-based protocol is often referred to as a duopoly with rival platform Kalshi, despite growing competition from alternative prediction markets.

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2025 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

When Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appears in a federal courtroom in New York to face narco-terrorism charges, the world will see a geopolitical spectacle.

However, for cryptocurrency investors, the proceedings carry a hidden financial stake that could reshape the global Bitcoin market for years to come.

Data from Bitcoin Treasuries credit the Venezuelan government with holding just 240 Bitcoin, a position valued at approximately $22 million. On its own, such a balance is a rounding error, irrelevant primarily to global liquidity or price discovery.

Venezuela Bitcoin Holdings (Source: Bitcoin Treasuries)However, a new Whale Hunt report suggests this official figure may be a mirage.

According to the report, the Maduro regime may have quietly constructed a massive BTC “shadow reserve” during the height of US sanctions.

Consequently, the actual figure of its holdings could be as high as 600,000 Bitcoin, a stash worth roughly $60 billion at current prices.

This would place the Latin American country's holding near the scales of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and significantly ahead of the United States.

If these projections are even directionally accurate, the US government’s capture of Maduro is not just a diplomatic victory but a potential seizure of nearly 3% of Bitcoin’s circulating supply.

How Venezuela allegedly acquire its Bitcoin reservesThe disparity between the official 240 coins and the rumored 600,000 stems from the opaque methods Venezuela allegedly used to survive economic isolation.

While public attention focused on the failed state-backed “Petro” token, analysts believe the regime was simultaneously conducting a massive diversification into decentralized assets.

According to the Whale Hunt report, this accumulation began in earnest around 2018, and the primary mechanism for the acquisition involved the aggressive liquidation of gold reserves from the Orinoco Mining Arc.

The reports continued that the regime swapped approximately $2 billion in physical gold for Bitcoin at average prices near $5,000. That specific tranche alone, if held intact, would now be worth billions.

Beyond gold, the country’s oil trade allegedly served as a constant funnel for digital asset accumulation.

To bypass the traditional banking system and avoid US sanctions, the state oil company frequently required payments in Tether (USDT).

Recognizing that stablecoins remain vulnerable to freezing by centralized issuers, the regime reportedly “washed” these funds into Bitcoin to secure them against foreign intervention.

Meanwhile, this pattern aligns with the government’s erratic domestic policy.

While authorities banned Bitcoin mining in May 2024, citing energy stability and seizing thousands of ASIC machines, they simultaneously ceased circulation of the Petro.

This behavior of crushing the private crypto sector while killing its own public token was consistent with a strategy to consolidate all digital wealth into a centralized, state-controlled reserve off the public books.

So, if the “shadow reserve” thesis holds, Venezuela is one of the largest Bitcoin whales in history, and control of those keys may now sit within the reach of US federal prosecutors.

The mechanics of a supply shockThe transfer of such a vast fortune from a rogue state to US custody would trigger a series of complex market mechanics.

Unlike a typical criminal seizure, the sheer scale of 600,000 Bitcoin creates a unique dilemma for regulators and a potential “supply shock” for investors.

The most immediate and likely outcome is a “frozen float.” If US authorities successfully identify and immobilize the assets, the coins would likely enter a state of deep legal paralysis.

Venezuela’s external debt obligations are massive, with creditors ranging from defaulted bondholders to corporations like ConocoPhillips that have won arbitration awards for past expropriations.

Just as these creditors have fought for years over the auction of Citgo shares, they would almost certainly file immediate injunctions against any seized Bitcoin. This litigation could drag on for a decade or more.

For the Bitcoin market, this is effectively a bullish signal: it mechanically removes a massive block of supply from circulation, locking it in a US Treasury escrow account where it cannot be sold.

Meanwhile, alternative scenarios present different risks.

A “strategic reserve pivot” remains a possibility, particularly given the shifting political winds in Washington. Under this scenario, Trump's pro-crypto administration could intervene to prevent the liquidation of the assets, directing the Treasury to hold the Bitcoin as a permanent sovereign asset.

This would transform a narco-terrorism seizure into the seed capital for a US national Bitcoin stockpile, validating the asset class at the highest level of government.

Conversely, the “fire sale” scenario, a rapid liquidation similar to Germany’s sale of 50,000 Bitcoin in 2024, is viewed by analysts as unlikely given its market impact. Dumping twelve times that amount would crash prices, undermining the value of the seized collateral.

Thus, regardless of the specific legal path, Maduro's arrest likely signals that these coins will be taken off the table for the foreseeable future.

Redefining sovereign riskFor long-term Bitcoin holders, the Venezuela case introduces a new variable to investment models: hidden sovereign risk.

Until now, the market has tracked government holdings based on voluntary disclosures, such as El Salvador’s purchases, or public seizure records from the Silk Road and Bitfinex cases.

The Maduro revelation forces investors to consider “dark pools” of sovereign wealth. If a financially crippled state under total blockade could accumulate $60 billion in Bitcoin, it stands to reason that other sanctioned or resource-rich nations may have adopted similar strategies.

This creates a “sovereign overhang,” a hidden supply of Bitcoin held by non-transparent state actors that can suddenly become relevant due to regime change or war.

Furthermore, Tether's USDT involvement in the alleged accumulation creates secondary risks. If the Department of Justice unwinds the transaction history of the Venezuelan oil trade, it could lead to tighter scrutiny of stablecoin issuers and the “on-ramps” used by nation-states to exit the dollar system.

So, as legal proceedings in New York advance, the crypto industry's primary focus will shift beyond the headlines of Maduro’s capture.

The market will be watching for the forensic details: the identification of wallets, the confirmation of the gold-swap accumulation, and the legal maneuvering of creditors.

Mentioned in this article

© 2025 CoinDesk, Inc.

Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Bullish owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets and CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.

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Bitmine Immersion Technologies announced on Monday that it added 32,977 ETH in the previous week. The purchase brings the total crypto and cash holdings of the digital asset treasury company to $14.2 billion.

On-chan data revealed that Bitmine Immersion Technologies now holds 4.1435 million ETH in its balance sheet. The company’s ETH portfolio accounts for about 3.43% of the total Ethereum supply of 120.7 million ETH. The firm also holds 192 BTC and $915 million in cash.

Bitmine’s Chair seems excited about Ethereum’s prospects in 2026

🚨 JUST IN: Tom Lee's BitMine Immersion acquired 32,977 $ETH (~$104M) last week. pic.twitter.com/hs59ZlYXWe

— Tim Warren (@TimWarrenTrades) January 5, 2026

Bitmine has staked around 659.219 ETH, worth around $2.1 billion at $3,196 per ETH. The firm has also reported a surge of 250,592 ETH staked over the past week. The company currently has 3 staking providers ahead of the unveiling of its commercial MAVAN (Made in America Validator Network) in 2026. 

Thomas Lee, Bitmine’s Chairman, revealed that the MAVAN stakes the firm’s ETH holdings at an annual ETH staking fee of $374 million (using 2.81% CESR). He also revealed that the MAVAN staking infrastructure will be deployed in 2026 and will become the best staking solution.

Fundstrat’s Co-Founder and CIO acknowledged that the firm is excited about the prospects for Ethereum this year. He pointed to the flurry of tailwinds surrounding the market, including support for crypto from the U.S. government and Wall Street’s acceptance of stablecoins and tokenization.

Lee added that there’s a surge in authentication and proof of provenance in the AI space. He also noted that there’s an increase in crypto adoption among younger generations, which he said adds positive sentiment in the markets. 

“In the final week of 2025, total equity and crypto activity slowed, and yet we acquired 32,977 ETH in the past week. Our analysis shows that Bitmine has continued to accumulate ETH at an accelerated pace versus other Ethereum DATs.”

–Tom Lee, Chairman of Bitmine Immersion Technologies.

Lee released a special message on Friday calling for Bitmine stockholders to support an amendment to boost authorized shares ahead of the firm’s upcoming annual stockholder meeting on January 15. He said the firm needs the increase in authorized shares for Bitmine to issue shares for capital market activities. He also added that the initiative would accommodate future share splits and enable the firm to consider selective acquisitions.

Lee plans to boost Bitmine’s authorized shares
Lee maintained that the firm is mainly focused on creating shareholder value. He said the initiative can only be achieved by accretively acquiring ETH per share, optimizing yield and income on its digital asset balance sheet, and investing its holdings in moonshots. The entrepreneur also believes in leveraging Bitmine’s strong community and market positions to generate additional returns.

Bitmine currently ranks as the top Ethereum treasury company, followed by SharpLink with a total of 859,853 ETH. The Ether Machine, Bit Digital, and Coinbase Global follow with 496,712 ETH, 153,546 ETH, and 148,715 ETH, respectively. Bitmine is also the second-largest global treasury firm, following Strategy, with around 672,497 BTC worth more than $61 billion.

Fundstrat data revealed that Bitmine’s stock is one of the most traded in the U.S., with an average daily trading volume of $980 million. The firm’s stock is also ranked 44th among the 5,704 U.S.-listed stocks, behind IBM and ahead of Home Depot.

Bitmine’s Annual Meeting will be held at the Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109. The firm is also encouraging stakeholders to participate by voting and attending the in-person meeting. 

Bitmine’s focus for its Annual Meeting is to elect 8 directors for 2026 and approve the charter amendment to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock. The firm seeks to approve its 2025 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as well as approve the performance-based compensation arrangement for Lee.

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XRP price has rebounded strongly from key Fibonacci support at $1.74, but bulls must reclaim a major resistance level to confirm a true momentum shift.

Summary

XRP bounced strongly from $1.74, where Fibonacci support and value area low aligned.
Price is testing the point of control, a critical resistance for trend confirmation.
A reclaim could open a rally toward the $3.43 value area high; failure risks a false move.

XRP (XRP) price has shown renewed strength after rallying from a high-time-frame support zone near $1.74, where multiple technical factors converged. This area, defined by the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement and the value area low, has acted as a critical demand zone, triggering a sharp response from buyers.

While this bounce has improved short-term momentum, XRP now faces a decisive test at a major resistance level. Whether bulls can reclaim this level will determine if the move evolves into a broader trend reversal or fades into another corrective rally.

XRP price key technical points

Strong confluence at $1.74 support: Fibonacci and value area low aligned to create a high-probability bounce zone.
Point of control is the key resistance: A reclaim is required to confirm a bullish momentum shift.
Bearish structure still intact: Lower highs and lower lows remain until resistance is decisively broken.

XRPUSDT (1D) Chart, Source: TradingView
The $1.74 region has proven to be a technically significant area for XRP. The confluence between the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement and the value area low often attracts buyers looking for discounted entries within broader ranges, particularly as institutional interest grows following recent XRP ETF filing developments. In this case, price reacted decisively, producing a rally that suggests selling pressure was absorbed effectively.

From a price action perspective, this response reflects improving demand dynamics. Instead of continued acceptance below support, XRP quickly rotated higher, signaling that buyers were willing to defend this level aggressively. Such reactions often mark short-term inflection points, particularly when they occur at high-time-frame technical confluence.

Rally approaches the point of control
Following the rebound from support, XRP has advanced toward the point of control (POC), which represents the area of highest traded volume within the recent range. The POC is a critical decision level, as it often acts as a magnet for price but also as strong resistance during corrective moves.

At present, XRP is testing this zone, making it the most important level to monitor. A successful reclaim and close above the point of control would indicate acceptance at higher prices and confirm that the rally from $1.74 is more than just a short-lived reaction. Conversely, failure at this level would suggest that sellers still dominate the broader structure.

Market structure remains bearish
Despite the improving momentum, XRP’s higher-time-frame structure remains bearish. The market is still characterized by consecutive lower highs and lower lows, which defines the prevailing trend. Until this structure is broken, any upside move should be treated with caution.

A meaningful shift to a bullish structure would require XRP to reclaim the point of control and establish a higher high on a closing basis. This would invalidate the sequence of lower highs and signal that buyers are gaining control over the broader trend. Without this confirmation, the current rally risks becoming another corrective move within a bearish market.

What to expect in the coming price action
XRP is currently trading at a pivotal technical juncture. The rally from Fibonacci support has improved momentum, but confirmation is still required. As long as price holds above the $1.74 support, the bullish case remains valid in the short term.

However, a daily close above the point of control is essential to confirm a true momentum and structure shift. Failure to reclaim this level would increase the risk of a false rally and a rotation back toward support. In the immediate short term, XRP’s next directional move will be defined by how price behaves around this critical resistance.

Key Takeaways Palantir shares have gained over 120% in a year, with a recent pullback framed as healthy consolidation.PLTR's Foundry drove U.S. commercial revenue up 121% year over year, with overall U.S. revenue rising 77%.Palantir delivered a 51% adjusted operating margin and ended the quarter with $6.4B in cash and no debt.
Palantir Technologies (PLTR - Free Report) has emerged as one of the strongest-performing enterprise software and artificial intelligence stocks over the past year, delivering an increase of more than 120% and dramatically outperforming its broader industry.

                                                   Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

While the stock has seen a modest pullback in recent months, this appears to be a healthy consolidation rather than a deterioration in fundamentals. A closer look at Palantir’s technology, financial execution, and growth trajectory suggests that the long-term investment case remains firmly intact.

Unlike many AI-focused companies racing to build ever-larger models, Palantir occupies a differentiated and defensible position. The company focuses on enabling organizations to deploy AI at scale within real operational environments, making it a critical infrastructure provider rather than a speculative technology vendor.

PLTR’s Artificial Intelligence PlatformAt the heart of Palantir’s strategy is its Artificial Intelligence Platform, which allows organizations to structure, integrate, and govern complex datasets so AI systems can operate effectively. Enterprises typically struggle with fragmented data across finance, operations, supply chains and human resources. PLTR solves this problem using an ontology-based architecture that creates a digital twin of an organization’s operations.

This design enables AI to interact directly with business workflows rather than producing disconnected insights. As a result, Palantir is positioned on the demand side of the AI economy, where monetization depends on execution and outcomes rather than raw computing power. This distinction is increasingly important as enterprises shift from AI experimentation to production-scale deployments.

Foundry Driving Explosive Commercial GrowthFoundry has become Palantir’s primary growth engine in the commercial market. The platform integrates data from ERP systems, IoT sensors and enterprise databases using more than 200 prebuilt connectors. Automated, low-code pipelines allow companies to unify structured and unstructured data quickly, while embedded analytics and machine learning tools support use cases such as supply chain optimization, fraud detection and predictive maintenance.

The commercial momentum behind Foundry is accelerating rapidly. In the most recent quarter, Palantir’s U.S. commercial revenues surged 121% year over year, highlighting growing enterprise demand for operational AI solutions. Overall, U.S. revenues rose 77% year over year, significantly outpacing international growth and reinforcing the strength of the domestic market.

Customer expansion is also deepening. Palantir closed more than 200 deals exceeding $1 million in value during the quarter, including dozens of contracts above $5 million and $10 million. This reflects not only new customer wins but also broader adoption across existing clients. The August release of Foundry DevOps further strengthens the platform by simplifying application deployment and lifecycle management, reducing friction for enterprise users.

Gotham Provides Stability and Strategic CredibilityWhile Foundry fuels commercial expansion, Gotham remains a cornerstone of Palantir’s business. Gotham is designed for mission-critical intelligence applications, integrating massive datasets in real time and applying AI-driven analytics to identify threats, detect anomalies and enhance situational awareness.

Gotham’s continued adoption by government and defense agencies provides Palantir with long-term revenue stability and exceptionally high switching costs. These relationships also enhance Palantir’s credibility with commercial customers, particularly in regulated industries such as healthcare, finance and energy. Few companies can successfully serve both public-sector intelligence agencies and large enterprises, giving Palantir a unique competitive advantage.

Together, Foundry and Gotham form a dual-platform strategy that balances high-growth commercial opportunities with durable public-sector contracts.

Strong Financial Performance and Expanding MarginsPalantir’s recent financial performance underscores the scalability of its software model. In the third quarter of 2025, total revenues increased 63% year over year, driven primarily by U.S. commercial demand. The company achieved an adjusted operating margin of 51%, its highest level to date, reflecting strong operating leverage and disciplined cost management.

Profitability is also improving on a GAAP basis. Operating income reached $393 million, while net income rose to $476 million. Earnings per share increased more than 100% year over year, demonstrating that Palantir’s growth is translating into bottom-line results rather than being consumed by rising expenses.

The balance sheet further strengthens the investment case. Palantir ended the quarter with approximately $6.4 billion in cash and equivalents and no debt, providing substantial flexibility to invest in innovation, pursue strategic initiatives and withstand macroeconomic uncertainty.

Return on Equity Reflects Long-Term StrategyPalantir currently generates a return on equity of roughly 28%, slightly below the industry average of 33% but still indicative of strong capital efficiency. Importantly, this metric reflects management’s deliberate decision to prioritize platform expansion and long-term scale over short-term optimization.

                                                                    Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

As investments in product development and customer deployment mature, operating leverage is expected to increase further, providing a pathway for return on equity expansion. For long-term investors, today’s ROE represents a foundation rather than a ceiling.

Earnings Outlook and Analyst SupportEarnings expectations for Palantir remain highly favorable. The consensus estimate indicates strong year-over-year earnings growth for both the current quarter and the next two fiscal years, supported by accelerating commercial adoption and expanding margins.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Palantir’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings stands at 23 cents per share, suggesting 64.3% year-over-year growth. For 2025 and 2026, earnings are projected to rise 78% and 43%, respectively, compared to prior-year figures. Sales are also expected to see robust growth, increasing 62.8% in the fourth quarter of 2025, with full-year sales projected to rise 54% in 2025 and 41% in 2026.

                                                               Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

PLTR, NVDA and AI: The Trio Leading AI RevolutionPalantir is riding the broader AI surge with peers like NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) and C3.ai (AI - Free Report) . NVIDIA is the undisputed backbone of AI infrastructure, continues to see insatiable demand for its GPUs, while C3.ai is expanding its enterprise footprint. While PLTR excels in deployment, NVIDIA powers the backend and C3.ai tackles the front-end application layer. For investors bullish on PLTR, NVDA’s dominance and C3.ai’s evolving strategy remain worth watching as this transformative tech cycle unfolds.

ConclusionPalantir stands out as a rare combination of rapid growth, improving profitability, and strategic relevance in the enterprise AI landscape. With Foundry driving explosive commercial expansion, Gotham anchoring long-term stability, and a debt-free balance sheet supporting continued investment, the company is well positioned for sustained value creation. While near-term volatility is possible following a strong rally, Palantir’s fundamentals continue to strengthen. For investors seeking exposure to scalable, mission-critical AI infrastructure, Palantir remains a buy with a compelling long-term outlook.

PLTR stock currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Key Takeaways LLY's stock climbed 28% in three months, driven by strong demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound.Mounjaro and Zepbound generate over half of LLY revenues on global launches and higher U.S. supply.Lilly's expanding obesity pipeline includes orforglipron and retatrutide.
Eli Lilly and Company’s (LLY - Free Report) stock has risen 28% in the past three months. With exceptional growth from its GLP-1 drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, Lilly has become the first and only drugmaker to hit a $1 trillion market cap. The stock has been consistently trading above $1000 per share for around a month and a half now, after it hit the mark in mid-November. The stock is also trading above its 50- and 200-day SMA for more than three months now.

Lilly has become a dominant player in the popular GLP-1 drug space while simultaneously building future growth drivers by acquiring innovative drugs and rapidly advancing its in-house pipeline of novel drugs. The company has consistently delivered strong earnings performance and guidance upgrades. Market analysts have also raised earnings estimates and target prices for LLY’s stock, which also plays a role in pushing the stock up.

Let’s understand Lilly’s strengths and weaknesses to better analyze how to play the stock as it records consistent gains.

Strong Growth of LLY’s GLP-1 Drugs Mounjaro and ZepboundLilly boasts a robust portfolio of treatments for diabetes and other cardiometabolic conditions, with its cardiometabolic division emerging as the company’s strongest segment. This success is largely attributed to its widely used GLP-1 therapies — Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss. Mounjaro is the most widely prescribed incretin for type II diabetes in the United States, while Zepbound also holds a leading market share in the anti-obesity market.

Despite being on the market for slightly more than three years, Mounjaro and Zepbound have become key top-line drivers for Lilly, with demand rising rapidly. These therapies account for more than 50% of the company’s total revenues.

Launches of Mounjaro and Zepbound in new international markets and improved supply from ramped-up production in the United States have led to strong sales growth in 2025. Mounjaro and Zepbound are expected to continue to see strong demand in 2026. Regulatory approvals for new indications and improved production capacity are expected to boost sales further.

Mounjaro and Zepbound face strong competition from Novo Nordisk’s (NVO - Free Report) semaglutide medicines, Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for obesity.

New Drugs Also Contributing to LLY’s GrowthIn addition to Mounjaro and Zepbound, Lilly has secured approvals for several other new therapies over the past few years. These include Omvoh for treating ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, BTK inhibitor Jaypirca for mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Ebglyss for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, and Kisunla (donanemab) for early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease. These newly approved drugs are also contributing to Lilly’s revenue growth.

Lilly expects its new drugs, Mounjaro, Zepbound, Omvoh, Jaypirca, Ebglyss and Kisunla, along with the expanded use of existing drugs, to drive sales growth in 2026.

Lilly’s Broad Obesity PipelineLilly is investing broadly in obesity and has several new molecules currently in clinical development with a range of oral and injectable medications with different mechanisms of action. A key drug in its obesity pipeline is a once-daily oral GLP-1 small molecule called orforglipron.

Lilly has announced positive data across six studies on orforglipron in obesity and type II diabetes. Lilly filed regulatory applications seeking approval for orforglipron in obesity in December, setting up the timeline for a potential launch next year. For the type II diabetes indication, Lilly plans to file regulatory applications in the first half of 2026.

It is also evaluating orforglipron in late-stage studies in other disease areas like obstructive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis pain of the knee, stress urinary incontinence and hypertension.

Lilly is also evaluating another key candidate, triple-acting incretin, retatrutide (which combines GLP-1, GIP and glucagon), in type II diabetes and obesity, along with other indications like obstructive sleep apnea, knee osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain, in late-stage studies.

Data from a phase III study on retatrutide in obesity and knee osteoarthritis pain showed that the drug delivered significant weight loss with substantial relief from osteoarthritis pain. Lilly expects data readouts from three phase III studies on retatrutide for treating obesity in the second half of 2026.

LLY is also working to diversify beyond GLP-1 drugs by expanding into cardiovascular, oncology, and neuroscience areas. In 2025, it announced several M&A deals. It acquired Verve Therapeutics to add gene therapies for heart disease to its pipeline. The latest acquisition of Adverum Biotechnologies added the latter’s lead candidate, Ixo-vec, an intravitreal single-administration gene therapy being developed in phase III to treat vision loss associated with wet age-related macular degeneration.

Race to Make Oral Obesity Pill IntensifiesLast month, the FDA approved NVO’s oral version of the obesity drug Wegovy (semaglutide). Wegovy is the first oral GLP-1 drug to be approved in the United States, ushering in a new era of obesity treatment.

Oral pills will be a more convenient alternative to the currently available once-weekly injectable obesity treatments like Lilly’s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. Oral pills may significantly lower treatment burden and potentially broaden patient adoption versus injections. Oral pills can also be manufactured at scale to meet global demand, which, in turn, can drive billions in additional sales. Novo Nordisk expects to launch the Wegovy pill in early January 2026.

NVO will also soon advance its next-generation obesity candidate, amycretin, into late-stage development, both as an injection and oral pill. The phase III program on amycretin is planned to be initiated during the first quarter of 2026. Smaller biotechs like Structure Therapeutics (GPCR - Free Report) and Viking Therapeutics (VKTX - Free Report) are also developing oral GLP-1 drugs for treating obesity.

Viking Therapeutics’ dual GIPR/GLP-1 receptor agonist, VK2735, is being developed both as oral and subcutaneous formulations for the treatment of obesity.  

Structure Therapeutics’ ACCESS study on its orally GLP-1 RA, aleniglipron, for obesity, met its primary and all key secondary endpoints. In the study, the 120 mg dose delivered an 11.3% placebo-adjusted weight loss. Higher doses drove deeper reductions, reaching 15.3% at 240 mg. Structure Therapeutics expects to initiate the late-stage program of aleniglipron in obesity around mid-2026.

The Wegovy pill gives NVO the first-to-market advantage and will initially bring in additional revenues and hurt Lilly’s market share. However, though NVO has the lead in the oral obesity market, Lilly may be able to close the gap fast once orforglipron is approved by the FDA in 2026. Overall, the obesity market is huge, and we believe that multiple players can co-exist.

Others like Roche, Merck and AbbVie are also looking to enter the obesity space by in-licensing obesity candidates from smaller biotechs, which could threaten Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly’s dominance in the market. In November, Pfizer acquired obesity drugmaker Metsera to gain a foothold in the space.

LLY’s Stock Price, Valuation and EstimatesLilly’s stock has risen 41.2% in the past year compared with the industry’s increase of 19.4%. The stock has also outperformed the Medical sector and the S&P 500 index, as seen in the chart below.

LLY Stock Outperforms Industry, Sector & S&P 500Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, Lilly’s stock is expensive. Going by the price/earnings ratio, LLY’s shares currently trade at 32.05 forward earnings, much higher than 17.54 for the industry. However, LLY’s stock is trading below its 5-year mean of 34.57.

LLY Stock ValuationImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 has risen from $31.71 to $33.61 per share over the past 60 days.

LLY Estimate MovementImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

Stay Invested in LLY StockLilly has its share of problems. Prices of most of Lilly’s products are declining in the United States.  Rising competition in the GLP-1 diabetes/obesity market is a key headwind.

However, exceptional growth from Mounjaro and Zepbound made it the largest drugmaker. Despite its expensive valuation, Lilly is a great stock to have in one’s portfolio, given its significant price appreciation, its product and pipeline portfolio in high-growth therapeutic areas like obesity, robust growth prospects and bullish analyst sentiment. Consistently rising estimates also reflect analysts’ optimistic outlook for the stock. Its high valuation reflects current top-line strength as well as expectations of future growth. Investors may consider betting on this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. 

About Emily Jarvie
Emily began her career as a political journalist for Australian Community Media in Hobart, Tasmania. After she relocated to Toronto, Canada, she reported on business, legal, and scientific developments in the emerging psychedelics sector before joining Proactive in 2022. She brings a strong journalism background with her work featured in newspapers, magazines, and digital publications across Australia, Europe, and North America, including The Examiner, The Advocate, The Canberra Times, and... Read more

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Key Takeaways Sanofi seeks FDA approval to expand Tzield use to children aged one and older with stage 2 T1D.SNY's filing received priority review, with an FDA decision expected by April 29, 2026.The application is backed by interim phase IV PETITE-T1D data in children under eight.
Sanofi (SNY - Free Report) announced that the FDA has accepted a regulatory filing seeking to expand the use of its type 1 diabetes (T1D) drug, Tzield (teplizumab), in individuals aged one year and older. The agency has granted priority review to this filing, with a final decision expected by April 29, 2026.

If approved, Tzield will be the first disease-modifying therapy to delay the onset of stage 3 T1D in children aged one year and older with stage 2 disease. The drug is currently approved for use in the same indication across patients aged eight years and older.

Patients suffering from stage 3 T1D eventually require constant monitoring and insulin injections for life. This stage is marked by the destruction of a significant portion of the beta cells and reaching the point of clinical hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar).

The regulatory filing is supported by positive interim data from the ongoing phase IV PETITE-T1D study, which is evaluating Tzield in children under eight years diagnosed with stage 2 T1D.

SNY’s Stock PerformanceIn the past year, shares of Sanofi have declined 2% against the industry’s 19% growth.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

More on SNY’s TzieldTzield was added to Sanofi’s portfolio in 2023 after it acquired Provention Bio for $2.9 billion. The drug was originally developed by MacroGenics (MGNX - Free Report) . Provention Bio had acquired this drug from MacroGenics under an asset purchase agreement signed in 2018.

A regulatory filing for the drug is also under review in the European Union, seeking approval to delay the onset of stage 3 T1D in patients aged eight and older diagnosed with stage 2 of the disease. If approved, Sanofi will market the drug in the region under the brand name Teizeild. A regulatory decision is expected soon.

SNY’s Zacks RankSanofi currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Key Picks Among Biotech StocksSome better-ranked stocks from the sector are ANI Pharmaceuticals (ANIP - Free Report) and CorMedix (CRMD - Free Report) , each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

In the past 60 days, estimates for ANI Pharmaceuticals’ 2025 earnings per share (EPS) have risen from $7.29 to $7.56. EPS estimates for 2026 have increased from $7.81 to $8.08 during the same period. In the past year, shares of ANIP have surged nearly 44%.

ANIP’s earnings beat estimates in the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 21.24%.

Estimates for CorMedix’s 2025 EPS have increased from $1.85 to $2.87 over the past 60 days, while the same for 2026 has increased from $2.49 to $2.88. CRMD shares have risen 53% in the past year.

CorMedix’s earnings beat estimates in the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 27.04%.

Key Takeaways LITE stock has jumped 326.9% in a year, beating industry and sector returns by a wide margin.
AI-driven demand for laser chips and transceivers fuels strong sales and record EML shipments.
Fiscal Q2 revenues are projected at $630M-$670M, with EPS guidance of $1.30-$1.50.

Lumentum Holdings (LITE - Free Report) shares closed at $386.11 on Friday, which is close to the 52-week high of $401.60 it hit on Dec. 24, 2025. LITE shares have jumped a whopping 326.9% in a year, outperforming the Zacks Communication Components industry’s return of 111% and the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s appreciation of 22.6%. This optical and photonic products provider’s impressive performance can be attributed to back-to-back quarters of impressive financial performance, favorable industry trends and strong fundamentals.

Lumentum is riding on a strong portfolio to steer off competition from the likes of Coherent (COHR - Free Report) , Ciena (CIEN - Free Report) and Marvell Technology (MRVL - Free Report) in the AI infrastructure space. Lumentum and Coherent are competitors in high-speed optical modules and transceivers used in data centres and optical links for AI infrastructures. Ciena is a leading provider of optical networking equipment, software and services. Marvell Technology is a competitor in optical networking for AI and data center applications.

Lumentum has outperformed Ciena, Coherent and Marvell Technology in the past year. Shares of Ciena and Coherent have soared 191.2% and 92.5%, respectively, while Marvell Technology shares have dropped 24.9%.

LITE Stock’s Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The company’s strong portfolio is driving prospects, justifying a premium valuation, as suggested by a Value Score of F.

In terms of the forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S), LITE is trading at 9.18X, higher than the industry and peers. While the industry is trading at 3.85X, Ciena, Coherent and Marvell Technologies trade at 5.83X, 4.25X, and 7.68X, respectively.

LITE Stock’s Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Technically, the stock is currently trading above the 50-day and the 200-day moving averages, indicating a bullish trend.

LITE Stock Trades Above 50-Day & 200-Day SMAs
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Strong AI Demand to Boost LITE’s ProspectsLumentum’s prospects ride on strong AI demand that is driving the need for its laser chips and optical transceivers inside data centers, as well as in the interconnect and long-haul networks that bring them together. LITE estimates that more than 60% of its current revenues come from AI infrastructure and cloud, driven by strong demand from hyperscalers. Network equipment and optical transceiver manufacturers are also embedding Lumentum components in their solutions, which is driving top-line growth.

LITE has evolved as a leading provider of optics for scaling AI. Cloud transceivers, optical circuit switches and co-packaged optics are long-term growth drivers for the systems segment. Lumentum expects sustainable growth from cloud transceivers (flat in the first quarter of 2026) over the next four to five quarters, beginning in the second quarter of fiscal 2026. Rapid manufacturing expansion in Thailand bodes well for cloud transceivers and optical circuit switches.

The company expects roughly half of the sequential growth in the second quarter of fiscal 2026 to be driven by component products serving cloud applications. The other half is expected from LITE’s systems products serving cloud customers, driven by growing demand for high-speed optical transceivers for data center applications. Lumentum expects fiscal second-quarter revenues between $630 million and $670 million, while earnings are anticipated to be $1.30-$1.50 per share.

Strong demand for laser chip, laser assembly and line subsystem product lines used in data centers, as well as for data center interconnect and long-haul applications, is driving the components business. LITE achieved record EML laser shipments due to strong sales of 100-gig line speeds and an increase in 200-gig shipments in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. LITE has started delivering CW lasers for 800-Gig transceiver manufacturers, which boosts its prospects.

Laser chip shipment is anticipated to remain strong due to the expected addition of 40% more capacity over the next few quarters at the indium phosphide-based wafer fab. Laser chips carry a higher gross margin. Hence, higher shipments are expected to drive earnings. Lumentum currently expects 200-gig EMLs to account for 10% of the sales mix in early calendar 2026 and become a meaningful part of the mix as the year progresses.

LITE’s Earnings Estimate Revision Shows Positive TrendThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $1.40 per share, up 21.7% over the past 60 days and indicating a mammoth rise from the 42 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. The consensus mark for second-quarter fiscal 2026 revenues is pegged at $652.4 million, suggesting a 62.2% surge from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.
 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $1.52 per share, up 18.8% over the past 60 days and indicating a massive rise from the 57 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. The consensus mark for third-quarter fiscal 2026 revenues is pegged at $691.33 million, suggesting a 62.6% surge from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

ConclusionLumentum’s growing AI infrastructure footprint bodes well for its prospects and justifies a premium valuation. The strong prospect makes the stock a must-have for growth-oriented investors.

LITE currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and has a Growth Score of B, a favorable combination that offers a strong investment opportunity, per the Zacks Proprietary methodology. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.