Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

General Motors (GM +3.21%) reported its second-quarter earnings, and the results beat expectations on both the top and bottom lines. In an interview on CNBC, CFO Paul Jacobson called the company's stock a "bargain," even though the share price has risen by more than 40% over the past year.

Is he right? There are certainly some good reasons to believe GM is extremely cheap right now, but there are also a few not-so-positive things to keep in mind. Here's a rundown of GM's second-quarter results, the case for why the stock is an incredible bargain, and the important things to watch going forward.

Image source: Getty Images.

An extremely solid quarter In the second quarter, GM generated $48 billion in revenue, about a billion dollars more than analysts had expected, and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) beat by a wide margin. Automotive free cash flow of about $5 billion was 78% higher than a year ago. One particularly impressive statistic Jacobson pointed out in the conference call was that "Our first-half earnings per share is 25% higher than the first half at any time in our history."

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Plus, the automaker increased its full-year guidance for adjusted EPS, automotive free cash flow, and several other profitability metrics. Adjusted EBIT margin expanded by 2.5 percentage points year-over-year, and GM's margins have notably expanded at the same time its peer group has seen margins fall. The company has a dominant lead in the high-margin full-size pickup market, and the software and services side of the business, which includes products like OnStar and Super Cruise, continues to grow impressively. In addition, GM's insurance business has rapidly scaled from being in just three states in 2024 to 21 states now. And last but certainly not least, GM's defense business has excellent momentum, and management is hopeful this segment will turn profitable this year.

Thanks to its strong cash flow, GM continues to buy back stock at an aggressive pace. In the second quarter alone, the company spent $2 billion to repurchase about 25 million shares. The outstanding share count has declined by 8% over the past year and 35% over the past three years, which could continue to drive EPS higher going forward.

It's not all good news GM certainly reported a strong quarter, but it wasn't a perfect one. While it beat expectations on adjusted EPS, this excludes a $2.3 billion one-time charge related to scaling back the company's EV strategy. On a GAAP basis, GM's net income actually declined by about 31% year-over-year.

Market share is arguably the biggest concern. A year ago, GM had 17.4% of the U.S. market, which has since declined to 16.6%. To be fair, there were some good reasons, such as the strategic decision to discontinue certain models and the reduction in EV incentives that had disproportionately helped GM. But this is worth keeping an eye on.

Finally, although it came in above expectations, GM's revenue grew by less than 2% year-over-year. It's important for investors to understand that this quarter was about earnings quality, not overall business growth.

Is GM a bargain at a sub-$80 stock price? In full disclosure, General Motors is one of the largest stock investments in my portfolio, and it's a company I truly believe in as a long-term holding. Over the past decade or so, the company has done a great job of innovation, becoming more efficient, and of allocating capital in shareholder-friendly ways. Having said that, the stock isn't without risk, and it's important to realize this is a cyclical business and not all the numbers look perfect.

Even so, GM trades for a ridiculously cheap valuation of just 6.3 times forward earnings, and there's a lot to like about the company's current trajectory. I'm planning to continue to build my position at these levels, and I'm excited to see what comes next.

[url="]HPE[/url] (NYSE: HPE) today announced it has been selected to participate in multiple key research and development (R&D) projects in the first phase of

Here are the earnings estimates, analyst ratings and key items to watch.

• Intel stock is trading at elevated levels. What should traders watch with INTC?

Intel Q2 Earnings EstimatesAnalysts expect Intel to report second-quarter revenue of $14.40 billion, up from $12.86 billion, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in seven straight quarters and in eight of the past 10 quarters overall.

Analysts expect Intel to report 19 cents in earnings per share for the quarter, an improvement on a loss of 10 cents per share in last year’s second quarter.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in three straight quarters and in seven of the past 10 quarters overall.

Intel Analyst RatingsHere are some of the most recent analyst ratings on Intel stock and their price targets ahead of earnings:

Key Items to WatchIntel stock remains one of the best-performing large-cap names in 2026 with shares up 169.5%. The company’s earnings could showcase the overall strength of the semiconductor sector and put the sector on a high volatility watch depending on the figures, guidance and what the company says.

Intel is the fifth-largest holding in the iShares Semiconductor Sector Index ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) at 5.54% of assets.

For investors of Intel, a strong earnings performance could highlight the company’s strong performance relative to peers.

INTC: +300.9% NVDA: +40.3% Over the 25 years in the index, Intel stock traded mostly flat or down, going from $39.16 to $26.43. Since being swapped out, the stock has had a resurgence and significantly outperformed the return of Nvidia stock by more than seven times.

Investors and analysts will be looking for signs of continued AI demand for Intel in management commentary.

Intel recently expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to accelerate the company’s enterprise transformation for AI. The company could discuss this and other partnerships as strengths and events that could help future revenue and backlog opportunities.

Layoffs could be another topic, with the company launching a downsizing that impacted employees in the Data Center and AI group. Given these are high-growth areas for the company and others, analysts could ask what the layoffs mean and if growth has slowed for the company.

Intel Stock Price ActionIntel stock is down 0.24% to $105.20 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $18.97 to $142.34. Intel stock is up 169.5% year-to-date in 2026, hitting new all-time highs last month.

Photo: Shutterstock

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Intel (INTC, Financials), the U.S. chipmaker and contract manufacturer, will report second-quarter results Thursday with investors looking for proof that its tu

Gloria Chen, EVP, Chief People Officer at Adobe Inc. (ADBE -3.47%), reported a common stock transaction on a July 15, 2026 SEC Form 4 filing.

Transaction summaryMetricValueShares sold1,607Transaction value~$360,868Post-transaction shares (total)51,101Post-transaction shares (directly held)50,434Post-transaction shares (indirectly held)667Post-transaction value$11.48 millionTransaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average sale price ($224.56); post-transaction value based on July 15, 2026 market close ($224.56).

Key questionsWhat was the primary driver for this disposition?
The transaction was non-discretionary and initiated solely to satisfy tax withholding obligations triggered by the vesting of restricted stock units on July 15, 2026.How does this impact the insider's long-term equity exposure?
Following the share surrender, Chen maintains a significant interest in the company via 50,434 direct shares and 31,662 derivative securities, including various tranches of unvested and vested equity awards.What is the status of the insider's indirect holdings?
Chen continues to maintain a stable indirect position of 667 shares through The John Kibarian and Gloria Chen Trust, for which she serves as a trustee.Company OverviewMetricValueShare Price (as of market close 2026-07-16)$235.31Market Capitalization$93.9 billionRevenue (TTM)$25.2 billionNet Income (TTM)$7.2 billionCompany SnapshotAdobe Inc. operates three primary business divisions—Digital Media, Digital Experience, and Publishing and Advertising—delivering a comprehensive suite of cloud-based software solutions that enable content creation, distribution, and amplification across enterprises, teams, and individual users.The company generates revenue through subscription-based software licensing models, including the cloud-native Document Cloud platform and creative applications, which provide recurring revenue streams from enterprise and consumer segments.Adobe serves a diverse customer base spanning creative professionals, enterprises requiring digital experience management solutions, and organizations leveraging publishing and advertising technologies across multiple industries.Adobe Inc. is a globally recognized software provider with a market capitalization of $93.9 billion and TTM revenue of $25.2 billion, positioning it as a market leader in digital content creation and experience management. The company's diversified business model, anchored in subscription-based cloud services, generates substantial profitability with TTM net income of $7.2 billion, reflecting strong operational efficiency and pricing power. Adobe maintains competitive advantages through its integrated product ecosystem, extensive customer relationships, and continuous innovation in artificial intelligence and digital transformation solutions.

What this transaction means for investorsChen’s sale of Adobe shares on July 16 carries no obvious meaning to investors. As previously stated, tax withholding obligations drove the sale, meaning the transaction would have happened regardless of the stock’s performance.

Nonetheless, Chen’s behavior toward this stock could imply continued faith in Adobe stock. As mentioned before, she maintains holdings of 50,434 direct shares and 31,662 derivative securities.

This continues despite a slide that has taken Adobe below its bottom in the 2022 bear market. SaaS stocks like Adobe have suffered amid concerns that AI is going to replace some of Adobe’s popular software packages.

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Nonetheless, Chen arguably has good reason to think she can sell her shares for more with some patience. Thanks to the sell-off, Adobe’s stock has fallen to a P/E ratio of 13 and a forward earnings multiple of just under 10! Such conditions likely leave the stock with little potential downside.

Hence, rather than emphasizing a modest sale driven by tax obligations, investors should probably focus on the shares Chen kept and the prospects for an Adobe recovery.

Will Healy has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Adobe. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2028 $330 calls on Adobe and short January 2028 $340 calls on Adobe. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Momentum investing revolves around the idea of following a stock's recent trend in either direction. In "long context," investors will be essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." With this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving that way. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.

While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.

Below, we take a look at Travelers (TRV - Free Report) , which currently has a Momentum Style Score of B. We also discuss some of the main drivers of the Momentum Style Score, like price change and earnings estimate revisions.

It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Travelers currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of "A or B" outperform the market over the following one-month period.

You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>

Set to Beat the Market? In order to see if TRV is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum Style elements to see if this insurer holds up.

Looking at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has momentum, since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It's also helpful to compare a security to its industry; this can show investors the best companies in a particular area.

For TRV, shares are up 8.87% over the past week while the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry is flat over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 16.62% compares favorably with the industry's 4.36% performance as well.

While any stock can see its price increase, it takes a real winner to consistently beat the market. That is why looking at longer term price metrics -- such as performance over the past three months or year -- can be useful as well. Over the past quarter, shares of Travelers have risen 19.23%, and are up 38.55% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved 6.61% and 20.33%, respectively.

Investors should also pay attention to TRV's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. TRV is currently averaging 1,815,762 shares for the last 20 days.

Earnings OutlookThe Zacks Momentum Style Score encompasses many things, including estimate revisions and a stock's price movement. Investors should note that earnings estimates are also significant to the Zacks Rank, and a nice path here can be promising. We have recently been noticing this with TRV.

Over the past two months, 10 earnings estimates moved higher compared to 2 lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost TRV's consensus estimate, increasing from $27.94 to $30.81 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 7 estimates have moved upwards while there have been 1 downward revision in the same time period.

Bottom LineTaking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that TRV is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Travelers on your short list.

While Alphabet (GOOGL) and Tesla (TSLA) will take up most oxygen on the earnings front after Wednesday's close, Andy Swan from @LikeFolio points to IBM Corp. (IBM) as another name to watch. He examines upward consumer demand trends for Big Blue, which he believes suggests its customer base remains strong long-term.

SPECTRUM MOBILE INTRODUCES UNLIMITED PLUS PREMIUM WITH BUILT-IN SAVINGS AND EXCLUSIVE FEATURES PR Newswire STAMF

If you watched Nvidia and the other semiconductor chip stocks soar and felt as if the artificial intelligence (AI) train left without you, take a breath. The thing about AI is that it doesn't run on software alone. It runs on a staggering amount of physical stuff: cooling systems, power controls, transmission lines, and the crews who install them all.

Some industrial companies supplying the backbone materials and services for AI haven't been bid up nearly as far as the marquee names, which means the door isn't closed. Here are three industrial stocks that still look worth a serious look.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. nVent Electric nVent Electric (NVT -1.09%) sits right in the sweet spot of one of AI's biggest headaches: excess heat. Packing thousands of scorching-hot chips into a data center requires advanced liquid cooling, and nVent has become a go-to supplier, having deployed more than 2 gigawatts of liquid cooling capacity already. Its momentum is real, with recent quarterly sales up more than 50% and its systems-protection business up even faster, and it was added to Nvidia's partner network, a stamp of approval that opens doors with the largest AI builders. With a next-generation cooling and power lineup rolling out in 2026, nVent is a direct play on data center growth that has flown under most investors' radars compared with the flashier cooling names.

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2. Emerson Electric Emerson Electric (EMR +0.27%) is the sleep-well option of the group. It makes the automation and power-management systems that keep complex facilities running, and data centers have become a booming market for it. Emerson was chosen to automate the on-site power generation for a massive 1.7-gigawatt AI data center, and orders for its flagship control platform recently jumped 74%, driven largely by these behind-the-meter power projects.

What I like here is the balance: Emerson is a Dividend King (a Dividend King is a company that's grown its dividend payment for at least 50 consecutive years. It has 69 straight years of payout increases and trades at a far more grounded valuation than pure AI plays. You get genuine AI exposure without paying a nosebleed price, plus a growing dividend while you wait.

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3. Hubbell Hubbell (HUBB -0.37%) is the quiet backbone of the group. It makes the unglamorous but essential electrical and grid gear, the connectors, enclosures, and utility hardware, that both power companies and data centers rely on to move electricity safely. As AI drives a surge in data center construction, Hubbell has leaned in hard: It recently lifted its 2026 profit forecast on strong demand from data centers and utilities, and it has been bolting on acquisitions, including DMC Power and a roughly $3 billion deal for NSI Industries, to deepen its reach into data-center power infrastructure. Both its electrical and utility segments are growing at double-digit rates. It's a silent leader in a market for data center electrical infrastructure worth tens of billions, and it typically trades at a friendlier valuation than the pure-play AI names.

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The catch worth naming Let me be honest, because "screaming buy" can be a dangerous phrase. None of these three stocks is dirt cheap now that the market has caught on to the AI-infrastructure story. They are more reasonably priced than Nvidia and the headline cooling and power stocks, but they aren't bargain-bin. All three also depend on having data center construction stay hot, so a pullback in that spending would hurt them all. These are relative values riding a powerful trend, not risk-free giveaways.

Here is the encouraging part: You didn't miss the whole AI trade, just the most obvious slice of it. The build-out still needs cooling, power, and grid connections for years to come, and nVent, Emerson, and Hubbell each sell something essential to that effort at prices friendlier than the stocks everyone already talks about. I would treat them as a second chance to invest in AI through the back door, buying gradually and keeping the data center cycle in mind. Sometimes the smartest way to catch a train you missed is to hop on at the next station.

Key Takeaways AbbVie's Q2 oncology revenues are expected to decline slightly as Imbruvica sales remain under pressure.ABBV expects growth from Venclexta and newer therapies to be offset by continued Imbruvica weakness.Decnupaz may add only a modest Q2 revenue contribution following its FDA approval in May. AbbVie’s (ABBV - Free Report) oncology franchise has evolved considerably in recent years. What was once largely a hematology-focused business has expanded into solid tumors through a series of acquisitions, collaborations and internal innovation. However, the continued decline in Imbruvica sales remains the franchise’s biggest headwind ahead of the company’s second-quarter 2026 results on July 31.

The portfolio currently comprises six marketed therapies. While blood cancer drugs Imbruvica and Venclexta continue to generate the majority of oncology revenues, AbbVie has expanded its portfolio with newer products. These include Epkinly for lymphoma, Elahere for ovarian cancer, Emrelis for lung cancer and, most recently, Decnupaz for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (or BPDCN – a rare and aggressive blood cancer).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for oncology revenues is pegged at $1.62 billion, suggesting a slight decline from the year-ago period. Growth from Venclexta and newer therapies, such as Epkinly, Elahere and Emrelis, is expected to be more than offset by the continued weakness in Imbruvica. Sales of this blockbuster blood cancer drug are likely to remain the franchise's biggest drag as competitive pressure from newer BTK inhibitors and the impact of Medicare IRA pricing continue to weigh on sales.

Since Decnupaz received FDA approval in May, its contribution to second-quarter revenues is expected to be modest.

Competition in the Oncology SpaceOther bigger players in the oncology space are AstraZeneca (AZN - Free Report) , Merck (MRK - Free Report) and Pfizer (PFE - Free Report) .

For AstraZeneca, oncology sales now account for 44% of total revenues. Sales in its oncology segment rose 16% year over year in first-quarter 2026, driven by the strong performance of medicines such as Tagrisso, Lynparza, Imfinzi, Calquence and Enhertu (in partnership with Daiichi Sankyo).

Merck’s key oncology medicines are PD-L1 inhibitor Keytruda and PARP inhibitor Lynparza, which it markets in partnership with AstraZeneca. Keytruda, approved for several types of cancer, alone accounted for roughly half of MRK’s total revenues in first-quarter 2026.

Pfizer’s oncology revenues grew 7% in first-quarter 2026, driven by drugs such as Lorbrena, the Braftovi-Mektovi combination and Padcev. The segment now accounts for more than 26% of Pfizer’s total revenues.

ABBV’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of AbbVie have outperformed the industry year to date, as seen in the chart below.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, AbbVie is trading at a discount to the industry. Based on the price/earnings (P/E) ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 16.74 times forward earnings, lower than its industry’s average of 18.78.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

EPS estimates for 2026 and 2027 have declined over the past 30 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

AbbVie currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

US Senator Cynthia Lummis: In the coming days, she will continue to push for a bipartisan agreement on the CLARITY Act to enact it into law.

US Senator Cynthia Lummis released a statement thanking her Democratic colleagues for their key contributions to the new draft of the CLARITY Act, and pledged to continue pushing for an agreement in the coming days to get the bill enacted into law. Lummis noted that consumer protection and supporting innovation are not mutually exclusive, adding that the draft demonstrates both goals can be achieved simultaneously. Earlier reports indicated that Senate Republicans unveiled the new version of the CLARITY Act following a briefing call with industry stakeholders. The revised text proposes to ban officials including the U.S. president, vice president, members of Congress, federal judges, and their spouses from receiving compensation via issuing or sponsoring digital assets while in office; the relevant provisions will remain in effect until January 20, 2029. Restricted officials must also sell their crypto assets and investments in crypto-related firms, or place them in blind trusts over which they have no control; sales of crypto assets exceeding $1,000 are required to be disclosed.

2 hours ago

The CLARITY Act adds, for the first time, provisions restricting the president and government officials from profiting through crypto assets.

According to CNBC, the new CLARITY Act under consideration by the U.S. Senate would ban the president and other federal officials from issuing or sponsoring cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. Republican lawmakers updated the bill’s text on Wednesday, adding for the first time provisions restricting the president from profiting from crypto assets, with the rules applying to both the president and other federal officials. The CLARITY Act is designed to be the U.S.’s first comprehensive piece of legislation regulating the digital asset market, and remains pending in the Senate.

2 hours ago

The revised CLARITY Act has been officially released, prohibiting the president and government officials from issuing or sponsoring crypto assets for profit.

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett reported that U.S. Senate Republicans have released a revised version of the CLARITY Act following a briefing call with industry stakeholders. The ethics framework in the revised bill was developed by the White House in consultation with Republican Senators Cynthia Lummis and Bernie Moreno, and has not yet secured Democratic backing. The new text would bar U.S. officials—including the president, vice president, members of Congress, federal judges—and their spouses from earning compensation during their terms via issuing or sponsoring digital assets; these provisions are set to expire on January 20, 2029. Covered officials must sell their crypto assets and investments in crypto firms, or place them in blind trusts over which they have no control, with sales of crypto assets exceeding $1,000 requiring disclosure. The U.S. Department of Justice would be granted civil enforcement authority for ethics violations, including prosecuting trading platforms that knowingly operate banned tokens. However, Democrats oppose granting the DOJ sole enforcement power without extending authority to state attorneys general, and the relevant provisions could still be adjusted in the coming days. The revised bill retains the BRCA and Keep Your Coins Act, clarifying that non-custodial software developers and blockchain infrastructure providers will not be classified as money transmitters solely for maintaining decentralized networks, while safeguarding individuals’ right to self-custody of crypto assets. Stablecoin provisions remain unchanged: interest on idle payment stablecoin balances is banned, but rewards tied to actual activities like trading or staking are permitted.

2 hours ago

Report: Crypto industry contributes $55 billion to U.S. economy, directly employs 34,000 people

The US National Cryptocurrency Association released a report stating that the US crypto industry directly employs 34,000 people; when including jobs supported by supplier industries and consumer spending of related workers, total employment in the sector is roughly 232,000. The report projects that by 2026, the industry will contribute over $55 billion to US GDP, with around $31 billion flowing to workers as labor income. Of the 232,000 supported jobs, approximately 75,000 come from supplier industries, and another 123,000 are driven by household spending of related employees. These figures are based on multiplier effects from input-output models and do not represent direct hires by crypto firms. Among the 34,000 direct roles, software, blockchain, and data engineering positions are the most numerous, at about 10,100. Regionally, California and New York support 57,649 and 53,766 jobs respectively, totaling over 111,000; Texas accounts for roughly 26,536 jobs. The 12 US heartland states defined in the report collectively support around 17,000 jobs. The report was commissioned and funded by the National Cryptocurrency Association, with analysis conducted by Pragmatic Policy Group. Its estimates are based on the US Bureau of Economic Analysis’ 2024 input-output tables and $23.22 billion in crypto industry revenue data, with model assumptions incorporated into occupational structure and industry mapping.

2 hours ago

The development company behind Pump.fun is hiring a Growth Marketing Lead, offering a base annual salary of up to $1 million.

Baton Corporation, the developer behind Pump.fun, is hiring a Head of Growth Marketing, with a base annual salary of $400,000 to $1,000,000 plus performance-based incentives. Pump.fun founder Alon noted that the platform has grown to become one of the largest in the crypto industry with almost no paid marketing. The company’s next goal is to transition Pump.fun from a crypto-native product to the mainstream market, targeting an application with hundreds of millions of users. The role requires candidates to have hands-on experience in consumer app growth, a proven track record managing multi-million dollar marketing budgets, and familiarity with strategies including digital advertising, user-generated content (UGC), and short-form video clips.

2 hours ago

灰度：若美联储不再加息，比特币或已触底

Zach Pandl, head of research at Grayscale, wrote in a post that the market currently holds two main views on when Bitcoin’s bear market will end: one is adherence to the "four-year cycle" theory, and the other is viewing Bitcoin as a mature asset driven by macroeconomic factors. The "four-year cycle" theory holds that halving events remain the core driver of Bitcoin’s price cycles. Historically, Bitcoin has typically bottomed roughly one year after a cycle peak and about 2.5 years after a halving, with an average cumulative drawdown of around 80%. Based on this pattern, Bitcoin could still decline further in the current cycle and form a bottom in September or October. The other view argues that Bitcoin’s price will, like other major assets, be more influenced by economic growth, real interest rates, and changes in Federal Reserve policy going forward. Past Bitcoin bear markets have typically coincided with slowing economic growth or rising real interest rates, and this current downturn has unfolded against a backdrop of rising rate hike expectations and climbing real interest rates. Pandl noted he leans more toward the macro-driven view. If the Fed stops raising interest rates and economic growth remains stable, Bitcoin’s price may have already bottomed.

2 hours ago

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE:PLTR) stock fell on Wednesday, driven by targeted regulatory scrutiny regarding its UK National Health Service (NHS) Federated Data Platform (FDP) contract.

The Nasdaq is down 0.21% while the S&P 500 has gained 0.11%, and Technology is the weakest sector on the day (down 0.4%), setting a tougher backdrop for high-multiple software names.

• Palantir Technologies shares are sliding. Why is PLTR stock dropping?

UK Regulator Addresses FDP MetricsThe UK’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) addressed public concerns on Wednesday regarding NHS England’s communication of performance metrics for the FDP.

On June 6, NHS England updated its methods page, adding: "We cannot therefore draw conclusions about cause and effect as other variables have not been controlled for."

The OSR noted that NHS England added the caveat following Freedom of Information requests regarding FDP data analysis. NHS England committed to placing caveats on its main FDP website and commissioning Imperial College to conduct an independent academic evaluation.

Contract Controversies and CriticismThe regulatory developments follow broader scrutiny over the NHS contract.

Jo Maugham, executive director of the Good Law Project, stated: “Palantir is not — and frankly never has been — a company that can be trusted with this nationally important contract.”

Domestic Alternatives In the UKRegional NHS entities have also opted out of the system. In a Guardian letter published on July 20, Dr. Devan Moodley, CEO of Health Connect Global, highlighted that Greater Manchester’s integrated care board declined the platform, relying instead on local capabilities built with UK universities and firms.

Financial Results ApproachingPalantir will report its second-quarter financial results on Aug. 3. Analysts project earnings per share of 33 cents on quarterly revenue of $1.81 billion.

Technical AnalysisFrom a trend perspective, Palantir is still trying to stabilize after a longer downtrend: it’s trading 2.9% below its 50-day SMA ($132.22) and 17.1% below its 200-day SMA ($154.84), keeping the intermediate and long-term bias tilted bearish. The 20-day SMA ($126.81) is just underneath price, but the 20-day remains below the 50-day (bearish), and the Death Cross that formed in February (50-day below 200-day) continues to hang over rallies.

Momentum is best read through RSI, which sits at 47.37 — neutral and consistent with a stock that’s chopping rather than trending strongly.

Key Resistance: $136.50 Key Support: $122.50 PLTR Stock Price Activity: Palantir Technologies shares were down 4.93% at $126.12 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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Chips took a beating in July, and if you sold in a panic, take a breath. On a CNBC segment earlier this week, Wells Fargo chief equity strategist Ohsung Kwon and Strategy Asset Managers CEO Tom Hulick both argued the semiconductor pullback is a positioning reset ahead of what could be the largest capital spending wave in computing history. Their case rests on a single, staggering number Wells Fargo just published, and it points directly at the tickers retail keeps dumping.

The $1.1 Trillion Reason Kwon’s team raised its capex estimate for the big four hyperscalers to $1.1 trillion in 2027, roughly 25% above consensus and a jump from about $800 billion this year. In Kwon’s words, “Our analysts actually raised their 2027 capex estimates to 1.1 trillion from just the big four companies. And that’s about this year is about 800 billion. So that’s actually about 25% above where consensus is. So if that actually comes to fruition, then I think we’re talking about a huge upside for semis overall.”

The commitments are already visible in filings. NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) sits on $119 billion in total supply-related commitments and guided fiscal Q2 revenue to $91 billion. Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) guided fiscal Q4 revenue to $50 billion, plus or minus $1 billion. Those are demand signals backed by binding commitments.

Why the Selloff Was a Positioning Reset Kwon’s second point matters more. “I think positioning has reset. I think there is a bull case heading into the earnings season. And I think hyperscaler capex the trend is going higher. So I think this earnings season will be another catalyst that the capex cycle is still very healthy.” Fast money exited in July, forward valuations look reasonable again, and Q2 earnings could re-anchor the group.

NVIDIA is still up 13.3% year to date. Forward P/E sits at 23x. Micron trades at a forward multiple of roughly 5x with an analyst target of $1,491.95. July is tracking as one of the biggest momentum-reversal months in history, with a -55% correlation between first-half and July performance. Traders got flushed. The infrastructure kept building.

Where the Money Is Going, With Memory in Focus Per Hulick’s, “as the hyperscalers continue to invest… the forward looking potential for the memory sector in particular is going to be quite strong because memory is becoming one of the most attractive areas in the technology stack right now.”

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He is describing what Micron’s fiscal Q3 already proved. Revenue landed at $41.46 billion, up 345.7% year over year, with Cloud Memory contributing $13.77 billion and HBM4 in high-volume shipments.

SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) tells a similar story from the NAND side. Fiscal Q3 revenue hit $5.95 billion, up 251% year over year, with the Datacenter segment posting $1.47 billion in revenue, up 645% year over year. Shares are down 27.25% over the past month, yet still up 569.56% year to date. That pullback after that run reads as violent digestion within an intact thesis. SanDisk is up 10% on repositioning into memory, and Hulick thinks that is the tell.

His bigger claim is worth reading twice. “This is going to be one of the greatest bull markets that I think that we will experience. And it’s just because of the technological evolution that we’re seeing with AI, memory expansion, the speed of chips, how things are connecting together.” Even Chinese open-source model development is viewed as a positive for compute demand, since more models mean more inference.

The Verdict, and the One Risk That Matters The bull case is coherent. Hyperscalers are committing real capital, memory pricing is inflecting, and NVIDIA’s data center franchise grew 92% year over year at 75.0% non-GAAP gross margins. If you were scared out of chips in July, the strategists on your screen think the July action lied about the trajectory. The one risk worth respecting is monetization. If hyperscalers raise capex again without showing revenue acceleration and a clearer path to profitability on those AI workloads, the next reset will be fundamental, and Q2 earnings season is where that fight gets settled.

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Key Takeaways ISRG's recurring revenue rose 19% to $2.47 billion, accounting for 85% of total revenue.Da Vinci and Ion procedures grew 16%, led by 36% Ion growth and a 61% increase in SP procedures.Intuitive Surgical faces slower U.S. growth, bariatric declines and pressure on China placements. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG - Free Report) remains a procedure-driven growth story built around robotic systems, instruments, services and software.

The central question for investors is whether da Vinci 5, SP, Ion and digital tools can keep expanding clinical reach while offsetting weaker areas such as bariatric surgery, U.S. deferrable procedures and China placements.

ISRG Builds on a Broad Robotic PlatformIntuitive Surgical’s platform spans da Vinci multi-port systems, the da Vinci SP single-port platform and Ion. Da Vinci supports robot-assisted soft tissue surgery across general surgery, urology, gynecology, cardiothoracic care and head and neck specialties.

Ion extends the company into minimally invasive lung biopsy through a flexible, robotic-assisted, catheter-based platform. ISRG is building a broader care ecosystem designed to widen procedure reach across specialties and settings.

Intuitive Surgical Gains From Recurring RevenueRecurring revenue is central to the model because instruments, accessories, leases and services rise with utilization and installed-base growth. In the second quarter of 2026, recurring revenue increased 19% to $2.47 billion.

That represented 85% of total revenue, making the business less dependent on one-time system sales. Instruments and accessories revenues rose 18% to $1.73 billion, while service revenues grew 21% to $472 million.

ISRG Procedure Growth Still Drives the StoryProcedure volume remains the key operating indicator. In the second quarter of 2026, total da Vinci and Ion procedures increased 16% year over year, including 15% da Vinci growth and 36% Ion growth.

International da Vinci procedures rose 20%, with Europe and Asia each up 20%. SP procedures increased 61%, while cardiac and nipple-sparing mastectomy procedures rose 39% and 43%, respectively. Management maintained its 2026 da Vinci procedure growth outlook of 13.5% to 15.5%, with expectations near the midpoint.

Intuitive Surgical Expands the Ecosystem With Digital ToolsSoftware and data are becoming more important to the Intuitive Surgical’s business model. The company began rolling out more than 100 planned da Vinci 5 updates focused on telepresence, simulation-based training and care-team workflow.

It also completed its first My Intuitive+ renewals, covering telepresence, simulation and artificial intelligence-driven case insights. No customer in the initial cohort opted out, suggesting these tools can deepen engagement and make the installed base more valuable.

What ISRG Investors Should Watch NextThe bottom line is that ISRG still has a clear platform-dependent growth scenario. Da Vinci 5 upgrades, Ion adoption, SP growth, recurring revenue and digital tools all support a wider ecosystem.

Risks remain visible. U.S. da Vinci procedure growth moderated to 12% in the second quarter from 14% in the first quarter, bariatric procedures declined at a high-single-digit rate and China remains pressured by lower tender activity, local competition and policy-driven pricing.

Medtronic plc (MDT - Free Report) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) are relevant comparables for investors tracking surgical robotics and digitally enabled medical technology. Their presence keeps the competitive context important, even as ISRG maintains a competitive moat with high installed systems, improving utilization and procedure-linked revenue as well as strong clinical evidence.

Investors should pair this operating view with ISRG’s current Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and Zacks Style Scores of B before forming a fuller stock view. The Zacks Rank is a short-term timeliness indicator, while the Style Scores help evaluate value, growth and momentum characteristics. Higher grades, especially A or B, are more favorable when considered alongside top-ranked stocks, but they should be weighed with procedure trends, placement dynamics and margin risks. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Key Takeaways ISRG revenues rose 18.5% to $2.89 billion as worldwide da Vinci and Ion procedures increased 16%.Intuitive Surgical held $8.63 billion in liquidity and generated $1.8 billion in first-half free cash flow.Tariffs, weaker bariatric demand, China pressure and trade-in-heavy placements keep execution risks elevated. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG - Free Report) still offers investors a high-quality growth profile, but the case is not just about procedure gains.

The buy-or-wait debate depends on whether procedure growth, recurring revenues and financial flexibility can offset tariff pressure, mix changes and uneven hospital capital spending.

ISRG Still Has a Durable Growth EngineIntuitive Surgical’s growth engine is driven by strong performance across all its segments. Revenues rose 18.5% year over year to $2.89 billion, helped by higher procedure volumes, system leasing revenues, installed-base expansion and rising service revenues.

Worldwide procedures across da Vinci and Ion increased 16%. Da Vinci procedures grew roughly 15%, while Ion procedures advanced 36%, showing growth from the core surgical platform and newer diagnostic applications.

The installed base also supports a compounding model. Intuitive Surgical placed 468 da Vinci systems, including 246 da Vinci 5 systems, and placed 55 Ion systems.

Medtronic plc (MDT - Free Report) remains a relevant comparison as surgical robotics becomes a broader medtech battleground. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) also belongs in the discussion as large device companies invest in operating-room platforms.

Intuitive Surgical’s Balance Sheet Adds FlexibilityIntuitive Surgical ended the second quarter with $8.63 billion in cash, cash equivalents and investments, up $650 million sequentially. That liquidity matters because this business requires constant investment.

The company generated $1.8 billion of free cash flow in the first half of 2026, up 71% from the prior-year period. Cash generation funded $379 million of share repurchases and $112 million of capital expenditures.

This financial base gives Intuitive Surgical room to keep investing through cycles. Management is prioritizing research and development growth to support platforms, instruments and digital capabilities.

ISRG Faces Pressure on Margins and MixThe caution case starts with margins. Intuitive Surgical raised its 2026 adjusted gross margin outlook to 68-69%, but that range still includes an estimated tariff impact equal to 1% of revenues.

Second-quarter adjusted gross margin was 70%, helped by a $36 million pretax refund of previously paid tariffs. Excluding that benefit, the margin would have been 68.7%.

Procedure mix is another constraint. U.S. da Vinci procedures rose 12%, down from 14% in the first quarter, as some benign procedures were deferred.

Bariatric procedures declined at a high-single-digit rate amid greater GLP-1 use. Cholecystectomy growth and lower bariatric volumes also limited instrument and accessory revenue per procedure.

Intuitive Surgical’s Placement Risks Deserve AttentionSystem placement trends need context. Da Vinci placements rose 18.5% year over year to 468 systems, but about half of U.S. placements were trade-ins.

Leasing gives hospitals more flexibility, representing 54% of total da Vinci placements. Still, capital purchases remain sensitive to hospital budgets, financing conditions and government tender timing.

Outside the United States, China remains a pressure point because of lower tender activity, domestic competition and policy-driven pricing. Parts of Europe also face government budget constraints.

How ISRG’s Stock Case Comes TogetherISRG’s investment case is a balance between durable quality and real execution risk. The bull case rests on recurring revenue, procedure growth, platform breadth and a cash-rich balance sheet.

The cautious case is also clear. Tariffs, regional capital cycles, weaker bariatric demand and the planned extended-use instrument program could reduce revenue per procedure before higher volumes offset the impact.

The stock’s operating profile should be paired with ISRG’s current Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and Zacks Style Scores of B before investors form a view. The Zacks Rank focuses on earnings estimate revisions, while the Style Scores frame value, growth and momentum characteristics. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

For now, Intuitive Surgical looks more like a quality business that needs selective entry discipline than an all-clear buy. Strong growth supports the long-term story, but margin and placement risks keep the debate active.

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of NFLX either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. 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.

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The polite duopoly running the modern weight-loss drug boom just filed for divorce, and the market voted before the ink dried. Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO | NVO Price Prediction) sued Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) over what it calls misleading US advertising for Zepbound, and on the news, Novo’s ADRs slipped about half a percentage point while Lilly’s stock rose. A lawsuit is supposed to be a threat, but investors read it as an admission.

You already know which side Wall Street was on going in. Lilly’s market cap sits at roughly $1.1 trillion against Novo’s roughly $167 billion. Over the past year, LLY is up 50% while NVO is down 27%. That gap is the context for everything else here.

What The Lawsuit Is Actually About The complaint, described by Bloomberg’s Madison Muller, is narrower than the headlines suggest. Lilly ran ads comparing Zepbound to an earlier, lower-dose version of Wegovy using older trial data. Novo recently secured FDA approval for a higher-dose Wegovy and argues those comparisons are now outdated. Novo did the polite corporate thing first. It sent Lilly a cease-and-desist months ago. Lilly did not change or pull the ads. So Novo went to court.

On the science, Novo has a point. The higher-dose Wegovy approval, plus Wegovy HD demonstrating nearly 21% weight loss in trials, materially changes the comparison. But litigation is a slow tool for solving a fast marketing problem, and by the time discovery starts, doctors will have written another quarter of prescriptions.

Why The Stock Reaction Tells The Real Story Muller’s reporting hit the pressure point. There is a genuine consumer perception that Zepbound is better than Wegovy, with patients walking into doctors’ offices asking for Lilly’s drug by name. That demand signal shows up on the income statement. Lilly’s blowout Q1 2026 delivered $19.8 billion in revenue, up 55.5% year over year, with Mounjaro at $8.66 billion (+125%) and Zepbound at $4.16 billion (+80%). Non-GAAP EPS came in at $8.55, beating the $6.79 consensus.

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Novo’s quarter looked different. Adjusted sales fell 4% at constant exchange rates, EPS of $6.63 missed the $6.96 consensus, and management guided full-year adjusted sales to -4% to -12% at CER. The company also telegraphed list-price cuts of roughly 50% on Wegovy and 35% on Ozempic effective January 1, 2027. When you are cutting price by half, a court filing about ad copy is not the lever that saves you.

How Novo Lost Its Lead And Whether A Lawsuit Can Win It Back Novo essentially invented the modern GLP-1 category, and then Lilly out-executed it. Lilly launched a direct-to-consumer website and cut cash-pay prices before Novo did. Muller described Novo as having “rested on their laurels a bit” while Lilly moved aggressively to out-innovate. Novo’s response has been dramatic. A new CEO in Mike Doustdar, roughly 9,000 job cuts, and a culture overhaul.

The oral pill launch shows the franchise still fights in it. Wegovy pill did $2.26 billion in its first full quarter and captured 65% of new US prescriptions in the oral GLP-1 category, with over one million patients since the January launch. That is not a company being lapped. But Lilly countered with Foundayo, its own approved oral GLP-1 pill that can be taken any time of day without food or water restrictions, and raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $82.0 billion to $85.0 billion. The analyst consensus target on LLY sits at $1,270.37 versus $47.43 for NVO. The Street’s verdict is not subtle.

The Verdict For Investors A lawsuit does not fix a perception problem, and perception is what Novo needs to change. Lilly enters this fight with a bigger, faster-growing franchise, superior head-to-head trial data on the injectable side, an approved oral pill of its own, and a stock that is up 377% over five years while Novo’s ADR is up just 7% over the same stretch. Novo is still enormously profitable, and its oral launch is real, but the burden of proof has flipped. Lilly has to keep executing. Novo has to convince patients and doctors that the newer, higher-dose Wegovy is worth switching to, and no court order will do that for them.

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[url="]Glancy Prongay Wolke and Rotter LLP[/url], a leading national shareholder rights law firm, today announced that it has commenced an investigation on behal

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Investors who bought the Select STOXX Europe Aerospace & Defense ETF (CBOE:EUAD) were buying a clean story: Berlin, Paris, London, and Warsaw pledging generational increases in military spending, and a fund built to own Airbus, Rheinmetall, BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Saab directly. The logic was that if Europe finally rearmed, the continent’s powers would compound. Eighteen months into that trade, the returns have gone the other way. EUAD sits at $41.62, down 1.21% year-to-date and off 3.16% over the past year. The fund that actually captured the rearmament dollars trades on the other side of the Atlantic: the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (CBOE:ITA).

The Case for Owning EUAD The most direct listed vehicle for the European rearmament theme is this fund. The fund concentrates on Airbus (5.31%), MTU Aero Engines (4.91%), Leonardo (2.96%), BAE Systems (2.64%), Saab (2.48%), Thales (2.40%), Rolls-Royce (2.02%), and Rheinmetall (1.82%). That is a defensible portfolio if the thesis is that NATO’s European members finally spend at 3% of GDP and place orders with local champions. It is also priced for that outcome, trading at a P/E of 40 with a beta of 1.24 and a 0.47% dividend yield.

Where the European Trade Broke Down The gap between rearmament announcements and rearmament contracts has been wider than headlines suggest. European ministries of defense have leaned heavily on U.S. primes for the equipment they need immediately: F-35s, Patriots, HIMARS, Javelins, munitions, and engines. Germany’s F-35 buy, Poland’s Apache and HIMARS orders, and munition backfills flow directly into the revenue lines of Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing, and GE Aerospace, not Rheinmetall or Leonardo. The scoreboard reflects it. EUAD is down over the trailing year, while ITA is up 24.48% and up 9.63% year to date. The theme is the same, but the outcomes have diverged.

Why ITA Cashed the Checks The U.S. aerospace and defense fund’s book is built for exactly the contract mix Europe has been buying. The top three holdings, General Electric (19.03%), RTX (16.55%), and Boeing (8.91%), are the engine, missile, and airframe suppliers behind the platforms European buyers are actually funding. Adding layers for General Dynamics (4.77%), L3Harris (4.66%), Lockheed Martin (4.58%), and Northrop Grumman (4.58%) on the primes that dominate munitions, radios, fighters, and bombers. The fund holds $13.49 billion in net assets at an expense ratio of 0.38%.

The performance gap is not a one-year artifact. ITA has returned 129.5% over five years and 305.55% over ten years, delivered, while every European conflict cycle since 2016 has ultimately routed procurement through American primes. For a $10,000 position, the trailing 12-month gap between the two funds is roughly $2,764 in favor of ITA. That is the mechanism: the same rearmament story, but with the actual invoices attached.

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Readers who want a broader look at the primes driving that contract flow can dig into the 24/7 Wall St. research on defense-adjacent industrial names that benefit from the same procurement cycle.

The Real Tradeoffs The U.S. aerospace and defense fund is not a free lunch. Concentration is real: GE, RTX, and Boeing alone account for roughly 44.5% of net assets, so a stumble in Boeing production or a commercial aerospace downturn would hit the fund harder than a pure defense basket would. Valuation is similar to the European defense fund at roughly 39x trailing earnings, and the U.S. fund carries commercial-aviation cyclicality that the European fund’s more pure-play defense book does not. Yields are close to a wash, 0.45% on the U.S. fund versus 0.47% on the European fund, so this is a total-return trade, not an income swap.

Making the Switch In a tax-advantaged account, the swap is mechanical: sell EUAD, buy ITA, no tax consequence. In a taxable account, the math changes. EUAD has traded flat to down for most holders who bought into the 2024 rearmament narrative, so realized gains may be modest or negative, which can actually be useful for tax-loss harvesting against other winners. Anyone sitting on an embedded loss should confirm that the wash-sale rules do not apply if they plan to reload a similar European name later.

What to Watch From Here The swap logic holds as long as European ministries keep writing checks to U.S. primes faster than they build indigenous capacity. That could change. If Rheinmetall’s shell plants, MBDA’s munitions lines, and Airbus’s fighter programs start absorbing a materially larger share of European budgets, EUAD’s underlying earnings should catch up. Until the contract flow rotates, ITA is the fund that is actually being paid for the rearmament headlines EUAD was named after.

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Shares of ServiceNow (NOW -6.42%) were pulling back today after disappointing results from Pegasystems (PEGA -17.13%), a small-cap enterprise automation software company, seemed to confirm a concerning trend for ServiceNow, that customers were delaying software orders as they spend on AI.

As of 12:44 p.m. ET, ServiceNow was down 5.9%, while Pegasystems had lost 16.2%, and the iShares Expanded-Tech Software ETF, which tracks top software stocks like ServiceNow, was down 2.7%, showing software stocks were down broadly even as the major indexes were flat.

Image source: Getty Images.

Why the Pegasystems report is bad news for ServiceNow Pegasystems missed estimates on the top and bottom lines as management said, "Unprecedented changes in the AI market caused clients to delay their purchasing decisions."

That commentary and the poor results echo the update from IBM last week, as the legacy tech giant plunged after it warned that several large customer deals were delayed as its customers redirect capital expenditure budgets to AI hardware, with prices for components like memory rising rapidly.

Pega CEO Alan Trefler also said cost uncertainties around generative AI programs were causing companies to be more hesitant, adding that decision cycles have lengthened.

The development has implications for ServiceNow, which relies on similar budgetary spending on its cloud software.

Today's Change

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What's next for ServiceNow ServiceNow is due to report second-quarter earnings after the bell, and investors may be expecting to hear similar commentary from the enterprise software giant.

The analyst consensus calls for revenue to grow 22.2% to $3.93 billion, and for adjusted earnings per share to tick up from $0.82 to $0.86.

ServiceNow has been one of the biggest losers in the so-called SaaSpocalypse as software stocks have plunged on fears of AI disruption. The stock is now down more than 50% from its peak in late 2024, even as it's continued to deliver solid results.

Tonight's report comes at a pivotal moment. Expect the stock to swing big one way or the other tomorrow, depending on the results.

Jeremy Bowman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends International Business Machines and ServiceNow. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

By PYMNTS  |  July 22, 2026

 | 

Intuit has debuted a new small business-focused credit card in collaboration with Mastercard.

The World Elite Business Mastercard, announced Wednesday (July 22), is designed to sync with Intuit’s QuickBooks platform to help businesses manage spending, access credit and get a handle on their financial health from a single place.

“We know businesses don’t have a one-size-fits-all need for capital, which is why we’re building a range of capital solutions on the Intuit platform,” David Hahn, executive vice president and general manager of Intuit’s services group, said in a news release. “The Intuit Business Credit Card introduces a smarter way to power business growth with critical controls and value on every dollar spent. This is an important part of Intuit’s broader commitment to building the capital solutions small businesses need to grow with confidence.”

The release points to in-house findings from Intuit showing that businesses that use financing are almost twice as likely to be “in an active growth phase” than businesses who rely on personal funds.

“Yet many businesses still lack timely access to capital and real-time visibility into their financial health, relying on disconnected tools and manual processes to manage spending, accounting, and financing,” the release said.

Intuit argues its new card addresses this by combining spending, credit, and financial data, allowing for “smarter cash flow control, confident spending, and growth opportunities.”

Research by PYMNTS Intelligence and Mastercard has found that a sizable number of small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) don’t use a business credit card, with 30% saying they use personal cards to cover work-related expenses.

“With small businesses alone numbering 36 million in the United States and driving 43.5% of U.S. GDP, it all adds up to a lot of missed opportunity for card issuers,” PYMNTS wrote earlier this year.

More recently, PYMNTS spoke with Ginger Siegel, North America small and medium business lead at Mastercard, about some of the working capital burdens facing SMBs.

“The biggest challenge that small businesses face is really around cash flow uncertainty and everything that cascades from it,” Siegel said in an interview earlier this week, adding that lag times require owners to tap into personal reserves or credit lines.

Siegel went on to say that many businesses also lose purchasing opportunities while waiting for funds to settle, a burden compounded by administrative work that falls to owners who often oversee finance, operations and customer service on their own.

“The card is becoming more than a payment vehicle, and in fact is becoming a salve against those pain points,” PYMNTS wrote.

See More In: credit, credit cards, Intuit, Mastercard, News, partnerships, PYMNTS News, QuickBooks, small businesses, What's Hot, working capital

After a massive 170% rally in 2025, silver prices have lost momentum this year, declining 15.6% year to date. Prices recently touched a year-to-date low of $55 per ounce amid rising oil prices, a stronger U.S. dollar and higher interest rate expectations. This clouds the near-term outlook for the Zacks Mining - Silver industry. Although underlying demand remains resilient, inflation will drive up operating costs, squeezing margins.

We recommend considering companies such as First Majestic Silver (AG - Free Report) , Vizsla Silver (VZLA - Free Report) which will benefit from enhanced operational efficiency, disciplined cost management and solid projects.

About the Industry The Zacks Mining - Silver industry comprises companies that are engaged in the exploration, development and production of silver. These include big and small players operating mines of widely varying types and scales. Silver-bearing ores are mined by open-pit or underground methods and then crushed and ground. Miners continually look for opportunities to expand their reserves and resources through targeted near-mine exploration and business development. They strive to upgrade and improve the quality of their existing assets, internally and through acquisitions. Only 20% of silver comes from mining activities, wherein silver is the primary revenue source. The balance comes from projects wherein silver is a by-product of mining other metals, such as copper, lead and zinc. Thus, several companies in the silver mining industry are engaged in mining other metals.

What's Shaping the Future of the Mining-Silver Industry Silver Prices Pull Back After Record Rally: Silver surged 170% in 2025, even outpacing gold’s 66.5% gain, driven by elevated geopolitical risks, economic uncertainty, resilient demand and tightening inventories. Also, 2025 marked a sharp reversal in ETF trends, with strong inflows after consecutive years of outflows, one of the key catalysts behind silver’s breakout. The bullish outlook was further strengthened after the U.S. Geological Survey added silver to its 2025 List of Critical Minerals, a move expected to support domestic production through favorable policies and faster permitting. The rally extended into early 2026, with silver hitting a record high of $121.64 per ounce in late January. However, prices later retreated, touching a year-to-date low of $55 per ounce on July 17 amid rising oil prices, a stronger U.S. dollar and higher interest rate expectations fueled by escalating Middle East tensions. Silver has since rebounded to around $59.5 per ounce on renewed safe-haven demand and technical buying ahead of next week's Federal Reserve meeting. Despite the recovery, silver remains down 15.6% year to date, though it is still approximately 126% higher than its year-ago level.

Inflationary Costs to Hurt Margins: Industry players are facing escalating production costs, including electricity, wages, water and materials. Mining companies are major consumers of energy, with around 50% of their production costs closely linked to energy prices. Surging oil prices, spurred by the Iranian conflict, remain a headwind. A shortage of skilled workforce spiked wages. With no control over silver prices, the industry must focus on improving its sales volumes while being cost-effective. Players are investing heavily in R&D and resorting to technological innovations required at almost every level of operation to increase efficiency, sustain growth and rein in costs.

Strong Demand Underpins the Industry: Industrial applications account for roughly 59% of the total demand, with the solar energy industry being one of the main drivers. Silver use in photovoltaic (PV) technology has climbed sharply in recent years due to the increasing global adoption of solar technology, advances in solar cell design and the global push for renewable energy. Per the International Energy Agency (IEA), global renewable power capacity is expected to double between 2025 and 2030. Solar PV will account for 80% of the increase, given its low costs, faster permitting and rising social acceptance. Silver has been used by the automotive industry for many years, and there has been a steady increase in the use of electrical and electronic components driven by demand for enhanced safety features and improved functionality. The electrification of the automotive industry has boosted demand further. Battery electric vehicles use significantly more silver than hybrids or internal combustion engine vehicles, while the growing number of electronic control units further boosts consumption. Rapid digitalization and the rise of AI are emerging as powerful new demand drivers for silver. As economies transition toward clean energy, electrification and AI-led digital infrastructure, silver is increasingly cementing its role as a critical “next-generation metal.”

Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Lackluster Prospects The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates gloomy prospects in the near term. The Zacks Mining – Silver industry, a 10-stock group within the broader Zacks Basic Materials sector, currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #189, which places it in the bottom 23% of 247 Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Despite the bleak near-term prospects, we will present a few Mining-Silver stocks that you can add to your portfolio, given their prospects. But it is worth looking at the industry’s shareholder returns and current valuation first.

Industry Versus Broader Market The Mining-Silver Industry has outperformed the sector and the Zacks S&P 500 composite over the past year. The stocks in this industry have collectively gained 71% in the past year compared with the Basic Material sector’s 17.9% rise. Meanwhile, the Zacks S&P 500 composite has risen 20.9%.

One-Year Price Performance

Industry's Current Valuation Based on the trailing 12-month EV/EBITDA ratio, a commonly used multiple for valuing silver-mining companies, we see that the industry is currently trading at 9.15X compared with the S&P 500's 18.54X and the Basic Material sector's trailing 12-month EV/EBITDA of 12.81X. This is shown in the charts below.

Enterprise Value/EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) TTM Ratio

Enterprise Value/EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) TTM Ratio

In the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 21.50X and as low as 7.98X, with the median being 14.32X.

2 Mining-Silver Stocks to Keep an Eye On First Majestic Silver: The company recently reported that it has produced 3.8 million silver ounces in the second quarter, a year-over-year increase of 3%, primarily driven by strong performances at La Encantada and Santa Elena. Gold production rose 2% to 34,660 ounces, driven by strong production at Santa Elena. With strong production results so far in 2026 and the company’s successful progress on throughput expansions across all mine sites as well as continued operating efficiencies, the 2026 attributable consolidated production guidance has increased to 14.6 – 15.5 million silver ounces, a 10% increase from the original guidance of 13.0 – 14.4 million, as well as a 7% increase to 128,000 – 135,000 gold ounces compared with the original guidance of 116,000-129,000 gold ounces. Management has increased the 2026 capital budget to a range of $318-$344 million to support key growth initiatives, including the Jerritt Canyon restart program, development projects at Santa Elena including Navidad and the early advancement of underground access to Santo Niño for near-term mining, further development across San Dimas, Los Gatos and La Encantada, and the acquisition of additional equipment to enhance and sustain higher throughput rates at Los Gatos.

Price & Consensus: AG

Vizsla Silver: The company is advancing its flagship, 100%-owned Panuco silver-gold project in Sinaloa, Mexico, which is one of the highest-grade silver primary discoveries in the world. It is targeting the first silver production in the second half of 2027. The company completed the Feasibility Study for Panuco in November 2025, which highlighted 17.4 million ounces of silver equivalent of annual production over an initial 9.4-year mine life. Vizsla Silver aims to position itself as a leading silver company by implementing a dual-track development approach at Panuco, advancing mine development while continuing district-scale exploration through low-cost means. Last year, the company acquired the Santa Fe Project, including both production and exploration concessions. With an option agreement now in place on the Santa Fe production concessions, Vizsla Silver has the potential to bolster its overall production profile well beyond the 20.2 million silver-equivalent ounces of initial annual production envisioned for Panuco Project #1. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for this Vancouver, Canada-based player’s 2026 bottom line is currently pegged at a loss of two cents per share. The estimate has moved up from the loss of four cents per share projected 90 days ago. VZLA currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.

Price & Consensus: VZLA

The AI boom is driving insatiable demand for chips. As a result, investors have piled into semiconductor stocks.

However, semis are only part of the story. The AI boom is driving widespread demand for everything from capital to natural gas to warehouse space. Despite that, many of these companies are flying under the radar. Here are three of the best-kept secrets of the AI investment boom.

Image source: Getty Images.

Brookfield Corporation Brookfield Corporation (BN -0.90%) is a leading global investment firm. It might seem an unlikely beneficiary of the AI boom. However, one of the biggest constraints many AI developers face is a lack of capital. They need money to fund data center developments, chip purchases, and other capital investments. Brookfield estimates that total spending on AI-related infrastructure will exceed $1 trillion this decade and $7 trillion over the next 10 years.

The company wants to capitalize on this once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the digital backbone of the AI economy. One way it's doing that is by launching the first of what could be many dedicated AI infrastructure funds. Brookfield is a cornerstone investor in its inaugural fund, which aims to acquire up to $100 billion in AI infrastructure assets. Some of its initial investments include funding the deployment of advanced fuel cells to power AI data centers and launching a new company to provide full-stack AI services to customers. Additionally, Brookfield's operating companies are investing in semiconductor manufacturing, data center developments, and renewable energy. The company's AI infrastructure investments are part of its strategy to drive 25% annual earnings growth over the next five years.

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Energy Transfer Energy Transfer (ET +0.91%) is a master limited partnership (MLP), an entity that sends a Schedule K-1 Federal tax form. It focuses on owning, operating, and developing energy infrastructure. Its diversified platform spans oil and gas pipelines, storage terminals, and export facilities.

Another major constraint facing AI data center developers is energy. These facilities require a tremendous amount of power to run chips at maximum capacity and prevent overheating. That's leading them to turn to any available clean power source, including natural gas.

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This trend is providing Energy Transfer with several opportunities to expand its already extensive gas infrastructure operations. It's building a few large-scale pipelines to support increased gas flows. Additionally, it's constructing several pipeline laterals to gas-fired power plants and data centers. Meanwhile, it's pursuing multiple additional gas infrastructure projects it expects to approve. These investments will meaningfully boost its cash flow in the coming years.

Prologis Prologis (PLD -3.22%) is a leading real estate investment trust (REIT). The company primarily owns and develops warehouses. Demand for space in its properties is broadening to include customers who support the build-out of digital infrastructure. It estimates that every $1 trillion in data center capex will generate 30-40 million square feet of additional logistics demand. With McKinsey estimating that data center capex will reach nearly $7 trillion by 2030, it should drive years of growth for Prologis.

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However, warehouses aren't the REIT's only growth drivers. It has also been expanding its energy platform, which includes installing on-site solar, battery storage, and fuel cells, and has begun developing data centers. The REIT has already started $2.1 billion in new data center projects this year, bringing its total investment in the space to nearly $4 billion. It currently has 5.8 gigawatts (GW) of projects in the pipeline, which should support this business's growth through 2030. Prologis sees the potential to develop over 10 GW of data centers over the next decade.

With strong growth in its legacy warehouse business and energy and data center growth accelerators, Prologis has a bright future.

Hidden gems in the AI boom AI needs a lot more than semiconductors to thrive. It also requires capital, power, data centers, and logistics. That's a boon for Brookfield, Energy Transfer, and Prologis, which are all capitalizing on different aspects of the AI investment megatrend.

The Zacks Semiconductors - Radio Frequency industry is benefiting from increasing RF complexity required to support AI-enabled devices. AI workloads running at the edge require better uplink performance, lower latency and higher power efficiency, which translates into more RF content per device. As AI capabilities become standard across smartphones and connected devices, manufacturers require more filters, antennas and advanced RF front-end modules, creating a long-term demand tailwind for RF semiconductor suppliers like Skyworks (SWKS - Free Report) and RF Industries (RFIL - Free Report) . The transition toward 6G, WiFi 7, WiFi 8 and satellite connectivity is significantly increasing the complexity of wireless communications. Diversification into WiFi infrastructure, AI data centers and automotive electronics is benefiting industry participants. However, the industry is suffering from inflationary pressure from higher material costs and a volatile supply-chain environment shaped by tariff uncertainty and geopolitical risks.

Industry Description The Zacks Semiconductors - Radio Frequency Industry comprises companies that provide radio frequency solutions, front-end modules, low-noise amplifiers, diodes, multi-chip modules, optical components, surface acoustic wave, bulk acoustic wave technology-based antenna-plexers and film bulk acoustic resonator filters to enable smartphone devices to function more efficiently in the congested RF spectrum. They serve a wide array of industries with their solutions, finding ample applications in 5G and smartphone equipment, aerospace and defense, optical networks, cellular base stations, automotive and smart home applications. Most of these companies utilize robust wafer fabrication technologies, as well as ZigBee, Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, silicon germanium and Gallium Nitride technologies, to stay ahead of the competition.

3 Trends Influencing the Prospects of the Semiconductors - RF Industry Accelerated 5G Deployment Acts as a Tailwind: The rapid implementation of 5G networking infrastructure and the robust adoption of cloud computing applications look promising for the wireless communication market. The coronavirus crisis-induced work-from-home wave has necessitated the need for higher bandwidth and triggered LTE advancements, which are expected to bolster the demand for RF power amplifiers. Increasing RF content in the latest 5G smartphones is a key catalyst. The growing demand for WiFi hotspots, as the number of wirelessly connected devices increases in households, is enhancing industry prospects.

Innovation Opens up Business Avenues: The rapid proliferation of IoT, wearables, drones, VR/AR devices, autonomous cars and ADAS is expected to drive the demand for RF semiconductor products beyond smartphone devices, favoring industry prospects. RF Semiconductors are setting the pace for technology modernization by digitizing aspects like connectivity, healthcare, transport and defense. The diversified utilization of RF Semiconductor products bodes well for the industry players. The evolution of semiconductor manufacturing processes from 10 nanometers (nm) to 7 nm, and even 5 nm and 3 nm technology, is anticipated to bolster the industry prospects. The rollout of bands and band combinations has led to considerable design challenges for OEM smartphone manufacturers. Industry participants are looking to address these challenges with a robust range of antenna-plexer portfolios utilizing the BAW technology.

Growing Adoption of Electric Vehicles Aids Prospects: Industry players are gaining from the increasing inclusion of their products in electric vehicles (EVs). The market for EVs is expected to expand fourfold by 2027.

Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bullish Near-Term Prospects The Zacks Semiconductors - Radio Frequency Industry is housed within the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector. It carries a Zacks Industry Rank #48, which places it in the top 19% of more than 250 Zacks industries.

The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bullish near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than two to one.

The industry’s position in the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are optimistic about this group’s earnings growth potential. The industry’s earnings estimates for 2026 have moved up by 7.7% since Jan. 31, 2026.

Given the bright prospect, there are a few stocks worth watching in the industry. However, before we present the top industry picks, it is worth looking at the industry’s shareholder returns and current valuation first.

Industry Lags S&P 500 and Sector The Zacks Semiconductors - Radio Frequency Industry has underperformed the S&P 500 and its broader sector over the past year. The industry has declined 15.8% over this period against the S&P 500’s return of 21% and the broader sector’s appreciation of 30.7%.

One-Year Price Performance

Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of the forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio (P/E), which is a commonly used multiple for valuing the Semiconductors - Radio Frequency stocks, the industry is currently trading at 12.16X, lower than the S&P 500’s 20.85X and the sector’s 25.19X.

Over the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 18.71X and as low as 7.89X, with the median being 14.53X, as the charts below show.

Forward 12-Month P/E Ratio

2 Radio Frequency Stocks to Watch RF Industries: Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have moved up 129.6% year to date. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

RF Industries is benefiting from a more diversified growth profile as demand expands beyond its traditional telecom business into aerospace, edge data centers, transportation and industrial markets. The company highlighted record second-quarter 2026 bookings of more than $26 million, a backlog of approximately $20 million and improving customer engagement, particularly for integrated solutions rather than individual components. It is also pursuing large multi-site network deployment opportunities that combine products with installation and logistics services, supporting better revenue visibility for the second half of fiscal 2026.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RFIL’s fiscal 2026 earnings has been steady at 69 cents per share over the past 30 days.

Price and Consensus: RFIL

Skyworks: This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company is increasingly driven by diversification beyond smartphones. The company secured a multigenerational premium Android design win expected to generate more than $1 billion in revenue through 2030 while expanding its presence in AI-enabled devices. It also sees sustained growth from increasing RF content per device as AI workloads, WiFi 7/8, 6G, satellite connectivity and advanced wireless standards require more filters, antennas and higher-performance RF front-end solutions.

Skyworks shares have dropped 0.8% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SWKS’ fiscal 2026 earnings has been steady at $5.05 per share over the past 30 days.

Price and Consensus: SWKS

Companies rarely get rewarded for issuing more shares. Dilution reduces existing shareholders’ ownership percentage, and investors usually view it as a warning sign that management needs more capital. But Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR | MSTR Price Prediction) has spent years convincing shareholders that dilution can be productive if the money raised increases the value of the company’s Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) holdings or strengthens its balance sheet.

That unusual strategy has made Michael Saylor’s company one of the market’s most debated stocks. Strategy is no longer simply a software company holding Bitcoin on its balance sheet. It has become a capital markets machine built around issuing securities, managing liquidity, and maintaining its position as the largest corporate Bitcoin holder.

The latest move asks investors to accept another round of dilution in exchange for a stronger financial cushion.

Strategy Sold Stock to Build Its Cash Safety Net Strategy sold approximately $263.5 million of Strategy shares over the prior week while purchasing zero Bitcoin — the second straight week it has declined to make any purchases. Instead of immediately adding to its cryptocurrency holdings, the company used capital markets to increase its U.S. dollar reserve.

That decision marks a shift from Strategy’s earlier playbook. For years, the company raised money primarily to buy more Bitcoin, betting that increasing its Bitcoin holdings would create value for shareholders. Now, the focus is liquidity.

Strategy maintains its dollar reserve to support obligations tied to its preferred stock dividends and debt payments. The company said its USD Reserve reached approximately $3.2 billion, including expected proceeds from ATM share sales that had not yet settled.

Investors saw their ownership stake cut by roughly 2% in exchange for a larger liquidity buffer.

Michael Saylor's latest gamble trades shareholder ownership for a massive cash buffer as Bitcoin holdings sit 25% underwater. Is the world's biggest corporate whale finally playing it safe? © 24/7 Wall St. Dilution Only Works If the Math Works A company issuing shares is not automatically destroying value. The key question is whether the capital raised creates more value per share than the dilution removes.

For Strategy, that calculation depends on two things:

The value of its Bitcoin holdings. The company’s ability to access capital markets at favorable prices. Strategy reported holding 843,775 Bitcoin with an aggregate purchase price of approximately $63.69 billion, or an average purchase price of $75,476. Bitcoin currently goes for around $65,925, meaning it is underwater by about 25% on paper.

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Yet, that Bitcoin position is the foundation of the entire investment thesis. If Bitcoin rises over time, shareholders may benefit from owning exposure through a company that can continue expanding its holdings and managing liquidity.

However, the reverse is also true. If Bitcoin declines and Strategy’s stock loses more of its premium compared with the value of its cryptocurrency holdings, issuing additional shares becomes less attractive. The company’s ability to turn dilution into shareholder value depends on maintaining investor confidence.

The Risk Is That Investors Stop Paying the Premium Strategy’s biggest advantage has historically been that investors valued MSTR shares above the underlying value of its Bitcoin holdings. That premium allowed the company to sell stock, buy Bitcoin, and potentially increase Bitcoin exposure per share. But that advantage is not guaranteed.

Recent market pressure has destroyed Strategy’s valuation premium compared with its Bitcoin holdings, creating a tougher environment for the company’s capital strategy. And it began selling Bitcoin.

Granted, building a cash reserve is not the same as abandoning the Bitcoin strategy. A stronger balance sheet can give Strategy more flexibility during market downturns. But Strategy’s primary strategy now is to pay the dividends on its preferred stock, not maximize retail investor value. That’s what the USD Reserve does.

Still, the same investors who dislike dilution today may benefit if the additional liquidity allows the company to avoid selling Bitcoin during a weak market.

Key Takeaway In short, Strategy is asking shareholders to accept a familiar trade: more dilution today in exchange for a stronger financial position tomorrow.

That trade makes sense only if investors believe Saylor can continue creating value through disciplined capital management and Bitcoin ownership growth. The company’s strategy is not low-risk, and dilution will remain a major concern for shareholders.

But the latest stock sale is not about buying more Bitcoin. It is about ensuring Strategy has enough financial flexibility to survive Bitcoin’s volatility for the benefit of preferred shareholders. For investors who believe Bitcoin has a long-term upward trajectory, that reserve may ultimately prove valuable. For investors looking for a straightforward Bitcoin investment without corporate financing complexity, owning Bitcoin directly or buying spot ETFs is still the simpler — and better — option.

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Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.