Friday, July 31, 2026

Weekly Scoreboard*


S&P 500 7,481.5 +1.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Market Wrap by Edward Jones.

Indices

  • DJIA 52,525.0 +1.1%
  • NASDAQ 25,344.9 +1.4%
  • Russell 2000 2,936.5 +.2%
  • NYSE FANG+ 17,173.0 +2.1%
  • Goldman 50 Most Shorted 301.1 +1.2%
  • Vaneck Social Sentiment 33.3 +.6%
  • Wilshire 5000 74,111.4 +.9%
  • Russell 1000 Growth 4,756.9 +.5%
  • Russell 1000 Value 2,474.2 +1.4%
  • S&P 500 Consumer Staples 942.3 +1.3%
  • Bloomberg Cyclicals/Defensives Index(Ex Telecom) 263.2 +3.7%
  • NYSE Technology 8,934.6 +.5%
  • Transports 21,082.9 -6.1%
  • Utilities 1,129.3 -3.8%
  • MSCI Europe Banks 135.4 +1.5%
  • MSCI Emerging Markets 64.24 +1.4%
  • Credit Suisse AllHedge Long/Short Equity Index 265.99 -.6%
  • Credit Suisse AllHedge Equity Market Neutral Index 135.79 -.4%
Sentiment/Internals
  • NYSE Cumulative A/D Line 620,696 +.3%
  • Nasdaq/NYSE Volume Ratio 19.9 +56.7%
  • Bloomberg New Highs-Lows Index 101 +774
  • Crude Oil Commercial Bullish % Net Position -10.8 -28.1%
  • CFTC Oil Net Speculative Position 81,689 +30.3%
  • CFTC Oil Total Open Interest 1,864,487 -.59%
  • Total Put/Call .97 unch.
  • OEX Put/Call .36 +4.6%
  • ISE Sentiment 179.0 +3.5%
  • NYSE Arms 1.05 -7.5%
  • Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk-Off Index 126.5 +.7%
  • Bloomberg US Financial Conditions Index 1.05 -6.0 basis point
  • Bloomberg European Financial Conditions Index 1.29 +11.0 basis points
  • Volatility(VIX) 16.6 -11.0%
  • S&P 500 Intraday % Swing 1.21 +92.6%
  • CBOE S&P 500 3M Implied Correlation Index 9.97 -2.4%
  • G7 Currency Volatility (VXY) 6.40 +4.6%
  • Emerging Markets Currency Volatility (EM-VXY) 6.96 +.6%
  • Smart Money Flow Index 18,230.3 -.7%
  • NAAIM Exposure Index  79.7 -4.3
  • ICI Money Mkt Mutual Fund Assets $7.854 Trillion -.1%
  • ICI Domestic Equity Long-Term Mutual Fund/ETFs Weekly Flows -$5.694 Million
  • AAII % Bulls 31.0 +4.7%
  • AAII % Bears 42.1 -.5%
  • CNN Fear & Greed Index 41.0 (FEAR) unch.
Futures Spot Prices
  • CRB Index 384.5 -3.9%
  • Crude Oil 85.1/bbl. -6.0%
  • Reformulated Gasoline 322.20 -6.2%
  • Natural Gas 2.75 -5.0%
  • US Power PJM Western Hub Peak Forward Y1 81.99 USD/Megawatt -1.9% 
  • Dutch TTF Nat Gas(European benchmark) 59.1 euros/megawatt-hour -6.5%
  • Heating Oil 414.3 -1.2% 
  • Newcastle Coal 134.0 (1,000/metric ton) -.7%
  • Gold 4,050.70 +.03%
  • Silver 57.90 -.5%
  • Bloomberg Industrial Metals Index 176.7 +1.0%
  • Copper 650.9 +2.3%
  • US No. 1 Heavy Melt Scrap Steel 395.5 USD/Metric Tonne -1.7%
  • China Iron Ore Spot 94.50 USD/Metric Tonne -1.4%
  • China Battery Grade Lithium Carbonate 21,725.0 USD/metric tonne n/a
  • Silicon Data LLM Token Expenditure Index 1.39(price per million tokens) -5.1% 
  • inSpectrum Tech Inc. DRAM Spot DDR5 16Gb 1Gx16 48.72 +.7%  
  • CME Lumber 614.5 -5.5%
  • UBS-Bloomberg Agriculture 1,447.4 -2.8%
  • US Gulf NOLA Potash Spot 340.0 USD/Short Ton unch.
  • US Gulf NOLA Urea Granular Spot 429.0 USD/Short Ton n/a
Economy
  • Atlanta Fed GDPNow Q3 Forecast +5.0% n/a
  • US Recession Within 6 Months Probability(3M/18M Forward Yld Curve Spread) 12.8 -.1 percentage point
  • NY Fed Real-Time Weekly Economic Index 2.46 -14.3%
  • Caldara Iacoviello Geopolitical Risk Index 195.9 +27.0% 
  • Global Monitor Iran Instability Index 56.0 -2.0
  • Strait of Hormuz Oil Tanker Traffic Curtailed 90.0% -1.0 percentage point
  • US Economic Policy Uncertainty Index 310.20 +91.25%
  • Bloomberg Global Trade Policy Uncertainty Index 1.2 +.2
  • DOGE Total Taxpayer Dollars Saved $215.0 Billion($1,335.40 Savings Per Taxpayer) unch.
  • S&P 500 Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(305 of 500 reporting) +57.0% +24.1 percentage points
  • S&P 500 Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 379.27 +3.54:  Growth Rate +30.1% +1.1 percentage points, P/E 19.4 -.1
  • S&P 500 Current Year Estimated Profit Margin 16.01% +25.0 basis points
  • NYSE FANG+ Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(7 of 10 reporting) +138.3% -190.9 percentage points
  • NYSE FANG+ Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 924.63 +5.50: Growth Rate +78.3% +1.1 percentage points, P/E 18.4 unch.
  • Citi US Economic Surprise Index 38.3 -18.8 points
  • Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index 66.0 +16.3 points
  • Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 26.2 +3.0 points
  • Fed Fund Futures imply 0.0%(unch.) chance of -25.0 basis point cut to 3.25-3.5%, 35.0%(+17.0 percentage points) chance of no change, 65.0%(+9.7 percentage points) chance of +25.0 basis point hike to 3.75-4.0% on 9/16
  • US Dollar Index 99.89 -1.6%
  • MSCI Emerging Markets Currency Index 1,885.2 +.8%
  • Bitcoin/USD 63,111.6 -2.2%
  • Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 209.4 -2.0%
  • Swiss Franc/Offshore Chinese Renminbi Cross 8.35 +1.0%
  • Yield Curve(2s/10s) 44.75 +10.0 basis points
  • 10-Year US Treasury Yield 4.74% +6.0 basis points
  • Japan 30-Year Yield 4.0% +1.0 basis point
  • Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet $6.691 Trillion -.1%
  • Federal Reserve's Discount Window Usage $5.656 Billion +21.3%
  • U.S. Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 39.8 -1.8%
  • Illinois Municipal Debt Credit Default Swap 185.7 +3.3%
  • Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 81.0 -1.0 basis point
  • UK Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 18.2 -1.1%
  • China Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 38.0 -.6%
  • Brazil Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 125.1 +.8%
  • Israel Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 62.1 -6.1%
  • Dubai Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 66.9 -.2%
  • South Korea Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 22.8 -1.7%
  • China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 24.0 -.4%
  • China High-Yield Real Estate Total Return Index 119.9 +1.1%
  • Atlanta Fed Low Skill Wage Growth Tracker YoY +3.3% unch.
  • Zillow US All Homes Rent Index YoY +2.1% unch.
  • US Urban Consumers Food CPI YoY +3.0% unch.
  • CPI Core Services Ex-Shelter YoY +3.0% unch.
  • Cleveland Fed Inflation Nowcast Core PCE YoY +3.31% -2.0 basis points: CPI YoY +3.42% +5.0 basis points
  • 1-Year TIPS Spread 1.71 -21.0 basis points
  • 10-Year TIPS Spread 2.28 +3.0 basis points
  • Treasury Repo 3M T-Bill Spread 14.0 -12.5 basis points
  • 2-Year SOFR Swap Spread -14.25 +1.0 basis point
  • 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap 1.25 +1.5 basis points
  • N. America Investment Grade Credit Default Swap Index 53.37 +2.0% 
  • BofA Private Credit Proxy Index 68.1 +.4%
  • America Energy Sector High-Yield Credit Default Swap Index 151.0 +48.5%
  • High-Yield Tech Sector OAS Index 454.25 -1.9% 
  • Bloomberg TRACE # Distressed Bonds Traded 208.0 +8.0
  • European Financial Sector Credit Default Swap Index 55.6 -2.7%
  • Emerging Markets Credit Default Swap Index 145.4 -1.9%
  • MBS 5/10 Treasury Spread 115.0 unch.
  • Bloomberg CMBS Investment Grade Bbb Average OAS 558.0 +4.0 basis points
  • Avg. Auto ABS OAS .43 unch.
  • M2 Money Supply YoY % Change +5.5% -10.0 basis points
  • Commercial Paper Outstanding $1,397.1B +.4%
  • 4-Week Moving Average of Jobless Claims 202,750 -2.4%
  • Continuing Claims Unemployment Rate 1.2% unch.
  • Kastle Back-to-Work Barometer(entries in secured buildings) 56.5 -.2%
  • Average 30-Year Fixed Home Mortgage Rate 6.72% +9.0 basis points
  • Weekly Mortgage Applications 247,200 -6.4%
  • Weekly Retail Sales +8.1% +10.0 basis points
  • OpenTable US Seated Diners % Change YoY +13.0% +2.0 percentage points
  • Box Office Weekly Gross $306.1M +57.7%
  • Nationwide Gas $4.11/gallon -.01/gallon
  • Baltic Dry Index 2,673.0 -2.6%
  • Drewry World Container Freight Index $4,254.7/40 ft Box -2.7%
  • China (Export) Containerized Freight Index 1,857.0 -2.3%
  • Oil Tanker Rate(Arabian Gulf to U.S. Gulf Coast) 205.0 -2.4%
  • Truckstop.com Market Demand Index 101.9 -11.0%
  • Rail Freight Carloads 293,062 -1.3%
  • TSA Total Traveler Throughput 2,862,797 +14.2% 
  • US Morning Consult Daily Consume Sentiment Index 90.6 -.5 point
  • Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Approval Tacking Poll 44.0% +1.0 percentage point
Best Performing Style
  • Large-Cap Value +1.3%
Worst Performing Style
  • Small-Cap Value -.1%
Leading Sectors
  • Software +7.3%
  • Internet +5.9%
  • Video Gaming +5.7%
  • Restaurants +5.5%
  • Airlines +5.2%
Lagging Sectors
  • Semis -2.9%
  • Road & Rail -3.4%
  • Homebuilding -3.8%
  • Utilities -3.9%
  • Coal -4.1%
Weekly High-Volume Stock Gainers (45)
  • REPL, IESC, AXTI, AMBA, PWP, AMCX, AMZN, SPXC, CDNA, CSTL, MSA, DXCM, DLB, ARXS, SPSC, BELFB, GTES, BETR, NVT, MPWR, KC, ETN, PGY, GIL, FND, GOOG, WY, GH, BABA, LECO, MTX, FSLR, WDC, MHK, STX, BE, NEOG, GSAT, WHD, QTWO, YUMC, PCOR, WBD and EDU
Weekly High-Volume Stock Losers (34)
  • SNDK, RTO, UPBD, AN, LRN, MOG/A, NXT, AU, LIN, MDGL, BBNX, RIVN, IMXI, SHAZ, MAX, NVO, LEA, AAPL, NBIX, PTCT, CTVA, COIN, ALHC, PRM, BTSG, OLN, MTZ, FLGT, GDDY, RDDT, VCYT, RBLX and GLUE
ETFs
Stocks
*5-Day Change



Stocks Reversing Higher into Afternoon on AI Infrastructure Build-Out Optimism, Earnings Outlook Boosts, Technical Buying, Tech/Industrial Sector Strength

Overseas Futures:

  • Nikkei 225 Futures: Indicating -810 open in Japan 
  • China A50 Futures: Indicating -90 open in China
  • KOSPI 200 Futures: Indicating -54 open in South Korea 
  • DAX Futures: Indicating +165 open in Germany
Portfolio:
  • Higher: On gains in my tech/industrial/financial sector longs
  • Disclosed Trades: Covered some of my (IWM)/(QQQ) hedges
  • Market Exposure: Moved to 100% net long

Monday's Earnings/Economic Releases of Note; Market Movers

Earnings of Note 
Company/Estimate 

Before the Open:
  • (CNA)/1.07
  • (CNH)/.10
  • (ECHO)/-.10
  • (KRYS)/1.73
  • (MAR)/3.08
  • (SBH)/.53
  • (TWST)/-.49
  • (TSN)/.98 
After the Close: 
  • (ADTN)/.10
  • (AEIS)/2.20
  • (ALSN)/2.48
  • (ANDE)/1.48
  • (BWXT)/1.04
  • (CLX)/1.64
  • (FANG)/6.12
  • (ICHR)/.31 
  • (JAZZ)/6.18
  • (ON)/.71
  • (POWL)/1.47
  • (STRL)/5.01
  • (TDW)/.46
  • (TKO)/1.41
  • (UCTT)/.53
  • (VRTX)/4.74
  • (VNO)/.57
  • (WHR)/-.06
  • (WMB)/.50 
Economic Releases 
10:00 am EST
  • ISM Manufacturing for July is estimated to rise to 54.0 versus 53.3 in June.
  • ISM Prices Paid for July is estimated to fall to 70.0 versus 73.0 in June.
  • Construction Spending MoM for June is estimated to rise +.2% versus a +.1% gain in May

Afternoon

  • Omdia Total Vehicle Sales for July is estimated to fall to 16.31M versus 16.52M in June

Upcoming Splits

  • None of note
Other Potential Market Movers
  • The Atlanta Fed GDPNow Q3 update, Loan Officer survey and the (MRK) business update call could also impact global trading on Monday.
US Equity Market Hours
  • 9:30 am - 4:00 pm EST

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Stocks Surging into Final Hour on AI Infrastructure Build-Out Optimism, Short-Covering, Lower Oil, Tech/Alt Energy Sector Strength

Economic/Market Gauges:

  • North American Investment Grade CDS Index 53.1 -2.9%
  • BofA Private Credit Proxy Index 68.3 -.7% 
  • Bloomberg US Securitized MBS/ABS/CMBS Avg. OAS .30 +1.0 basis point
  • BofA Global Financial Stress Indicator .02 +7.0 basis points
  • European Financial Sector CDS Index 55.7 -2.8%
  • Emerging Market CDS Index 146.3 -2.2%
  • Israel Sovereign CDS 64.0 +2.4% 
  • Bloomberg Global Trade Policy Uncertainty Index 1.6 +.1
  • US Morning Consult Daily Consume Sentiment Index 89.8 -.6
  • Citi US Economic Surprise Index 38.4 -7.0
  • Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index 63.2 +14.1
  • Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 22.3 +3.1
  • S&P 500 Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(270 of 500 reporting) +47.8% -11.7 percentage points
  • S&P 500 Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 382.21 +1.23:  Growth Rate +29.9% +.4 percentage point, P/E 19.4 +.1
  • S&P 500 Current Year Estimated Profit Margin 16.05% +11.0 basis  points
  • NYSE FANG+ Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(5 of 10 reporting) +147.1% -182.1 percentage points
  • NYSE FANG+ Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 924.58 +3.49: Growth Rate +78.3% +.7 percentage point, P/E 18.3 +.3 
  • Bloomberg US Financial Conditions Index .78 -24.0 basis points
  • US Yield Curve 43.25 basis points (2s/10s) +.75 basis point
  • Bloomberg Industrial Metal Index 176.93 +1.5%
  • Dutch TTF Nat Gas(European benchmark) 58.2 euros/megawatt-hour -3.7%
  • US Recession Within 6 Months Probability(3M/18M Forward Yld Curve Spread) 13.0% -.9 percentage point
  • US Atlanta Fed GDPNow Q3 Forecast +5.0% n/a
  • US 10-Year T-Note Yield 4.67% -1.0 basis point
  • 1-Year TIPS Spread 1.72 -11.0 basis points
  • Highest target rate probability for Oct. 28th FOMC meeting: 57.2% (+4.2 percentage points) chance of 3.75%-4.0%. Highest target rate probability for Dec. 9th meeting: 44.6%(+.9 percentage point) chance of 3.75%-4.0%. (current target rate is 3.5-3.75%)
Overseas Futures:
  • Nikkei 225 Futures: Indicating +1,850 open in Japan 
  • China A50 Futures: Indicating +58 open in China
  • KOSPI 200 Futures: Indicating +65 open in South Korea 
  • DAX Futures: Indicating +171 open in Germany
Portfolio:
  • Higher: On gains in my tech/financial/biotech/industrial sector longs
  • Disclosed Trades: Covered some of my (IWM)/(QQQ) hedges
  • Market Exposure: Moved to 100% net long

Bear Radar

Style Underperformer:

  • Mid-Cap Value -.7%
Sector Underperformers:
  • 1) Pharma -2.5% 2) Road & Rail -2.2% 3) Gambling -2.2%
Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume: 
  • LECO, TRV, H, WING, LSTR, CP, PATK, HURN, RYZ, RKT, VERX, CP, RKT, TFII, CSGP, KBR, RELX, WSO, MLM, AVTR, EG, GVA, FTI, GVA, HUBG, ODFL, AN, CRS, FTAI, SNY, TRN, PAY, AGIO, ICLR, WMG, VTR, WDAY, MANH, AGCO, CMPR, LAD, XHR, BBNX, WWD, EEFT, LCLN, ALGM, CROX, DFIN, RXO, BXMT, CHKP, SPNT, MAIR, GSHD, CHDN, NCLH, MO, SHEN, META, MPLT, HLI, OMCL, ARX, HGV, TW, LHX, MDGL, NP, CVNA, SAIA, LRN, PFSI, LKQ, CHRW, FICO, RSI, PHIN, SONO, WAY, RTO, TREE and ALNY
Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:
  • 1) TEVA 2) ZIM 3) WMB 4) SFM 5) TDOC
Stocks With Most Negative News Mentions:
  • 1) CCB 2) TDOC 3) MDGL 4) AGIO 5) WIX
Sector ETFs With Most Negative Money Flow:
  • 1) QQQ 2) IVV 3) SPY 4) XLF 5) DIA

Bull Radar

Style Outperformer:

  • Large-Cap Growth +2.6%
Sector Outperformers:
  • 1) AI Innovation +9.2% 2) Semis +8.1% 3) Alt Energy +6.1%
Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:
  • CMCO, MKTX, FCEL, NBIS, CORT, CIFR, IREN, AXTI, SHAZ, BE, FORM, SNDK, BRUN, RIOT, BTDR, CRWV, CORZ, HUT, CLSK, APLD, SEI, EME, WULF, CBRS, UCTT, MU, MARA, LRCX, EFOR, NEOG, ARXS, PRCH, MSFT, SKHY, SIMO, GLXY, MWH, FMC, PWR, AGX, PBF, STRL, ONTO, COHU, WHD, AMAT, WDC, LGN, AMD, CMG, TER, MKSI, AMKR, XE, MCS, INTC, TTMI, HII, MTZ, FIX, TAL, BDC, SANM, SFM, WCC, LNC, XNCR, STX, FSS, CNMD, IDCC, CVI, SHIP, COAG, CECO, INIO, CSTL, GLW, GEV, NVMI, ORCL, PCOR, LFUS, NVT, TSM, CSL, PAYP, SHOO, RRX, BBVA, BAX, FLS, ALM, ASML and PSN
Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:
  • 1) XRX 2) BHC 3) BRUN 4) PBF 5) PRMW 
Stocks With Most Positive News Mentions:
  • 1) PRCH 2) MSFT 3) CMCO 4) LRCX 5) CORT
Sector ETFs With Most Positive Money Flow:
  • 1) SDY 2) SPYD 3) SOXL 4) SMH 5) VO
Charts: 

Tomorrow's Earnings/Economic Releases of Note; Market Movers

Earnings of Note 
Company/Estimate 

Before the Open:
  • (ABBV)/3.60
  • (AN)/5.48
  • (CCJ)/-.01
  • (CRI)/.06
  • (CBOE)/3.48
  • (CVX)/5.55
  • (CHD)/.90
  • (CL)/.95
  • (D)/.68
  • (ETN)/3.07
  • (XOM)/3.56
  • (BEN)/.66
  • (LEA)/3.96
  • (LYB)/3.44
  • (MGA)/1.52
  • (NWL)/.20
  • (NVT)/1.16
  • (RBC)/3.42
  • (TROW)/2.51 
  • (MRNA)/-2.03
After the Close: 
  • None of note
Economic Releases 
8:30 am EST
  • The Employment Cost Index for 2Q is estimated to rise +.8% versus a +.9% gain in 1Q

10:00 am EST

  • Final Univ. of Mich. Consumer Confidence readings for July

Upcoming Splits

  • None of note
Other Potential Market Movers
  • The weekly US Baker Hughes Rig Count, weekly CFTC speculative net positioning reports, Black Hat USA Conference, (CRUS) annual meeting, (STE) annual meeting and the (AMSC) annual meeting could also impact global trading tomorrow.
US Equity Market Hours
  • 9:30 am - 4:00 pm EST

Mid-Day Market Internals

NYSE Composite Index:

  • Volume Running +9.5% Above 100-Day Average 
  • Nasdaq/NYSE Volume Ratio 13.6 +2.6
  • 3 Sectors Rising, 8 Sectors Declining
  • 48.7% of Issues Advancing, 48.9% Declining 
  • TRIN/Arms .96 +18.5%
  • Non-Block Money Flow -$71.6M
  • 52 New 52-Week Highs, 45 New Lows
  • 57.5% (-.4%) of Issues Above 200-day Moving Average
  • Average 14-Day RSI 55.6 -2.5
Polymarket: 
  • Will China invade Taiwan by June 30th 2027? 10.0% -1.0 percentage point
  • Strait of Hormuz traffic returns to normal by August 31st 7.0% -3.0 percentage points
  • Iran agrees to end enrichment of uranium by Sept. 30th 9.0% -1.0 percentage point
  • Israel withdraws from Lebanon by August 31st 2.0% -1.0 percentage point
  • US Invades Iran before 2027 26.0% +1.0 percentage point
  • US announces end of Iranian blockade by August 31st 38.0% -7.0 percentage points
Other:
  • Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk-Off Index 122.2 +.8%
  • Global Monitor Iran Instability Index 50.0 -12.0 points
  • Strait of Hormuz Oil Tanker Traffic Curtailed Estimate 90.0% unch.
  • US High-Yield Tech Sector OAS Index 458.75 -5.0 basis points
  • Bloomberg Cyclicals/Defensives Index 256.7 +2.1%
  • Morgan Stanley Growth vs Value Index 142.0 +2.9%
  • CNN Fear & Greed Index 38.0 (FEAR) +4.0
  • 1-Day Vix 13.6 -30.0%
  • Vix 18.6% -10.0%
  • Total Put/Call .86 -11.3%

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Thursday Watch

Around X:

  • @Business
  • @ZeroHedge
  • @CNBC  
  • @WallStEngine
  • US SENATORS WARN APPLE AGAINST CHINESE MEMORY CHIP DEALS. Lawmakers led by Jim Banks and Chuck Schumer urged $AAPL to abandon talks with CXMT and YMTC, even for devices sold only in China. Both chipmakers are on a Pentagon list of Chinese military companies; YMTC is also on the Commerce Department’s Entity List. Senators warned that Apple qualification could enable wider use later. They asked Apple to commit by Aug. 21 not to use the chips and disclose any technical information shared. The talks come amid a global memory shortage.
  • $MSFT CEO: "Effective at the start of FY27, we are extending the estimated useful life of our data centers and office buildings from 15 to 25 years".
  • DOORDASH BUILDS OWN DELIVERY DRONES AFTER FAA APPROVAL.
    $DASH secured Part 135 air-carrier certification, permitting commercial deliveries beyond visual line of sight.  
  • MICROSOFT $MSFT OUTLOOK. FY27 CapEx: Expected to grow YoY. Q1 Revenue: $89.85B-$90.95B (Est. $89.63B). Q1 Azure & Other: ~+45% CC; accel. from +43% CC in Q4. Azure: H1 FY27 growth to accelerate vs H2 FY26. Q1 Guide: Q1 CapEx: Over $50B, incl. lease reclass. from useful-life update. Q1 M365 Commercial Cloud: ~+15% CC (~+16% adj. for prior-yr in-period rev rec). Q1 Operating Margin: Relatively flat YoY. Q1 Effective Tax Rate: ~20%
  • MICROSOFT FY27 CAPEX EXPECTED TO GROW YEAR-OVER-YEAR.
  • $META on financing its AI infrastructure buildout: “We’ve been evolving our capital structure in recent years to include a greater mix of debt as we work to bring down our cost of capital.” “We have generally found it prudent to continue adding cost-efficient, long-duration sources of capital.”  
  • Robinhood $HOOD ended Q2 with a record 4.84M Gold subscribers, up 39% YoY. Gold adoption reached 17% of funded customers, while annualized subscription revenue rose to $216M. Compared with the average funded customer, Gold subscribers hold roughly 4.2x more assets, have a 1.1x higher net deposit growth rate and are 3.1x more likely to adopt Robinhood Retirement. 
  • $QCOM Q3’26 EARNINGS HIGHLIGHTS. Revenue: $9.95B (Est. $9.62B/$9.67B) ; -4% YoY. Adj. EPS: $2.21 (Est. $2.23) ; -20% YoY. QCT Automotive and IoT: +28% YoY. Automotive: $1.59B; +61% YoY. Handset: $5.09B; -20% YoY. Q4 Guide: Revenue: $9.7B–$10.5B (Est. $9.95B). Adj. EPS: $2.05–$2.25 (Est. $2.35). QCT Revenue: $8.4B–$9.0B. QTL Revenue: $1.2B–$1.4B. 
  • FORTINET $FTNT Q2’26 EARNINGS HIGHLIGHTS. Revenue: $2.05B (Est. $1.89B) ; +26% YoY. Adj. EPS: $0.90 (Est. $0.75) ; +41% YoY. Product Revenue: $773.0M; +52% YoY. Billings: $2.37B; +33% YoY. Q3 2026 Guide: Revenue: $2.01B-$2.10B (Est. $1.95B). Adj. EPS: $0.83-$0.87 (Est. $0.76). Billings: $2.25B-$2.35B. Non-GAAP Operating Margin: 35.0% to 37.0%. 
Night Trading 
  • Asian equity indices are -.5% to +1.0% on average. 
  • Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 71.75 +1.25 basis points. 
  • China Sovereign CDS 39.0 +.5 basis point.
  • China Iron Ore Spot 96.80 USD/Metric Tonne -1.1%. 
  • Crude Oil 83.60/bbl. -1.0% 
  • Gold 4,139.0 USD/t oz. +1.0%. 
  • Swiss Franc/Offshore Chinese Renminbi Cross 8.29 +.2%.
  • Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 34.47 -.03%.
  • Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk Off Index 122.1 +.7%.
  • US 10-Year Yield 4.68% unch..
  • Japan 30-Year Yield 3.97% unch.
  • Volatility Index(VIX) futures 19.9 +2.0%.
  • Euro Stoxx 50 futures +.3%. 
  • S&P 500 futures +.5%.
  • NASDAQ 100 futures +1.1%.
Morning Preview Links

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly higher, boosted by technology and consumer discretionary shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open modestly higher and to weaken into the afternoon, finishing modestly lower.  The Portfolio is 50% net long heading into the day.