Top Stories

US Crude Hits $90 as Iran Strikes Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain in Retaliation, EIA Reports 4.5 Million-Barrel Inventory Draw

U.S. crude oil futures hit $90 per barrel Wednesday as Iran retaliated against American strikes by launching drone and missile attacks on Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, all U.S. allies. International benchmark Brent rose 4.5% to $94.52 a barrel on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate added roughly 5% to $90.03 per barrel.

Iran also struck a Saudi tanker in or near the Strait of Hormuz, which Qatar condemned and called the waterway off-limits as a bargaining chip, underscoring the threat to one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints.

The military escalation compounded already-tight supply conditions. The EIA reported Wednesday that U.S. commercial crude inventories fell 4.5 million barrels in the week ending August 28 to 424.5 million barrels, roughly 1% above the five-year seasonal average. Total crude stocks including the Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell by a combined 7.572 million barrels, with the SPR contributing a 3.122 million-barrel draw.

The API had reported a smaller 2.6 million-barrel commercial draw a day earlier. Gasoline inventories also declined, though distillate stocks rose. Market analysts noted that global oil inventories are at all-time lows even after absorbing more than 400 million barrels released from strategic petroleum reserves and floating storage.

Middle Eastern production remains roughly 7.4 million barrels per day below February levels, and Strait of Hormuz exports are running at least 4 million barrels per day below normal. With U.S. midterm elections 61 days away, analysts expect prices to stay elevated and volatile.

Energy stocks declined in premarket trading, and observers flagged unusually aggressive Chinese bidding in Dubai crude markets, with two Chinese buyers outbidding each other in what remained of the Dubai Marker of Close session.

Chevron to Invest $7 Billion in Venezuela Over Five Years Targeting 600,000 Barrels Per Day

Chevron announced Wednesday it has agreed with Venezuela on updated terms for its joint ventures in the country and plans to invest more than $7 billion over the next five years, with the goal of more than doubling its production to approximately 600,000 barrels per day from around 280,000 bpd currently.

As part of the deal, Chevron has been assigned two additional oilfields in the Orinoco Belt, the region that holds the bulk of Venezuela’s vast extra-heavy crude reserves. The announcement follows a U.S. government briefing the day prior and comes shortly after President Donald Trump announced a broader deal to develop Venezuela’s oil resources.

Company News

Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 7.93%

5D Change: -1.9%

News Volume: 207

Unusual Volume Factor: 19x

Dell Surges Nearly 10% After Record Q2 Beat and $25 Billion Guidance Raise Fueled by AI Server Boom

Dell Technologies delivered what analysts are calling the best quarter of 2026, reporting fiscal second-quarter revenue of $46.97 billion, up 57.8% year over year and beating Wall Street estimates by roughly $1.6 billion. Non-GAAP diluted EPS came in at $7.04, compared with $2.32 in the year-ago period, a gain of more than 200%, while gross margin dollars grew 78% to $9.9 billion. The results were driven almost entirely by AI infrastructure demand. Dell received $60.9 billion in new AI server orders during the quarter alone, pushing its total AI backlog to a record $95 billion.

The Infrastructure Solutions Group operating margin expanded 620 basis points to 15%, up from 8.8%, and ISG operating income surged 225% to $4.8 billion year over year. Management raised full-year fiscal 2027 guidance dramatically, lifting revenue to $192 billion from a prior $167 billion and lifting adjusted EPS to $25.50 from $17.90. AI server revenue for the full year is now expected to reach $74 billion, up from a prior estimate of $60 billion. CEO commentary noted nonstop scrambling for components, with supply constraints emerging as the primary limiter on shipments rather than demand. Susquehanna analyst Mehdi Hosseini said Dell is tracking toward $40 EPS within 12 to 18 months.

Shares opened around 10% higher in premarket trading and were up approximately 8.8% in early regular-session trading, with Dell topping the S&P 500 on the day. The stock has gained roughly 267% year to date. At least a dozen Wall Street firms raised price targets, including Melius to $735, JPMorgan to $635, Bernstein to $650, Raymond James to $617, BofA and Mizuho each to $600, Evercore ISI to $575, and TD Cowen to $500. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Piper Sandler also raised targets, while KeyBanc reiterated a Sector Weight citing questions about AI growth sustainability.

Dell’s results lifted peers, with Nvidia gaining more than 4%, Hewlett Packard Enterprise rising 4%, and Super Micro also ticking higher. Dell also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share and unveiled the Dell 14S, a consumer laptop with up to 21 hours of battery life and an aluminum chassis, announced at IFA 2026 in Berlin as a value alternative to the XPS 13.

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -10.62%

5D Change: -14.22%

News Volume: 159

Unusual Volume Factor: 8x

Palo Alto Networks Falls 8% After Earnings Beat as Investors Question Organic Growth and Valuation

Palo Alto Networks shares dropped roughly 8% on September 2 to around $332.30, marking the worst two-day decline in two and a half years and slipping below the 50-day moving average, even as the company posted fiscal fourth-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations on nearly every headline metric.

Revenue for the quarter ended July 31 came in at $3.41 billion, up 34% year over year and above the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion, while adjusted earnings per share reached $1.02. Next-generation security annual recurring revenue surged 63% to $9.1 billion, with the company adding nearly $1 billion of net new NGS ARR in a single quarter, and remaining performance obligations hit a record above $20 billion.

The sell-off centered on two concerns analysts raised almost immediately after the print. First, a meaningful portion of the revenue growth was tied to recent large acquisitions rather than organic expansion, reigniting a debate on Wall Street about the quality of the growth. Second, even after the decline, several analysts noted the stock carries a premium valuation that leaves little room for disappointment, with Guggenheim reiterating its Neutral rating explicitly on valuation grounds and UBS also holding at Neutral.

Beyond the financials, CEO Nikesh Arora used a CNBC appearance on Mad Money to argue that approximately $1 trillion of existing cybersecurity infrastructure is unprepared for AI-era threats, and that the roughly $5 trillion of AI capital spending he expects over the next five years will require an entirely new security stack. Arora also warned that rogue AI agents will cause a new wave of breaches, a warning that drew attention to neocloudand AI-infrastructure names as potential cybersecurity targets. Despite the share price drop, analyst support remained broadly intact.

Morgan Stanley, Piper Sandler, DA Davidson, and Rosenblatt all raised their price targets following the results. Citizens, Stifel, and Evercore ISI maintained targets at or above $415, while Bernstein, Truist, Jefferies, Baird, TD Cowen, JPMorgan, BMO, Cantor Fitzgerald, and StoneX all reiterated positive ratings. Sector peers moved in sympathy, with CrowdStrike falling approximately 3% and Fortinet also slipping on the day.

Brown-Forman Corporation (BF-B)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 3.94%

5D Change: -2.37%

Brown-Forman Q1 EPS Beats by a Penny but Revenue Misses as Tequila Slumps and Shares Rally 4.4%

Brown-Forman reported first-quarter fiscal 2027 results on September 2, with GAAP earnings per share of $0.38, beating analyst estimates by $0.01, while revenue of $911 million fell short of expectations by $4 million. Organic net sales declined approximately 1% in the quarter, as flat whiskey volumes and a 17% drop in Herradura Tequila net sales weighed on top-line performance, along with weakness in used barrel sales and pressure across several developed international markets.

Growth in ready-to-drink products and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Blackberry partially offset those headwinds, but management described the operating environment as challenging amid sluggish consumer spending in spirits broadly. The company reiterated its full-year FY2027 guidance calling for organic net sales to be approximately flat, while also flagging that organic operating income is expected to decline 3% to 5% for the year.

Management noted that gross margin is expected to have peaked in the first quarter. Despite the sales miss and cautious outlook, shares of BF.B rose 4.4% in midday trading on September 2, as the earnings beat and maintained guidance reassured investors. Analysts at Seeking Alpha retained a Hold rating on the stock, citing limited near-term growth prospects even as the company’s cash yield was described as decent.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7666.60 | +35.13 | +0.46%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

Global Bond Rout and Escalating U.S.-Iran Conflict Drag Stocks Lower on First Day of September

U.S. equities slid Tuesday as a global bond selloff and renewed military escalation between the United States and Iran hammered investor sentiment on the first trading day of September. The S&P 500 fell roughly 0.66%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.43%, and the Nasdaq 100 tumbled 1.30%, with technology and semiconductor shares absorbing the sharpest losses.

The catalyst for the bond market turmoil was a fresh surge in oil prices following strikes on two Saudi oil tanks in the Strait of Hormuz, pushing WTI crude to $92 a barrel. President Trump said the U.S. would retaliate against Iran for its latest strikes, intensifying supply risk fears in a strait that once handled around 20 million barrels per day but now exports an estimated 2 to 9 million barrels daily depending on the source. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to its highest level since January 2025, feeding fears that the Federal Reserve may be forced to raise interest rates to contain renewed inflation pressures.

Japan’s benchmark yield simultaneously hit 3%, deepening a global duration shock that pressured equities from London to Frankfurt. Semiconductors led the equity decline. In pre-market trading, SanDisk dropped 3.24% to $1,566.70 on memory sector supply concerns, Intel fell 2.45% to $89.51, SK Hynix slid 2.06% to $164.58 on expanding Chinese memory capacity worries, Micron fell 2.06% to $958.73, AMD slipped 1.73% to $470.72, and Nvidia declined 1.49% to $220.78.

Amazon shares also dipped after a joint FTC and 22-state lawsuit alleged more than $20 billion in ad auction overcharges. Energy names bucked the trend, with Chevron and ExxonMobil posting relative strength as crude advanced. Amid the selling, Humana formally reaffirmed its full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of at least $9.00 ahead of investor meetings, and Broadcom traded under pressure ahead of its upcoming third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings release. Dell and Palo Alto Networks were set to report results after the close.

Anthropic was separately reported to have signed a $35 billion cloud deal with Lambda. Bitcoin opened September swinging between $77,283 and just above $78,000, its volatility coming after a 25% surge in August that left its market capitalization at $1.57 trillion. The weak open also carried a seasonal dimension: September has historically been the worst calendar month for the S&P 500 since 1928, averaging a 1.1% decline with positive returns in only 44% of years. Analysts noted, however, that the index entered the month trading roughly 8% above its 200-day moving average, a threshold that has historically tilted monthly returns positive.

Anthropic Launches Claude Fable 5.1 With Major Cost Cuts as OpenAI Readies Powerful Astra Model With Critical Cyber Rating

Anthropic released Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Mythos 5.1 on September 1, calling them the world’s most advanced models for coding and knowledge work. Fable 5.1 is built for complex, long-running agentic tasks and is available immediately on AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, while Mythos 5.1 targets cyberdefenders and life scientists and is available only through trusted access programs. The performance gains are substantial. On Terminal-Bench-Science 0.1, Fable 5.1 scored 52.6%, more than double the 26-plus percent posted by its predecessor Fable 5, and on Terminal-Bench 4.0 it scored 55.8% versus 42.0% for Fable 5.

Cache read costs are 75% lower than Fable 5, which Anthropic says cuts practical costs by roughly 25% for typical workloads and up to 45% for highly agentic ones. The company cited customer feedback as the driving force behind both the performance improvements and the pricing changes. On safety, Anthropic said its cybersecurity safeguards now flag benign requests about 60% less often and the fallback rate on basic biology and medical questions is down around 85%. The company said it found no evidence of a critical-severity jailbreak for either model’s safeguards. Anthropic is also introducing Enterprise Frontier Safeguards that give enterprise customers privacy equivalent to zero data retention, rolling out in phases starting this fall.

Fable 5.1 can now be used to discover software vulnerabilities, and Anthropic said it expects to open enrollment for scientists soon. The new models also include a block on AI distillation, aimed at preventing competitors from copying the models’ capabilities. Separately, OpenAI announced that its forthcoming Astra model is the first it has rated as reaching the “Critical” cybersecurity threshold under its preparedness framework. OpenAI said Astra can discover previously unknown vulnerabilities and develop exploits across well-protected systems autonomously, and during testing it found and chained together two zero-day vulnerabilities, which OpenAI is disclosing to the relevant maintainers.

The most advanced cyber capabilities will initially be restricted to a small group of testers. Following the Hugging Face incident, OpenAI paused some frontier training and strengthened Astra’s refusal behavior, misuse protections and monitoring, restarting one large frontier reinforcement-learning run on August 28 while some smaller experimental runs remain on hold. OpenAI described Astra as representing a significant increase in cybersecurity capabilities compared to GPT-5.6 Sol.

Japan 10-Year Bond Yield Tops 3% for First Time Since 1996 as Global Bond Selloff Deepens

Japan’s 10-year government bond yield crossed 3% on Tuesday for the first time since 1996, a landmark moment for a debt market that spent years pinned near zero. The move was driven by a combination of stronger inflation expectations, heavier fiscal spending projections, and accelerating bets that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates at its September meeting. Japan’s 40-year yield also climbed 6.5 basis points to 4.265%, and Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Tokyo would maintain close dialogue with markets.

Analysts noted that borrowing costs are now reaching levels already baked into Japan’s 2026 budget, leaving little room for additional fiscal stimulus. The selloff was part of a broader global bond rout fueled by renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities. Two oil supertankers were struck by projectiles while attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz late Monday, reigniting fears about Persian Gulf supply disruptions. Brent crude rose above $91 a barrel, stoking inflation concerns and lifting rate-hike expectations across major central banks. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield climbed to 4.792%, its highest since January 2025, while the 30-year Treasury yield sat near 5.28% in what was described as its worst run since 2006.

The 10-year German Bund yield reached 3.364%, a level last seen in 2011, and the U.K. 30-year gilt yield hit 5.9%, its highest since 1998. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added pressure on the BOJ by publicly stating he hoped Governor Kazuo Ueda would “do the right thing,” a signal widely interpreted as endorsing an imminent rate hike. Analysts said the comment effectively locked the BOJ into acting in September and raised the prospect of a faster pace of tightening going forward. USD/JPY came under pressure as BOJ hike bets intensified. Market reaction was broad and negative for risk assets.

Dow futures fell around 200 points at the open, with chip stocks dragging Nasdaq futures lower. Gold fell below $4,400 as surging Treasury yields lifted the dollar. The bond selloff also spread to emerging markets, where Fed rate-hike risk overshadowed geopolitical volatility as the primary driver of sentiment. Investors are now watching U.S. labor and manufacturing data for further signals on the Fed’s September decision.

Company News

Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -6.87%

5D Change: -9.0%

News Volume: 123

Unusual Volume Factor: 9x

Dell Blows Past Q2 Estimates and Raises Full-Year Revenue Outlook to $192 Billion on Record AI Server Demand

Dell Technologies reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $47.0 billion, up 58% year over year and well above the Wall Street consensus of $44.92 billion, while adjusted earnings per share of $7.04 crushed the $4.91 estimate by more than two dollars. The results were driven by AI-optimized server revenue of $16.4 billion, doubling from a year earlier, and Infrastructure Solutions Group revenue of $31.8 billion, up 89% year over year. Net income rose 255% to $4.1 billion, adjusted free cash flow jumped 224% to $8.1 billion, and the company returned $4.3 billion to shareholders including a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share. Dell booked a record $60.9 billion in AI server orders during the quarter and exited with a record backlog of $95 billion, reflecting accelerating demand from neoclouds, sovereign governments and large enterprises.

The company’s customer count in AI infrastructure surpassed 6,500, and management noted that a majority of the installed base remains on 14th-generation or older servers, which it described as a significant and durable refresh opportunity. The company sharply raised its full-year fiscal 2027 guidance, lifting revenue to $192 billion from a prior range of $165 billion to $169 billion and well above the analyst consensus of $172.7 billion. AI server revenue guidance moved to $74 billion from $60 billion, representing a tripling of the business year over year; just six months ago Dell had projected only a doubling. Adjusted EPS guidance rose to $25.50 from $17.90, against a Street estimate of $18.90.

For the fiscal third quarter, Dell guided revenue of $49 billion, roughly $7.5 billion above consensus, with adjusted EPS of $6.50. Dell stock fell about 4% during the regular session as broader market weakness and rising bond yields weighed on technology shares ahead of the print, but surged roughly 10% in after-hours trading following the results. Management said on the conference call that the company expects AI to represent 75% of all data center demand by 2030, with inference token demand growing 87 times to 3,600 quadrillion tokens by that year, and enterprise agentic AI becoming the single largest workload by 2028. The full-year operating expense rate of approximately 8% of revenue is the lowest in the company’s 42-year history.

Medtronic Plc (MDT)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 2.32%

5D Change: 1.37%

News Volume: 95

Unusual Volume Factor: 16x

Medtronic Beats Q1 Estimates, Raises Full-Year Guidance and Commits $700M to Cornerstone Robotics

Medtronic posted fiscal first-quarter 2027 revenue of $9.76 billion, up 13.7% year over year and well ahead of the $9.54 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted earnings per share of $1.45 beat the $1.39 forecast by six cents and rose 15.1% from the prior-year period. Net income attributable to Medtronic reached $1.47 billion, or $1.14 per share, compared with $1.04 billion, or $0.81 per share, a year earlier. The company noted that the quarter included an extra fiscal selling week, which contributed approximately $570 million to organic growth.

Performance was broad-based across all four segments. Cardiovascular revenue rose 19.5% to $3.9 billion, with Cardiac Ablation Solutions surging 88% organically and Electrophysiology Therapies growing 29.1%. Neuroscience added 10.3% to reach $2.7 billion, Medical Surgical grew 10.0% to $2.3 billion, and the Diabetes segment climbed 16.9% to $843 million. Non-GAAP operating margin came in at 23.7%, up 10 basis points year over year, and free cash flow was $1.3 billion. Alongside the results, Medtronic announced a roughly $700 million strategic partnership with Cornerstone Robotics, securing rights to distribute the Sentire surgical robot in select markets outside the United States alongside its existing Hugo system, with Hugo procedures expected to exceed 50,000 globally by fiscal year-end.

The company also disclosed a strategic investment of up to $80 million in Israel-based Pi-Cardia to advance complex transcatheter aortic valve replacement technology, and separately closed acquisitions of Scientia Vascular and SPR Therapeutics during the quarter. The Affera platform received a CE Mark expansion to ventricular arrhythmias, and the FDA cleared the next-generation Touch Surgery Aide platform. Medtronic raised its fiscal 2027 organic revenue growth guidance to a range of 7.25% to 7.75%, from the prior range of 6.75% to 7.25%, and lifted its adjusted EPS guidance to $5.94 to $6.00, from a prior floor of $5.90.

Full-year adjusted revenue guidance was set at approximately $38.9 billion to $39.2 billion. Shares gained roughly 4% to 6% on the session, with TD Cowen reiterating a Buy rating and BTIG raising its price target to $100. The diabetes spinoff MiniMed also hit a record high on the day.

Oracle Corporation (ORCL)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -5.22%

5D Change: -2.39%

Oracle Stock Falls 5% as Layoffs, Debt Fears and EU Antitrust Scrutiny Converge

Oracle shares dropped as much as 5.4% on September 1, 2026, as a global bond selloff pushed long-term government borrowing costs to multi-decade highs, amplifying investor concern over the company’s roughly $95 billion debt load, which funds its heavy spending on cloud and AI infrastructure. The selloff hit debt-laden technology stocks particularly hard, with Oracle drawing extra scrutiny given its capital-intensive buildout strategy. TD Cowen cut its price target on the stock to $240 from $300, a reduction of $60, reflecting growing Wall Street skepticism about whether Oracle’s AI upside can outpace its balance sheet pressure.

At the same time, reports emerged that Oracle is preparing another round of global job cuts totaling between 7,000 and 10,000 positions, with managers expected to trim budgets in early to mid-September. Yahoo Finance separately reported that approximately 3,000 jobs in India are being cut in the current round. Oracle’s India workforce stands at roughly 30,000 people and has already absorbed around 12,000 of the 21,000 total cuts made over the past year. No official confirmation has been issued, and employees have grown increasingly anxious after previous rounds in which workers were locked out of systems without advance notice.

Adding a regulatory dimension, EU antitrust regulators have placed Oracle’s licensing practices under scrutiny, according to a source cited by Reuters. The situation is described as similar to a case involving SAP, which was settled with concessions in July. Oracle faces its next earnings report with analysts generally expecting growth and a likely beat, but the combination of rising rates, heavy debt, workforce reductions and a fresh regulatory inquiry leaves the stock under pressure heading into the release.

Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 4.05%

5D Change: -3.47%

Howmet Aerospace Rebounds After SpaceX Turbine Plan Triggers Near-20% Slide From Highs

Howmet Aerospace shares fell as much as 9% on Monday after SpaceX disclosed plans to cast turbine blades and vanes in-house for a 20-gigawatt gas-turbine power project in Bastrop, Texas, designed to supply AI data centers. The announcement triggered a broader selloff that pushed Howmet roughly 20% below its recent record high, leaving the stock down about 14.5% over the trailing four weeks heading into Tuesday. Two Wall Street banks stepped in to call the decline overdone. Citi maintained a Buy rating with a price target of $329, implying roughly 34% upside from Monday’s close of $244.95, and placed Howmet on a 30-day upside catalyst watch.

Bernstein separately reaffirmed its Outperform rating and raised its price target to $328, with analyst Douglas Harned arguing that SpaceX’s move may reflect tight industry capacity rather than a structural threat to Howmet’s core business. Bernstein’s view is that the SpaceX news actually underscores the exceptional demand Howmet faces in industrial gas turbines, a segment where the company is targeting roughly $2 billion in revenue.

Howmet shares recovered Tuesday as investors weighed the analyst commentary, though options activity remained elevated, with the stock appearing on screens for both increasing implied volatility and unusual put volume. Despite the recent slide, Howmet remains up about 19.5% for 2026, outpacing the S&P 500’s 12.3% gain, and has climbed 41% over the past year. The selloff also dropped Howmet one spot in S&P 500 market-cap rankings, with McKesson Corp passing it for the number 111 position.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7631.47 | -54.67 | -0.71%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

Strategy Ends 10-Week Bitcoin Pause With $370 Million Purchase, Holdings Hit 845,050 BTC

Strategy resumed Bitcoin accumulation after a roughly 10-week hiatus, purchasing 4,603 BTC for $369.7 million between August 24 and 30 at an average price of $80,318 per coin. The move, the company’s first major Bitcoin acquisition since late June, was telegraphed by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor’s “We’re Back” post on X over the weekend before the formal SEC filing on Monday, August 31. Strategy funded the purchases through sales of its MSTR shares, raising $602.8 million in net proceeds during the period.

The company simultaneously repurchased $151.8 million of its STRC preferred stock and reported $5.10 billion in USD reserves, with total USD assets of $6.71 billion. Saylor said net leverage now stands at 0.0%. The new purchase brings Strategy’s cumulative Bitcoin holdings to 845,050 BTC, acquired for a total of $63.73 billion at an average cost of $75,412 per coin, meaning the latest tranche was bought at a roughly 6.5% premium to the portfolio average. The buying came on the same day that Strive, the firm associated with Vivek Ramaswamy, disclosed a purchase of 1,800 BTC for $143 million, pushing its total holdings to 23,156 BTC and making it the fifth largest corporate Bitcoin treasury.

ASST stock rose 5% on the news. Tom Lee’s BitMine Immersion Technologies also announced it bought 53,501 ETH over the past week for approximately $131 million, lifting its total Ethereum holdings to 5.9 million ETH and putting it within striking distance of controlling 5% of ETH’s circulating supply after 65 consecutive weeks of accumulation. Bitcoin itself was trading near $78,000 to $79,000 on Monday, having pulled back from the upper $79,000 range before buyers stepped in around $77,000.

The asset is on pace for a gain of roughly 24% in August, its strongest August performance in nine years, though analysts flagged rising Binance reserves, weaker ETF inflows, and a hawkish tone from Federal Reserve Chair Warsh at Jackson Hole as potential headwinds heading into September. Geopolitical tensions around the Strait of Hormuz pushed Brent crude above $90 a barrel, adding a further macro risk to the picture.

Company News

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 1.79%

5D Change: 1.13%

News Volume: 37

Unusual Volume Factor: 18x

SAIC Jumps 8% After Q2 Earnings and Revenue Beat With Raised Full-Year Outlook

Science Applications International Corporation reported second-quarter fiscal 2027 results before the open on August 31, delivering a broad beat on both earnings and revenue and lifting its full-year guidance above analyst expectations. Revenue came in at $1.88 billion, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.76 billion by roughly $120 million and representing approximately 6.3% total growth, or 5.3% on an organic basis. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $3.01 topped the $2.31 estimate by $0.70, while GAAP diluted EPS stood at $2.38. Net income for the quarter was $102 million, with adjusted EBITDA of $193 million, equal to a 10.3% margin on revenues.

The company raised its full-year fiscal 2027 revenue outlook to a range of $7.2 billion to $7.3 billion, bracketing the prior consensus of $7.19 billion, and set adjusted EPS guidance of $10.65 to $10.75, well above the Street estimate of $9.95. Management attributed the strong quarter to broad-based growth across its markets and improved conversion of existing contract backlog into revenue. Shares surged roughly 8% in premarket trading, making SAIC one of the standout movers on a morning when broader U.S. stock index futures were lower amid Middle East tensions. TD Cowen reiterated its rating on the stock following the report and maintained a price target of $125.

Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 5.45%

5D Change: 5.40%

Tesla Stock Surges 6% to Best Day Since July as Cybercab Launch Event Approaches September 3

Tesla shares climbed roughly 6% on August 31, their best single-day performance since July 6, as investors positioned ahead of the company’s Cybercab launch event scheduled for September 3 in Austin. The stock broke above its 50-day moving average and tested the $365 Fibonacci resistance level during the session, with TSLA finishing as one of the top gainers in the S&P 500. The rally capped a strong August in which Tesla shares gained 17.9% for the month. The Cybercab event was the primary catalyst, amplified by a Nevada regulatory approval allowing Tesla to operate up to 5,000 autonomous vehicles in Clark County. Investors are increasingly valuing Tesla on its robotaxi and AI prospects rather than vehicle delivery volumes alone. Cathie Wood and Chamath Palihapitiya expressed bullishness around the Cybercab and Musk’s broader AI and energy push, though at least one analyst characterized the bull case as “absurd.”

Options activity reflected the high stakes, with $1.5 billion in option premium traded intraday and notable positioning in September 11 $400 calls. A weekend post on X from CEO Elon Musk added fuel to the move. Musk stated that both Tesla and SpaceX are each building 100 gigawatts per year of solar production capacity “as fast as possible,” reinforcing Tesla’s energy business narrative. Tesla Japan also announced a Powerwall 3 exhibition in Shibuya on September 3 and 4, putting the home battery product front and center in a new market. On the product side, Tesla launched a lower-priced Model 3 in Hong Kong and Macau, cutting the entry price by approximately 8.5%.

Separately, Musk said SpaceX plans to build gas turbine blade and vane casting in-house, a move targeting the AI power bottleneck that GE Vernova has flagged and potentially accelerating natural gas turbine deployment by up to 18 months. That announcement sent Howmet Aerospace shares lower as a direct competitive threat. The week ahead also includes Friday’s August jobs report, expected to show 58,000 new positions and an unemployment rate holding at 4.1%, which investors are watching alongside the Tesla event as the next major market catalyst.

Aon Plc (AON)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -9.59%

5D Change: -10.56%

Aon Agrees to Buy USI Insurance from KKR for $17 Billion in All-Cash Deal to Dominate Middle Market

Aon plc announced Monday it will acquire USI Insurance Services from private-equity firm KKR and its co-investors in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $17 billion, or $16.7 billion net of certain tax attributes. The deal, to be financed through new debt, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. USI, which generates roughly $3 billion in annual revenue providing risk management, employee benefits, and retirement consulting services, was KKR’s first core private equity investment and has been held in KKR’s Strategic Holdings portfolio since 2017.

Aon CEO Greg Case framed the acquisition as a bid to build what he called the “premier U.S. middle-market platform,” and described it as potentially the greatest value-creation opportunity of his career. Aon laid out estimated integration costs and synergies on an analyst call held the same morning, though specific synergy figures were not disclosed across the available sources. Aon shares dropped sharply on the news, falling roughly 8.8% to 10% during Monday’s session and crossing below their 200-day moving average of $337.85, touching an intraday low of $321.96. The stock had been down about 1.8% in pre-market trading before the formal announcement.

S&P Global cut its outlook on Aon to negative, citing the debt load the company is taking on to fund the all-cash deal, while Moody’s affirmed Aon’s existing rating but also shifted its outlook. UBS reiterated its rating on Aon without a change. Some analysts and market observers flagged caution given the scale of the acquisition and the leverage required to complete it.

Edison International (EIX)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -23.1%

5D Change: -27.08%

Edison International Crashes 23% as California Wildfire Bill Drops Utility Liability Protections

Edison International shares plunged roughly 23 percent on August 31, 2026, their worst single-day decline since 2001, after California lawmakers advanced an amended wildfire bill over the weekend that omits liability protections investors had counted on. The legislation notably does not cap utility liability for wildfire damages and does not forbid insurers from filing subrogation lawsuits against electric utilities that cause wildfires, leaving companies like Edison fully exposed to claims from insurer recoveries.

PG&E fell 18 to 19 percent on the same news, while Sempra Energy dropped more than 2 percent. Bonds of both PG&E and Edison broadly weakened as the market repriced wildfire liability risk across California’s investor-owned utilities. The sell-off made Edison International the biggest loser in the S&P 500 on the day and for the month of August. Mizuho downgraded Edison International to Neutral from Outperform and cut its price target to $70 from $86, citing the wildfire reform failure.

Mizuho applied identical downgrades to PG&E, cutting its target to $16 from $21, and to Sempra, cutting its target to $84 from $104. BMO Capital and Wells Fargo also downgraded PG&E, with BMO setting a $21 target and Wells Fargo setting a $24 target. Options activity in Edison surged as the session wore on, reflecting elevated uncertainty over future wildfire liability exposure.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7686.14 | -25.62 | -0.33%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

Fed Chair Warsh Strikes Hawkish Tone at Jackson Hole Debut, Warns Inflation Progress Is Insufficient

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivered his first Jackson Hole keynote on August 28, striking a hawkish tone that sent short-term interest rate futures lower as traders lifted their expectations for a rate hike. Warsh declared price stability the Fed’s “predominant focus” and reaffirmed the 2% PCE inflation target as “firm and fixed,” warning that if the central bank cannot be confident inflation is moving toward that goal “clearly and at sufficient speed, we have work to do.”

He acknowledged that summer inflation data came in better than expected but said underlying trends have not meaningfully improved and that progress over the past two years has been modest. Warsh described the economy as having “strengthened,” with healthy consumer spending, stable labor markets, and rapidly rising business investment, and said he is “hard-pressed” to describe financial conditions as restrictive, with credit and loan markets showing few signs of policy restraint. He noted that a “good majority” at the July meeting judged waiting to be the wiser course, but gave no timetable for a rate move and said the speech should not be read as forward guidance or a formal reaction function.

Treasuries flattened immediately after his remarks, consistent with pre-speech analysis from Bank of America strategists who had said such an outcome was possible if Warsh got the messaging right. The 2-year yield rose 4 basis points to 4.275%. Separately, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, who dissented at the July 29 meeting alongside Neel Kashkari and Lorie Logan in favor of a quarter-point hike, said at the symposium that inflation will end 2026 near 3%, well above target, and called for rate hikes immediately, arguing that further delay will cause pain. The fed funds target range currently stands at 3.50% to 3.75%. Before Warsh spoke, Kalshi pricing showed a 71% probability of a September hold against a 30% chance of a 25-basis-point hike.

Company News

Marvell Technology, Inc. (MRVL)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -10.21%

5D Change: -14.11%

News Volume: 175

Unusual Volume Factor: 12x

Marvell Shares Fall 8% Despite Record Q2 Revenue as Google AI Deal Timing Disappoints Investors

Marvell Technology posted record fiscal second-quarter revenue of $2.739 billion, up 37% year over year and 13% sequentially, with data center revenue hitting a record $2.17 billion, up 46% year over year. The company raised its fiscal 2027 revenue outlook to approximately $12 billion and projected fiscal 2028 revenue of roughly $18 billion, implying about 50% growth. Despite beating consensus estimates and issuing above-consensus third-quarter guidance of $3.15 billion against a $3.04 billion forecast, shares fell roughly 8% to around $223.87, slipping below the 50-day moving average, as investors found the results too thin relative to elevated expectations built up by the stock’s more than 160% gain year to date.

The central disappointment centered on Marvell’s recently announced AI chip partnership with Alphabet’s Google, which CEO Matt Murphy described as a ‘monster number’ in long-term potential, with one analyst estimating $120 billion in lifetime revenue. Investors wanted clearer near-term revenue contribution from the deal, but management indicated the Google relationship had already been contemplated in prior guidance, leaving the timeline for meaningful revenue recognition uncertain. Morgan Stanley, which kept an Equal Weight rating with a $246 price target, noted that guidance was in line with prior commentary and that the stock trades differently from peers, tending to execute to long-term forecasts rather than deliver short-cycle beats and raises, with its analyst day seen as the next major catalyst.

Despite the selloff, a broad group of analysts remained bullish: UBS reiterated Buy with a $310 target, Oppenheimer raised its target from $300 to $325, Needham raised its target to $300, and Wolfe Research, Stifel, Benchmark, and KeyBanc also reiterated positive ratings. Management signaled a strategic shift in growth drivers toward connectivity, optics, and a broad range of XPU-attach businesses rather than large monolithic custom ASICs, a mix analysts said supports margin expansion to 38 to 40% over time, though lower-margin custom silicon is currently pressuring gross margins. The fiscal 2027 guidance is heavily back-loaded, requiring a record fourth quarter to be met, which analysts flagged as an execution risk. Jim Cramer argued the drop reflected valuation and profit-taking after a massive rally rather than any fundamental problem with the quarter.

Affirm Holdings, Inc. (AFRM)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 7.24%

5D Change: 9.62%

News Volume: 41

Unusual Volume Factor: 20x

Affirm Holdings Surges 11-13% After Record Profitable Quarter and Q1 Revenue Beat

Affirm Holdings jumped roughly 11-13% in premarket and regular trading on August 28 after reporting its most profitable quarter on record in fiscal Q4 2026. The buy-now, pay-later company posted adjusted earnings per share of $4.62, well above the analyst consensus of $3.77, though analysts noted the headline GAAP figure was inflated by a one-time tax valuation allowance release of approximately $1.5-1.6 billion and does not reflect core profitability.

Operationally, Affirm delivered 33% revenue growth and 36% gross merchandise volume growth year over year, with adjusted operating income rising 49% and funding costs declining 103 basis points to 5.8%. The company’s Q1 revenue guidance also topped the average analyst estimate, and Affirm and Shopify expanded their global partnership to launch Shop Pay Installments in Australia.

Oppenheimer raised its price target on AFRM from $100 to $104 with an Outperform rating, while Bank of America flagged only modest near-term growth in its guidance but cited multiple potential catalysts and sees nearly 35% upside from current levels. Delinquency rates remained low, and credit performance was stable despite broader industry concerns. The stock’s forward price-to-earnings ratio remains elevated at around 40, with a price-to-sales ratio near 6.3.

Workday, Inc. (WDAY)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 3.79%

5D Change: 1.64%

News Volume: 48

Unusual Volume Factor: 16x

Workday Q2 2027 Results Beat on AI Momentum but Draw Mixed Analyst Reactions

Workday posted second-quarter fiscal 2027 results highlighted by subscription revenue of $2.471 billion, up 14% year-over-year, with total revenue rising 13% to $2.649 billion as AI agent adoption drove what the company described as record growth. Professional services contributed $178 million to the top line.

The strong print prompted several price target increases: BMO Capital Markets raised its target from $182 to $230 while maintaining an Outperform rating, and Monness Crespi and Hardt lifted its target from $202 to $218 on a Buy rating. However, the reaction was not uniformly positive. Capital One downgraded Workday from Overweight to Equal Weight with a $219 price target, citing what analysts characterized as a mixed guidance reaction.

Shares were up roughly 0.7% in pre-market trading on August 28, with options implied volatility and expected option volume both rising, reflecting uncertainty around the stock’s near-term direction despite the earnings beat.

Nvidia Corporation (NVDA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -4.58%

5D Change: 1.27%

Nvidia Posts 106% Revenue Growth to $96B and Guides to $108B Next Quarter Fueling Broad AI Rally

Nvidia reported second-quarter revenue of $96.22 billion, a 106% increase year over year, and guided for $108 billion in third-quarter revenue, well above the roughly 45% growth Wall Street had modeled. The company also issued an early fiscal 2028 outlook calling for approximately 70% revenue growth, a figure that caught analysts off guard and reignited confidence in the durability of AI infrastructure spending. Shares surged 8.7% on Thursday to $227.98, lifting the Nasdaq by more than 400 points and pushing the S&P 500 to weekly gains, though Nvidia gave back roughly 4% on Friday as investors took profits ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech. CEO Jensen Huang’s net worth rose approximately $14.9 billion to $196.1 billion, making him the world’s sixth-richest person, moving ahead of Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Oracle’s Larry Ellison.

Asian markets broadly followed the lead, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 gaining about 0.4% while India’s Nifty IT sector surged nearly 3%. The results rippled through the broader ecosystem: Nvidia-backed cloud provider Lambda raised $1 billion in private short-term debt arranged by JPMorgan to finance Nvidia GPUs that will be leased by Microsoft, following a separate $926 million loan completed earlier in the month. Blue Owl Capital separately led a $2.4 billion debt deal for cloud provider Iren to purchase Nvidia Blackwell Ultra GPUs for a Canadian data center campus. Amazon committed to 2 million additional Nvidia GPUs. Nvidia disclosed $279 billion in total supplier commitments, and Trump praised the company’s results as reflecting American technological leadership while calling the numbers incredible. Nvidia also warned of an AI power bottleneck and is bolstering support for Chinese open AI models even as it flagged potential White House restrictions.

The company paused revenue-sharing deals with AI cloud partners, per the Wall Street Journal, a move that sent shares of SharonAI down 8%. Nvidia is reportedly pursuing a $12.9 billion acquisition of AI platform Hugging Face, a deal analysts say is aimed at filling the cloud capacity the company has already underwritten. Michael Burry flagged Nvidia’s $105 billion OpenAI guarantee as a circular financing red flag and sold half his Nvidia position, though he remains long-term bearish rather than fully exiting. Wedbush raised its Nvidia price target to $345 following what it called the company’s first full-year guidance, and Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management forecast 90% revenue growth for calendar 2027. Goldman Sachs noted that on the day of Nvidia’s melt-up, only about 30% of S&P 500 stocks and one of eleven sectors closed in the green, underscoring how concentrated the rally remains in a handful of AI names.

Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -4.18%

5D Change: -0.76%

Ulta Beauty Beats Q2 Estimates and Raises FY2026 Outlook but Stock Slips on Margin Concerns

Ulta Beauty reported a Q2 2026 earnings beat and raised its full-year sales growth guidance to a range of 6.7% to 7.2%, while also announcing $1.8 billion in share buybacks and lifting its EPS outlook. Comparable sales growth came in at 3.8%, but higher discounts and promotions weighed on gross margins, which analysts described as underwhelming. Shares fell roughly 4% on the session despite the strong headline numbers, with the stock underperforming peers.

Analysts broadly noted that guidance may be conservative, particularly given the company’s expectation of weaker Q3 comparables relative to Q4 as it gears up for the holiday season. Raymond James maintained its Strong Buy rating, JPMorgan reiterated Overweight citing market share gains, Goldman Sachs and Jefferies both raised their price targets with Jefferies moving to $650, and DA Davidson also lifted its target. UBS moved in the opposite direction, trimming its price target citing margin pressure. The print placed Ulta among the most-watched retail names heading into the final session of the week, alongside a broader tape focused on Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole remarks.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7711.76 | -19.23 | -0.25%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

Nvidia Posts $96.2 Billion Q2 Revenue Beat but Stock Slides on Underwhelming Guidance

Nvidia reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $96.2 billion on Wednesday, well above the roughly $92.2 billion Wall Street had expected, confirming sustained demand for AI infrastructure. Despite the decisive beat, shares fell in after-hours trading after the company’s current-quarter revenue forecast of $108 billion, plus or minus 2 percent, disappointed some investors who had hoped for more.

The consensus analyst estimate for the current period had been $105.2 billion, making the guidance a modest beat but not the blowout some had anticipated. Broader markets were already on edge ahead of the print, with major indexes edging lower on Wednesday in light trading. After the results, short-dated Treasuries underperformed and money markets moved to fully price in a Federal Reserve rate hike by December, adding further pressure on equities.

CrowdStrike and Salesforce were among notable movers in the session, both surging, while Synopsys declined. Abercrombie and Fitch posted record second-quarter results before the open, lifting peers including Urban Outfitters.

Company News

Nvidia Corporation (NVDA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 8.70%

5D Change: 4.34%

News Volume: 822

Unusual Volume Factor: 5x

Nvidia Posts $96.2 Billion Q2 Revenue, Forecasts 70% Growth in Fiscal 2028 and Reportedly Agrees to Buy Hugging Face for $12.9 Billion

Nvidia reported fiscal second-quarter 2027 revenue of $96.2 billion, up 106% year over year and well above analyst estimates of roughly $92.2 billion, with data center revenue hitting $89 billion, a 117% annual gain. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $2.22, beating the $2.10 consensus. The company guided for third-quarter revenue of approximately $108 billion, plus or minus 2%, topping Wall Street’s estimate of around $103.5 billion, and said it expects fiscal 2028 revenue growth of roughly 70%, more than double the analyst consensus of about 44 to 45%.

CEO Jensen Huang said AI demand is constrained by supply, not by customer appetite, and that memory costs and data center capacity remain the binding limits on growth. Gross margins, steady at 75% for two quarters, are expected to fall to 74% next quarter and then to 71 to 72% the following quarter as rising memory prices bite, with recovery not expected until fiscal 2028. Nvidia shares surged 8.65% on Thursday, their best single-day gain since April 2025, adding roughly $442 billion in market capitalization. At least 15 analysts raised their price targets following the results, with Melius moving to $420, Bernstein to $400, Rosenblatt to $390, Raymond James to $515 with a note that $1 trillion in annual sales by fiscal 2029 is possible, JPMorgan to $320, and Goldman Sachs to $300, while BofA reiterated its $350 buy target.

The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.57% and the S&P 500 gained 0.72% on the day. Separately, The Information reported that Nvidia has agreed to acquire open-source AI platform Hugging Face for $12.9 billion, though Business Insider noted that no agreement had been signed and talks could still fall apart. Nvidia had previously invested in Hugging Face’s 2023 funding round. The company also announced an expanded strategic partnership with AWS covering 2 million additional Nvidia GPUs through 2028. On the regulatory front, the US Commerce Department is investigating Singapore-based Apex Logistics over 47 shipments from 2024, suspected to have carried Nvidia-powered servers to China in violation of export controls, in what would be the first enforcement action against a transportation company in the semiconductor trade.

Nvidia disclosed it sold a small number of H200 chips to China during the quarter but said shipments fell short of permitted levels, and Q3 guidance excludes any data center compute revenue from China. At the close of the reporting window, the Wall Street Journal reported that Nvidia paused a revenue-sharing program with AI cloud providers less than two months after announcing it, citing employee concerns about potential antitrust scrutiny. The program had involved $36 billion in commitments under agreements typically running six years.

Salesforce, Inc. (CRM)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 22.95%

5D Change: 22.98%

News Volume: 243

Unusual Volume Factor: 14x

Salesforce Surges 20% on Record Q2 Beat, Claudeforce Launch and Raised Full-Year Guidance

Salesforce shares rocketed roughly 20% on August 27, its second-best single-session gain in the company’s 22-year history and its strongest day since August 2020, after the enterprise software giant posted a blowout fiscal second-quarter 2027 report and deepened its partnership with Anthropic. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $5.90, beating Wall Street estimates by more than $2.00, while revenue grew 11% year over year. Current remaining performance obligation, a key forward-revenue indicator, accelerated to 14% growth in constant currency, and free cash flow surged 81%.

Agentforce and Data 360 combined annual recurring revenue reached nearly $3.9 billion, with Agentforce alone up more than 240% year over year, signaling that AI adoption has moved from experimentation into genuine monetization. Salesforce raised its full-year fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to a range of $46.1 billion to $46.4 billion and lifted its adjusted EPS outlook to $16.67 to $16.71. The company also announced the launch of Claudeforce, an AI sales plugin built in partnership with Anthropic that integrates Anthropic’s Claude models directly into Salesforce workflows, with general availability planned for September.

An existing Salesforce stake in Anthropic contributed an investment gain that boosted reported profit for the quarter. CEO Marc Benioff used the results to publicly dismiss what he called the ‘SaaSpocalypse’ narrative, the fear that capable AI models would undermine traditional enterprise software demand, calling the concern ‘nonsense’ and saying it was time for it to stop. The print and the Anthropic announcement triggered a broad software sector rally: the iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF rose about 3%, ServiceNow climbed 5%, and Adobe advanced 3%. Salesforce added roughly 210 points to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, despite entering the day as only a roughly 2% weight in the index.

Analysts at Jefferies, Truist, BMO Capital Markets, Bernstein, Mizuho, Wells Fargo, Stifel, DA Davidson, Baird, Oppenheimer, TD Cowen, UBS, and Monness Crespi and Hardt all raised their price targets, with Jefferies and Truist each moving to $300, BMO going to $260, and Monness lifting from $222 to $266. KeyBanc was a notable holdout, reiterating a Sector Weight rating. UBS said the organic revenue growth reacceleration trajectory may be enough to ease broader investor concerns about AI displacement risk for the software sector.

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (CRWD)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 19.35%

5D Change: 18.25%

News Volume: 177

Unusual Volume Factor: 22x

CrowdStrike Surges 20% on Best Quarter in Company History as AI Security Demand Accelerates

CrowdStrike shares soared roughly 20% on August 27, their best single session since the company’s 2019 IPO, after the cybersecurity firm reported what CEO George Kurtz called the best quarter in its history. Adjusted earnings came in at 31 cents per share for the fiscal second quarter of 2027, topping the 29-cent consensus estimate, while total ending annual recurring revenue reached $5.84 billion with net new ARR growth projected as high as 34% year over year.

The company raised its full-year fiscal 2027 ARR outlook, citing accelerating enterprise adoption of its Falcon Flex platform and surging demand for AI security tools. AI Detection and Response usage tripled quarter over quarter, and Kurtz credited the Anthropic partnership as a meaningful contributor to results, saying securing AI infrastructure represents the largest market opportunity in the company’s history. At least 11 analysts raised their price targets in response: Needham lifted its target to $250, BMO Capital Markets to $235, Baird to $230, with Jefferies, TD Cowen, Mizuho, Bernstein, Piper Sandler, DA Davidson, Scotiabank, and Cantor Fitzgerald also raising or reiterating bullish ratings. Citi signaled further upside ahead.

The stock was up roughly 86% year to date heading into the session and approached but did not surpass the all-time high it set nine trading days earlier. The Global X Cybersecurity ETF gained about 9.5% on the day alongside the broader rally in security names. Ark Invest, in a contrarian move, sold shares of CrowdStrike during the session while adding to positions in Cloudflare and Cerebras.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7730.99 | +55.29 | +0.72%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

US July PCE Inflation Beats Forecast at 3.7% as Nvidia Earnings Loom

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge came in hotter than expected in July, with the headline PCE price index rising 0.2% month-over-month, above the 0.1% estimate, and 3.7% year-over-year, topping the 3.6% forecast. Core PCE held steady at 3.3% annually, in line with expectations, and rose 0.2% on the month. The data marked the first positive monthly PCE reading since May 2026, returning from a decline of 0.1% in June. Q2 GDP growth was confirmed unrevised at a 1.5% annualized rate, though the GDP price deflator ran hot at 6.4%, above the 6.2% consensus, raising stagflation concerns.

Personal income rose 0.4% against a 0.2% estimate, while real personal spending was flat. Durable goods orders beat at 1.1% versus a 0.5% estimate. Corporate profits jumped $400.9 billion in the quarter. Markets opened little changed, with S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures each slipping around 0.1% to 0.25% before the bell, and the S&P 500 edged lower after the data crossed. Treasury yields were broadly flat. Capital Economics said the core PCE reading is unlikely to trigger a September rate hike on its own, but with annual core inflation at 3.3% and growth resilient, the firm believes higher rates may eventually be necessary.

Fed officials, including Boston Fed President Collins, had already signaled rates may need to rise absent further disinflation progress. Before the data, markets were pricing roughly a one-in-three chance of a September hike. All of this set the stage for Nvidia’s second-quarter earnings after the close, with investors treating the combination of sticky inflation, sluggish growth, and a high-profile tech result as a critical simultaneous test for equities.

Company News

Intuit Inc. (INTU)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -3.51%

5D Change: -5.49%

News Volume: 140

Unusual Volume Factor: 10x

Intuit Shares Plunge 12% After Fiscal 2027 Revenue Guidance Falls Well Short of Wall Street Estimates

Intuit shares fell roughly 12% on August 26, extending a 10%-plus drop in after-hours trading the prior session, after the company issued fiscal 2027 revenue guidance of $23.28 billion to $23.51 billion, implying 9% to 10% growth, which trailed Wall Street forecasts. The selloff came despite a strong fiscal fourth quarter, where revenue rose 14% year over year to $4.35 billion and non-GAAP earnings per share of $4.03 beat expectations.

The softer outlook reflects a deliberate strategic reset: Intuit is widening access to QuickBooks by targeting lower-cost tiers, reworking TurboTax pricing after cost-conscious customers fled the platform, and absorbing near-term revenue pressure as it prioritizes customer acquisition and market share. TurboTax growth is projected to slow to just 2% to 3% in fiscal 2027, while Mailchimp guidance was flat to down 1%. Management projects non-GAAP EPS growth of 20.6% for the year, arguing the reset builds a stronger long-term foundation, but Wall Street was not persuaded in the near term. JP Morgan downgraded Intuit from Overweight to Neutral with a $331 price target, and BofA Securities cut its rating from Buy to Neutral with a $360 target. Wolfe Research also downgraded the stock on tax growth concerns.

Price targets were slashed broadly: Deutsche Bank cut to $400 from $425, Barclays to $408 from $443, Morgan Stanley to $315 from $335, RBC to $385 from $500, Truist to $300 from $350, and Wells Fargo to $300 from $360, citing tax segment headwinds and the revenue guide miss. A handful of firms held more constructive views, with Jefferies and BMO reiterating Buy and Outperform ratings respectively, Mizuho maintaining an Outperform with a $430 target, and Piper Sandler raising its target to $290 from $250 on higher cash flow margin expectations. AI disruption fears also weighed on sentiment, with the TurboTax and QuickBooks franchises seen as increasingly exposed to competition, dragging shares of Adobe and ServiceNow lower by about 3% in sympathy.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 33.27%

5D Change: 35.33%

News Volume: 82

Unusual Volume Factor: 27x

Abercrombie & Fitch Surges 37% After Record Q2 Sales, Massive EPS Beat and Raised Full-Year Guidance

Abercrombie & Fitch posted record second-quarter net sales of $1.27 billion on Wednesday, up 5% year over year and ahead of the $1.25 billion consensus estimate, marking the retailer’s 15th consecutive quarter of sales growth. Adjusted EPS came in at $4.17, more than doubling the $1.99 analyst estimate, though $1.75 of that figure reflected a pre-tax IEEPA tariff refund worth roughly $100 million in aggregate, equal to 790 basis points of operating-margin benefit. Even stripping out the refund, management said the underlying earnings beat exceeded the tariff windfall on its own.

Operating margin expanded 280 basis points year over year to 19.9%, and EBITDA of $296 million blew past the $170 million estimate. The Abercrombie brand grew net sales 8% while Hollister rose 2%, with CEO Fran Horowitz noting Hollister’s back-to-school season continued to build through the end of the quarter. By region, Americas revenue rose 5% to $1.0 billion, EMEA gained 2% to $202 million despite a 4% comparable-sales decline, and APAC surged 19% to $44.2 million. Comparable sales overall were flat. For the full year, the company raised EPS guidance to $13.10-$13.60, up sharply from the prior $10.20-$11.00 range and well above the $10.72 street estimate, incorporating roughly $120 million in full-year tariff refunds.

Net sales growth guidance was tightened to approximately 5% from the prior 3%-5% range, operating margin guidance was lifted to 14.5%-15.0% from 12.0%-12.5%, and the share buyback target was raised to at least $500 million from roughly $450 million. For the third quarter, guidance calls for EPS of $2.90-$3.20 against an estimate of $2.84, net sales growth of 5%-6%, and an operating margin of 13.0%-14.0%. The company repurchased 2.0 million shares for approximately $177 million in the second quarter, leaving $568 million under its remaining authorization.

Shares surged as much as 37% to around $148.91, reaching a 19-month high and marking one of the two best single-session gains in the company’s 30-year public history. BTIG raised its price target following the results. Seeking Alpha’s quant model kept its rating at Hold, citing elevated valuation despite the momentum, though noted the forward price-to-earnings ratio remains around 10.8 times and buyback yield approaches 8%.

Zoom Communications, Inc. (ZM)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -6.03%

5D Change: -10.87%

News Volume: 56

Unusual Volume Factor: 19x

Zoom Stock Falls 6% as Soft Q3 Profit Guidance Overshadows Double Beat in Q2 FY2027

Zoom Communications reported second-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue of $1.28 billion, up 4.9% year over year, with enterprise revenue rising 7.8% to $787.5 million, beating Wall Street expectations on both revenue and earnings. Despite the beat, shares fell roughly 6% in after-hours and premarket trading after the company issued third-quarter adjusted earnings and operating income guidance that disappointed analysts. For the full fiscal year 2027, Zoom guided revenue of $5.085 billion to $5.095 billion with adjusted EPS of $6.08 to $6.12. The disconnect between the quarterly results and the stock reaction centered on the Q3 profit outlook, which came in below consensus expectations and signaled continued pressure on the consumer segment even as enterprise momentum accelerated.

Analyst reactions were split: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $107 from $105, Bernstein lifted its target to $108 from $103, and JP Morgan moved to $110 from $90, while Jefferies cut its target to $116 from $118. RBC Capital maintained an Outperform rating, Benchmark reiterated Buy citing enterprise momentum, Citizens kept its rating on strong enterprise growth, and UBS held its rating while flagging mixed revenue trends. KeyBanc reiterated a Sector Weight. CEO commentary highlighted a stake in Anthropic as part of a broader federated AI strategy, which Barron’s flagged as a potential positive that the market was discounting.

The J. M. Smucker Company (SJM)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 4.18%

5D Change: 6.50%

J.M. Smucker Beats Q1 Estimates by Wide Margin and Raises Full-Year Guidance

J.M. Smucker reported fiscal first-quarter 2027 results that sharply exceeded expectations, sending shares up about 3.4% before the bell on August 26. Revenue came in at $2.2 billion, up 5% year-over-year and ahead of the $2.13 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $3.24 surged 71% from a year earlier and blew past the $2.22 analyst estimate. Free cash flow of $337.3 million was nearly three times the $115 million estimate, while gross profit rose 106% year-over-year to $979.6 million, lifting gross margin to 44.1%, a gain of 2,160 basis points.

EBITDA reached $637.7 million for the quarter. Key drivers included higher coffee pricing, volume growth in Uncrustables and at-home coffee, and a $115 million tariff refund that boosted profitability. By segment, Coffee led with $807.8 million in net revenue, up 13% year-over-year, followed by Frozen Handheld and Spreads at $499.3 million, up 3%, Pet Foods at $371.7 million, up 1%, Away From Home at $203.7 million, up 3%, and Sweet Baked Snacks at $236.5 million, down 7%. CEO Mark Smucker said the results demonstrated continued momentum across the company.

On the strength of the quarter, Smucker raised its full-year fiscal 2027 guidance across all major metrics: adjusted EPS is now expected in a range of $10.50 to $11.00, above the prior consensus of $10.05; free cash flow guidance was lifted to approximately $1.1 billion from a prior target of about $1.0 billion; and the net sales outlook improved to a decline of 1% to 2%, compared with a previous forecast for a decline of 3% to 4%. Capital expenditures are now guided to $325 million, below the prior analyst estimate of $335 million, and the adjusted effective tax rate is expected at 24.2%.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7675.70 | -1.58 | -0.02%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

OpenAI’s Broadcom-Built Jalapeño Chip Beats Nvidia GB300 in Inference Tests as Cisco and Nvidia Expand AI Factory

OpenAI’s custom Jalapeño chip, designed and built by Broadcom specifically for AI inference, outperformed Nvidia’s GB300 processor in both throughput per watt and response latency in OpenAI’s own testing, with the performance gap widening on larger workloads including Moonshot’s Kimi model and unreleased OpenAI models. Running at around 700 watts, Jalapeño is not designed for model training. OpenAI plans to begin deploying the chip for its own models later in 2026, and a second-generation version is approaching tape-out while a third generation is already in development.

A key caveat is that testing was conducted against the GB300, not Nvidia’s newer Vera Rubin generation, meaning the competitive picture could shift as Nvidia’s next-generation hardware reaches customers. Separately, Cisco announced it is expanding its Secure AI Factory with Nvidia to include high-density liquid- and air-cooled compute solutions from Supermicro, targeting enterprises, neoclouds, and sovereign clouds. Those solutions will support Nvidia’s Vera Rubin NVL72 and HGX Rubin NVL8 platforms, with availability set for October 2026.

Nvidia also introduced the Jetson Orin Nano 2, an entry-level edge AI computer delivering 78 TOPS of AI compute with 8GB of memory and twice the inference performance of the Orin Nano Super at 40 percent lower power consumption. Early adopters include Cognex, Doosan Bobcat, and Matic, while Alphabet’s Wing plans to evaluate it for delivery drone perception; the module and developer kit are expected in the first half of 2027.

Canada Hits US With Dollar-for-Dollar Retaliatory Tariffs on $20 Billion of Goods After Trade Talks Collapse

Canada on Tuesday announced retaliatory tariffs covering more than 700 American products worth approximately $19.94 billion, matching what Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne described as a dollar-for-dollar, rate-for-rate response to the 50% duties President Donald Trump imposed on Canadian goods over the weekend. The new Canadian levies range from 15% to 50% and cover a wide array of US exports including steel, where Canada doubled its existing tariff from 25% to 50%, as well as dairy products, appliances, farm equipment, seafood, furniture, smartphones, cosmetics, clothing, and toilet paper.

Ottawa also announced financial support measures for Canadian businesses and workers affected by the escalating dispute. The breakdown follows the collapse of trade negotiations late last week, after the Trump administration presented demands that Prime Minister Mark Carney deemed unfair and uneconomic. Canadian negotiators left the US without a deal, and Trump’s 50% tariffs took effect on August 22. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada still believes a mutually beneficial deal is possible but would not wait passively, telling CNBC, ‘We’re not waiting by the phone.’

Carney accused Washington of trying to subordinate Canada and destroy its major industries, while Champagne called the situation an unprecedented challenge. Trump, for his part, posted on Truth Social that Canada is ‘easily the most difficult and unreasonable’ country he deals with, and separately threatened additional tariffs while floating the idea of renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America. Trump has shown no sign of softening his position despite Republican concerns that the tariff standoff and a separate beef import plan could hurt the party in midterm elections.

BlackRock Dominates Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF Inflows as BTC Surges Past $81,000

BlackRock captured more than 60% of the $338 million in daily Bitcoin ETF inflows on Aug. 24, with its iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) drawing $209 million while its Ethereum fund (ETHA) added $90.92 million, extending a six-consecutive-day inflow streak that has pushed cumulative spot Bitcoin ETF inflows to $54 billion. The surge in institutional demand coincided with Bitcoin briefly touching $81,237 on Aug. 25, its highest level since mid-May and the peak of an eight-day rally of roughly 25-28%, fueled by a weakening U.S. dollar, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s efforts to stabilize bond markets, and Treasury buybacks.

The derivatives market felt the strain as well, with a short squeeze wiping out $452 million in bearish bets. Separately, BlackRock has cut the minimum required to convert Bitcoin directly into IBIT shares through in-kind transfers to $1 million from $25 million, a structural change that is accelerating the migration of crypto wealth onto Wall Street. More than $5 billion has already moved into IBIT via these in-kind conversions, and the mechanism is expanding into Ether and Solana, with Bitwise, Morgan Stanley, and Grayscale seeing similar adoption. Finbold noted this buying pace represents BlackRock’s most aggressive accumulation since Bitcoin’s all-time high in October 2025.

Company News

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. (DKS)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -30.68%

5D Change: -33.22%

News Volume: 37

Unusual Volume Factor: 18x

Dick’s Sporting Goods Plunges 30% After Worst Earnings Miss on Record as Foot Locker Drags Results

Dick’s Sporting Goods posted its worst single-day stock decline since its 2002 IPO on Tuesday, with shares tumbling roughly 30%, after the company reported a double miss and slashed its full-year outlook, with weakness at the recently acquired Foot Locker unit at the center of the damage. Second-quarter revenue came in at $5.59 billion, short of the $5.65 billion analysts expected, while adjusted EPS of $3.53 trailed the $3.78 consensus by 19% year over year. The core Dick’s segment held up, with comparable sales rising 4.9% and segment profit up 2% to $485.2 million, but Foot Locker posted a segment loss of $31.9 million on $1.74 billion in revenue, with proforma comps down 3.6%.

Executive Chairman Ed Stack attributed the shortfall to an increasingly promotional athletic footwear and apparel market, with fewer product launches in the quarter and those that did launch performing below expectations, a problem he said hit Foot Locker hardest given its heavy reliance on legacy footwear silhouettes and retro product. For the full year, Dick’s cut its net sales guidance to $21.9 billion to $22.2 billion from a prior range that implied roughly $22.4 billion, and slashed its adjusted EPS outlook to $11.00 to $12.00 from a prior estimate of around $14.24. Adjusted operating income guidance was reduced to $1.46 billion to $1.56 billion from $1.71 billion to $1.83 billion, and the expected tax rate was raised to approximately 29% from 27%.

The Foot Locker segment outlook was particularly severe: comparable sales guidance was cut to a range of negative 2.0% to flat, down from a prior forecast of positive 1.5% to 3.0%, and segment profit is now expected to fall between negative $80 million and negative $40 million, versus prior guidance of positive $110 million to $150 million. Inventory surged 63% year over year to $5.57 billion, including $2.0 billion tied to Foot Locker. CEO Lauren Hobart said the company remains confident in the long-term opportunity at Foot Locker, but the results raised immediate questions about the $2.4 billion acquisition of the sneaker chain. Nike and Academy Sports also traded lower in sympathy. The specialty retail sector fell about 2.3% on the day, with Dick’s the primary drag.

The Bank Of Nova Scotia (BNS)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 7.18%

5D Change: 6.11%

News Volume: 181

Unusual Volume Factor: 30x

Scotiabank Posts Record Q3 EPS of CAD 2.28 Beating Estimates on Capital Markets and Wealth Management Surge

Bank of Nova Scotia reported record third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on August 25, with adjusted earnings per share of CAD 2.28, beating analyst expectations of roughly CAD 2.10 by CAD 0.18. Revenue came in at CAD 10.54 billion, surpassing consensus by CAD 610 million.

The outperformance was driven by a record result in global wealth management and global banking and markets, with management citing broad-based earnings strength and improving returns in Canadian Banking alongside continued capital markets momentum tied to elevated market volatility. Return on equity also surged past internal targets, according to the earnings call.

The bank declared a quarterly dividend of CAD 1.14 per share. TD Cowen offered positive commentary on the results following the report.

Robinhood Markets, Inc. (HOOD)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 8.14%

5D Change: 22.41%

Goldman Sachs Reiterates Buy on Robinhood with $124 Target as HOOD Surges 8%

Robinhood Markets shares climbed roughly 8% on August 25, resuming a rally that began late the prior week, after Goldman Sachs analyst James Yaro reiterated a buy rating on the stock and set a price target of $124. Yaro also maintained a buy on Coinbase, raising that price target to $196 from $173. Goldman’s cautiously optimistic view on the crypto market for the second half of 2026 underpinned both calls, even as the bank acknowledged weaker trading volumes across the sector.

Adding to the day’s momentum, decentralized exchange Arcus, built by the team behind dYdX and running on Robinhood Chain, launched leveraged ETF-style contracts that give traders 3x exposure to both Bitcoin and HOOD stock. The product uses pTokens, which convert managed perpetuals accounts into transferable ERC-20 assets, broadening the ways traders can access amplified Robinhood exposure on-chain. Separately, prediction markets focused on HOOD have drawn Wall Street attention, with analysts citing a potential $1 trillion addressable market opportunity in that segment.

Target Corporation (TGT)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -3.81%

5D Change: 7.19%

Target Stock Slides Among Top S&P 500 Losers After Pulling Halloween Costume Amid Blackface Backlash

Target fell among the top three losers on the S&P 500 on Tuesday after the retailer pulled a children’s circus clown Halloween costume from sale following widespread backlash. Critics said the costume evoked Blackface and minstrel shows, prompting Target to apologize to customers.

The stock declined even as major market indexes traded higher on the day, making Target’s drop particularly notable. Options implied volatility on TGT was also observed to be decreasing during the session, suggesting traders were not pricing in further sharp moves despite the reputational pressure.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7677.28 | +24.42 | +0.32%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Company News

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -0.28%

5D Change: -6.86%

News Volume: 101

Unusual Volume Factor: 11x

Alibaba Raises $10.2 Billion in Discounted Hong Kong Share Sale to Fund AI, Shares Plunge 8%

Alibaba priced Hong Kong’s largest-ever secondary share offering on Monday, selling 710 million new ordinary shares at HK$112.70 each to raise HK$80 billion, equivalent to $10.2 billion. The placement price represented an 8.4% discount to Friday’s closing price of HK$123, with the sale set to close by August 26. Proceeds are earmarked for full-stack AI infrastructure development. Hong Kong-listed shares fell as much as 11% intraday, touching HK$111, their lowest since July 30, before settling down roughly 8%. Alibaba ADRs slid about 2% in U.S. premarket trading.

The selloff reflects investor unease over dilution and the uncertain returns from heavy AI spending, concerns sharpened by a 75% drop in Alibaba’s quarterly net profit disclosed alongside the raise. Sixteen analysts revised earnings estimates downward following the announcement. ‘Big Short’ investor Michael Burry fully exited his Alibaba position in favor of JD.com, stating ‘I cannot bless share issuances,’ and separately indicated he believes the stock needs to fall by roughly half again from current levels.

On the day of the offering, Alibaba also officially launched Wan3.0, its latest AI video generation model, and disclosed that its open-weight models have surpassed 3 billion global downloads in the past six months, outpacing Meta and Alphabet. In a show of confidence, Alibaba’s top two executives purchased approximately HK$120 million ($15.3 million) worth of shares after the stock slumped, with CEO purchases separately reported at $4.98 million. CFO Toby Xu had told investors on August 20 that Alibaba held roughly $30.7 billion in net cash excluding long-dated debt, with a broader net cash position of approximately $46.5 billion.

Separately, law firm Kaplan Fox announced a securities class action against Alibaba on behalf of investors who bought shares between June 26, 2025 and June 24, 2026, with an October 5, 2026 deadline to join. Alibaba also participated as a strategic investor in Xpeng Robotics’ $900 million funding round, which valued the humanoid-robot unit at $6.3 billion.

PDD Holdings Inc. (PDD)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -1.78%

5D Change: -1.84%

News Volume: 51

Unusual Volume Factor: 26x

PDD Holdings Q2 Revenue Misses but Adjusted Profit Beats as Net Income Drops 12%

PDD Holdings reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of RMB 112.4 billion, up 8% year over year but short of the roughly RMB 115.2 billion to RMB 116.35 billion analysts had expected. Adjusted earnings per ADS came in at RMB 19.33, topping consensus estimates of around RMB 18.22 to RMB 18.51, while adjusted operating profit rose 5% to RMB 29.1 billion against an estimate near RMB 27.1 billion to RMB 28.4 billion.

GAAP net income fell 12% year over year, weighed down by a net other loss of RMB 7.4 billion compared with RMB 119 million of other income in the year-ago period. Transaction services revenue reached RMB 54.7 billion, up 13% but below the RMB 58.36 billion estimate, while online marketing services contributed RMB 57.6 billion versus RMB 55.7 billion a year earlier. Operating cash flow improved to RMB 25.7 billion from RMB 21.6 billion, and the company held RMB 456.4 billion in cash and short-term investments.

Sales and marketing spending rose to RMB 29.7 billion from RMB 27.2 billion, and R&D climbed to RMB 4.6 billion from RMB 3.6 billion, reflecting what management called stepped-up ecosystem investments. Executives cited evolving global trade and regulatory landscapes as significant challenges, and the company signaled an ambition to build what it described as another PDD over the next three years. Shares of the Temu parent rose roughly 2% to 4% in premarket New York trading after the results.

Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -3.84%

5D Change: 2.84%

Tesla Cybercab Set for Sept. 3 Austin Launch as Stock Slides on China Recall, Engineer Exit and Solar Roof Discontinuation

Tesla confirmed it will launch its Cybercab robotaxi service in Austin on September 3, days after Nevada approved the company to deploy up to 5,000 robotaxis in the state. Citizens Financial reiterated a Market Perform rating following the Nevada approval, and prediction markets assign only a 17% probability that Tesla will sell a $30,000 Cybercab to a retail customer this year, down from 33% in late April. Despite the robotaxi momentum, Tesla shares fell roughly 1.4% on Monday, trading in a narrow $345-$354 range on the five-hour chart, as several negative developments weighed on sentiment.

Tesla and other automakers began what Reuters described as a record vehicle recall in China, covering more than 4 million vehicles across multiple brands over concerns that doors may be difficult to open in an emergency. Separately, Tesla’s top chip engineer departed for startup DensityAI, a blow to the company’s in-house silicon ambitions at a time when Elon Musk has outlined plans for a Terafab semiconductor facility in Texas capable of producing 2-nanometer chips for Tesla and SpaceX. Tesla also quietly discontinued its solar roof tiles, exiting the product roughly a decade after launch and shifting focus to conventional solar panels.

On the financial side, Tesla’s second-quarter revenue rose 26% to $28.23 billion on 480,126 deliveries, though the company posted negative free cash flow of approximately $1.09 billion as AI investment spending increased, with management guiding for negative free cash flow to persist through the full year. Musk’s net worth rebounded to more than $851 billion, with Tesla shares up about 22% from their July low, and analyst price targets cluster around $406 on average with more bullish calls from Stifel and RBC near $491 and $500.

Visa Inc. (V)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 3.05%

5D Change: 6.55%

Visa Stock Hits 52-Week High of $374.20 Driven by Ackman Stake and Trump Purchases

Visa shares surged to a new 52-week high of $374.20 on August 24, helping lead the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a 137-point gain, as two high-profile buying disclosures drew investor attention. Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square is reportedly taking a $1.12 billion stake in Visa, while a financial disclosure revealed that President Trump’s investment accounts purchased millions of dollars of Visa stock during June 2026. Trump’s accounts also bought Mastercard and Cintas while selling a large position in the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF.

Visa was among the top-performing consumer-related stocks on the day, joining Expedia, Target, Mastercard, and Airbnb in hitting 52-week highs. Adding to the day’s Visa-related news, the company put Hims and Hers Health on notice over payment disputes, a move that sent Hims shares sharply lower, as the telehealth company’s subscription-cancellation practices prompted elevated consumer chargebacks. On the product side, Scotiabank launched a no-fee Visa credit card for Canadian business owners offering 1% cash back on all purchases. Visa also announced that CEO Ryan McInerney will present at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Conference on September 8 at 1:05 p.m. Pacific Time.

Mastercard Incorporated (MA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 3.31%

5D Change: 6.67%

Mastercard Jumps 2.7% on Sector Rotation and Trump Disclosure as Consumer Stocks Hit 52-Week Highs

Mastercard shares rose 2.7% on Monday August 25 as investors rotated out of semiconductor and higher-risk technology names and into consumer-facing payment stocks, with Mastercard joining Visa, Walmart and Costco among the session’s biggest gainers. The move carried Mastercard and several peers, including Expedia, Target, and Airbnb, to fresh 52-week highs.

Adding a notable catalyst, a federal financial disclosure published the prior Saturday revealed that President Trump made more than 1,000 securities trades in June, with purchases of Mastercard, Visa, Berkshire Hathaway and Cintas totaling between roughly $78 million and $263 million in aggregate, while reducing a large position in the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF.

Trump separately reported over $2 billion in 2025 business income. Among the three major U.S. card networks, Visa has led year-to-date performance in 2026, though all three have attracted buying interest during the current risk-off rotation into defensive consumer and financial names.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7652.86 | -21.51 | -0.28%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

Citadel Unwinds Over 80% of Situational Awareness Portfolio Risk Through $4 Billion in Block Trades

Ken Griffin told Citadel investors in a Friday letter that the firm has unwound more than 80% of the aggregate risk it took on when it purchased the stock portfolio of Leopold Aschenbrenner’s embattled AI hedge fund, Situational Awareness. The exit was executed through more than 100 block trades totaling over $4 billion in market value, with Griffin noting the transactions included the largest intraday block trades of the year in 10 different names.

Griffin said Citadel quickly exited the vast majority of its vega risk in the United States, describing the move as saving substantial capital. Of the remaining positions in G10 currencies, only five carry a gross market value greater than $250 million. The letter, obtained by CNBC’s Sara Eisen, signals Citadel moved with unusual speed and scale to reduce its exposure after absorbing the Situational Awareness book.

Analyst Ratings

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS)

Goldman Sachs Drives Dow Higher While Flagging Historic Hedge Fund Underperformance and Expanding in India

Goldman Sachs shares added roughly 240 points to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Friday, helping push the index up about 500 points, as a broad set of research calls and business moves kept the firm in focus across markets. The firm’s prime brokerage data showed July was the worst month for hedge fund underperformance relative to the S&P 500 in more than 20 years of records, with Goldman describing it as “one of the sharpest hedge fund de-grossing episodes of the past decade.”

On strategy, Goldman argued that slowing inflation, not Treasury buyback programs, is the most reliable path to lower US bond yields, a view that cuts against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent bond-market support efforts. Goldman also said EUR/USD breaking above its 200-day moving average reflects its view that Treasury intervention may force the dollar to absorb more of the adjustment, with the pair trading around 1.1700 on Friday. The firm joined JPMorgan as among the most bullish voices on European equities in a Bloomberg survey, citing a robust corporate earnings outlook.

In India, Goldman broke into the government share-sale market, a segment long dominated by local financial institutions, while separately initiating coverage on 14 Indian banks with a mix of Buy, Neutral, and Sell ratings. The firm views HDFC Bank and SBI favorably, while assigning Sell ratings to PNB, Bank of Baroda, RBL Bank, and Yes Bank, citing stretched valuations and structural concerns at each.

Goldman also reported approximately 86.5 million dollars in XRP ETF holdings across five funds in its Q2 2026 filing, returning as the largest institutional XRP ETF holder after exiting those positions last quarter, coinciding with a roughly 40 percent surge in XRP’s price.

The firm lowered its price target on Walmart following a post-earnings selloff, citing valuation, and is listed among the lead advisers on Anthropic’s upcoming IPO alongside Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, and Citigroup.

Goldman’s trading desk noted that soaring call-option buying is accelerating gold’s rally, with clients positioning for silver to reach 90 dollars within months, even as Goldman’s existing gold price forecast stands at 4,900 dollars per ounce.

Morgan Stanley (MS)

Morgan Stanley Upgrades Ternium, Cuts Walmart Target and Picks Dallas for Expansion in Busy Week of Analyst Activity

Morgan Stanley issued a wave of analyst calls on August 21, upgrading Ternium (TX) to Overweight from Equal-Weight with a price target of $65, citing an improved tariff outlook, while also upgrading an unnamed steel producer to Overweight from Equal-Weight on expectations of further upside after a strong 2026 run.

The bank raised its price target on Sage to 1,245p from 1,140p, lifted Ferguson (FERG) to $295 from $290, raised its Beike target on market share gains, and revised its semiconductor equipment outlook on demand signals. On the downside, Morgan Stanley cut its Walmart (WMT) price target to $125 from $140.

The bank also crossed the 5% ownership threshold in Pinewood Technologies and said Samsung’s capital returns were slightly below expectations. On the corporate strategy front, Morgan Stanley is reportedly selecting Dallas as its primary expansion hub outside New York City. In crypto, the firm launched an Ethereum Trust ETP listed on NYSE that holds staked ETH, raising questions about a structural timing mismatch: investors can sell shares intraday while the underlying ETH could take weeks or months to unstake.

Separately, Morgan Stanley is among the lead advisers, alongside Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Citigroup, on Anthropic’s upcoming IPO. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Jim Lacamp described the current earnings season as very healthy and said strong results make a bear market unlikely. The firm’s Series O preferred shares crossed a 6.5% yield threshold on Friday, trading as low as $16.26 on an annualized dividend of $1.0625 per share.

Company News

Walmart Inc. (WMT)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -0.86%

5D Change: -10.99%

News Volume: 183

Unusual Volume Factor: 10x

Walmart Suffers Worst Single-Day Drop in Four Years After Q2 Comp Sales Miss Despite Earnings Beat

Walmart shares fell roughly 9 to 10 percent on Thursday, their steepest single-day decline in four years, after the retailer reported second-quarter US comparable store sales growth of just 2.6 percent, the slowest in six years, even as it beat Wall Street estimates on revenue and adjusted earnings and raised its full-year financial outlook. The company cited consumer belt-tightening and high fuel costs as headwinds, and its third-quarter earnings-per-share guidance came in below analyst expectations.

The miss triggered a wave of price target cuts: JPMorgan lowered its target to $125 from $137, Morgan Stanley to $125 from $140, TD Cowen to $125 from $150, D.A. Davidson to $132 from $150, RBC Capital to $131 from $137, Piper Sandler to $128 from $137, Telsey Advisory Group to $130 from $140, Guggenheim to $130, and Goldman Sachs, Baird, Wolfe Research, BMO, Truist, and UBS also trimmed their targets on comp deceleration and core business concerns. Freedom Broker bucked the trend, upgrading Walmart to Buy with a $124 target.

JPMorgan and Bank of America both called the selloff a buying opportunity, with JPMorgan noting the shares are now cheaper than their historical norm. Bright spots in the quarter included e-commerce sales growth of 24 percent, advertising revenue growth of 38 percent, and strong membership trends. The company’s AI shopping assistant Sparky is driving 40 percent higher spending per order and saw usage rise 70 percent year over year, with CEO John Furner saying AI will improve nearly every part of the business. CFO John David Rainey said Walmart plans to deploy its Trump tariff refunds to lower product prices.

Separately, Walmart announced it will begin accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay at select Walmart and Sam’s Club locations starting August 24, with a full US rollout across stores, websites, and apps by year-end and gas stations by mid-2027, ending more than a decade of holdout on contactless payments. The company also opened its 100th electric vehicle fast-charging station, in Monument, Colorado. Walmart’s international segment flagged a headwind of more than 100 basis points to Q3 sales from Flipkart shifting its Big Billion Days event, though international e-commerce rose 19 percent led by China, India, and Canada.

Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 4.54%

5D Change: -1.57%

News Volume: 96

Unusual Volume Factor: 19x

Ross Stores Surges 8% After Record Q2 Sales and Raised Full-Year Profit Guidance

Ross Stores posted a blowout fiscal second quarter ended August 1, with net sales of $6.3 billion, up 13% from $5.5 billion a year earlier, driven by double-digit comparable-store sales growth of roughly 10% and stronger customer traffic. Net income nearly doubled year-over-year. The off-price retailer raised its full-year earnings-per-share guidance and projected third-quarter sales growth above analyst expectations, signaling resilient bargain-hunting demand despite an uncertain economic backdrop. Shares surged roughly 8% to around $246.60 in Friday trading, adding to a premarket gain of nearly 9%.

A wave of analyst price-target increases followed the report: Barclays raised its target to $298 from $260, Evercore ISI to $290 from $276, Jefferies to $285 from $265, JP Morgan to $272 from $262, Bernstein to $240 from $230, with Citi and UBS also lifting targets, the latter citing tariff refunds and strong sales trends. Truist raised its target on strong traffic growth. The results stood in contrast to rival TJX’s recent Marmaxx segment miss and reinforced the off-price retail model’s appeal as consumers seek value. Management noted that many merchandising and store improvement initiatives are still early-stage, pointing to continued momentum heading into the second half.

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (AAP)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 0.04%

5D Change: -24.96%

News Volume: 37

Unusual Volume Factor: 18x

Advance Auto Parts Stock Drops 25% After DIY Demand Miss Despite Tariff Windfall Boosting Q2 Margins

Advance Auto Parts shares fell roughly 25% after the company reported second-quarter 2026 results that showed a significant miss in comparable sales, driven by an unexpected deterioration in its do-it-yourself segment during the final four weeks of the quarter as tighter household budgets constrained consumer spending. CEO Shane O’Kelly noted that while the Pro channel delivered low-single-digit growth in line with expectations, DIY weakness dragged total enterprise performance.

The quarter’s headline profit figures were heavily supported by a roughly $26 million Trump-era tariff refund, which contributed approximately $0.31 to adjusted diluted EPS of $1.03, compared with $0.69 in the prior-year period. Adjusted operating income margin expanded by more than 250 basis points year-over-year, and net leverage improved to 2.1x from 2.4x in Q1 2026 after the company retired about $30 million in debt. The company reaffirmed its full-year 2026 guidance for sales, adjusted operating income margin, and free cash flow.

Analysts responded with broad price-target reductions: D.A. Davidson cut its target to $48 from $58, TD Cowen to $45 from $61, UBS to $47 citing demand concerns, with BMO, Truist, and RBC also lowering targets on DIY headwinds and weak comps. Guggenheim reiterated a Neutral rating. Some analysts, including MarketBeat, argued the sell-off overstates the damage and that the company’s turnaround initiatives, including SKU rationalization and margin recovery, remain on track.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7674.37 | +33.21 | +0.43%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Half off everything until Saturday, 11:59 PM ET. Terminal, News Pit, Research and MCP access, every plan and every billing period.

Full details at the bottom, or go straight to the offer →

Read more

Analyst Ratings

Morgan Stanley (MS)

Morgan Stanley Upgrades Merck, Cuts Liberty LiLAC, and Flags 38-Gigawatt AI Power Gap in Busy Research Day

Morgan Stanley issued a flurry of analyst calls on August 20. Most notably, the firm upgraded Merck from Equal-Weight to Overweight with a price target of $179, arguing that a strong cancer drug pipeline, bolstered by a blockbuster late-stage trial showing the combination of Moderna’s intismeran autogene and Merck’s Keytruda effective in high-risk melanoma patients, more than offsets the looming patent expiration of Keytruda.

On the same day, RBC Capital Markets moved in the opposite direction, downgrading Merck to Sector Perform with a $150 target. Morgan Stanley separately downgraded Liberty LiLAC from Equal-Weight to Underweight with a $7 price target on valuation concerns, while resuming coverage of Keurig Dr Pepper at Overweight.

The firm’s analysts also published a note warning that AI data centers face a 38-gigawatt power gap, identifying industrial stocks such as GE Vernova as beneficiaries of surging power generation demand. Morgan Stanley’s head of global real assets, Lauren Hochfelder, echoed that theme on CNBC, calling industrial real estate a side-door way into AI.

Separately, Morgan Stanley set a bullish 12-month price target on SpaceX even as the stock fell roughly 6% on August 20 after 319 million shares held by early employees and investors were unlocked.

The firm also published a constructive gold price outlook for 2027, flagged modest downside risks to the US aluminum premium, said Apple App Store net revenues dipped year-over-year based on monthly data, noted that BILL’s fiscal 2027 outlook points to slower core growth despite a fourth-quarter profit gain, and assessed the broader earnings season positively, concluding that profits grew, margins held, and gains were broad-based rather than concentrated among a handful of large names.

In India, shares of Power Finance Corporation and REC fell as much as 3% following a Morgan Stanley downgrade of both stocks.

Company News

Walmart Inc. (WMT)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -9.15%

5D Change: -10.22%

News Volume: 320

Unusual Volume Factor: 15x

Walmart Stock Drops Nearly 10% After Weakest US Comparable Sales Growth in Six Years

Walmart reported fiscal second-quarter results on August 20 that beat headline estimates but sent shares plunging as much as 10%, their worst single-day decline since May 2022, after the company posted its slowest US comparable-store sales growth in over six years. US comparable sales excluding fuel rose just 2.6% in the quarter ended July 31, well short of the 3.7% Wall Street had expected, with falling pharmacy and prescription drug prices creating roughly a 80-to-125-basis-point drag on the figure.

Revenue came in at $187.9 billion, topping the $186.7 billion estimate and up 5.9% year over year, while adjusted EPS of $0.81 beat the $0.74 consensus by nearly 11%. Operating income surged 28.8%, partly boosted by a $2.9 billion tariff refund, though CFO John David Rainey told CNBC that Walmart has received less than $100 million of that total so far and plans to channel refunds into lower prices for customers, with price adjustments expected to appear in the third quarter. CEO Doug McMillon said consumers are making trade-offs under pressure from higher fuel costs, identifying $4-per-gallon gasoline as a threshold where shoppers pull back meaningfully, though he noted continued growth from higher-income households and described inflation throughout the year as ‘pretty low.’

Bright spots included 23% global e-commerce growth, 38% growth in the global advertising business, 17% growth in membership fee revenue, and an 8.8% revenue increase at Sam’s Club. For the third quarter, Walmart guided adjusted EPS to $0.62 to $0.64, below the $0.68 consensus, with net sales growth of 3% to 3.75% in constant currency. The company raised its full-year fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS outlook to $2.80 to $2.87 from a prior range of $2.75 to $2.85, and lifted its net sales growth target to 4% to 5% in constant currency. Walmart shares fell to a 2026 low near $103 to $105 during trading, dragging the Dow Jones Industrial Average down roughly 637 points, or 1.2%, while the S&P 500 lost 0.7% and the Nasdaq fell 1%.

Rival retailers including Target and Costco also traded lower on the news. Many analysts called the comp sales shortfall one of the biggest misses in years and a potential signal of a slowing US consumer, though a number urged investors to buy the dip given the company’s raised full-year guidance and structural momentum in e-commerce, advertising, and membership businesses.

Moderna, Inc. (MRNA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -24.82%

5D Change: 108.46%

News Volume: 39

Unusual Volume Factor: 20x

Moderna Sheds Up to 25% in Profit-Taking Selloff After Historic 177% Cancer Vaccine Surge

Moderna shares fell as much as 25% on Thursday, erasing roughly $18 billion in market value after the stock’s record single-day gain of 176.9% on Wednesday. The rally had been driven by positive Phase 3 results from the INTerpath-001 trial of intismeran autogene, an mRNA-based personalized cancer vaccine co-developed with Merck, which met its primary endpoints in patients with completely resected stage IIB-IV melanoma when combined with Merck’s Keytruda. By midday Thursday, shares were trading near $142.70, down about 18% to 20%, before extending losses to approximately 24% in afternoon trade, according to multiple market trackers. Forbes reported Moderna’s market capitalization fell from $69.6 billion at Wednesday’s close to $51.5 billion.

Despite the pullback, Moderna shares remain up roughly 351% year-to-date. The stock led all pre-market volume with approximately 14.2 million shares changing hands in early trade. Analysts who raised price targets in response to the trial data kept several of those targets below Wednesday’s closing price, raising questions about how much of the clinical breakthrough had already been priced in. BioNTech fell around 4% and Merck slipped modestly in sympathy, though a Morgan Stanley analyst maintained that Merck remains a buy. Barron’s noted the Wednesday surge had also triggered a short squeeze that spilled into semiconductor names. A separate disclosure revealed that former President Trump had purchased up to $50,000 of Moderna shares on March 2 and again on March 17, with only a partial sale in May, leaving him holding a position that was up more than 150% as of Wednesday.

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (AAP)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -22.98%

5D Change: -23.43%

News Volume: 37

Unusual Volume Factor: 18x

Advance Auto Parts Plunges Over 20% After Revenue Miss and DIY Sales Slump Overshadow Earnings Beat

Advance Auto Parts reported second-quarter 2026 results before the opening bell on August 20 that sent shares tumbling roughly 21% to around $44.33, with the selloff also dragging AutoZone down about 4% and O’Reilly Automotive lower. The company posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.03, beating the Wall Street consensus of $0.81 by 27% and rising 49% year over year from $0.69.

Revenue, however, came in at $2.000 billion, missing analyst projections of $2.039 billion by roughly $40 million and slipping 0.5% from $2.010 billion in the year-ago period. Comparable store sales declined, with growth in the professional customer segment more than offset by a larger-than-expected drop in do-it-yourself sales, as cash-strapped consumers pulled back on discretionary auto maintenance spending.

On the outlook, Advance raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $2.60 to $3.30, up from a prior range of $2.40 to $3.10, while reaffirming its full-year net sales range of $8.485 billion to $8.575 billion along with its operating-margin and free-cash-flow targets. Investors focused on the revenue shortfall and the weakness in the higher-margin DIY business rather than the profit beat, with the stock’s steep drop reflecting concern that softening consumer spending poses a sustained headwind to the aftermarket auto parts sector.

Deere & Company (DE)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 6.93%

5D Change: 1.39%

Deere Shares Jump 7% After Q3 Earnings Beat and Raised Full-Year Guidance

Deere and Company posted fiscal third-quarter net income of $1.379 billion, or $5.10 per diluted share, up from $4.75 a year earlier and well above the analyst consensus of roughly $4.71, marking the company’s first year-over-year profit gain in approximately three years. Total net sales and revenues rose 5% to $12.61 billion, surpassing estimates near $10.81 billion. The construction and forestry segment was the primary engine: net sales climbed 18% to $3.62 billion and operating profit surged 84% to $436 million, with the operating margin expanding to 12.1% from 7.7%, fueled in part by demand tied to AI-related infrastructure build-out.

Small Agriculture and Turf also contributed, with sales up 12% to $3.38 billion and operating profit rising 28% to $622 million, improving the segment margin to 18.4% from 16.0%. Production and Precision Agriculture, representing the large-farm-equipment market, remained a soft spot, with revenues declining 6% to $4.00 billion. Deere recorded $110 million in tariff recoveries in the quarter, spread across production costs in multiple segments. Total operating profit rose 18.4% to $1.856 billion.

The company raised the low end of its full-year FY2026 net income guidance to $4.75 billion from $4.5 billion, keeping the ceiling at $5.0 billion. CEO John C. May described 2026 as the structural trough of the agricultural equipment cycle, citing stabilizing early-order programs, clearing used-equipment inventories, and broadening technology adoption as indicators of a more pronounced recovery in 2027. Shares gained 7.1% to $621.93, on track for their best single-session performance since February, and ranked among the top S&P 500 gainers on the day.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7641.16 | -66.82 | -0.87%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

Trump Pauses 50% Canada Tariffs for Three Days After Last-Minute Deal

President Trump announced hours before a midnight deadline that he would pause threatened 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion worth of Canadian imports for three days, through August 21, citing a deal that still requires final documentation. The levies, which would have affected about 5% of Canadian exports to the United States, were put on hold after a day of intensive negotiations in Washington and a direct call between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Canadian and U.S. negotiators met repeatedly ahead of the deadline, with the auto sector emerging as the central sticking point: Canada sought a delay and relief from existing tariffs on autos and steel, while the Trump administration demanded Canada drop retaliatory measures, end alcohol boycotts, and open its dairy market to greater U.S. access. Carney’s office said talks had made substantial progress but that more work was needed. Trump also mentioned the Keystone XL pipeline could be resurrected as part of broader discussions.

The Canadian dollar had weakened during the day as traders assessed the odds of a deal at roughly a coin flip or worse, with USD/CAD trading near 1.3897, but the U.S. dollar slipped about 0.2% against the Canadian dollar to 1.3877 immediately after Trump’s announcement. The three-day window keeps pressure on both sides to finalize written terms before new tariffs can be reimposed.

US Treasury Doubles Long-Bond Buybacks to at Least $4 Billion, Sending Yields Lower and Sparking Broad Rally

The US Treasury Department announced on August 19 that it is at least doubling the maximum size of its liquidity-support buyback operations for longer-dated nominal coupon securities, raising the cap from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per operation starting in September. The move covers 10- to 20-year and 20- to 30-year Treasuries and was framed as a measure to steady the bond market, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seen as driving the decision.

One analysis noted the expansion was designed in part to ease crowding out from record AI-related bond supply, with the public and private sectors moving in step on the AI buildout. Markets reacted sharply: the 30-year Treasury yield fell roughly eight basis points to 5.2%, the 10-year yield also declined, and the dollar slid. US stocks surged, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising about 230 points. The TLT iShares 20-plus-year Treasury Bond ETF rallied alongside equities, and AI-related stocks were among the strongest performers in the premarket session.

The announcement also ignited a sharp move in crypto markets: Bitcoin surged from an intraday low near $64,124 to a high of roughly $69,749, a gain of more than 5% and its best single-day performance since February 2026, reaching an 11-week high. The move triggered an estimated $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion in short liquidations across crypto markets within roughly 60 minutes, with Ethereum also crossing back above $2,000.

Moderna and Merck Cancer Vaccine Hits Phase 3 Primary Goal in Melanoma Trial, Sending Moderna Stock Up More Than 100%

Moderna and Merck announced Wednesday that their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, met both the primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival and the key secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival in the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial involving patients with completely resected Stage IIB-IV melanoma. The combination regimen, which pairs intismeran with Merck’s blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda, significantly extended the time patients went without their melanoma returning compared with Keytruda alone.

It marks the first-ever positive Phase 3 result for an individualized neoantigen therapy, a class of treatments designed for each patient based on the unique mutation profile of their tumor. The companies said they plan to present full data at an upcoming international medical meeting and will engage with regulators on filing submissions for the combination. Moderna shares surged more than 100 percent on the news, at one point trading near $142 and on pace for the stock’s best single day ever from a prior close around $62.96. Merck shares also rose, with some reports citing a gain of roughly 7 percent.

The Nasdaq biotech index pushed to a record as broader vaccine-related stocks, including BioNTech, also climbed. Analysts said the interim results were broadly positive but noted the market would be watching for full data at the upcoming medical conference before drawing firm conclusions on the path to regulatory approval.

Company News

SK Hynix Inc. (SKHY)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 2.18%

5D Change: -6.09%

News Volume: 74

Unusual Volume Factor: 12x

SK Hynix Approves Record 40 Trillion Won Buyback and Cancellation After Sharp Stock Selloff

SK Hynix announced on August 19 that its board approved the repurchase and cancellation of 40 trillion won, equivalent to roughly $28.6 billion, in treasury shares, in what the company described as the largest such cancellation in the history of South Korean listed companies. The program covers approximately 24 million shares, equal to about 3.3% of shares outstanding, and runs from August 20 through November 19. Alongside the buyback, SK Hynix raised its shareholder return target to at least 50% of cumulative free cash flow from 2025 through 2027, upgrading a prior commitment of up to 50%, and said it is considering introducing both a fixed dividend and a special dividend to expand payouts further.

The announcement came after SK Hynix shares fell more than 10% in Seoul on August 19 amid a broader global semiconductor selloff that pulled Samsung and SK Hynix down more than 7% and sent the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down 5%. The company stated that current share prices do not reflect its intrinsic value. In post-market Seoul trading, shares erased losses of up to 8.3%, and SK Hynix’s U.S.-listed ADR surged roughly 7% in after-hours and premarket activity, trading near $164.70 in Wednesday morning New York trading. S&P Global separately upgraded SK Hynix’s credit rating to A- citing AI-driven demand strength. The buyback plan follows a pledge SK Hynix made in April 2026 to expand shareholder returns and a signal given on its July 29 earnings call that a full program disclosure was imminent.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (LOW)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 2.4%

5D Change: 1.05%

News Volume: 74

Unusual Volume Factor: 12x

Lowe’s Beats Q2 Earnings Estimates but Cuts Full-Year Outlook as DIY Spending Stays Under Pressure

Lowe’s reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $4.40, beating the $4.22 consensus estimate by $0.18, while net income came in at $2.4 billion and GAAP EPS was $4.27. Total sales of $25.96 billion rose roughly 8% year over year but missed the $26.16 billion Wall Street estimate, with comparable sales up just 0.2%. Online sales jumped 15.7% and gains in professional, home-services, and online channels helped offset continued weakness in discretionary do-it-yourself spending.

The company narrowed its full-year revenue guidance to $92 billion, the low end of its prior $92 billion to $94 billion range, and trimmed adjusted EPS guidance to approximately $12.25, below the $12.45 analyst consensus, with comparable sales now expected to be flat for the year. Diluted EPS guidance was set at approximately $11.75. CEO commentary cited persistent pressure on household budgets from elevated fuel prices and broader economic uncertainty, with customers delaying major renovations. Shares fell nearly 8% in premarket trading before recovering some ground during the session, with the stock trading in the low $200s near multi-year lows.

Target Corporation (TGT)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 4.36%

5D Change: 3.29%

Target Doubles Profit in Q2 and Raises Full-Year Outlook on Tariff Refunds and Turnaround Gains

Target reported fiscal second-quarter adjusted EPS of $4.11, roughly double the $2.30-$2.35 analyst consensus, as net income surged 100.8% year-over-year to $1.88 billion. Revenue rose 5.3% to $26.54 billion, topping estimates of around $25.5-$26.13 billion depending on the source. Comparable sales grew 3.8%, fueled by stronger store traffic and gains across all merchandise categories, with beauty and food leading the way. Operating income climbed 94.4% to $2.56 billion, and gross margin expanded 470 basis points to 33.7%. A nearly $1 billion boost from tariff refunds was cited as a significant contributor to the profit surge.

On the strength of the quarter, Target raised its full-year fiscal 2026 EPS guidance to $9.90-$10.90, up from a prior range of $7.50-$8.50, and now expects net sales growth of approximately 5%. The stock jumped roughly 5% to a 52-week high in Wednesday trading. Executives attributed the results to merchandising refreshes, store investments, improved inventory availability, and a grocery overhaul that has added snacks and changed product presentation to draw more food shoppers. Oppenheimer senior analyst Rupesh Parikh weighed in positively on the results, and Jim Cramer said he is bullish on TGT but recommends waiting for a pullback before buying. Demand data from LikeFolio showed Target’s consumer demand trend outpacing Walmart’s on a year-over-year basis heading into Walmart’s own upcoming earnings report.

The Progressive Corporation (PGR)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 4.92%

5D Change: 4.77%

Progressive Corp Stock Jumps 4% After July Results Beat Expectations Despite 12% Profit Drop

Progressive Corp reported July 2026 net income of $961 million, or $1.65 per share, a 12% decline from $1.09 billion, or $1.85 per share, in July 2025. Net premiums written grew 5% year over year. Shares rose roughly 4% on Wednesday morning as the results came in ahead of analyst expectations, with Mizuho, Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, and BMO all reiterating their ratings on the stock, citing the earnings beat and strong key performance indicators. The gain still left Progressive slightly lower in the S&P 500 market cap rankings, with Lockheed Martin edging past it to claim the number 97 spot.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7707.98 | +16.22 | +0.21%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

Nvidia Commits $105 Billion to Back OpenAI Ohio Data Center as Circular Financing Concerns Mount

Nvidia has agreed to provide a guarantee of up to $105 billion to help OpenAI lease a massive data center in Ohio being developed by SoftBank-owned SB Energy, one of the chipmaker’s largest infrastructure financing commitments. The deal covers an initial 4.25 gigawatts of computing capacity, and Nvidia will also invest $1.5 billion directly in SB Energy. The arrangement raises what Reuters described as “circular financing” questions, since Nvidia is effectively backstopping demand for the very chips it sells.

The deal comes after the Wall Street Journal had reported Nvidia would cap its guarantee below $120 billion, down from a previously discussed $250 billion figure. Separately, Amazon confirmed plans to expand its Louisiana data center investment from $12 billion to $18 billion by adding a third campus, along with up to $400 million in water infrastructure upgrades at no cost to local residents. Against this backdrop of surging AI capital expenditure, European Central Bank economists warned that AI-driven valuations are at risk of a sharp correction, arguing that history suggests prices will tumble even if current multiples fairly reflect AI’s transformative potential.

Bank of America added to the cautionary tone, saying Nvidia could be trading at up to a 50% discount once AI-related risks are priced in. Rising Treasury yields weighed on AI-leveraged plays during the session, with CoreWeave falling 7% and crypto-linked AI miners Cipher Mining and TeraWulf dropping 9% and 7% respectively. On the funding side, AI chip startup Etched was valued at $21 billion in its latest round, and Anthropic is rapidly closing the gap with SpaceX for the title of 2026’s largest IPO, with a potential fourth-quarter debut on the horizon after its annualized revenue run rate climbed to $65 billion in July.

Bitcoin Breaks $65K as White House Crypto Summit Looms and Citi Confirms BTC Custody Launch

Bitcoin climbed back to $65,000 for the first time in a week on August 18, triggering roughly $30 million in short liquidations within 60 minutes of the breakout, as the S&P 500 rebounded from two-week lows following US assurances that the Strait of Hormuz remained open. The move came as gold sold off, with the two assets briefly diverging despite broader bond market pressure stemming from US deficit concerns, with the federal deficit having hit $1.8 trillion and global yields surging. Analysts remain split on whether the rally has legs.

10x Research said Bitcoin must hold above $63,000 to sustain fresh upside, while CryptoPotato flagged persistent bearish trendlines and weakening momentum on the daily chart, calling the move insufficient until key resistance levels are reclaimed. Yahoo Finance cited falling trading volume as evidence the rebound to $64,000 was a liquidity illusion. Fundstrat offered a wider frame, warning that Bitcoin’s unusually low volatility has historically preceded sharp moves of around 30 percent in either direction, mapping to an upside target near $83,200 or a downside scenario around $44,800.

On the institutional front, Citigroup confirmed that Bitcoin custody will go live on its Custody+ platform later in 2026, a significant step for the roughly $24 trillion custodian integrating crypto with traditional asset infrastructure built for continuous settlement. Adding further policy weight to the week, President Trump is scheduled to host a White House crypto summit Wednesday, with leaders from the SEC, CFTC, Coinbase, Robinhood, Ripple, Gemini, Kalshi, and Polymarket in attendance. Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan said tokenization is expected to take center stage at the event.

Trump Declares No Iran Talks as Hormuz Standoff Enters Day 170 With Expiring Deal and Oman Threats

President Donald Trump flatly ruled out any negotiations with Iran on August 18, posting on Truth Social that no talks are underway or scheduled with the Islamic Republic, while confirming the U.S. naval blockade remains fully in force. Trump also claimed all water mines in the Strait of Hormuz have been removed or detonated and that the strait is open and operating, a statement that directly contradicted Iran’s position: Tehran said the strait would remain shut until the U.S. meets conditions for an interim agreement, and the Iranian Foreign Minister accused Washington of now begging for talks on Iran’s terms.

The standoff reached a new rhetorical peak when Trump posted an image on Truth Social labeling the Strait of Hormuz as ‘NEW U.S. Territory,’ a move that drew wide attention given that the waterway sits between Iran and Oman. Bloomberg reported that Trump has effectively shut a 60-day window for a peace deal, raising urgent questions about what comes next after the memorandum of understanding expired. Complicating matters further, Trump threatened to bomb Oman, a move former diplomats described as an attempt to get Oman’s attention amid administration concerns that Oman and Iran may negotiate a tolling arrangement for the strait that would bypass the United States.

Trump’s handling of the conflict is facing growing domestic pressure: a Reuters and Ipsos poll of 1,166 U.S. adults put his approval rating at 33%, with 64% disapproving, a record low, while Republican Representative Don Bacon said Trump set false expectations on the Iran war and cited rising gas prices and weapons shortages. The USS Abraham Lincoln has also come under Democratic scrutiny, amplifying congressional critiques of the administration’s war management now 170 days into the conflict.

Company News

The Home Depot, Inc. (HD)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 0.43%

5D Change: -2.21%

News Volume: 137

Unusual Volume Factor: 14x

Home Depot Q2 Sales Rise 5.7% to $47.9B with Best Comp Growth Since 2022, Full-Year Guidance Reaffirmed

Home Depot reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 results that beat Wall Street expectations on both the top and bottom lines, as homeowners leaned into smaller spring maintenance projects despite a stalled housing market. Net sales rose 5.7% year over year to $47.86 billion, topping the consensus estimate of $47.27 billion. Adjusted diluted EPS came in at $4.92, beating the $4.73 estimate by $0.19 and rising 5.1% from a year ago. Comparable sales increased 1.7%, well above the roughly 0.7%-1% analysts had forecast and the strongest comp growth since 2022, while U.S. comparable sales climbed 1.3% against an expected 0.9% gain. Net income reached $4.77 billion, up approximately 4.7% year over year.

Outdoor categories including live goods, mulch, patio furniture, and grills were key demand drivers. Customer transactions fell 1% while average ticket rose 2.8%, reflecting fewer but larger individual purchases. The company also noted that IEEPA tariff refunds reduced cost of goods sold by $685 million in the quarter. CFO Richard McPhail described conditions as a ‘frozen housing market,’ saying consumers have still not returned to big renovation projects, and attributed the decision to reaffirm rather than raise full-year guidance to continued macro uncertainty.

Home Depot maintained its fiscal 2026 outlook for total sales growth of 2.5% to 4.5%, comparable sales of flat to up 2%, and an operating margin of 12.4% to 12.6%. Separately, the company announced a nationwide rollout of an Express Delivery service for Pro and DIY customers, available for a flat fee with no subscription required. Shares gained modestly in early trading before giving up most of those gains as a broad market selloff, driven by surging Treasury yields and geopolitical concerns, weighed on equities. Analysts at Oppenheimer and UBS called the results solid and described the full-year guidance as very reasonable given the macro backdrop.

Fabrinet (FN)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -20.04%

5D Change: -15.17%

News Volume: 37

Unusual Volume Factor: 18x

Fabrinet Stock Plunges Up to 20% Despite Record Q4 Revenue and Earnings Beat

Fabrinet shares fell as much as 20% on August 18 after the optical and precision manufacturing company reported record fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results, with revenue of $1.316 billion, up 45% year-over-year and above its guidance range, and non-GAAP EPS of $4.10 that also hit an all-time high. Full-year fiscal 2026 revenue rose 36% year-over-year. Despite the headline beat, Wall Street focused on weaker margins, negative free cash flow driven by a sharp rise in capital expenditures as Fabrinet expands capacity in Thailand and California, and a first-quarter fiscal 2027 EPS outlook that implies a sequential decline due to seasonality.

Management guided Q1 fiscal 2027 revenue of $1.375 billion to $1.425 billion, a midpoint implying roughly 43% year-over-year growth, with non-GAAP EPS of $4.10 to $4.25. CEO Seamus Grady said he sees no end in sight to data center demand, with Cisco, Nvidia, Amazon and Nokia cited as key drivers and data centers now accounting for 51% of revenue after 68% growth. Several analysts raised their price targets following the results, and BNP flagged reasons for optimism, with MarketBeat noting the sell-off may represent a buy-the-dip opportunity given strong underlying fundamentals. The stock was trading around $511, well below its 52-week high of $748.89.

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (KEYS)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -5.50%

5D Change: -0.71%

Keysight Technologies Q3 Revenue Surges 37% on AI Data Center Demand, Shares Jump 5%

Keysight Technologies reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of $1.85 billion, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion and rising 37% year over year. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $3.07, topping the $2.48 estimate by $0.59 and representing a 78% increase from the prior-year period. GAAP net income doubled, rising 108% year over year to $397 million. Free cash flow reached $403 million, well above the $193 million estimate and up 38% from a year ago.

Growth was driven largely by surging demand from the AI data center buildout, with commercial communications cited as a key contributor. For the fiscal fourth quarter, Keysight guided revenue of $1.93 billion to $1.95 billion, above the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion, and guided adjusted profit above expectations as well. Shares rose nearly 5% in after-hours trading following the results.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 3.30%

5D Change: 4.37%

Johnson and Johnson Options Activity Surges as Immunology and Neuroscience Units Emerge as Growth Engines

Johnson and Johnson drew notable attention in options markets on Tuesday, with 42,583 contracts trading across its shares, representing approximately 4.3 million underlying shares, among the most active in the S&P 500 that session. New November 20th expiration options also became available, with 94 days until expiry offering investors fresh positioning opportunities.

On the business front, J&J’s immunology and neuroscience divisions are emerging as key growth drivers, with new drug launches helping the company offset the revenue headwinds from Stelara losing patent exclusivity. Analysts and income-focused investors continued to flag JNJ as a dependable dividend compounder, with 247wallst listing it among five blue-chip dividend stocks to buy in August, citing its track record of raising payouts and returning capital over decades.

Targa Resources Corp. (TRGP)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 7.19%

5D Change: 12.19%

Targa Resources Surges to All-Time High After Signing 20-Year ExxonMobil Permian Midstream Deals

Targa Resources Corp. announced 20-year integrated midstream agreements with subsidiaries of ExxonMobil Holdings Corp. covering significant acreage across both the Permian Delaware and Midland basins. The deals, which include fee-based natural gas gathering, processing and downstream services, carry acreage dedications extending through 2046 and are designed to support ExxonMobil’s long-term production growth in the region.

Alongside the announcement, Targa said it will build three new natural gas processing plants and additional takeaway infrastructure to handle the expected volume growth. Shares of TRGP rose roughly 2.2% in premarket trading and went on to hit an all-time high of $293.03 during the session, outperforming peers on the day. Analysts praised the deal as a meaningful positive for Targa’s midstream business, underscoring the company’s deepening position as a preferred infrastructure partner in the Permian at a time when it has already reported a 38% year-over-year increase in adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2026.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7691.76 | -53.40 | -0.69%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Company News

The Walt Disney Company (DIS)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -3.15%

5D Change: 0.31%

Disney Parks Chief Thomas Mazloum Unveils Dual-Track Investment Strategy at D23

Thomas Mazloum, who became chairman of Disney Experiences in March 2026 after predecessor Josh D’Amaro was elevated to CEO of The Walt Disney Company, used Disney’s D23 fan convention to lay out his strategy for the parks business.

Mazloum said his approach centers on two parallel tracks: large-scale park expansions designed to attract new and infrequent visitors, and smaller, more immediate updates aimed at retaining annual passholders and the company’s most dedicated superfans.

The strategy reflects an effort to serve both ends of the Disney guest spectrum without sacrificing either. D’Amaro, who built Disney Experiences into a segment generating roughly 36 billion dollars in annual revenue in fiscal 2025 before taking the top job, leaves Mazloum overseeing a global portfolio that includes theme parks, resorts, and cruise lines across multiple continents.

Barron’s also noted that D23 served as an early showcase for the vision of a new CEO and a reshaped parks leadership team, signaling what Disney’s next chapter looks like under its new executive structure.

L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (LHX)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -4.65%

5D Change: -3.96%

L3Harris Fires CEO Christopher Kubasik Over Code of Conduct Violation, Names Sam Mehta as Replacement

L3Harris Technologies ousted Christopher Kubasik as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately on Monday after its board determined he had engaged in conduct inconsistent with the company’s values and code of conduct.

The departure, which also removed Kubasik from the board, was described as unrelated to L3Harris’s financial reporting, internal controls, customer relationships, or operational performance. The board appointed Sam Mehta, who joined L3Harris in 2023 and most recently served as President of the Space and Mission Systems and Communications and Spectrum Dominance segments, as the new President and CEO.

Lewis Hay III, the company’s Lead Independent Director, was simultaneously named Independent Chairman of the Board. Two additional leadership moves accompanied the announcement: Lauren Barnes was appointed President of Space and Mission Systems and Christopher Aebli as President of Communications and Spectrum Dominance.

L3Harris shares fell more than 4% following the news. Despite the executive shake-up, the company reaffirmed its full-year 2026 outlook for consolidated revenue, organic growth, segment operating margin, GAAP earnings per share, and free cash flow.

Centene Corp. (CNC)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -4.51%

5D Change: -3.19%

Centene CFO Drew Asher to Step Down in December as Chris Neczypor Named Successor

Centene Corporation announced Monday that Chief Financial Officer Drew Asher intends to step down from his role in December 2026 and will fully retire from the company at the end of 2027. Chris Neczypor will succeed Asher as CFO beginning in January 2027. The company reaffirmed its annual guidance alongside the leadership announcement. Centene stock underperformed relative to peers on Monday following the news.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7745.06 | -40.70 | -0.52%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Story

GDS Holdings Swings to Profit and Doubles AI-Driven Bookings Target to 1 Gigawatt

GDS Holdings reported a return to profitability in the second quarter of 2026, accompanied by strong revenue growth, and raised its full-year 2026 bookings target to 1 gigawatt from a prior goal of 500 megawatts.

The Chinese data-center operator attributed the sharply higher target to surging artificial intelligence demand, which it described as driving its strongest sales momentum to date. The doubling of the bookings outlook signals a rapid acceleration in capacity commitments as hyperscalers and AI customers expand their footprint in China.

Among other notable earnings disclosures in the same session, drone and defense technology company AIRO Group posted second-quarter revenue of 43.2 million dollars, up nearly 76 percent from 24.6 million dollars a year earlier, with drone segment strength offsetting softer avionics and training results.

ITG, which completed its initial public offering on July 2, reported 38 percent year-over-year revenue growth in its second quarter and issued its first full-year guidance as a public company.

Company News

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -9.04%

5D Change: -7.55%

News Volume: 150

Unusual Volume Factor: 12x

Cisco Shares Slide 9% Despite Record Q4 Revenue and Raised AI Outlook as Margin Fears Dominate

Cisco Systems reported fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 revenue of $17.3 billion, up 18% year over year and above the $16.82 billion analyst consensus, while non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.22 rose 23% year over year and beat the $1.17 estimate. Full-year revenue hit a record $63 billion. CEO Chuck Robbins said all areas of the business have tailwinds and set a target of $7.5 billion in AI infrastructure revenues for fiscal 2027, up from the current pace, citing an AI networking supercycle driven by hyperscaler demand.

The company also claimed market share gains, including a 1,000-switch win at a major U.S. bank. Despite the beat-and-raise quarter, shares fell roughly 9% on Thursday, dragging the Dow Jones Industrial Average down nearly 150 points and costing the index about 68 points on its own. The selloff centered on gross margin compression: hardware-heavy AI infrastructure orders and rising memory chip costs are squeezing profitability, and Morgan Stanley warned that margin pressure could persist into fiscal 2027 as the product mix shifts faster toward hardware.

Networking, Collaboration, and Security segments each posted double-digit year-over-year growth, with EMEA and Americas leading regionally. Robbins called price hikes a last resort. At least five Wall Street firms, including KeyBanc, Truist, UBS, Morgan Stanley, and Rosenblatt, raised their price targets on Cisco following the results. Piper Sandler described Cisco’s guidance as conservative given the current demand environment, suggesting the selloff reflected elevated investor expectations rather than fundamental disappointment.

Intuitive Machines, Inc. (LUNR)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 0.94%

5D Change: 13.46%

News Volume: 37

Unusual Volume Factor: 18x

Intuitive Machines Posts Record Q2 Revenue of $206M but Misses Estimates on $14.7M Charge, Stock Falls 9%

Intuitive Machines reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $206.2 million, a roughly 310% year-over-year increase and a quarterly record, but the figure fell short of the Wall Street consensus of approximately $216 million to $224 million. A $14.7 million one-time charge was cited as a key factor driving the miss. The company posted an adjusted loss per share of $0.29, well below the estimate of negative $0.10, representing an earnings surprise of roughly negative 129%. Shares dropped about 9% on the day of the report.

The company reaffirmed its full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $900 million to $1 billion, bracketing the consensus estimate of $933 million, and guided for positive adjusted EBITDA. Backlog stood at $1.8 billion as of the end of the quarter, and cash and cash equivalents were $367 million. On its earnings call, management outlined plans for full lunar network deployment by 2028. The stock had rallied roughly 20% in the week prior to the report, suggesting some investors had positioned for a stronger result.

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (WWW)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 11.38%

5D Change: 5.98%

News Volume: 37

Unusual Volume Factor: 18x

Wolverine World Wide Raises Full-Year Revenue Outlook to Up to $2B After Q2 Beat

Wolverine World Wide posted second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $0.40, beating estimates by $0.02, on revenue of $506.4 million, which topped expectations by roughly $5.1 million and marked an increase in profit from the year-earlier period.

On the strength of those results, the company raised its full-year 2026 guidance, now projecting adjusted EPS of $1.55 to $1.65, up from its prior outlook, with GAAP EPS guided to $1.48 to $1.58. The company also lifted its revenue outlook to $1.98 billion to $2.0 billion.

Shares surged as much as 11.3% in premarket trading on August 13 before settling to an approximately 8% gain. Needham raised its price target on the stock citing brand strength, while Stifel reiterated its Buy rating with a $25 price target.

Netflix, Inc. (NFLX)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 5.44%

5D Change: 6.17%

Bill Ackman Returns to Netflix With 3.15 Million Share Stake Four Years After $430 Million Loss

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management disclosed a new position in Netflix totaling 3.15 million shares, valued at approximately $2.1 billion and representing 4.9% of its portfolio as of June 30, marking the firm’s biggest portfolio overhaul in years. The move comes roughly four years after Ackman exited Netflix in 2022 at an estimated $430 million loss. Ackman said Netflix has “effectively won the streaming wars” and expressed confidence that strong earnings growth will drive long-term value.

The Netflix stake was one of six new positions Pershing Square revealed, alongside Visa, Mastercard, Alcon, Intercontinental Exchange, and S&P Global. The disclosure arrives in a difficult stretch for Pershing Square’s new U.S. fund, which was down 3.5% through July against a 13% gain for the S&P 500. Netflix shares surged more than 5% on the day of the announcement, extending a recovery from a 52-week low hit after the company’s most recent earnings report. The stock remains down roughly 20.9% year-to-date, a pullback that gave Pershing Square the opportunity to re-enter at reduced prices.

Tapestry, Inc. (TPR)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -16.37%

5D Change: -20.74%

Tapestry Shares Plunge 15% as Soft FY27 Guidance Overshadows Strong Q4 Beat

Tapestry reported fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 results that topped estimates across every major metric, yet shares fell roughly 15% on the day, making it the worst performer in the S&P 500, after the company issued a revenue outlook for fiscal 2027 that disappointed investors. Revenue for the quarter ended June 27 came in at $1.9 billion, above the $1.88 billion consensus and up 9% year-over-year. Adjusted EPS of $1.32 beat the $1.28 estimate by a wide margin and rose 28% from the prior year.

Non-GAAP operating income of $362 million surpassed the $340 million estimate by 6.5% and grew 25% year-over-year, while non-GAAP gross margin expanded 180 basis points to 78.1%. Despite those results, Tapestry guided fiscal 2027 revenue to a range of $8.4 billion to $8.5 billion, a figure the market viewed as softer than expected. Shares crossed below their 200-day moving average of $136.61, hitting a session low of $127.78, and had already dropped nearly 11% in pre-market trading before the open. Unusual put option activity in TPR was flagged by market observers during the session.

CEO Joanne Crevoiserat said the fourth quarter outperformance capped a year in which the company meaningfully exceeded expectations and met key financial commitments set at its Investor Day.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7798.99 | +50.49 | +0.65%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Story

CoreWeave Surges 21% and Super Micro Jumps 13% as AI Infrastructure Earnings Ignite Broad Sector Rally

AI infrastructure stocks posted sharp gains on Wednesday morning after blockbuster earnings from two key players.

CoreWeave surged roughly 21% after the Nvidia-partnered cloud provider reported strong quarterly results with AI capacity selling out, signaling relentless enterprise demand for GPU compute.

Super Micro Computer jumped as much as 13% to $35.81 after delivering a blowout fiscal 2027 outlook alongside its Q4 FY2026 report, driven by persistent AI server demand.

The halo effect lifted peers, with Dell gaining 5% and HPE rising 3% on the back of Super Micro’s guidance. Nebius added 16% after reporting a 514% jump in AI cloud sales. Nvidia itself rose roughly 1.2% in premarket trading, supported both by the strong results from partner Hon Hai and by investor reassessment of its newly disclosed $500 billion financing arrangement with major Wall Street firms, which caps Nvidia’s own exposure at 25% per deal and offloads credit risk to financial partners.

The broader tech-driven move came ahead of the July CPI report, which was expected to show a second consecutive month of cooling inflation, giving investors an additional tailwind. Cava and Lumentum Holdings also gained in premarket, while the AI infrastructure rally extended to HPC and data-center adjacent names.

Company News

Cava Group, Inc. (CAVA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 14.24%

5D Change: 12.05%

News Volume: 63

Unusual Volume Factor: 16x

CAVA Group Stock Surges 11% After Q2 Revenue Jumps 31% and Traffic Rebounds Despite Cyclospora Fears

CAVA Group shares climbed roughly 11% on Wednesday after the Mediterranean fast-casual chain reported second-quarter 2026 results that beat Wall Street expectations on both revenue and restaurant traffic. Revenue grew 31.3% year over year, same-restaurant sales rose 9.0%, and guest traffic increased 5.3%, with CAVA opening 17 net new restaurants during the quarter. Restaurant-level profit margin reached 25.7%.

CEO Brett Schulman said the company sees strength across all income strata and noted that while a multistate cyclospora outbreak had spooked consumers around produce consumption and weighed on same-restaurant sales during the quarter, the chain has since begun to rebound. CNBC reported that lettuce prices posted their sharpest month-over-month decline on record in July as the cyclospora scare unfolded, but CAVA maintained its full-year financial guidance.

RBC Capital raised its price target on the stock following the results, though at least one other analyst cut its target to $85 from a higher level. The stock was on pace for its best single-day gain in five months, with shares trading up more than 17% in premarket before settling to an approximately 11% gain on the session.

The Home Depot, Inc. (HD)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -3.12%

5D Change: -2.76%

Home Depot CEO Ted Decker Takes Medical Leave Days Before Q2 Earnings Report

Home Depot CEO Ted Decker is taking a temporary medical leave of absence expected to last a few months, the company announced on August 12 via an SEC Form 8-K filing. Two senior executives will divide his responsibilities during the absence: Ann-Marie Campbell, head of U.S. stores and operations, will oversee day-to-day store operations, while CFO Richard McPhail will handle financial management and the company’s Pro subsidiaries.

The announcement came six days before Home Depot is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 earnings premarket on August 18, adding uncertainty to an already closely watched report. Shares fell roughly 2.5% on the day, with pre-market trading already down about 0.6% at the open. No further details about the nature of Decker’s medical condition were disclosed. The company said it expects Decker to return within the next few months.

Lumentum Holdings Inc. (LITE)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 13.52%

5D Change: 12.77%

Lumentum Surges 15% After Q4 Revenue Doubles and Q1 Guidance Blows Past Estimates

Lumentum Holdings shares climbed roughly 15% to $942 in midday trading on Wednesday after the optical components maker posted fiscal Q4 2026 revenue of $1.01 billion, a 109% year-over-year increase and ahead of the analyst consensus of $987.9 million. It marked the eighth consecutive quarter of top-line growth.

Non-GAAP gross margin reached 50.4%, a level the company had previously associated with roughly $2 billion in quarterly revenue, signaling faster-than-expected operating leverage. The upside extended to guidance: Lumentum projected fiscal Q1 revenue of $1.23 billion to $1.27 billion, implying more than 130% year-over-year growth, with adjusted EPS of $4.05 to $4.35, well above prior consensus.

The results reflect surging demand from hyperscalers building out AI infrastructure, with growth broadening beyond co-packaged optics to 1.6T transceivers, optical circuit switches, continuous-wave lasers, and pump lasers. The print lifted the broader optical-networking trade, with Coherent gaining roughly 9% and Corning adding about 5% in sympathy. Fabrinet also rose approximately 10.8%. Lumentum’s results drew attention as a read-through for Coherent’s upcoming earnings report.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7748.50 | +20.30 | +0.26%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Story

Nvidia Lines Up $500 Billion in AI Infrastructure Financing With Six Wall Street Giants

Nvidia announced a sweeping set of partnerships with six major financial institutions, Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR, to mobilize up to $500 billion in financing for customers purchasing its AI chips. The arrangements, structured as memoranda of understanding, are designed to provide lending platforms that help cloud operators and data center builders fund large-scale AI infrastructure buildouts.

CEO Jensen Huang described the structure as addressing concerns over “circular financing,” a reference to criticism that chip buyers have been relying on debt tied back to Nvidia’s own ecosystem. CNBC’s Jim Cramer called the move “monumentally positive,” while analysts at Seeking Alpha framed it as Nvidia positioning itself as the “central bank of AI.” The deal drew divided reactions on Wall Street, with some observers questioning the debt levels and ultimate returns for borrowers even as the headline figure drew wide attention.

Alternative asset managers named in the deal traded higher on the news, with Blackstone, Apollo, KKR, Brookfield, and BlackRock all seeing gains. Neocloud and infrastructure-adjacent stocks also rallied, with Hut 8 up 7% to $91, TeraWulf up 4% to $17, Galaxy Digital up 4% to $20, and Core Scientific up 4% to $20. The financing structure is described as the largest capital pool ever assembled around a single technology theme, and it is expected to accelerate demand for Nvidia hardware and, by extension, reshape semiconductor supply chains including TSMC’s order pipeline.

Company News

Riot Platforms, Inc. (RIOT)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 2.68%

5D Change: -5.28%

News Volume: 77

Unusual Volume Factor: 38x

Riot Platforms Surges Up to 25% After Signing $9.1 Billion 20-Year Data Center Deal With Anthropic

Riot Platforms shares soared as much as 25% in premarket trading on August 11 after the company disclosed a landmark 20-year AI compute supply agreement worth $9.1 billion, with Anthropic subsequently identified as the counterparty. The deal grants Anthropic 191 megawatts of capacity from Riot’s Rockdale, Texas campus, with deployment beginning in December 2027 and reaching full capacity by June 2028. The contract runs through 2048, and with extension options the total potential value rises to $16.1 billion. The announcement came alongside Riot’s Q2 2026 earnings report, which showed revenue of $153.27 million.

By midmorning Tuesday the stock was trading up roughly 17%, at around $22.64. The deal signals a strategic pivot away from pure Bitcoin mining toward AI infrastructure hosting, diversifying Riot’s revenue from volatile cryptocurrency markets. Several Wall Street firms raised their price targets in response: Bernstein lifted its target to $35, while H.C. Wainwright, Piper Sandler, and Cantor Fitzgerald also increased their forecasts. Citizens and Compass Point reiterated their existing ratings. AI infrastructure peers including IREN, Applied Digital, and TeraWulf also moved higher on the news. The agreement additionally sparked speculation about a potential Anthropic IPO, given the scale and public disclosure of the relationship.

Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 0.10%

5D Change: -2.70%

News Volume: 56

Unusual Volume Factor: 19x

Cardinal Health Beats Q4 Profit Estimates by 20%, Guides FY2027 EPS Well Above Wall Street on Specialty Drug Strength

Cardinal Health reported fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.91, a 40% year-over-year increase that beat the Wall Street consensus of $2.42 by $0.49, while revenue of $63.7 billion missed estimates of roughly $65.16 billion by about $1.44 billion. Non-GAAP operating income came in at $935 million against an estimate of roughly $818-820 million, up 30% year-over-year. Results included a $100 million operating profit benefit, equal to $0.31 per share, from a refund of IEEPA tariffs.

For fiscal 2027, the company guided adjusted EPS of $12.40 to $12.60, above the Street’s estimate of $12.06, and projected revenue growth in both of its main business segments after a mixed quarter on sales. CEO Jason Hollar highlighted that Cardinal now exclusively serves nearly half of the cell-and-gene therapy market, underscoring the specialty drug demand driving its outperformance. The board approved a new $5 billion share repurchase authorization, and the company committed to at least $1 billion in buybacks in fiscal 2027.

Cardinal also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5158 per share. Shares hit a 52-week high following the results, rising roughly 4% on the day, even as the revenue miss and mixed segment performance drew scrutiny from analysts.

ACV Auctions Inc. (ACVA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 3.51%

5D Change: -0.46%

News Volume: 38

Unusual Volume Factor: 19x

ACV Auctions Explores Potential Sale After Takeover Interest as Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates

ACV Auctions is exploring strategic options including a potential sale after receiving takeover interest, Bloomberg reported on August 11, sending shares surging roughly 20% in premarket trading. The digital wholesale auto marketplace had already been in focus that morning following its second quarter 2026 earnings report, which showed record revenue of $214 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $21 million, beating guidance. Non-GAAP earnings came in at $0.06 per share, topping the $0.05 consensus estimate, while GAAP net loss was $8 million.

The company reaffirmed its full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $845 million to $855 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $73 million to $77 million. Before the sale report lifted shares, the stock had been tumbling on the Q2 results alone, reflecting investor concern over wholesale market headwinds that prompted B.Riley to cut its price target. Bank of America raised its price target citing the Q2 results, while Citizens reiterated its rating, pointing to market share gains. ACVA was also downgraded by at least one analyst on August 11. The potential sale process is at an early stage, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg.

Phillips 66 (PSX)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 4.06%

5D Change: 8.99%

Phillips 66, Kinder Morgan and HF Sinclair Greenlight $5 Billion Western Gateway Pipeline to Supply California and Arizona

Phillips 66, Kinder Morgan and HF Sinclair have made a final investment decision to build the Western Gateway Pipeline, a roughly 900-mile, $5 billion refined products pipeline system that will carry gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from the Texas Panhandle to Phoenix and Los Angeles, with connectivity to Las Vegas via Kinder Morgan’s existing CALNEV Pipeline. The project, announced August 11, follows a successful second open season closed in April 2026 that secured sufficient long-term, take-or-pay customer commitments to advance the venture.

The pipeline is targeted for completion by mid-2029, and is designed to connect Midwest and Gulf Coast refinery supplies to fast-growing Southwest markets that currently rely heavily on more expensive West Coast production. Phillips 66 stock hit an all-time high of $216.32 on the day of the announcement, and the broader refiner sector, including Valero and Marathon Petroleum, rallied to new highs as investors welcomed the prospect of expanded, lower-cost supply infrastructure reaching California and Arizona.

Apollo Global Management, Inc. (APO)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 6.22%

5D Change: 5.36%

Apollo Posts Strong Q2 Earnings, Seals $2.6 Billion Yankees Deal and Joins NVIDIA’s $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Push

Apollo Global Management reported second-quarter 2026 fee related earnings of 785 million dollars, or 1.26 dollars per share, with adjusted net income of 1.314 billion dollars, or 2.11 dollars per share. Combined fee and spread related earnings reached 1.662 billion dollars for the quarter. On the same day, Apollo announced it is providing 2.6 billion dollars in debt and equity financing to Yankee Global Enterprises, the holding company of the New York Yankees, making it the firm’s largest U.S. sports investment to date.

Proceeds will support franchise growth and refinance existing debt, while the Steinbrenner family retains full control of the club. Apollo also joined a broad coalition of Wall Street heavyweights, alongside BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield Asset Management, Goldman Sachs, and KKR, in strategic partnerships with NVIDIA to establish independent compute financing platforms aimed at mobilizing more than 500 billion dollars for AI infrastructure development. The announcements collectively underscore Apollo’s expanding reach across private credit, sports finance, and technology infrastructure at a moment of intense institutional appetite for AI-linked assets.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7728.20 | -24.91 | -0.32%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Company News

Archer Aviation Inc. (ACHR)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 10.82%

5D Change: 16.89%

News Volume: 53

Unusual Volume Factor: 18x

Archer Aviation Surges 20% After Agreeing to Acquire Three Boeing Subsidiaries for Equity Stake

Archer Aviation signed definitive agreements on August 10 to acquire Boeing’s Wisk Aero, SkyGrid, and Insitu subsidiaries in an all-stock transaction, sending ACHR shares up roughly 20% to approximately $6.63. Under the terms of the deal, Boeing will receive a stake in Archer reported variously as 16.5% by the New York Times and 19.75% by other outlets, along with warrants and the right to nominate a director to Archer’s board. Boeing will also retain access to Wisk’s autonomous flight technology through a long-term collaboration agreement.

Wisk Aero has been developing an autonomous eVTOL aircraft, SkyGrid provides air-traffic management software for urban air mobility, and Insitu manufactures high-altitude drones used in military applications, generating more than $200 million in annual revenue. The deal broadens Archer’s footprint across autonomous flight, unmanned systems, and airspace management while extending its military portfolio. For Boeing, the divestiture is the latest in a series of asset sales under CEO Kelly Ortberg as the company continues to streamline operations. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026. Shares of rival eVTOL firms Joby Aviation and EHang did not see comparable gains on the news.

Monday.com Ltd. (MNDY)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -4.84%

5D Change: -6.72%

News Volume: 53

Unusual Volume Factor: 26x

Monday.com Shares Drop 6% as Below-Consensus Q3 Revenue Guidance Overshadows Strong Q2 Beat

Monday.com reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 results before the bell on August 10 that topped Wall Street on every major metric, yet shares fell roughly 6% as investors focused on a disappointing near-term outlook. Revenue came in at $364.6 million, beating the $355 million consensus by about 3% and rising 22% year over year. Adjusted EPS of $1.48 cleared the $1.11 estimate by nearly 34%, and non-GAAP operating income of $61.1 million surpassed the $47.2 million forecast by 35%. AI products accounted for 17% of net new annual recurring revenue, underscoring the company’s push into artificial intelligence.

The sell-off was driven by third-quarter revenue guidance of $368 million to $370 million, implying 16% to 17% year-over-year growth, whose midpoint landed below analyst expectations. Full-year 2026 revenue guidance was set at approximately $1.47 billion. The company also outlined a broad organizational restructuring aimed at accelerating its shift toward AI-enabled products and larger enterprise customers. DA Davidson reiterated its Buy rating and $100 price target following the report, while Capital One issued negative commentary. The stock had surged 20.4% in July ahead of the print, partly on restructuring optimism, leaving little room for a guidance miss.

Sionna Therapeutics, Inc. (SION)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -91.2%

5D Change: -91.06%

News Volume: 37

Unusual Volume Factor: 18x

Sionna Therapeutics Stock Crashes 92% After SION-719 Cystic Fibrosis Trial Fails Key Endpoint

Sionna Therapeutics shares plunged roughly 92% to a record low on August 10, 2026, after the company announced that SION-719, its first-in-class NBD1 stabilizer, missed the primary endpoint in the PreciSION CF Phase 2a proof-of-concept trial. The study evaluated SION-719 as an add-on to Trikafta, Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ standard of care, in adult cystic fibrosis patients homozygous for the F508del mutation, measuring changes in sweat chloride levels as a marker of CFTR function. Following the failure, Sionna said it is discontinuing the 719 program entirely.

Analysts moved swiftly: Stifel cut its rating on the stock and Raymond James downgraded shares as well, both citing the trial failure. Barron’s noted the outcome could be a positive for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, whose dominant CF franchise faces less competitive pressure as a result. Law firm Johnson Fistel announced it is investigating potential violations of federal securities laws in connection with the collapse. As of its most recent quarter, Sionna held approximately $268.3 million in cash, previously expected to fund operations into 2028, though the company’s path forward is now significantly uncertain with its lead program abandoned.

Chevron Corporation (CVX)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 4.46%

5D Change: 0.89%

Chevron Stock Jumps 3.3% After Free Cash Flow Update and AI Power Deal as Big Oil Profits Draw Political Fire

Chevron shares rose 3.3% on Monday after the company late Friday issued an updated free cash flow outlook for the year, signaling stronger-than-expected performance, and separately announced a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft to supply natural gas-fired electricity to AI data centers, adding a new long-term revenue stream beyond traditional oil and gas. The stock move came as Hess acquisition synergies were described as running ahead of schedule, supporting production growth and per-share cash flow accretion through 2030.

Chevron is also benefiting from the broader oil price environment: the five largest supermajors, including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies, combined for $48 billion in second-quarter profits and nearly $90 billion in cash, an all-time high, as Brent crude surged above $100 a barrel following US-Iran hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz before retracing to around $89. That windfall has drawn political scrutiny, with President Trump publicly accusing Exxon Mobil and Chevron of making too much money and renewed calls for windfall taxes. On valuation, Chevron trades at roughly 14.4 times forward earnings, a premium to BP at 9.9 times but in line with ExxonMobil at 14.5 times. Chevron’s dividend record, which has never been cut, continues to be cited as a distinguishing factor among large-cap energy names.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 5.61%

5D Change: 11.29%

Vertex Stock Hits All-Time High of $539.99 as Rival Sionna’s CF Drug Fails Phase 2a Trial

Vertex Pharmaceuticals shares surged 5.9% to an all-time high of $539.99 on August 10 after Sionna Therapeutics disclosed that its cystic fibrosis drug candidate SION-719 missed the primary endpoint in its Phase 2a proof-of-concept trial, known as PreciSION CF. The trial was evaluating SION-719, a first-in-class NBD1 stabilizer, as an add-on to Vertex’s own Trikafta, the current standard of care in CF.

Sionna stock collapsed roughly 90-92% to a record low on the news, effectively removing one of the most closely watched threats to Vertex’s dominance in the CF market. BMO Capital reiterated its rating on Vertex following the rival’s trial failure, and Wolfe Research raised its price target on the stock, citing enhanced value for Vertex’s CF franchise. Vertex is separately advancing its own next-generation CFTR corrector pipeline, including VX-828 and additional 3.0-class candidates.

ConocoPhillips (COP)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 4.63%

5D Change: 3.26%

New ConocoPhillips CEO Andy O’Brien Inherits $7 Billion Free Cash Flow Target Anchored by Alaska Willow Project

Andy O’Brien will succeed longtime ConocoPhillips chairman and CEO Ryan Lance next month, inheriting a multiyear plan to add $7 billion in free cash flow by 2029, a target Lance reaffirmed during the company’s second-quarter earnings call. The pledge is underpinned by the Willow oil development in Alaska, with peak capital spending on that project now behind the company, according to O’Brien.

Willow is expected to come online early in 2029, at which point ConocoPhillips projects its free cash flow breakeven will fall from the mid-$40s per barrel WTI today to the low $30s. O’Brien, who previously served as CFO and EVP of strategy and commercial and oversaw ConocoPhillips’s Alaskan and international businesses, said delivering major projects and a cost reduction program will be his immediate focus. Konnie Haynes-Welsh, who joined ConocoPhillips in 2012, will become CFO. The transition comes as COP’s share price has recently lagged peers, according to analysts and investors.

On the earnings front, second-quarter free cash flow surged 75% over Q1, with record production from the Permian, where output set a company high. Seeking Alpha upgraded ConocoPhillips to Buy following the Q2 results, projecting high-teen compound annual growth through 2029, and noted that Permian natural gas headwinds are expected to ease as new pipelines come online in the second half of 2026. A positive analyst note on COP also circulated from Freedom Broker on August 10.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7753.11 | -4.53 | -0.06%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Top Stories

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Trilateral Defense Pact Treating Attack on One as Attack on All

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca stipulating any armed attack against one nation will be considered an attack on all three, deepening cooperation amid regional security concerns and Middle East tensions.

US Payrolls Drop 23,000 in July, Missing Estimates by Over 100,000

US nonfarm payrolls fell 23,000 in July versus expectations of an 80,000 gain, while prior months were revised down by 103,000. Unemployment rate improved to 4.1% from 4.2%, and wage growth slowed to 0.1% monthly.

Company News

The Trade Desk, Inc. (TTD)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -21.33%

5D Change: -23.12%

News Volume: 106

Unusual Volume Factor: 35x

Trade Desk Plummets 28% to Seven-Year Low After Earnings Miss Triggers Wave of Analyst Downgrades

The Trade Desk shares collapsed to a 52-week low of $12.86 on August 7, falling as much as 29% after the advertising technology company reported disappointing second-quarter results and issued weak third-quarter guidance. The stock has now declined 80% over the past year. The company missed revenue expectations, reporting $720 million versus the $750 million estimate, while net income fell 28.6% year-over-year to $64.4 million.

Management blamed weak consumer spending, tariffs, and oil prices for slowing growth, citing macro pressures and buyers shifting preferences toward lower-cost media platforms. The earnings miss triggered an avalanche of analyst downgrades. Raymond James, Guggenheim, Baird, Truist, BMO, and Evercore ISI all cut their ratings, with Raymond James downgrading to Underperform. Susquehanna downgraded to Neutral with a $14 price target, while UBS, Rosenblatt, and Wolfe Research reduced their price targets. Analysts cited execution issues, margin pressure, and weak advertising trends as primary concerns.

The company guided third-quarter revenue to at least $650 million, below expectations, acknowledging limited near-term visibility. Management noted workloads are shifting to owned data centers as part of their Zuma platform upgrade. Options activity following the 18.6% drop suggested continued uncertainty rather than capitulation among investors. Ad-tech peers AppLovin and Magnite held relatively firm despite Trade Desk’s struggles.

Airbnb, Inc. (ABNB)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 15.35%

5D Change: 15.96%

News Volume: 99

Unusual Volume Factor: 12x

Airbnb Shares Surge 16% to Four-Year High on Strong Q2 Beat and Raised Outlook

Airbnb shares jumped 16% on August 7th, marking the company’s best trading day since going public, after reporting second-quarter results that exceeded analyst expectations. The home-sharing platform posted earnings per share of $1.27 versus the $1.26 estimate, with revenue reaching $3.61 billion against expectations of $3.58 billion. Net income rose 27.1% year-over-year to $816 million, while operating cash flow increased 30.3% to $1.27 billion. The company raised its full-year outlook for the second time in 2026, citing strong travel demand and successful platform investments.

CEO Brian Chesky attributed the performance to AI initiatives that are accelerating product launches and driving cost efficiencies. Multiple analysts upgraded their price targets following the results, with Wedbush upgrading its rating and noting that multi-year investments in pricing, payments, hotels, and AI are now translating into durable growth. The stock hit a 52-week high of $164.05 and became one of the top movers in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100. Chesky indicated the company plans to spend significantly more on AI development going forward, positioning Airbnb as an AI-native company.

Under Armour, Inc. (UA)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -5.5%

5D Change: -11.3%

News Volume: 52

Unusual Volume Factor: 26x

Under Armour Beats Earnings Expectations But Cuts Revenue Outlook on Weakening Global Demand

Under Armour reported first-quarter fiscal 2027 results that exceeded earnings expectations but fell short on revenue. The company posted adjusted EPS of $0.05, beating the $0.02 estimate, while revenue of $1.1 billion missed estimates by $10 million and declined 3% year-over-year. Gross margin improved 590 basis points to 54.1%, and adjusted operating income reached $52.4 million.

Despite the earnings beat, Under Armour lowered its full-year revenue outlook, now forecasting a steeper mid-single-digit decline due to softening demand across key regions including North America and Asia-Pacific. The company maintained its adjusted operating income guidance of $140-$160 million and adjusted EPS outlook of $0.08-$0.12. Shares fell 3% in premarket trading as investors focused on the weakened sales outlook rather than the earnings surprise.

Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER)

Performance Overview

1D Change: 6.41%

5D Change: 6.59%

Uber Stock Rallies on Analyst Endorsements and Autonomous Vehicle Strategy Despite Partner Serve Robotics Exit

Uber Technologies shares jumped Friday following positive analyst commentary and the company’s autonomous vehicle expansion efforts. Bill Ackman endorsed Uber as a “no-brainer” investment after its 2026 selloff, citing attractive valuation, double-digit growth projections through 2030, and potential robotaxi benefits. The stock outperformed competitors despite news that delivery partner Serve Robotics plans not to renew their agreement in early 2027.

Serve Robotics reported 400% revenue growth but Oppenheimer cut its price target following the Uber split announcement. The robotics company forecasts $9-10 million in 2026 revenue. Meanwhile, billionaire portfolios continue favoring Uber alongside Amazon and Alphabet, reflecting institutional confidence in the ride-sharing platform’s long-term prospects.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7757.64 | +47.68 | +0.62%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.

Company News

AppLovin Corporation (APP)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -19.66%

5D Change: -15.64%

News Volume: 98

Unusual Volume Factor: 12x

AppLovin Shares Plunge 20% to 52-Week Low on Revenue Miss and Soft Guidance

AppLovin Corporation shares tumbled approximately 20% on August 6, hitting a 52-week low of $341.42 after the company reported mixed second-quarter results and provided disappointing guidance. While Q2 profit climbed 55% year-over-year with adjusted EBITDA of $1.61 billion, revenue of $1.92 billion missed analyst expectations despite representing 53% growth.

CEO Adam Foroughi attributed the shortfall to timing issues related to a delayed AI model upgrade, stating the miss came down to timing rather than fundamental problems. The company guided third-quarter revenue to $2.085 billion with an 83% EBITDA margin, projecting a rebound now that the AI model upgrade is live. Multiple Wall Street firms responded by cutting price targets and ratings. Jefferies lowered its target from $700 to $550, while Goldman Sachs, Macquarie, Scotiabank, and Needham also reduced targets citing model timing issues and execution concerns.

Piper Sandler downgraded the stock entirely, marking AppLovin’s first guidance miss since its IPO. Despite the selloff, the company reported strong fundamentals including $863 million in free cash flow for the quarter and maintained what one analyst called a 98 Rule of 40 score. Some analysts viewed the decline as a buying opportunity, with at least one upgrade issued amid the downturn.

HubSpot, Inc. (HUBS)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -19.10%

5D Change: -8.54%

News Volume: 70

Unusual Volume Factor: 35x

HubSpot Plunges 24.5% Despite Revenue Beat as Customer Growth Disappoints and Analysts Downgrade

HubSpot shares crashed following its Q2 2026 earnings report, despite posting 20% revenue growth that exceeded estimates. The company added only 7,000 net new customers versus expectations of 9,000 to 10,000, citing buyer hesitancy in the current market environment. Management slashed forward guidance for quarterly net customer additions to 5,000 to 6,000.

Multiple analysts downgraded the stock, with Capital One moving from Overweight to Equal Weight at $206, Piper Sandler cutting to Neutral at $220, and Stifel downgrading to Hold at $200. The company highlighted surging AI adoption during the earnings call, but investors focused on the transition from growth to value amid broader software sector weakness that also pressured peers like Datadog.

Western Digital Corporation (WDC)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -13.03%

5D Change: -15.29%

Western Digital Plunges 16% Despite Record Earnings on Margin Concerns and Technology Transition Risks

Western Digital shares tumbled as much as 18.5% on August 6, 2026, despite reporting record Q4 revenue and earnings per share that exceeded Wall Street estimates. The stock experienced its worst single-day drop since 2020, dragging down related memory stocks including SanDisk, which fell 11%, and Micron, down 6%. The selloff stemmed from investor concerns over margin outlook and elevated buy-side expectations going into results. Summit Insights downgraded the stock, citing risks associated with the company’s transition to HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) drive technology.

However, Baird raised its price target based on the same technology developments. Western Digital projected AI storage demand extending through 2031 and provided above-consensus guidance for the coming quarter. The company beat on revenue, gross margin, and EPS metrics. Analysts noted the disconnect between strong current performance and market reaction, with Goldman TMT observing that elevated expectations, rather than weak results, drove the decline. Evercore issued comparative analysis between Western Digital and competitor Seagate’s hard drive results.

The memory chip sector broadly weakened, with the Nasdaq heading lower as the storage stock selloff rippled through technology names. Despite the sharp decline, some analysts questioned whether a rebound might be ahead, while others suggested the company’s run-up may be ending as margins stabilize.

Datadog, Inc. (DDOG)

Performance Overview

1D Change: -19.03%

5D Change: -14.58%

Datadog Plunges 17% Despite Strong Q2 Beat as Growth Outlook Disappoints Investors

Datadog shares tumbled as much as 21% on August 6, 2026, despite reporting second-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations. The monitoring and analytics platform posted Q2 revenue of $1.12 billion, up 36% year-over-year and beating estimates of $1.08 billion. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.65, surpassing the $0.59 consensus and representing 41% growth. The company also raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $4.45-$4.47 billion from prior estimates of $4.35 billion.

Gross profit reached $881.3 million, up 33.4% year-over-year, while operating cash flow surged 57.9% to $315.9 million. Datadog added customers with annual recurring revenue exceeding $100,000, reaching approximately 4,720 accounts versus estimates of 4,600. However, investors focused on concerns about future growth momentum. The company’s third-quarter revenue guidance of $1.14-$1.15 billion and adjusted EPS outlook of $0.63-$0.65 failed to impress the market. Analysts noted disappointing gross margin performance and cooling bookings trends.

Management disclosed that reduced usage from a major AI customer could impact growth, prompting the company to derisk guidance for its largest customer. The selloff extended beyond Datadog, pressuring other software stocks including HubSpot and Figma as traders questioned AI pricing dynamics across the sector. The stock breached its 50-day moving average, with some analysts debating whether the decline represents a buying opportunity or value trap. Despite strong operational metrics, Datadog became a victim of its own success, with the market’s elevated expectations proving difficult to meet.

S&P 500 SPOTLIGHT

S&P 500: 7709.96 | -13.59 | -0.18%

1-Day Performance S&P 500 Members:

For Readers Who Want More Depth

The Market Flux MCP Server is now live. A direct connection between your AI and a curated database of 33 million financial articles, real-time market data, and 54+ purpose-built research tools. All in plain English. No web search. No noise.

CHECK IT OUT - MARKETFLUX MCP SERVER

Available exclusively to Elite members.

Market Flux is a terminal-style financial intelligence platform that centralizes and analyzes market-moving information in real time. The platform collects over 35,000 financial news headlines per day from more than 500 trusted sources, leveraging advanced AI models to identify relevance, assess market sentiment, and measure news impact.

The platform is built around two core tools:

• The Terminal: A comprehensive, real-time financial news aggregator offering search, custom filtering, event tracking, sentiment analysis, multi-feed views, and saved presets. Designed for both professionals and ambitious retail investors, it delivers the speed and precision of institutional terminals.

• The News Pit: Proprietary Market Flux-generated content that surfaces and curates breaking news headlines, market events, and trending stories. It intelligently filters information to highlight what matters most, helping users stay ahead in fast-moving markets.

Create an Account for Free

At its core, Market Flux is more than a platform — it’s a community of traders, investors, and market enthusiasts around the world.

For those who’ve been with us since the early days — thank you. Your feedback has helped shape the platform we’re proud to share today. For new users, welcome aboard. We’re excited to have you as part of this growing community.

The High Fidelity Data Layer Augmenting Conversational Finance

Visit www.marketflux.io

If you have any questions reach out to us directly at support@marketflux.io. We read everything.

Joseph Falvo
Co-Founder, Market Flux

© 2026 Market Flux | Division of Advanced Vetting Algorithms Ltd.