"The Pulse With Francine Lacqua" is all about conversations with high profile guests in the beating heart of global business, economics, finance and politics. Based in London, we go wherever the story is, bringing you exclusive interviews and market-moving scoops. Today's guests: Wei Li, BlackRock, Global Chief Investment Strategist; Clemens Fuest, Ifo Institute, President; Clément Therme, Interna...
"The Pulse With Francine Lacqua" is all about conversations with high profile guests in the beating heart of global business, economics, finance and politics. Based in London, we go wherever the story is, bringing you exclusive interviews and market-moving scoops. Today's guests: Wei Li, BlackRock, Global Chief Investment Strategist; Clemens Fuest, Ifo Institute, President; Clément Therme, International Institute for Iranian Studies, Non-Resident Fellow; Francesca Ghiretti, RAND, Europe China Initiative Director. (Source: Bloomberg)
In this article .SPX .VIX SMH Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., April 23, 2026. Jeenah Moon | Reuters Something interesting is happening in the options market. The S&P 500 touched record highs Thursday morning, but the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) remained stuck near 20 and is up from five days a...
In this article .SPX .VIX SMH Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., April 23, 2026. Jeenah Moon | Reuters Something interesting is happening in the options market. The S&P 500 touched record highs Thursday morning, but the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) remained stuck near 20 and is up from five days ago, when the S&P traded about 100 points lower. In other words, stocks went up and so did the market's so-called fear gauge. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Cboe Volatility Index, 1 month The VIX and S&P do move in tandem about 20% of the time, but if a `VIX-up/Stocks-up' environment lingers for more than a few days it means a few things are likely happening under the surface of the market. One explanation is simply that investors are doubtful of new highs in stocks and hedging against risks like the Iran war and crude oil. If that's the case, traders should be wary of near-term pullbacks in the index as realized volatility "catches up" to VIX. Another explanation A more bullish interpretation – one that fits with what we see in options trading around earnings – is that traders are willing to buy expensive premiums in upside calls in single stocks that are making big moves higher, particularly in the semiconductors and tech names that are leading the rally. Total call premium in the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) is 25% bigger than in puts despite put volume being greater. Take one trade in chip stock Marvell Technology as an example. The stock has already doubled since earnings last month, but one trader shelled out $2.4 million to buy almost 1,700 contracts expiring June 18 at a strike of $180, looking for another 10% rally from here. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Marvell Technology, 1 month That enthusiasm is keeping options prices inflated, which could help explain why VIX is so sticky. Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from th...
Neal McNeil JPMorgan downgraded Bloomin Brands ( BLMN ) to an Underweight rating after having the restaurant stock slotted at Neutral. Analyst John Ivankoe warned about valuation metrics on the Outback Steakhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse businesses based on average unit volume estimates. He also noted that pricing on comparable steak cuts remains relatively high. Looking ahead, Ivankoe and his team...
Neal McNeil JPMorgan downgraded Bloomin Brands ( BLMN ) to an Underweight rating after having the restaurant stock slotted at Neutral. Analyst John Ivankoe warned about valuation metrics on the Outback Steakhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse businesses based on average unit volume estimates. He also noted that pricing on comparable steak cuts remains relatively high. Looking ahead, Ivankoe and his team see the upcoming capital cycle as a constraint as the company targets ~275 remodels at ~$400K each over the next three years. JPMorgan maintains its price target of $6.00 on Bloomin' Brands ( BLMN ), implying a multiple of ~9X F27 EPS or ~4.0X EV/EBITDA. Bloomin’ Brands ( BLMN ) operates the Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar chains. Shares of Bloomin' Brands ( BLMN ) were down 3.0% in premarket trading on Friday to $6.38 vs. the 52-week range of $5.19 to $10.70. The company is set to release its FQ1 earnings report on May 6. More on Bloomin' Brands Bloomin' Brands, Inc. 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Bloomin' Brands: Traffic Is Improving, But Inflation Is Winning The War Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (BLMN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Miller Deep Value Strategy adds CRGY and BLMN among Q1 moves Bloomin' Brands outlines $50M turnaround investment and targets 0.5%-2.5% comp sales growth in 2026 while advancing Outback Steakhouse strategy
Zerbor/iStock via Getty Images HCA Healthcare ( HCA ) lost ~7% in the premarket on Friday after the largest for-profit hospital operator reported Q1 2026 results and reiterated its full-year outlook, noting that it didn’t experience a typical seasonal volume increase in Q1. The Nashville, Tennessee-based company recorded $19.1B in revenue for the quarter with ~4% YoY growth, exceeding the consensu...
Zerbor/iStock via Getty Images HCA Healthcare ( HCA ) lost ~7% in the premarket on Friday after the largest for-profit hospital operator reported Q1 2026 results and reiterated its full-year outlook, noting that it didn’t experience a typical seasonal volume increase in Q1. The Nashville, Tennessee-based company recorded $19.1B in revenue for the quarter with ~4% YoY growth, exceeding the consensus by $30M. In comparison, its adjusted EBITDA for the period reached $3.80B with a ~2% YoY rise but missed the $3.87B projected by analysts. At the end of the quarter, roughly 50.5K licensed beds were available across 189 HCA hospitals, compared to ~50.6K and 192 hospitals a year ago, and the company improved its same-facility revenue per equivalent admission by ~3% YoY during Q1. HCA’s adjusted EBITDA margin for the period reached about 20%, indicating a roughly 50 bps decline from the prior-year period, while its non-GAAP earnings per share improved ~11% YoY to $7.15, largely in line with the consensus. The company noted that it did not witness the expected seasonal volume increase in Q1, primarily due to respiratory activity. Its respiratory-related admissions and emergency room visits dropped ~42% YoY and 32% YoY, respectively, during the period, while a winter storm in January impacted volumes in certain markets. HCA reaffirmed its full-year outlook issued in January, indicating $15.55B - $16.45B in adjusted EBITDA, which fell short of the $16.01B projected by analysts. Its unchanged forecasts for revenue and adjusted EPS at $76.5B - $80.0B and $29.10 - $31.50, respectively, missed the consensus estimates of $78.67B and $30.32 at the midpoint. With HCA being one of the first hospital operators to report results, stocks to watch include its peers: Surgery Partners ( SGRY ), Tenet Healthcare ( THC ), SunLink Health Systems ( SHY ), Universal Health Services ( UHS ), Select Medical Holdings ( SEM ), Acadia Healthcare ( ACHC ), and LifeStance Health Group ( LFST ). More on...
A record-smashing rally in technology megacaps has rekindled bubble warnings at Bank of America Corp. To the firm’s strategists, a pattern similar to the dot-com bubble is playing out in the Nasdaq 100 Index , which has risen in tandem with the gauge’s measure of 10-day realized volatility for 14 of the 16 days through Wednesday. That’s a departure from a historical trend when price swings subside...
A record-smashing rally in technology megacaps has rekindled bubble warnings at Bank of America Corp. To the firm’s strategists, a pattern similar to the dot-com bubble is playing out in the Nasdaq 100 Index , which has risen in tandem with the gauge’s measure of 10-day realized volatility for 14 of the 16 days through Wednesday. That’s a departure from a historical trend when price swings subside as shares rise. Technology stocks were among the market’s biggest losers during the peak of the Middle East conflict in March. So speculation that the worst is over sent traders gorging both on the megacap shares and the options betting on more upside. The firm’s derivatives strategists say that signals a melt-up is in the offing that risks a painful unwind should the selloff resume. “It’s a statement to us that the fear of missing upside seems to outweigh the fear of downside,” said Nitin Saksena , Bank of America’s head of equity derivatives research. “That’s kind of the psychological lens through which people seem to be approaching the market.” Traders have been piling into high-flying technology stocks at breakneck speed as optimism over the ceasefire between the US and Iran swept aside fears of prolonged war. Semiconductor stocks clocked their longest streak of consecutive gains ever. The broader Nasdaq 100 advanced in 14 out of 16 trading days, a pattern last topped in 2013, before slipping on Thursday. To keep track with the momentum, investors had to buy call options on tech stocks, and the broader market, at a record pace. A ratio of volume of puts to calls on the S&P 500 Index fell below 1 last week for the first time since November 2019, according to data from Cboe Global Markets Inc. “This is highly unusual as we typically see more puts trading than calls,” said Mandy Xu , Cboe’s head of derivatives market intelligence. Instances when historical volatility goes up in tandem with the stock market are rare but not unprecedented, but they tend to happen during rec...
PDL Community press release ( PDLB ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $0.36. Revenue of $30.27M (+23.1% Y/Y). Net interest income of $28.2 million for the first quarter of 2026 increased $0.3 million, or 1.05%, from the prior quarter and increased $6.0 million, or 27.13%, from the same quarter last year. Net interest margin was 3.61% for the first quarter of 2026, versus 3.57% for the prior quarter and 2.98% for t...
PDL Community press release ( PDLB ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $0.36. Revenue of $30.27M (+23.1% Y/Y). Net interest income of $28.2 million for the first quarter of 2026 increased $0.3 million, or 1.05%, from the prior quarter and increased $6.0 million, or 27.13%, from the same quarter last year. Net interest margin was 3.61% for the first quarter of 2026, versus 3.57% for the prior quarter and 2.98% for the same quarter last year. Cash and equivalents were $117.2 million as of March 31, 2026, a decrease of $8.9 million, or 7.06%, from $126.2 million as of December 31, 2025. More on PDL Community Ponce Financial Group's Quality Shines Through (Upgrade) Ponce Financial Group: Solid Base Case But Ample List Of Bear Cases Financial information for PDL Community
Apogee Enterprises (APOG) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of +3.96% and +4.38%, respectively, for the quarter ended February 2026. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?
Apogee Enterprises (APOG) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of +3.96% and +4.38%, respectively, for the quarter ended February 2026. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?
Over the last 7 days, the United States market has remained flat, yet it is up 30% over the past year with earnings forecast to grow by 16% annually. In this environment, identifying high growth tech stocks that align with these promising trends can be a valuable addition to a diversified portfolio.
Over the last 7 days, the United States market has remained flat, yet it is up 30% over the past year with earnings forecast to grow by 16% annually. In this environment, identifying high growth tech stocks that align with these promising trends can be a valuable addition to a diversified portfolio.