Supatman/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis The Schwab US Large-Cap Growth ETF ( SCHG ) is down 10% YTD, but despite decelerating EPS surprises and higher energy costs, Wall Street analysts aren't budging. They're still predicting 23.36% aggregate EPS growth for SCHG, which is similar to the 24.12% figure from January , and haven't reacted to the fact that EPS surprises for SCHG's top ten h...
Supatman/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis The Schwab US Large-Cap Growth ETF ( SCHG ) is down 10% YTD, but despite decelerating EPS surprises and higher energy costs, Wall Street analysts aren't budging. They're still predicting 23.36% aggregate EPS growth for SCHG, which is similar to the 24.12% figure from January , and haven't reacted to the fact that EPS surprises for SCHG's top ten holdings were half the level they were the prior quarter. To me, this is a mistake that's not yet priced in, and an extra quarter of weak EPS surprises combined with higher inflation would likely lead me to issue a rare "sell" rating on SCHG in the coming months. That said, long-term investors will likely view this as short-term noise. While I'm cautious about SCHG's current setup, I will highlight metrics that show how its portfolio is of substantially higher quality than its value counterpart and how high-quality portfolios have consistently done well over the last 20 years. Therefore, I still rate SCHG a "hold," but the rating is subject to change, and I look forward to explaining why in further detail below. SCHG Overview Strategy Discussion and Key Fund Facts SCHG has a 0.04% expense ratio, has $49 billion in assets, and tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index, which selects large-cap stocks with the following six characteristics: high projected P/E ratio high historical P/B ratio high projected three-to-five-year operating EPS growth high trailing five-year annualized sales growth high 21-quarter annualized EPS growth low indicated dividend yield The Index is float-adjusted market-cap-weighted, with individual security weights limited to 24% (and an aggregate 48% for those with weights above 4.5%). Reconstitutions are annual in September, and you'll notice that the screens aren't only growth-oriented. In actuality, SCHG's Index purposely selects poorly valued stocks that don't pay dividends. That's why it has only 1.01% overlap with the Schw...
The average one-year price target for Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) has been revised to $30.17 / share. This is an increase of 10.94% from the prior estimate of $27.20 dated February 21, 2026. The price target is an average of many targets provided by analy
The average one-year price target for Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN) has been revised to $30.17 / share. This is an increase of 10.94% from the prior estimate of $27.20 dated February 21, 2026. The price target is an average of many targets provided by analy
Semiconductor stocks have come under pressure. Over the past month, the sector tracked by the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) has dropped roughly 10%, as investors grow cautious about valuations, demand trends, and the sustainability of recent gains. On March 24, Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL) ...
Semiconductor stocks have come under pressure. Over the past month, the sector tracked by the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) has dropped roughly 10%, as investors grow cautious about valuations, demand trends, and the sustainability of recent gains. On March 24, Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL) ...
The Chinese government has reportedly restricted the co-founders of Manus from leaving the country as it reviews the company's $2.5 billion acquisition by Meta Platforms. The two co-founders of Manus, Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao, were summoned earlier this month for a meeting with the National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing to discuss the acquisition, according to The Wall Street Journal...
The Chinese government has reportedly restricted the co-founders of Manus from leaving the country as it reviews the company's $2.5 billion acquisition by Meta Platforms. The two co-founders of Manus, Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao, were summoned earlier this month for a meeting with the National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing to discuss the acquisition, according to The Wall Street Journal report. Following the meeting, officials instructed the Singapore-based executives not to leave Chi
Whoop founder Will Ahmed has spent 14 years building a health wearable beloved by elite athletes, and is now racing Oura — and the FDA, and the limits of consumer medicine — to turn it into something that could one day save your life.
Whoop founder Will Ahmed has spent 14 years building a health wearable beloved by elite athletes, and is now racing Oura — and the FDA, and the limits of consumer medicine — to turn it into something that could one day save your life.
This article was first published on March 29, 1976. By Jack Beattie World ‘sevens’ for HK? A seven-a-side rugby union world cup competition – and possibly staged in Hongkong! That’s the exciting prospect that emerged after yesterday’s first International “Sevens” Championships held at the Hongkong Football Club. Last night Rothmans and Cathay Pacific, the joint-sponsors of this unique event, which...
This article was first published on March 29, 1976. By Jack Beattie World ‘sevens’ for HK? A seven-a-side rugby union world cup competition – and possibly staged in Hongkong! That’s the exciting prospect that emerged after yesterday’s first International “Sevens” Championships held at the Hongkong Football Club. Last night Rothmans and Cathay Pacific, the joint-sponsors of this unique event, which had 12 countries competing, were playing it a bit coy – but both agreed that a similar promotion...
For years, the "Magnificent Seven" was one of the best bets on Wall Street. This group, which includes Apple , Alphabet , Tesla , Nvidia , Meta Platforms , Microsoft , and Amazon, bounced off the 2022 bear market, and nearly all of them have established themselves as major players in AI. However, after a brilliant three-year run, the Magnificent Seven is now showing signs of fatigue. As you can se...
For years, the "Magnificent Seven" was one of the best bets on Wall Street. This group, which includes Apple , Alphabet , Tesla , Nvidia , Meta Platforms , Microsoft , and Amazon, bounced off the 2022 bear market, and nearly all of them have established themselves as major players in AI. However, after a brilliant three-year run, the Magnificent Seven is now showing signs of fatigue. As you can see from the chart below, all seven of these stocks have fallen this year, and they've all underperformed the S&P 500 this year as well. Continue reading
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday he believed Iran would hold talks with Washington “this week” as the US-Israeli war against Tehran entered its second month. The war began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched air strikes across Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sending shock waves across the globe. A month later the c...
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday he believed Iran would hold talks with Washington “this week” as the US-Israeli war against Tehran entered its second month. The war began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched air strikes across Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sending shock waves across the globe. A month later the conflict showed no sign of ending, with US-Israeli strikes hitting two Iranian nuclear facilities on...
Robert Way/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Nike ( NKE ), the beleaguered sports footwear and apparel giant, reports their fiscal Q3 ’26 financial results after the closing bell on Tuesday, March 31st, 2026. The stock has been the proverbial “house of pain” (hat tip to the Jim Cramer-ism), down -22% annualized from Nike’s $179 peak in late November ’21 to its current price of $52–$53 per share in...
Robert Way/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Nike ( NKE ), the beleaguered sports footwear and apparel giant, reports their fiscal Q3 ’26 financial results after the closing bell on Tuesday, March 31st, 2026. The stock has been the proverbial “house of pain” (hat tip to the Jim Cramer-ism), down -22% annualized from Nike’s $179 peak in late November ’21 to its current price of $52–$53 per share in late March ’26, versus the S&P 500’s +10% return for the same period. The only conclusion that can be drawn was that Elliott Hill and his team were left with the proverbial “nuclear winter” landscape (certainly among footwear retail) when he assumed control from the former CEO, but the fact is Elliott has also made some progress at the retail level, getting Nike footwear (particularly Nike footwear) prominently reinstalled at DICK'S ( DKS ). Current Street expectations for Nike’s fiscal Q3 ’26 are $11.23 billion in revenue, EPS of $0.28 and operating income of $512 million, for “expected” declines y-o-y of 0%, -48% and -31%, respectively. For fiscal Q4 ’26, ended May ’26, Street consensus is looking for $11.3 billion in revenue to generate $386 million in operating income and $0.21 in EPS, for expected y-o-y growth of 2%, EPS growth of +50%, and operating income growth of +20%, but the grim prospect of the Q4 ’26 numbers is that the actual numbers remain sequentially down from fiscal Q3 ’26’s estimates, while fiscal Q4 is typically the strongest quarter of the year. Jeffries recently put out a Nike update after DICK'S ( DKS ) quarterly results were reported, noting that DKS’s management was “unequivocally positive” on Nike’s strength in running innovation. (The Austin, Texas store was mentioned in one of the last two calls as perhaps being Nike’s epicenter of running innovation and improvement for the brand.) My own anecdotal experience with DICK'S and Nike is that on Sunday, March 22nd, ’2026, I went into a DICK'S Sporting Goods store in Oak Brook/Lombard, Illinois, looki...
beast01/iStock via Getty Images Thesis We have a very good track record with the -1x Short VIX Futures ETF ( SVIX ) here at Binary Tree Analytics. Our last article covering the fund literally top-ticked the ETF: Prior Rating (Seeking Alpha) The name is down over -37% since, putting a hole in the pockets that still own the ETF. As we have said time and time again covering this fund, SVIX is not a b...
beast01/iStock via Getty Images Thesis We have a very good track record with the -1x Short VIX Futures ETF ( SVIX ) here at Binary Tree Analytics. Our last article covering the fund literally top-ticked the ETF: Prior Rating (Seeking Alpha) The name is down over -37% since, putting a hole in the pockets that still own the ETF. As we have said time and time again covering this fund, SVIX is not a buy and hold for us, but a trading instrument. Especially in today's markets. The ETF's composition based on very volatile VIX futures makes the fund a name to trade with exact targets and market levels in mind. An investor in this name is trading the VIX as an asset class rather than a more traditional bond or equity investment. And volatility has its particularities. After the massive recent spike in the VIX, we are going to discuss the market macro and the impact on SVIX in light of the ongoing Iran war and macro set-up. Never a dull moment in volatility land Long term, VIX mean reverts around the 18 mark: Historic VIX levels (GuruFocus) We can see the index spending most of its time in a 10 to 30 range, with bull markets seeing a 10 to 20 range, and bear markets seeing a 20 to 30 range. Spikes outside those levels are short lived, although brutal. It is interesting to note that 2022 as a blueprint for this year saw the VIX fluctuate in a rough 20 to 30 range: Data by YCharts While we had small spikes outside the range, those were very short lived. We are of the opinion that 2026 might be a similar year, with a collared VIX in a rough 20 to 30 range. Let us see what that means. Fund composition The ETF contains the following holdings: Holdings (Fund Website) The name holds the front two months in terms of VIX futures, and a hedge via an out of the money VIX call (currently it is a 4/15/2026 35 strike call). The fund is short April and May 2026 VIX futures as per the above. If VIX spikes, the fund loses value. If VIX moves lower the fund makes money. Right now we are at th...
The Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility, operated by Chevron Corp., on Barrow Island, Australia, on Monday, July 24, 2023. Chevron received approval to develop the site into a major liquefied natural gas export facility on the basis they could capture and store 80% of the CO2 mixed in with the fuel, instead of releasing it. Photographer: Lisa Maree Will...
The Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility, operated by Chevron Corp., on Barrow Island, Australia, on Monday, July 24, 2023. Chevron received approval to develop the site into a major liquefied natural gas export facility on the basis they could capture and store 80% of the CO2 mixed in with the fuel, instead of releasing it. Photographer: Lisa Maree Williams/Bloomberg
chameleonseye/iStock Editorial via Getty Images PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL ) is a widely debated stock due to factors such as its inconsistent performance in recent years and a pending shift in its corporate strategy. I previously covered PayPal in March, 2025, where I communicated a cautious outlook to readers on the basis of discretionary spending headwinds and the stock's questionable ...
chameleonseye/iStock Editorial via Getty Images PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL ) is a widely debated stock due to factors such as its inconsistent performance in recent years and a pending shift in its corporate strategy. I previously covered PayPal in March, 2025, where I communicated a cautious outlook to readers on the basis of discretionary spending headwinds and the stock's questionable pricing metrics. Despite my previously cautious outlook, I've decided to turn to a bullish outlook on PayPal's stock; here's why. Reason 1: Oversold and Possibly Underestimated PayPal has shed over 80% of its market value in the past 5-years. Its underperformance started in late 2021 amid a lack of conviction in its growth trajectory. In my view, investors grew discontent with the company's lack of new account growth . In addition, a bear market unfolded in 2022 ; it seems as though PayPal never recovered afterwards due to a lack of optimism among investors. Data by YCharts Figure 2 illustrates PayPal's historical stock performance. The stock rallied intensely during the COVID-era tech boom. However, I think investors eventually priced froth out of the market and ultimately decided to avoid PayPal's stock after the 2022 bear market ended. I believe investors neglected the stock post bear market due to PayPal's relatively lower new account monetisation. Moreover, a credit scare occurred within the banking industry in 2022/23, which likely contributed to PayPal's demise, seeing as it rolled out a Buy-Now-Pay-Later program in the years leading up to the credit stress environment. Figure 2 (Seeking Alpha) Roll forward to 2026 and we see PayPal's stock trading at $44.21 per share, slightly above its listing price in 2015. I think most of PayPal's recent bad news has been priced-in and it's time to start looking at a possible reversal. However, the question beckons: Does PayPal have enough fundamental strength to recover from its lows and/or will a catalyst emerge? I think so; he...