imaginima/E+ via Getty Images Scaling the Wall of Worry What is interesting here is how there is a type of cognitive dissonance (a form of mental tension) that seems to be driving Wall Street's behavior at this particular moment. On one hand, television news programs are continuously reporting on rising tensions in the Middle East, blocked shipping lanes, damaged logistics systems, and inflation b...
imaginima/E+ via Getty Images Scaling the Wall of Worry What is interesting here is how there is a type of cognitive dissonance (a form of mental tension) that seems to be driving Wall Street's behavior at this particular moment. On one hand, television news programs are continuously reporting on rising tensions in the Middle East, blocked shipping lanes, damaged logistics systems, and inflation being more resilient than anticipated. On the other hand, U.S. Stock Market indexes (the S&P 500 Index, for example), are continuing to reach new highs. How do we explain such an obvious disconnect from reality? The reason we can explain the disconnect is due to another well-documented phenomenon in financial markets. This phenomenon is referred to as "scaling the Wall of Worry" (i.e., scaling the fear). Bull markets never start in clear skies. They begin in fear, progress in skepticism, mature in optimism, and end in euphoria. Sounds philosophical doesn't it? But this is not just theory, it is applied to everyday life and markets. Agar Capital, Bloomberg Terminal Markets are time machines that price the cash flows of the future, not a mirror of the current emotional state of society. As false fears and/or transitory crises dissipate, the brickwork of the Wall of Worry erodes away and stocks once again advance upward. In addition to the background noise, and general apocalyptic view that many have about the world today, the structure of the U.S. economy appears very strong. I have extensively researched the fundamentals, and based upon my research I believe there are currently five powerful factors that support optimism regarding U.S. equities through the remainder of 2026. They will be discussed in detail below. I would appreciate your feedback, opinions, and differing perspectives in the comments section, so that together we may develop our own conclusions. 1. The Resolution of the U.S.-Iran Conflict One of the primary drivers for stock markets right now is the possibility...
Market Catalysts host Julie Hyman takes a look at some of Friday's trending tickers and stories. CoreWeave (CRWV) stock is sinking after the company issued weak revenue guidance. IREN (IREN) stock is surging on news that Nvidia (NVDA) is investing up to $2.1 billion in the company. Rocket Labs (RKLB) stock is skyrocketing on the company's strong quarterly sales numbers. Wendy's (WEN) stock is on t...
Market Catalysts host Julie Hyman takes a look at some of Friday's trending tickers and stories. CoreWeave (CRWV) stock is sinking after the company issued weak revenue guidance. IREN (IREN) stock is surging on news that Nvidia (NVDA) is investing up to $2.1 billion in the company. Rocket Labs (RKLB) stock is skyrocketing on the company's strong quarterly sales numbers. Wendy's (WEN) stock is on the rise after the company beat Wall Street's earnings estimates.
mbbirdy/E+ via Getty Images Wall Street’s major market averages pushed higher on Friday as investors digested the latest nonfarm payrolls print and sidestepped the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The blue chip Dow ( DJI ) was +0.2%, the benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) was +0.7%, and the tech focused Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) was +1.23%. Now, here are four news stories that broke in the mornin...
mbbirdy/E+ via Getty Images Wall Street’s major market averages pushed higher on Friday as investors digested the latest nonfarm payrolls print and sidestepped the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The blue chip Dow ( DJI ) was +0.2%, the benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) was +0.7%, and the tech focused Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) was +1.23%. Now, here are four news stories that broke in the morning to watch out for: US nonfarm payrolls exceed expectations: The US economy added 115,000 jobs in April, beating the 63,000 consensus estimate while slowing from March’s revised 185,000 gain. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, and wage growth came in softer than anticipated at 0.2% month-over-month. Healthcare led hiring with 37,000 new positions, while information technology shed 13,000 jobs. The solid employment picture shifts Fed focus toward inflation, with the CME FedWatch tool now showing a 75.6% probability the central bank holds rates at 3.50%-3.75% through December, up from 70.1% the prior day. Consumer sentiment hits May low: The University of Michigan’s preliminary consumer sentiment index slipped to 48.2 in May from 49.8 in April, missing the 49.3 consensus. One-year inflation expectations edged down to 4.5% from 4.7% but remain well above the 3.4% reading from February before the Iran conflict began. Survey director Joanne Hsu noted that roughly one-third of respondents spontaneously cited gasoline prices while about 30% mentioned tariffs. The current economic conditions index dropped roughly 9% to 47.8 as high prices weighed on personal finances and major purchase decisions. CoreWeave shares retreat on revenue outlook: Shares of AI infrastructure provider CoreWeave ( CRWV ) fell about 8% in premarket trading after the company’s second-quarter revenue guidance disappointed, despite first-quarter results beating estimates by 5%. Analysts remain broadly constructive, pointing to the company’s revenue backlog reaching $99.4 billion, up from $66.8 billion l...
monkeybusinessimages/iStock via Getty Images The nonfarm payroll report released by the BLS came in better than expected, adding 115K jobs against an estimate of 65K. The unemployment rate, which was estimated at 4.3%, came in right on target. One of the most contentious stats also came in low, with two-month revisions totaling (16k). BLS The April Jobs Report Here's the headline table with my hig...
monkeybusinessimages/iStock via Getty Images The nonfarm payroll report released by the BLS came in better than expected, adding 115K jobs against an estimate of 65K. The unemployment rate, which was estimated at 4.3%, came in right on target. One of the most contentious stats also came in low, with two-month revisions totaling (16k). BLS The April Jobs Report Here's the headline table with my highlights: Annotations by author (BLS) While the unemployment figure remained steady and jobs were added, the unemployed worker count still grew in April. This was the same with the non-participants (“not in labor force.”) Looking at the second part, we see that once again, job growth is led primarily by healthcare. Retail trade and transportation/warehousing also did well; transportation is rebounding from large losses, so I wouldn't put too much stock in that. Annotations by author (BLS) As expected, information and financial activities jobs retracted; I recommend taking a look at the data I found on that front last month in “ AI Already Took 3 Million Jobs. ” We also saw significant pain in the <5 weeks unemployed category despite relief coming for those between 5 and 26 weeks and little change in the 27+ week pool. This warming up for the moderately unemployed folks has been showing up in state unemployment claims, with the continuing claims falling through the year, well below their expectations, and now crossing under the 2024 figure. Macro Mostly The short-term surge isn't aligning with initial state unemployment claims data, which is coming in far lower than expected. The 2026 figure is well below even the 2023 figure at this time of year. Macro Mostly But that may be due to the layoff surge we saw in tech . Although outside the JOLTS data (which is still concerning, along with the announcements by big tech firms of mass layoffs), other layoff indicators have gotten rather quiet recently—at worst, the data are now showing mixed. Macro Mostly Back to the report, I thin...
Few stocks have made investors as much money as Nebius (NASDAQ: NBIS) has since the calendar flipped to 2026. Its stock has risen about 110%, which is an incredible run in just over a four-month time frame. However, if you look at Nebius' stock chart, you'll see the majority of those gains came during April. I think there's still more where that came from, and it all comes down to one thing: growt...
Few stocks have made investors as much money as Nebius (NASDAQ: NBIS) has since the calendar flipped to 2026. Its stock has risen about 110%, which is an incredible run in just over a four-month time frame. However, if you look at Nebius' stock chart, you'll see the majority of those gains came during April. I think there's still more where that came from, and it all comes down to one thing: growth. You'll be hard-pressed to find another stock that's growing revenue as fast as Nebius, which is directly translating into stock price performance. But just how high can Nebius go? Let's take a look. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
MaxLinear, Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) was one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar as he highlighted AI winners to buy for 2026. A caller inquired if the stock is a buy and asked for guidance regarding an entry point. Cramer replied: Okay, MaxLinear’s probably gone more parabolic than any other stock in the market. So therefore […]
MaxLinear, Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) was one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar as he highlighted AI winners to buy for 2026. A caller inquired if the stock is a buy and asked for guidance regarding an entry point. Cramer replied: Okay, MaxLinear’s probably gone more parabolic than any other stock in the market. So therefore […]
Warren Buffett does not hand out personal endorsements of his money manager every day. That makes the line he delivered about Greg Abel, who formally became President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway on January 1, 2026, worth pausing on. For shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-B), it is the strongest possible vote of confidence after the ... Warren Buffett: “I’d rather have Greg handling my ...
Warren Buffett does not hand out personal endorsements of his money manager every day. That makes the line he delivered about Greg Abel, who formally became President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway on January 1, 2026, worth pausing on. For shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-B), it is the strongest possible vote of confidence after the ... Warren Buffett: “I’d rather have Greg handling my money than any of the top investment advisors or any of the top CEOs of the United States.”
Igor Barilo/iStock via Getty Images AngloGold Ashanti ( AU ) reported decent Q1 earnings on Friday, May 8. Shares lifted in the morning trade, all while gold staged a small recovery after what has been a tough stretch since the yellow metal’s January record high. Indeed, both the metal and shares of gold mining companies have been under pressure since the early part of the year, all as global equi...
Igor Barilo/iStock via Getty Images AngloGold Ashanti ( AU ) reported decent Q1 earnings on Friday, May 8. Shares lifted in the morning trade, all while gold staged a small recovery after what has been a tough stretch since the yellow metal’s January record high. Indeed, both the metal and shares of gold mining companies have been under pressure since the early part of the year, all as global equities march to new highs. I had a "B uy" rating on AU back in April 2025 . Shares are up a whopping 176% since then, beating the S&P 500 by more than 140 percentage points. Much has changed in the industry and with the company, but I am keeping with a "B uy" rating. With gold holding above $4,500 per ounce, I’ll provide an updated valuation and a look at AU’s technicals. AU Outperforming Gold & T he S&P 500 YoY Stockcharts.com In May, AU reported a mixed set of quarterly results. Q1 non-GAAP EPS of $2.52 topped the Wall Street consensus forecast of $2.24, while revenue of $3.15 billion, up more than 63% from the same period a year earlier, was a $120 million miss. The $51 billion market cap gold miner tallied free cash flow of $1.2 billion over the January through March period. Shares rose 7% by later in the morning, and if the gain holds to the close of trading, it would mark a fourth consecutive post-earnings climb, according to data from Option Research & Technology Services. The options market had priced in a high 6.0% earnings-related stock price swing, and implied volatility on AU shares should ease from the pre-earnings 59% level. Short interest in the stock is low at just 0.73%. Looking back on the quarter that was, AU delivered generally healthy financial and operational numbers in Q1, highlighted by significant growth in both the bottom line and cash flow. Of course, profitability was driven by a higher average gold price received of $2,874/oz, and the company saw free cash flow surge by 190% YoY to $1.17 billion. EBITDA also increased substantially by 130% to $2.2...
Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI) stock has been rallying, which is a big relief for shareholders. Investors have sent shares of the artificial intelligence (AI) server and solutions technology company soaring by more than 50% over the past month, including a 28% gain this week, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence . Some of that has been a bounce-back after the company's...
Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI) stock has been rallying, which is a big relief for shareholders. Investors have sent shares of the artificial intelligence (AI) server and solutions technology company soaring by more than 50% over the past month, including a 28% gain this week, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence . Some of that has been a bounce-back after the company's co-founder, Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw, resigned in March following his indictment in a federal investigation concerning the alleged smuggling of technology to China. Earnings this week have investors feeling more optimistic about Supermicro now, though. The question for investors is whether past troubles are truly behind the company. Continue reading
Logitech is introducing a new feature to its rugged iPad Combo 4 keyboard case that addresses an ongoing issue with the tablet as Apple continues to push it towards being a laptop alternative . The new Rugged Combo 4c and 4c Touch cases , compatible with the 10th and 11th-gen iPads , add a second USB-C port to accommodate accessories like wired mice , headphones, and external drives while the tabl...
Logitech is introducing a new feature to its rugged iPad Combo 4 keyboard case that addresses an ongoing issue with the tablet as Apple continues to push it towards being a laptop alternative . The new Rugged Combo 4c and 4c Touch cases , compatible with the 10th and 11th-gen iPads , add a second USB-C port to accommodate accessories like wired mice , headphones, and external drives while the tablet is still plugged into power. Let's hope every iPad keyboard case maker copies Logitech. As with the original Combo 4 that debuted a couple of years ago , the new 4c versions are specifically designed for use by schools and are generally only sold to … Read the full story at The Verge.