Devrimb/iStock via Getty Images By Elior Manier Metals have been trading in confusion since the beginning of the war, with particular inflation and price action dynamics adding to the doubts. In recent trading, the oil-to-gold inverted relationship has somewhat abated, and this forms the path to newer narratives for the precious commodities market. Gold vs WTI Crude Inverse Correlation – Source: T...
Devrimb/iStock via Getty Images By Elior Manier Metals have been trading in confusion since the beginning of the war, with particular inflation and price action dynamics adding to the doubts. In recent trading, the oil-to-gold inverted relationship has somewhat abated, and this forms the path to newer narratives for the precious commodities market. Gold vs WTI Crude Inverse Correlation – Source: TradingView. May 8, 2026 While the price action has remained mostly sideways, a few metals have begun to reject their selling attempts, providing proof that the general bear trend is exhausting. The best example is seen in copper, breaking its war highs throughout this week, but also silver, bouncing back close to 10% off of its 2026 year-beginning prices. Weekly momentum is showing some strong signs, as can be seen with the gold weekly chart. The RSI has completely stopped its downward trajectory, supported by the huge weekly hammer, and is now looking to confirm its rise. It wouldn't be surprising to see strong action in the asset class in coming weeks. Gold (XAU/USD) Weekly Chart, May 8, 2026 – Source: TradingView Let's explore the recent shifts in an intraday timeframe analysis of gold (XAU/USD) and silver (XAG/USD) to identify where the key levels to watch for breakouts. Gold (XAU/USD) 4H Chart and levels Gold (XAU/USD) 4H Chart, May 8, 2026 – Source: TradingView Gold has officially broken out of its descending channel formed since April 17. While the picture is still quite rangy ($4,500 to $4,900), the recent breakout attempt pulled back to the 4H 200-period MA ($4,663) before bouncing higher, helping for chances of a break-retest pattern at the mid-range pivot. To confirm on the intraday, look for a break above $4,760; the action gets especially more bullish above $4,900. Intraday timeframe levels to watch for gold (XAU/USD): Resistance Levels: $4,850 to $4,900 major resistance (bullish above) $5,100 pivotal resistance $5,400 mini resistance Support Levels: 4H 200-per...
What The Indiana Primaries Tell Us About Trump's Grip On The GOP Tuesday night’s primaries in Indiana were not subtle . Five of seven Republican state senators who had blocked a congressional redistricting map favored by President Donald Trump lost their primary races to Trump-backed challengers. The message, delivered cleanly through the ballot box, couldn’t have been clearer. Twenty-one Republic...
What The Indiana Primaries Tell Us About Trump's Grip On The GOP Tuesday night’s primaries in Indiana were not subtle . Five of seven Republican state senators who had blocked a congressional redistricting map favored by President Donald Trump lost their primary races to Trump-backed challengers. The message, delivered cleanly through the ballot box, couldn’t have been clearer. Twenty-one Republicans in the Indiana Senate voted against a new congressional map that would likely have added two GOP-leaning U.S. House districts. Eight of those dissenters were up for reelection this cycle, and seven drew primary challengers who carried Trump's explicit endorsement. By Tuesday night, the Associated Press had projected wins for at least five of those challengers. Only state Sen. Greg Goode managed to hold his seat among the targeted incumbents. The rest are heading for the exits. Trump's play here was neither complicated nor ambiguous. He targeted members of his own party, not for ideological apostasy or opposition to his signature policies, but for refusing to help the GOP fight back against decades of Democrat gerrymanders. It was a demonstration of leverage and political capital, and it worked. The incumbents who lost weren't rogue progressives or even moderate Republicans, either. They were conventional Republicans who had largely supported Trump on major national issues, and didn’t expect to become Trump targets. That calculation turned out to be wrong, and the lesson other incumbents will draw is obvious: the scope of what constitutes a disqualifying defection is wider than many assumed. And there are likely to be other victims of Trump’s wrath. In Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, Trump has endorsed Ed Gallrein against Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican who has broken with the president on the Iran war, tariffs, and quit a few other things. In Louisiana, Trump is backing Rep. Julia Letlow against incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician who has pushed back agains...
With a YTD Return of 15.76% as of May 7, QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) is included among the 10 Best Stocks to Buy to Beat the S&P 500. On May 1, Argus raised its price recommendation on QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) to $220 from $180. It reiterated a Buy rating following the company’s earnings report. The firm said Qualcomm […]
With a YTD Return of 15.76% as of May 7, QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) is included among the 10 Best Stocks to Buy to Beat the S&P 500. On May 1, Argus raised its price recommendation on QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) to $220 from $180. It reiterated a Buy rating following the company’s earnings report. The firm said Qualcomm […]
EschCollection/DigitalVision via Getty Images This is my first coverage of Willdan Group, Inc. ( WLDN ). Following my coverage of Argan ( AGX ), which operates as a gas-fired power plant construction company, I wanted to further research companies solving the electrical grid's supply and demand imbalances. Due to the AI data centers' large power demand and new power plants being connected to the g...
EschCollection/DigitalVision via Getty Images This is my first coverage of Willdan Group, Inc. ( WLDN ). Following my coverage of Argan ( AGX ), which operates as a gas-fired power plant construction company, I wanted to further research companies solving the electrical grid's supply and demand imbalances. Due to the AI data centers' large power demand and new power plants being connected to the grid, there is a massive need for optimization, engineering, and software upgrades to handle the AI buildout supercycle. This is exactly what Willdan Group does. In this article, I will analyze the current macro environment, discuss the Q1 2026 earnings release, and evaluate the Burton Energy acquisition. Finally, I will provide my estimates for the fair valuation and try to justify my ''Strong Buy'' rating. Introduction And Business Model Since this is my first coverage, I'd like to provide a short summary of what the company does, as I believe it is essential to understand the current tailwinds and be able to properly evaluate the company. Willdan is a service provider to utilities, private industry, and public agencies at all levels of government. They plan, design, and deliver comprehensive, innovative, cost-effective, and proven solutions to improve efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability in energy and infrastructure for their clients. In short, they provide everything related to efficiency programs, grid optimization, electrical retrofitting design, and similar miscellaneous projects. Basically, they provide everything that is required when the grid experiences high growth of new large power suppliers and consumers. This is exactly what is currently happening and is, in my opinion, a strong underlying tailwind that will positively impact the company for at least the next few years. Let’s explore this macro trend. At the end of 2025 the data center vacancies were at record lows of 1.4%, according to CBRE . I believe that this is the main indicator suggesting the sect...
Rio Tinto ( RIO ) is evaluating the economic potential of McEwen Copper's ( MUX ) Los Azules project in Argentina—among the world's 10 largest undeveloped copper projects—as it considers increasing its 17.2% stake in the development, Reuters reported Friday. Rio ( RIO ) owns the stake in Los Azules through its Nuton copper technology venture, and its technical team is evaluating the economic po...
Rio Tinto ( RIO ) is evaluating the economic potential of McEwen Copper's ( MUX ) Los Azules project in Argentina—among the world's 10 largest undeveloped copper projects—as it considers increasing its 17.2% stake in the development, Reuters reported Friday. Rio ( RIO ) owns the stake in Los Azules through its Nuton copper technology venture, and its technical team is evaluating the economic potential of the project while testing Nuton's proprietary leaching technology at the site, according to the report . "We are obviously discussing with our existing partner Nuton because their technology makes so much sense," McEwen Copper ( MUX ) managing director Michael Meding told Reuters. "Now that Rio Tinto is building their copper pipeline, they basically have a mandate to add copper for their production profile. So we are having fruitful conversations," Meding said. A Los Azules feasibility study released in October 2025 estimated an after-tax net present value of $2.9B, with the project targeting first production by 2030, and average production over the first five years forecast at 204,800 metric tons/year of copper cathode. More on Rio Tinto and McEwen Mining Rio Tinto: Strong Operations, But Priced For Perfection Amid Rising Execution Risk Rio Tinto: Fundamentals Don't Support A Price Rally McEwen: Buy A World-Class Copper Project, Get Gold Upside For Free