Good MorningDespite headlines declaring the AI bubble has popped, recent data says otherwise. Micron’s massive earnings beat and bullish guidance, fueled by demand for high-bandwidth memory, highlight ongoing investment in AI infrastructure. Institutional accumulation and analyst upgrades across NVIDIA-adjacent names confirm smart money is still buying. Add in cooling inflation, expected Fed rate cuts, and a solid consumer backdrop, and the setup for 2026 remains strong.
The S&P 500 is consolidating near highs and looks ready to rally into year-end. December’s tight trading range has reset key technical indicators just as Q4 earnings season approaches. Labor data remains firm, retail sales are solid, and earnings forecasts are rising across upcoming quarters. With JPMorgan reporting in just three weeks and momentum building, the market could easily break out in a classic Santa Claus Rally. Featured: Where to Put $100 Before Trump's New Tech Law Rolls Out (Ad) 
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Finance | |
The northeast United States wasn’t the only region gripped by bitter cold this month—a new winter has also hit the cryptocurrency market. Weak sentiment and choppy trading threaten Bitcoin with its worst yearly performance since 2022. What’s caused the cryptocurrency stallout in ... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | In 2022, Karim Rahemtulla recommended Rolls-Royce when it traded under $2. The stock climbed more than 1,100% over 3-4 years, with some subscribers reporting gains of $141,000, $272,000, and even over $1 million.
Now Karim sees a similar setup in what he calls the Energy Cube - a misunderstood technology backed by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Google, and Microsoft. A major government milestone is expected this August that could force Wall Street to finally pay attention.
Watch Karim's full presentation and learn why this overlooked opportunity may not stay overlooked for long. | | Watch the full Energy Cube presentation before August's catalyst hits |
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Transportation | |
A single analyst's rating and price target, the consensus rating and price target, for that matter, have little value to investors without the proper context. The context is the sentiment strength and trend, which for stocks like PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), and United Parcel Servic... Read the Full Story |
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Finance | |
While artificial intelligence (AI) has dominated headlines for much of the year, and sent many tech stocks soaring, some of the strongest performance across equities has come from far less glamorous corners. Bank stocks are in the middle of a standout run, with the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Roger Scott just unveiled a day-trading tool designed to identify the first wave of institutional buying before a full order moves through the market - potentially in minutes.
On April 14th, the tool flagged early institutional buys on HOOD at 9:45 am, delivering a 24% return in 6 minutes. Minutes later, a signal on MSTR locked in a 33% return in 12 minutes. Free access is available now. | | Secure your free pass to the real-time institutional order tracker today |
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Construction | |
The S&P 500 Index is indisputably the most referenced benchmark for tracking the performance of large-cap U.S. stocks. Each quarter, the S&P 500 Index Committee (a committee within S&P Dow Jones Indices) reassesses which stocks will or will not remain in the index. This typically resul... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | |
After finishing 2024 with the third-best performance of the S&P 500’s 100 sectors, the financial sector is wrapping up 2025 with strong momentum that could carry into 2026.
Over the past month, the sector has risen 4.18%. And after the Federal Reserve enacted its third and final interes... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Ever been right about a stock's direction and still lost money on the trade? It's almost never bad luck - it's a checkpoint you skipped.
The Smart Trade Options Checklist puts the 7 most important pre-trade checks on one page. Normally $29.97, it's free today. Run it in about 30 seconds before any options trade to catch the bad ones before they cost you. | | Download the free 7-point options checklist right here |
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Consumer Discretionary | |
The last three years have not been kind to U.S. apparel giant Nike (NYSE: NKE). As of the Dec. 18 close, shares had dropped approximately 34%, with sales, margins, and profits all down significantly over the same period.
A series of strategic missteps contributed to this, including weak product... Read the Full Story |
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Utilities | |
As 2025 winds down, tech investors are facing a familiar mix of excitement and anxiety. With AI stock valuations at historic highs, the question heading into 2026 is no longer whether AI is transformative—but whether the market has gotten ahead of itself.
Recent news also contributed to som... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | |
Hundreds of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) launched in the last year alone, further crowding an already-dense field and making it more difficult for investors to assess which might be a good fit for their portfolios.
Many ETF investors focus on a long-term strategy with these investments—easy... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
The last few months of 2025 haven’t brought what investors in Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) hoped for. Through late October, shares were up around 28% on the year. Since then, the stock has given back around half those gains, and is now up only 14% (as of the Dec. 18 close).
However, inve... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
Reddit Inc. (NYSE: RDDT) is ending the year on a high note, having returned about 37% in 2025, relaunching a rally that seemed to flatline earlier in the fall.
The online content-sharing platform is showing signs of rapid growth, with its user base, earnings, and engagement features all expandi... Read the Full Story |
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Monday's Early Bird Stock Of The Day Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the integrated energy and chemicals operations in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment is involved in the exploration, development, production, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification of liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas; and carbon capture and storage, as well as a gas-to-liquids plant. The Downstream segment refines crude oil into petroleum products; markets crude oil, refined products, and lubricants; manufactures and markets renewable fuels, commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives; and transports crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corporation and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is headquartered in San Ramon, California. | Should I Buy Chevron Stock? CVX Bull and Bear Case Explained
These insights were generated using artificial intelligence. They are based on proprietary MarketBeat data, news articles, and custom LLM A.I. algorithms. This analysis of Chevron was last updated on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 6:05 PM.
Chevron Bull Case -
The current stock price is around $193, reflecting a strong position in the market.
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Chevron recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.41, exceeding analyst expectations, which indicates robust financial performance.
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The company has a solid annualized dividend of $7.12, providing a dividend yield of 3.9%, which can be attractive for income-focused investors.
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Chevron's revenue has shown a year-over-year increase of 2.1%, suggesting growth potential in its operations.
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Analysts forecast a significant increase in EPS to 15.28 for the current fiscal year, indicating positive future earnings potential.
Chevron Bear Case -
The company's dividend payout ratio is currently at 123.40%, which may raise concerns about sustainability in dividend payments.
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Chevron's revenue for the latest quarter was below analyst estimates, which could indicate challenges in meeting market expectations.
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Despite a positive EPS report, the company posted a decline in EPS compared to the same period last year, which may signal potential issues in profitability.
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Insider transactions show a significant sale of shares by a director, which could be interpreted as a lack of confidence in the company's future performance.
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Market volatility and geopolitical tensions can impact oil prices, which may adversely affect Chevron's profitability and stock performance.
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