Good MorningStocks traded cautiously in Thursday’s session as investors balanced two competing narratives: a renewed energy shock risk and a still cloudy path for interest rates. Crude moved higher on escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, lifting the energy complex and keeping inflation sensitivities front and center. The broader market, which has struggled to build momentum early in 2026, leaned defensive as traders reassessed what higher fuel costs could mean for consumer demand and corporate margins.
Rate expectations also stayed in play after the latest Fed minutes highlighted disagreement on the next move, reinforcing the idea that policy may remain restrictive if inflation proves sticky. That backdrop kept mega-cap leadership uneven and pushed investors back toward earnings quality rather than high-multiple stories.
On the corporate front, Walmart slid after issuing a cautious profit outlook, pressuring retail and consumer-adjacent names. Occidental Petroleum jumped after pairing its update with a tighter spending plan and shareholder-friendly actions, including lower-than-expected 2026 CapEx guidance and a dividend increase, with higher oil prices adding a tailwind. Several post-earnings movers cut the other way, including Carvana and Wayfair, as investors focused on profitability and margin durability. Featured: Sell these "safe" blue chips immediately (Ad) 
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Industrials | |
The drone industry’s latest rally has been fueled by a familiar cocktail: geopolitical urgency, rapid AI adoption, and an accelerating shift toward automation.
In a recent MarketBeat conversation, CEO Cameron Chell laid out why Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) believes the next chapter for d... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Porter Stansberry nearly canceled the entire project. When he first saw the claimed returns - only one down year in nearly two decades and total gains of almost 2,000% - his immediate reaction was disbelief.
It took a trusted friend's personal vouching for Emmet Savage and a face-to-face trip to Ireland to change his mind. The full documentary, Investigating Project Prophet, is now live. | | Watch the full story and see the verified track record for yourself |
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Consumer Discretionary | |
Let’s not bury the lead. Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG) announced a 25-for-1 stock split effective April 2. Stock splits don’t change the intrinsic value of a company. However, BKNG stock trades for over $3,900 per share. That’s a lot of friction for retail investors. The... Read the Full Story |
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Consumer Discretionary | |
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) once again finds itself balanced on a knife-edge, but the backdrop feels different this time. The headlines have turned cautious, delivery data looks soft, and critics argue that the electric vehicle growth story is losing momentum.
However, at the same time, there is a... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Moderna's stock doubled in a single day after its cancer vaccine hit key Phase 3 goals, and Merck jumped too. But according to a former Steve Cohen fund manager, the next big opportunity is not Moderna or Merck.
It is a different kind of company tied to a technology already backed by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, and Peter Thiel. Nvidia's Jensen Huang says it will have a dramatic impact on daily life, while Anthropic's CEO believes it could unlock a century of medical progress in just ten years.
Nature Magazine estimates its potential value at $367 trillion globally, and it is already rolling out across the United States. | | Click here to learn about this new era of medical technology |
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Consumer Staples | |
Investors waiting for Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) shares to pull back into an entry point have been rewarded for their patience. The stock price peaked ahead of the Q4 2026 earnings report and has since begun to decline. The technical indicators are clear: this stock is in an uptrend but could pull back... Read the Full Story |
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Consumer Discretionary | |
History has a way of rhyming on Wall Street. When General Electric dismantled its conglomerate structure to form independent aerospace and energy companies, the market eventually cheered, unlocking billions in shareholder value by allowing each specific business to trade at its proper valuation. O... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Gold is hitting record highs, but most investors are leaving income on the table. A $15 fund is quietly paying out up to $1,152 a month to regular investors - no mining stocks, no options, no physical metal required.
Chief Income Strategist Tim Plaehn calls it a breakthrough strategy that transforms gold's rally into reliable monthly payouts. The next distribution is just days away. | | Discover the gold income fund before the next payout date |
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Technology | |
The artificial intelligence (AI) trade has evolved from a speculative gold rush into a heavily industrialized arms race. On Feb. 17, 2026, two of the market’s most dominant forces, NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), announced an expansion of their partnership.
This new... Read the Full Story |
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Real Estate | |
Real Estate Investment Trusts—or REITs—were left for dead in 2025. After two straight years of underperformance, the group became one of the market’s most widely avoided corners—largely because rising interest rates are kryptonite for a sector built on leverage and access t... Read the Full Story |
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Industrials | |
Aerospace and defense company Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) is just a week away from its fourth quarter earnings report, scheduled for Feb. 26 after the market closes. The stakes are high.
Not only will investors be looking for updated timelines and forward guidance, but the stock has also pulled bac... Read the Full Story |
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Healthcare | |
CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ: CRSP) stock is up more than 12% after the gene editing pioneer reported its Q4 2025 earnings on Feb. 13. At first glance, that may seem contradictory.
The company posted a larger net loss than forecast, and revenue came in at a fraction of expectations.
But CRIS... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
The world’s most valuable company just made some headline-grabbing news. Semiconductor giant NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) has released its latest 13F SEC filing, detailing the investments the company made and sold during Q4 2025. As the firm leading the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure... Read the Full Story |
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Friday's Early Bird Stock Of The Day Hecla Mining Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides precious and base metal properties in the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and China. The company mines for silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates, as well as carbon material containing silver and gold for custom smelters, metal traders, and third-party processors; and doré containing silver and gold. It flagship project is the Greens Creek mine located on Admiralty Island in southeast Alaska. Hecla Mining Company was incorporated in 1891 and is headquartered in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. | | View Today's Stock Pick |
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