Good MorningThursday's session tested the ceasefire rally as oil climbed back above $100. The central tension shifted from relief to credibility: with Iran still controlling Strait of Hormuz transit and its Supreme Leader threatening retaliation, traders questioned whether the two-week truce can hold long enough to change the inflation picture. Software names resumed their slide even as the broader market held together.
The FOMC minutes from March landed with a hawkish edge, revealing that some officials see a case for rate increases if oil-driven inflation proves sticky. With core inflation still running well above the Fed's target, the minutes reinforced a higher-for-longer posture that gives rate-sensitive growth names little room to recover. Weekly jobless claims ticked higher but not enough to shift the conversation.
Meta firmed after expanding its CoreWeave AI cloud deal to $21 billion through 2032, reinforcing infrastructure spending as the one conviction trade left in tech. Delta beat expectations but warned of meaningful capacity cuts as fuel costs surged, setting the tone for airline earnings season. Palantir and the broader software sector sold off sharply on fresh AI-disruption fears. Traders are watching Friday's CPI print, the start of bank earnings, and weekend peace talks in Pakistan for signals on whether this ceasefire has legs. Featured: MindWalk Holdings Pushes AI Into Pharma Research (Ad) 
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Healthcare | |
The calendar says it’s spring, but investors can’t be blamed for feeling like it’s Groundhog Day: The economic issues impacting portfolios continue to persist this year. Just after a ceasefire between the United States and Iran was announced, providing an impactful market tailwin... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | In 1974, a quiet deal between Henry Kissinger and the Saudis reshaped America's monetary order overnight, with no announcement and no vote in Congress.
Decades later, the dollar had lost more than 84% of its purchasing power even as millionaire ranks surged into the millions.
Financial reporter Kimi Weintraub sits down to explore a new, largely unnoticed shift in America's monetary system, one tied to executive orders and a reported 13-nation agreement. | | Watch the full interview before the December 14 Miami summit |
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Consumer Discretionary | | The race to dominate the electric vehicle (EV) market has reached a pivotal moment. After years of unchecked optimism, the industry now confronts the realities of higher interest rates and more selective consumer demand, forcing automakers to adjust their game plans. In this demanding climate, simpl... Read the Full Story |
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Consumer Discretionary | |
Flutter Entertainment (NYSE: FLUT), a dominant force in online sports betting, has been one of the market's hardest-hit stocks over recent months.
Overall, shares of the consumer discretionary company are down over 50% in 2026, and have fallen more than 60% from their 52-week high.
The most notable... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Barrick Mining has spent decades building one of the world's great gold districts in Nevada, anchored by Fourmile, Goldrush, and Cortez Hills, a region that could hold as much as 60 million ounces of gold.
Bordering Fourmile and less than a mile from Goldrush sits a little-known explorer now moving from historical data toward active exploration, setting targets and preparing for a maiden drilling program.
With gold trading near record highs, this could be a pivotal stage for an overlooked name in the district. | | See why this overlooked gold explorer could be entering its most important stage |
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Industrials | |
Delta Air Lines' (NYSE: DAL) stock price surged on April 8 for two disparate reasons coincidentally occurring within a short 18-hour timespan. The first was Trump’s ceasefire deal with Iran. While sketchy, it promised at least a brief interlude in conflict, clearing the skies for travel stoc... Read the Full Story |
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Industrials | | Dividend growth stocks may be worth a closer look heading toward the midpoint of 2026, given extreme geopolitical turbulence and concerns about inflation or a recession that are sending skittish investors running from riskier plays. These companies may have a dual appeal for investors trying to bala... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | When Moonshot AI's new model rattled overnight markets, stocks gapped down 1 percent before the open, and history shows the story doesn't end there.
Between 9 30 and 9 50 AM, Wall Street settles nearly 25 percent of the day's total volume in a single 20 minute window, often revealing market direction for the rest of the morning.
A former money manager breaks down the floor data behind this pattern, including a June 25th session where inflation surged past 4 percent and the market moved just 0.3 percent afterward. | | Watch the full video breakdown before access is taken down |
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Technology | | Investors may not have heard much about Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LITE) in the mainstream financial press in 2025, but that’s going to change. LITE is up more than 1,500% in the last 12 months, and two newsworthy catalysts will make the company hard to ignore as part of the ongoing artificial ... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
In a market wrestling with indecision and reacting to every geopolitical headline, Strategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) has chosen to act with resounding clarity.
Strategy, a pioneer in weaving Bitcoin (BTC) into its corporate identity, has forcefully re-entered the market, acquiring an additional 4,871 bitcoin... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | |
With the price of crude oil futures rising to the highest level in years amid the Iran war, investors may be looking to strategically shift their allocations to take advantage of the spike. While commodities trading or individual oil stocks are appealing to more active investors, others may look f... Read the Full Story |
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Consumer Discretionary | |
Tech giant Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) has been one of the more frustrating large-cap stocks to own over the past year or so. Shares are currently trading around $220, the same level they were at in late 2024, meaning the stock has effectively gone nowhere during a period where the S&P 500 ... Read the Full Story |
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Communication Services | | A multi-billion-dollar wave of foreign capital is poised to reshape the American media landscape. Two of Hollywood's most iconic names, Paramount (NASDAQ: PSKY) and Warner Bros. (NASDAQ: WBD), are at the center of a monumental shift, backed by an unprecedented $24 billion equity commitment from Gulf... Read the Full Story |
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Friday's Early Bird Stock Of The Day Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol. The company produces California Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending and Conventional Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending gasolines, CARB diesel, diesel, jet fuel, heating oil, and asphalt; feedstocks; aromatics; sulfur and residual fuel oil; intermediate oils; and sulfur, sweet, and sour crude oils. It sells its refined products through wholesale rack and bulk markets; and through outlets under the Valero, Beacon, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, Ultramar, and Texaco brands. The company owns and operates renewable diesel and ethanol plants, as well as produces renewable diesel and naphtha under the Diamond Green Diesel brand name. In addition, it offers ethanol and various co-products, including dry distiller grains, syrup, and inedible distillers corn oil to animal feed customers. The company was formerly known as Valero Refining and Marketing Company and changed its name to Valero Energy Corporation in August 1997. Valero Energy Corporation was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. | Should I Buy Valero Energy Stock? VLO 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 Valero Energy was last updated on Monday, October 12, 2026 at 6:47 PM.
Valero Energy Bull Case -
Valero Energy Co. is positioned to report record third-quarter earnings as global fuel supply tightens due to conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, which are supporting significantly higher refining margins for the company.
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The stock is trading at a current price of $436.16, reflecting a strong upward trend where the company has recently hit new 52-week highs, driven by robust demand and favorable market conditions for oil refiners.
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Analysts have recently raised their earnings estimates for both the current quarter and the full fiscal year, leading Zacks Research to assign the company its highest Strong Buy rating, indicating high confidence in future profitability.
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Valero Energy Co. benefits from a heavy crude advantage and a strong balance sheet, which supports its premium valuation and allows it to maintain robust refining margins even as crude oil prices rise.
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The company's low beta of 0.59 suggests that its stock price is less volatile than the broader market, potentially offering a more stable investment profile compared to other energy sector peers.
Valero Energy Bear Case -
Jefferies Financial Group recently cut its price target for Valero Energy Co. from $401.00 to $394.00 and maintains a hold rating, suggesting that the current stock price may be overvalued relative to their expectations.
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The G7 has agreed to an emergency release of oil and diesel reserves to address record fuel prices, which could potentially reduce refining margins by increasing the supply of refined products in the market.
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Insider selling activity has been observed, with SVP Eric A Fisher selling shares in June 2026, which may indicate that company executives are taking advantage of the recent stock price surge to liquidate their holdings.
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Short interest in Valero Energy Co. remains significant, with approximately 9 million shares shorted as of September 2026, indicating that a portion of the market is betting against the stock's future performance.
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The company's dividend yield is relatively low at 1.11%, which may be less attractive to income-focused investors compared to other energy stocks that offer higher payouts.
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