Good MorningThursday's session closed risk-on but fractured, as Magnificent Seven earnings revived the central tension between AI spending ambition and near-term profitability. Breadth was unusually wide, with industrials, small caps, and healthcare all participating, capping the S&P 500's best month since late 2020. The split showed clearly in mega-cap positioning: Alphabet surged on blowout cloud results while Meta and Microsoft slid after both raised AI CapEx guidance sharply, leaving investors to weigh infrastructure commitment against margin durability.
The macro backdrop shifted modestly in the market's favor as oil reversed after days of Iran-driven gains, relieving pressure on energy-sensitive sectors and giving the Fed more room to hold. Jerome Powell's final press conference reinforced a patient posture, though three dissenting policymakers signaled hawkish discomfort, and Kevin Warsh's looming confirmation adds a new variable to the rate path heading into summer.
Caterpillar surged after Q1 revenue growth validated the industrial CapEx thesis. Alphabet's Google Cloud results reinforced hyperscaler AI demand. NVIDIA slid amid growing concern that Amazon and Alphabet are accelerating custom silicon programs, raising competitive overhang questions. Eli Lilly spiked after Mounjaro and Zepbound sales came in well above expectations. Traders are digesting Apple's results, with consumer demand signals and services margin guidance set to frame how the market enters May. Featured: What really happened in Beijing? (Ad) 
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Technology | |
Earnings reports are like progress reports in the sense that they require investors to digest facts and make educated guesses about the company’s future prospects. In the case of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), investors are more concerned with future risks than with solid results in the present.
... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | The Wall Street Journal is already raising the alarm about a potential market crash, and Weiss Ratings research points to the first half of 2026 as a particularly rough stretch for certain holdings.
Some of America's most popular stocks could take serious damage as a radical market shift plays out. Analysts at Weiss Ratings have identified five names you may want to remove from your portfolio before this unfolds.
If any of these are in your portfolio, now is the time to review your positions. | | See the 5 stocks to avoid |
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Construction | |
The drones are already in the field. They're flying into earthquake rubble, operating in contested airspace across active conflict zones, and patrolling sites where putting a human being would mean putting that person at risk. The technology driving them isn't a prototype—it's a deployed, battle-te... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
The market is mispricing MongoDB (NASDAQ: MDB), fixating on tepid near-term guidance and the slow acceleration of AI deployment rather than the long-term opportunity. MongoDB’s Atlas platform is a winner in real-world AI situations involving profitable scale.
The document-style architecture enable... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | As global defense spending accelerates, VisionWave Holdings (NASDAQ: VWAV) is developing a full-stack intelligence platform integrating AI analytics, RF sensing, autonomous systems, and high-performance computing for modern military and homeland security applications.
Recent milestones include a provisional patent for its xCalibre AI vision platform, an initial commercial homeland security order, and a strategic AI vision IP acquisition reportedly valued at approximately $60 million. The company is also preparing to unveil DeepWave RF at AOW Energy 2026 in September. | | Learn why VWAV may be worth watching in today's defense landscape |
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Consumer Discretionary | |
Hilton Worldwide Holdings (NYSE: HLT) reported its Q1 2026 results on April 28, delivering a quarter that largely met Wall Street expectations. Investors were looking for signs of demand resilience, and, by that standard, they weren’t disappointed.
The big question now is whether travel demand is s... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
Cybersecurity is big business, but the sector is under pressure in 2026, and the key reason is the real or imagined concern about the threat from artificial intelligence (AI). It’s well documented that AI will increase the threat landscape that companies have to deal with. It’s also clear that many... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Deutsche Bank just published a five-year gold price target of $8,000 per ounce by 2031 - roughly 80% above where gold trades today. Their model is based on a single question: if governments keep shifting reserves out of U.S. dollars and into gold at the current pace, where does the price land?
JPMorgan sees $6,000/oz by year-end. Goldman Sachs projects $5,400. UBS calls for $5,900 by late 2026. If your savings sit mostly in dollars, bonds, or a 401(k), Cedar Gold Group has put together a Free Wealth Protection Guide covering how retirees can position ahead of this move. | | Click here to get your free Wealth Protection Guide today |
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Consumer Staples | |
Mondelez International (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is up more than 5% after the company delivered strong first-quarter earnings.
The report came on a day when oil prices were moving higher, which was causing investors to seek out value stocks.
At 32x earnings, some investors would push back on the idea that M... Read the Full Story |
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Retail/Wholesale | |
Chipotle Mexican Grill’s (NYSE: CMG) stock price hit bottom in early 2026, confirmed it in Q2 following the Q1 earnings release, and is on track for an accelerating rebound.
Numerous factors, including store count growth and positive store comps, position the business to accelerate revenue growth,... Read the Full Story |
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Retail/Wholesale | |
Shares of tech giant Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) opened at a fresh all-time high on Thursday, 30 April, following their earnings report the previous night. It’s the latest leg in a strong rally that’s seen the stock gain more than 35% since the end of March. For investors who had grown frustrated... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
On a day where a plethora of Magnificent Seven companies reported earnings, it appears that Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) got the short end of the stick.
Along with Meta, Google parent company Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) reported earnings on Ap... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
Some quarters meet expectations, some beat them, and some reframe the entire narrative. Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Q1 2026 results, reported on April 29, fall firmly in the third category. The company just delivered its strongest revenue growth rate since 2022.
It absolutely crushed estimates acro... Read the Full Story |
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Friday's Early Bird Stock Of The Day Smithfield Foods, Inc. produces and markets a variety of fresh meat and packaged meats products both domestically and internationally. The Company operates in four segments: Pork, Hog Production, International and Corporate, each of which consists of a number of subsidiaries, joint ventures and other investments. The Pork segment consists mainly of its three wholly owned United States fresh pork and packaged meats subsidiaries: The Smithfield Packing Company, Inc. (Smithfield Packing), Farmland Foods, Inc. (Farmland Foods) and John Morrell Food Group (John Morrell). The Hog Production segment consists of the Company's hog production operations located in the United States. On September 2012 (fiscal 2013), the Company acquired a 70% controlling interest in American Skin Food Group, LLC. Effective September 26, 2013, Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd merged with Smithfield Foods Inc, a producer and wholesaler of pork meat products. | | View Today's Stock Pick |
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