Schwab Network

Kristina Hooper reviews the latest economic data and earnings. She notes that according to a recent survey, many CFOs are not seeing return on AI capex, which could signal a potential slowdown in adoption and spending. She thinks that’s behind Microsoft’s (MSFT) drop today. “A lot of her thesis” for markets rests on valuations, which are stretched in the U.S. Abroad, increased spending from the EU...

Ahead of Apple's (AAPL) earnings report after Thursday's close, Rick Ducat provides the latest chart patterns to pay attention to on the iPhone maker's stock performance. He looks at the "sideways" trends in exponential moving averages and examines the 5% pullback in Apple shares so far in 2026. Later, Tom White maps out an example options strategy for Apple, utilizing a call...

Noah Yosif analyzes the latest jobless claims data that shows a slightly higher number that Street expectations and continues his belief that the U.S. is maintaining a "low-fire, low-hire" environment. "If you're fortunate enough to have a job, you're probably fortunate enough to keep that job," he adds. Noah adds the impact of potential rate cuts on employer's bott...

Ivan Feinseth takes investors aboard the latest Royal Caribbean (RCL) earnings ride. While he notes the mostly in-line earnings, Ivan says the per-passenger revenue figures going up alongside a continuing demand for travel experiences will keep the overall cruise space chugging along. Ivan also adds the rise of online booking for Royal Caribbean for both short-term and long-term travelers. He addr...

"VIX up, equities up" is something to keep on the radar today, says Kevin Green. He dives into the premarket trading activity to highlight several indicators on his watch list. Meanwhile, he dives into the earnings reports for a pair of Mag 7 names going in different directions to start the day. To the upside, Meta Platforms (META) after its massive capex spending guidance. And, to the d...

Kevin Green and Alex Coffey join Marley Kayden and Sam Vadas for an in-depth earnings breakdown from some of the biggest names on the Street. It was a mixed message from Microsoft (MSFT) as KG goes under the hood on the company's cloud business. Meanwhile, Meta Platforms (META) guided for capex spending in the year ahead between $115B-$135B which caught the attention of investors in the after-...

As investors digest the first serving of Mag 7 earnings, Marley Kayden and Sam Vadas offer their final takeaways from Wednesday's trading session. Among the highlights: gold's shimmering record rally, memory chips refusing to slow their momentum, and general resilience fueling it all on Wall Street and beyond. ======== Schwab Network ======== Empowering every investor and trader, every mar...

Littelfuse (LFUS) is what George Tsilis calls a "classic" overlooked stock that plays into many aspects of the tech trade investors normally ignore. The company's earnings and guidance helped push shares to a four-year high. Beyond financials, George points to an acquisition helping give the company a boost elsewhere. ======== Schwab Network ======== Empowering every investor and tra...

Jan Goetgeluk, founder and CEO of Virtuix (VTIX), discusses the company’s IPO and its “omnidirectional” treadmills and VR products. He explains why it was time to IPO, including giving it access to public capital to help scale their products. Virtuix’s system enables physical movement in AI-generated environments, allowing users to walk through video games. Their segments include video gaming alon...

Minutes before Meta Platforms (META) released their quarterly earnings, Rick Ducat turns to headlines surrounding the social media conglomerate and price action compared to other Mag 7 peers. As for key levels to watch, he shows converging short and long-term trends pointing to a make or break point for shares. As for the options front, Rick notes in-line activity compared to usual trading. ======...

After the FOMC voted to keep interest rates unchanged in January, Christian Salomone says the potential for another rate cut hinges on the labor market taking a stark downturn. That said, recent economic data and comments made by Fed Chair Jerome Powell offer reprieve. Beyond geopolitical tensions, Christian adds that the softening of the U.S. dollar is another macro factor to watch moving forward...

Art Hogan thinks the data isn’t clear enough for the Fed to move rates, especially when it comes to the job market. With several megacaps reporting this week, he thinks we can “depend on earnings growth,” noting that some hyperscaler multiples have come down while the market has continued to move higher. We’re in a “much healthier place,” especially with small caps seeing a boost. ======== Schwab...

Kevin Hincks reports from the floor of the Cboe Global Markets to talk about the Fed's 10-2 vote which kept interest rates unchanged for January. While the decision was widely expected, Kevin says the press conference with Jerome Powell "is one you'll want to watch" as it could offer a clearer economic picture and outlook for rate cuts. He later turns to the Fed's leadership...

Daniel Rubino with Windows Central offers his perspective on the first half of Mag 7 companies reporting earnings this week. For Microsoft (MSFT), he believes the enterprise tech firm remains in a "great position" due to its Azure cloud platform and multi-modal AI approach. As for Apple (AAPL), Daniel sees why the company took a step back from AI but remains on the sidelines when it come...

John Lonski reacts to the FOMC decision to leave rates unchanged and the language of the press release. He notes that tax cuts will be a fiscal stimulus this year that the Fed may want to watch shake out before moving rates. Inflation risks “have not gone away,” he argues, noting moves in the metals market backing his thesis. In fact, he thinks it may be difficult for the Fed to cut at all this ye...

More investors will look into Meta Platforms (META) expenses rather than revenue in earnings, says LikeFolio's Landon Swan. However, he argues the Mag 7 company's revenue can't be ignored. Landon sees Meta leveraging technologies amid the AI arms race for its social media platforms even with debt expected to increase. Additionally, Instagram and Meta Ads continue to gain traction from...

Phil Kafarakis and Dan Ahrens break down Starbucks (SBUX) earnings. Phil says, “this is what Brian Niccol was supposed to do” as the company seems to be turning the ship around. “He’s making big investments that are paying off inside his store,” Phil adds. Dan is still not holding SBUX, citing margins. He is “unsurprised” by the earnings miss and notes that this is the first quarter they are offer...

Steve Cunningham, the new CEO of Enova (ENVA), lays out what to expect in 2026. “We don’t have a need for hard lefts or hard rights on our strategy,” he says, because Enova has been doing well with its current operations. Enova is a fintech company that offers online financial services, including the payday lender CashNetUSA and NetCredit, which offers personal loans and lines of credit. Steve not...

It's not the Fed TheoTrade's Don Kaufman is watching, it's Mag 7 earnings. With companies worth $10 trillion in market cap reporting Wednesday and Thursday, he warns investors to stay nimble. As for his Big 3, Don offers bearish example options trades for the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) and Goldman Sachs (GS) while offering a bullish trade for Netflix (NFLX). Rick Ducat dives into...

“I’m encouraged” around markets, says Jim Iuorio, but we’re not “out of the woods yet.” There’s “serious” risk around Japan’s bond market, including if it was forced to liquidate U.S. Treasuries. It would hit the U.S. bond market first, and then equities, he explains. However, it’s “amazing” how Japan has managed to keep trucking even with so many threats to their market and economy. Turning to me...

Melissa Otto says the path ahead for Meta Platforms (META) needs to be about using AI to keep users on its apps for longer. In addition to that, she explains why ROI will be critical for investors as Meta juggles justifying CapEx spending with future growth. Tom White offers an example options trade for the social media giant. ======== Schwab Network ======== Empowering every investor and trader,...

Ahead of Microsoft's (MSFT) earnings after Wednesday's close, Marley Kayden takes investors through the most important metrics to watch in the report. Among them: Azure cloud, which analysts label as a key growth factor. Also mind CapEx spending and margins, both of which can play a factor in Microsoft's growth picture. Charles Moon with Prosper Trading Academy offers an example option...

David Busch expects the Fed to pause rate cuts today and take a “wait and see” approach from here. Turning to Mag 7 earnings with Meta Platforms (META) and Tesla (TSLA) after the bell, he sees headline risk. Overall, he’s taking a barbell approach to his portfolio, looking at the big tech trade as well as small and mid caps, the latter of which he thinks will benefit on multiple fronts. ======== S...

Charles Schwab's Nathan Peterson points to an "unwind" in in the NDX and RUT as a signal that investors are becoming more selective in technology stocks. It adds question marks ahead of Wednesday's Mag 7 earnings, which Nate believes hold many questions themselves when it comes to the future of CapEx spending, AI buildout, and software. On the macro front, Mike Townsend highlight...

Equities up, volatility up is the name of the trading day according to Kevin Green. He explains why he's cautious on the move higher and how Big Tech needs to continue a winning streak to cement confidence in the rally. KG turns to Seagate's (STX) eye-watering rally and the gamma squeeze he sees on the stock. Also moving a lot to start the session: silver and gold, which showed substantial...