Schwab Network

James Demmert says economies across the world are seeing interest rate hikes, not just the U.S. He believes the Fed remains firm on pulling inflation down to 2%, something he doesn't expect incoming inflation data to change. Despite inflation challenges, James makes the case for a fourth-quarter rally, bolstered by AI growth, to close out 2026. James sets a year-end target of 8,100 for the S&a...

"The gold trade could actually be a favorable one," says Kevin Green, who believes bulls can regain if the Fed hikes interest rates in Wednesday's meeting. While unusual, KG also can't take a "game time decision" off the table for the Fed due to Wednesday's retail sales print hitting the wire before its decision. It all comes amid a shaky macro picture with crude oi...

Jordan Rizzuto, CIO of GammaRoad Capital Partners, weighs in on the Fed's impending rate hike and persistent inflation, then shifts to Japan's monetary policy and the potential unwind of the yen carry trade. He highlights the appeal of hard assets like metals and mining for real returns, and offers a cynical perspective on OpenAI's delayed IPO and its implications for the broader AI ma...

More and more, Eli Lilly (LLY) is being seen as the winner in the GLP-1 race over Novo (NVO), with Berenberg backing that thesis in its upgrade on the stock. Diane King Hall explains what the analyst sees in the forward momentum to join the bull camp. She then turns to Oppenheimer's upgrade on Etsy Inc. (ETSY) and the post-earnings plunge in Dave & Buster's (PLAY). ======== Schwab Netw...

Essex Investment Management Co-CEO Nancy Prial projects an S&P 500 (SPX) valuation of $8,000 in the coming year, pointing to healthcare and defense spending as key catalysts for growth. She also highlights Willdan Group (WLDN), Hinge Health (HNGE), and CECO Environmental (CECO) as attractive investment opportunities. ======== Schwab Network ======== Empowering every investor and trader, every...

Wall Street is bracing for a more than 90% chance the Fed will raise interest rates Wednesday. Kevin Hincks discusses how he sees the market moving should the FOMC raise rates for September and gauges whether it will start a rate hiking cycle. As for the AI trade, Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang makes a pledge to President Trump that he won't allow an AI slowdown. Kevin also offers his insights...

Berenberg upgraded Eli Lilly (LLY) to buy from hold and boosted its price target to $1,400 from $1,220 as the healthcare giant extends its lead over Novo (NVO). Rick Ducat stacks the stock against its peers and shows how bulls can regain momentum in the stock following a slowdown in recent sessions. He turns to an example options trade for Eli Lilly. ======== Schwab Network ======== Empowering eve...

As the Fed begins its interest rate meeting, Brian Jacobsen believes we will get a rate hike even though he thinks the FOMC should hold. He adds that a hike will be more about "symbolism" instead of "substance" to show U.S. investors the Fed remains independent. Brian explains why he sees a hike adding more headwinds for U.S. consumers. In equities, he expects a greater market...

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) has some blemishes it needs to cover up in its stock chart, according to Ben Watson of Charles Schwab. He points to ugly points in the stock's trading action and highlights areas to watch now that earnings have passed. ======== Schwab Network ======== Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com...

Chris Sain, Jr. poses important questions to younger investors struggling to find their next steps in investing. He walks through his risk management experience and gauges ways investors can use riskier assets like AI stocks to accumulate while balancing those investments with defensive plays. "Always know what you're investing in," says Chris, urging everyone not to blindly follow s...

The market is still in the middle of a churn, says Kevin Green, who calls out the lasting volatility as crude oil prices swing and 10-year-Treaury yields linger around 5%. He discusses how the "rotational market" impacts investors and hidden strengths he sees in the dicey trading environment, including the communications sector. Stay mindful of the geopolitical risk, says KG, who highlig...

Comments from Anthropic and OpenAI executives sent stocks across the AI space tumbling on Monday's trading session. Cybersecurity was the antithesis of the trade as companies like CrowdStrike (CRWD), Palo Alto Networks (PANW), Okta Inc. (OKTA) and others rallied. Bank of America (BAC) shares sunk to a two-month low after the CEO projected flat quarterly revenue growth. Marley Kayden takes inve...

Oracle (ORCL) is a buy at current levels, says Jacob Shonenshine of Barron's. He believes the company is poised to become a higher quality, high growth stock as it builds out its AI infrastructure. Jacob points to the stock's forward P/E ratio of 16-times as another signal of quality. As to why Oracle isn't being bought by investors, Jacob points to other issues keeping shares in a tro...

For her Final Takeaways, Sam Vadas discusses the outperformance in ADRs focused on Chinese tech as U.S. AI stocks lose momentum over safety concerns. Marley Kayden sticks with international headlines and discusses a new agreement between Russia and Ukraine to pause energy strikes. ======== Schwab Network ======== Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minut...

Matt Barry explains how small-cap stocks demonstrated surprising strength in 2026 driven by robust fundamentals, offering diversification beyond mega-cap tech. He highlights opportunities in industrials, the advantage for active managers in this under-analyzed segment, and advises investors to consider a market-cap weight allocation to small caps for a diversified portfolio. ======== Schwab Networ...

Chris McMahon says the selling action in tech during Monday's session was "reasonable" following a strong run higher in a lot of names across the space. That said, he sees rallies ahead for Mag 7 names. In Apple (AAPL), Chris believes the company's suite of new tech products led by iPhone Duo adds muscle to the Big Tech giant's growth trajectory. He names Microsoft (MSFT) and...

Ben Watson breaks down the technicals for CrowdStrike (CRWD), noting that AI fears have fueled a cybersecurity rally and momentum indicators suggest further upside. He also offers insights into FreightCar America (RAIL), which has been hit hard by trade war fears, and explains why International Seaways (INSW) continues to defy gravity and move higher after paying a special dividend. ======== Schwa...

Neena Mishra unpacks the surprising outperformance of value ETFs over growth ETFs, revealing how many now hold significant allocations to tech giants like Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), and Microsoft (MSFT). She dissects the methodologies behind value indices like the iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) and the iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE), and advises investors to look beyond the AI tr...

Crude oil supply remains constrained, and Ellen Wald says any subsequent hits to Middle Eastern oil infrastructure, like what was seen over the weekend, adds to headwinds. She adds that Russian sanctions and Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries deepen the global supply impacts, nor will supply from Venezuela help long-term. Stewart Glickman explains the trickle effects to the U.S. economy a...

TJ Klein breaks down how Meta Platforms (META) navigates a complex regulatory landscape with its diversified advertising base and AI enhancements like the Spark AI model and Muse AI agent. He also weighs Snap's (SNAP) Snapchat Plus as a glimmer of hope, Reddit's (RDDT) data licensing growth, and Pinterest (PINS) using AI to improve the shopping experience for its retail-focused users. ====...

Matt Maley provides a timely analysis of Dave & Buster's (PLAY) ahead of its earnings report, highlighting the company's consistent underperformance and significant stock decline. He suggests low expectations could spark a short-term bounce, notes the higher margins in gaming versus food, and weighs the broader impact of consumer spending trends and a K-shaped economy on the entertainm...

Alphabet (GOOGL) is "a winner forever" in the tech space, argues LikeFolio's Andy Swan, making the case that the Mag 7 giant's expanding CapEx into data centers is long-term bullish for the company. While Alphabet is spending around $200 billion in 2026 for AI infrastructure, he argues its $500 billion backlog justifies the spending. He uses consumer data gathered by his firm to...

Suzanne Porske of Phoenix Financial Group views the current market downturn as a "flash sale" for quality investments, likening it to buying a discounted high-end handbag. She sees dips in Microsoft (MSFT) and Nvidia (NVDA) as buying opportunities, favors companies with proven earnings over fleeting trends, and expects the Fed to hold a steady course. ======== Schwab Network ======== Emp...

As some investors express concerns on AI safety following recent commentary from former and current executives at Anthropic and OpenAI, Joe Tigay weighs the risks and opportunities he sees in the tech trade. He likes Palantir (PLTR) due to its lasting leadership in software, Oracle (ORCL) after already building out lots of its AI infrastructure, and Palo Alto Networks (PANW) due to the growing nee...

SailPoint (SAIL) CEO Mark McClain discusses how his company serves in a "foot on the gas, foot on the brake" dynamic in AI's evolution as renewed safety fears emerge. He outlines SailPoint's earnings beat and how the company's growth reaffirms its positioning as AI agents start to outnumber humans. One of the biggest changes he sees in the cybersecurity space: how AI agents c...