The past week has seen a big shift in investor sentiment following the latest Fed meeting and inflation fears. While some sectors like tech have performed relatively better, one market has been in a strong uptrend for the past few months. And, from a seasonal perspective, it’s also an area that will likely have its strongest demand over the next few weeks, until downshifting in the fall. That sector is the energy space, particularly oil. Prices of crude are at two-year highs, thanks to supply constraints put in place during the pandemic and a strong return of demand. Some traders are...

Tech stocks started moving higher overall last week as inflation expectations dropped following the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes. In the tech space, software companies offer excellent returns overall, as they require little (if any) physical production. That keeps profit margins high. For corporate software, the trends are steady even as work trends oscillate between being remote or in office. One such winner?Adobe (ADBE). The creative software company just trounced its earnings late last week, announcing a 23 percent rise in revenue. And earnings came in over $3 per share ...

Of the many companies that have attracted the interest of retail investors the past year, many are small or mid-cap companies, worth a few billion at most. One of the larger plays is also one that has recently gone public in the past year. That company isPalantir Technologies (PLTR). The company is in the business of “big data,” processing seemingly unrelated bits of information to arrive at conclusions. A big contractor with governments, the company helped locate Osama bin Laden, among other publicly-disclosed tasks. But big data is also becoming important for many of today’s tech a...

One lingering effect of the pandemic has been weak guidance from companies when reporting earnings. Many are still deferring from making forward-looking statements at all, and the market prefers to hear a rosy picture. Without it, a company may even sell off when it reports solid earnings. Case in point?Oracle (ORCL). The tech giant saw triple-digit growth in its cloud infrastructure business, yet provided weak guidance, leading to a drop in shares. Even with a post-earnings drop, shares are still beating the stock market. And with 32 percent profit margins, it’s a sign that tech is ...

The past few weeks have seen a resurgence in trades popular with retail, rather than professional, investors. Some of these companies have some good stories behind them, and others have a good story and a good company behind them. Case in point?Wendy’s (WEN). The hamburger chain has become a favorite play on messaging boards. And with an astute social media presence, as well as a new app and loyalty program, it’s making burgers feel high-tech. The popularity hasn’t been lost on analysts. Or the company’s fundamentals. While shares are up less than 10 percent over the past tear, earni...

Video games remain a popular and growing part of the entertainment industry. From small indie studious to giants in the space, the E3 conference, held virtually this year, showed off some of the top developments in the space. Many companies had some announcements regarding the latest games and technologies behind them. Some are even trying to shake up how consumers value their companies compared to competitors. Case in point?Microsoft (MSFT). The software giant’s latest X-box lineup is just a smaller part of its growing entertainment industry. It purchased game maker ZeniMax for $7.5...

While most companies have beaten earnings expectations so far this year, a murky outlook or a warning about the costs of inflation have often prevented shares of a company from moving higher. One company just made such a warning. Despite some shortages in key areas, however, it’s shown a strong 32 percent revenue growth, and came out with strong guidance. Yet shares sold off anyway. That company isChewy (CHWY). Shares peaked in mid-February and are down nearly one-third since then, despite some strong earnings numbers. But shares have started to rise in recent sessions, and may shake...

Few companies can claim a title to being able to provide investors with a view of the global economy. Global shipping companies are such companies. They can tell when volume is up or down, determine the impact of changing fuel costs, and other measures. WithUnited Parcel Service (UPS) looking to rebrand, the company is also looking at substantial growth as the global economy continues to recover. The company’s latest revenue estimates are for nearly $102 billion by the end of 2023. That’s the good news. The bad news? Company margins are being squeezed, as higher input costs are lower...

The past few years has held the promise of untold riches from a powerful tech trend named 5G. Simply the latest cell network, 5G enables faster processing and download speeds, and a greater network capacity given the rising number of pieces of tech connected to the internet. While there have been some winners and losers in the space over the past few years, it’s taken a backseat to other tech trends. But that may be changing. Top 5G playQualcomm (QCOM) is a leader in wireless technology. It’s one of the best players as its products end up in nearly every 5G networked device, regardle...

While some tech CEOs have warned that a shortage of semiconductors could continue to impact a number of industries through the end of 2022, many companies in the space are seeing favorable business conditions as a result. That’s been seen in recent company announcements in the sector and is now even starting to percolate into company earnings. The latest firm?Marvell Technology (MRVL), which reported a solid quarter and issued strong guidance for the second quarter. The company topped $1 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time in its history, far exceeding analyst expectation...