Finance

Single-Family & Multifamily Rents in Face of an Onslaught of New Supply & Fading Population Growth

The gap between single-family rents and multifamily rents has widened massively. A look at 14 big markets.

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – The Two Faces of Starlink

Commercial technologies are increasingly finding themselves at the center of international security. Starlink began as an ambitious effort to provide global broadband internet, but its rapid integration into Ukraine's military operations transformed engineering decisions into questions of governance.

More Testosterone Won’t Make a Better Soldier or a Tougher Man – Aggression and Strength Drive T Levels, Not the Other Way Around

Pete Hegseth is almost predictably wrong. His beliefs about testosterone supplementation are par for the course.

Confidence Is Back, But Earnings Show the Consumer Is Being Picky

Q2 earnings from Domino's, Darden, Williams-Sonoma, Best Buy and Home Depot reveal uneven consumer spending, with affluent shoppers outpacing cautious middle- and lower-income buyers.

AeroVironment’s Stock Is Down, But Drone Demand Is Taking Off

AeroVironment secured a $117.3 million Army contract for P550 drones, yet shares are down over 40% year-to-date amid SCAR program uncertainty and analyst attention.

3M's Redemption Arc: Can Q2 Earnings Change the Narrative?

3M shares jumped 9% after a beat-and-raise quarter, with raised full-year guidance, strong China sales and dividend growth, though the stock now trades above its consensus price target.

3 Photonics Companies Making Quantum Tech Possible

Lumentum, IPG Photonics, and nLight have posted strong YTD gains and revenue growth as photonics demand rises for AI, with analysts largely bullish on further upside for all three stocks.

Links 7/21/2026

Iran War: Washington Post, Telegraph Confirm US Inability to Sustain War; Ansar Allah Closes Bab el-Mandeb Amid Reports of MBS Dethronement; Possibility of Nuclear Attack on Pickaxe Mountain

Today's Iran war news: As the US becomes weaker and Iran gets stronger, will the US resort to a nuclear bomb?

Industrial and Utility Giants Boost Dividends as Data Center Tailwinds Build

Cummins, Fastenal, and Duke Energy raised dividends amid data center-driven growth, with strong share performance in 2026 and varying payout ratio sustainability across the three companies.

The US Escalates Its Assault on Brazil’s Free-to-Use (for Citizens and Micro Businesses) Digital Payments System

"[F]ew things have provoked more outrage [in Brazil] than Trump’s attack on PIX, the country’s beloved instant-payment system."

2 ETFs to Access the World's Best-Performing Stock Markets In 2026

Taiwan and South Korea ETFs EWT and EWY have surged over 50% and 70% in 2026, fueled by AI-driven gains in TSMC, MediaTek, SK hynix, and Samsung amid the memory chip shortage.

IREN’s $2.8 Billion AI Contract Haul Changes the Stock’s Story

IREN stock jumped nearly 20% after $2.8 billion in new AI cloud contracts pushed 2026 revenue targets above $4 billion, accelerating its shift from Bitcoin mining to AI infrastructure.

Alphabet Is Planning a New AI Chip. Here's Why It Matters Ahead of Earnings

Alphabet is reportedly developing a new AI chip, Frozen v2, to boost Gemini efficiency amid a cloud capacity crunch, ahead of its Q2 earnings report on Wednesday, July 22.

Microsoft's AI Bet Could Rewrite AMD's Growth Story

Microsoft is deploying AMD's Helios Rackscale Solution across Azure data centers starting in late 2026, diversifying its chip supply and boosting AMD's multi-year data center revenue outlook.

Travelers Stock Surges 10% as Earnings Beat Reveals Underwriting Discipline

Travelers shares jumped about 10% after a Q2 2026 earnings beat, driven by investment income, AI-driven underwriting gains, reinsurance restructuring, and reserve releases rather than premium hikes.

Turkiye Is Poised To Open Up A New Containment Front Against Russia in the Black Sea

Turkiye committing to ensuring Ukraine’s maritime security poses a serious threat to Russia.

Buy, Hold, or Wait: 3 Small-Cap Stocks Telling Different Stories

As small-cap stocks rally in 2026, this analysis examines Boston Beer, Opera, and Lindblad Expeditions, weighing earnings trends, analyst price targets, and valuation to gauge each stock's outlook.

IBM Just Had Its Worst Day Ever—What Earnings Must Prove

IBM shares fell over 25% after a Q2 revenue and EPS miss, and its July 22 earnings call must address a sales pipeline inquiry, quantum computing progress, and dividend sustainability.

Oracle Is One Step From Junk—Can It Afford the AI Boom?

S&P cut Oracle's credit rating to BBB- on AI spending and OpenAI concentration risk, highlighting a widening financial gap versus Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon in funding AI buildouts.

Qualcomm Stock Slides 30%: Buying Opportunity Ahead of July 29 Earnings

Qualcomm shares have fallen over 30% since May despite a bullish Investor Day pivot toward data centers, with the July 29 earnings report seen as key to resolving the analyst divide.

Oh Dear, Condo Prices Fell by 15% to 33% in 30 Bigger Cities Already. Some Dropped Back to 2006 Levels

In another 39 bigger cities, condo prices fell by 8% to 14%. A massive hangover after a historic Condo Bubble.

Coffee Break: The Worst People on Earth Have Big Plans for Us All

There are a lot of very very bad, no good at all things happening in the world right now and a vanishingly small number of really really awful people behind an astonishing amount of the worst of it.

Europe’s Heatwave Is Becoming an Energy Crisis

The US escalation in its war against Iran couldn't come at a worse time for Europe.