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News of the day for Aug. 11, 2026

Stock futures are pointing slightly higher after a sluggish start to the week, as investors await the release of several AI-related earnings reports after the closing bell; oil prices are wavering as hopes of an Iran deal have faded; Intel raised its stock offering to $20 billion from $15 billion; shares of Riot Platforms are soaring after the crypto miner-turned cloud computing firm inked a big deal with Anthropic; and it’s a busy day of earnings. Here’s what you need to know today.

Stock futures are pointing to modest gains for major indexes this morning. Futures tied to the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the benchmark S&P 500 were recently up 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 0.1%. Each of the major indexes posted a small loss in Monday’s session, halting the momentum that spurred stocks to their biggest gains in months last week. WTI crude oil futures were little-changed at $82 per barrel, after jumping to above $84 earlier, as optimism over a potential Iran deal has faded (more on that below). Gold futures were up 0.6% at $4,445 an ounce, trading at their highest level since early June, while bitcoin was holding steady at $64,400. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which affects interest rates on loans, was unchanged from yesterday’s close at 4.71%, not far from its highest levels since early 2025.

President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent each said last week that a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was imminent, but a deal never materialized, and Iran over the weekend issued a list of demands including an end to the U.S. blockade of its ports, sanctions against the country, and the unfreezing of its assets. Trump on Monday hinted at leveling more sanctions against Iran or the countries that buy its oil, and said the U.S. is also requesting reparation payments from Iran for the deaths of U.S. soldiers over the last several decades after Iran included reparations in its list of demands. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, briefly topped $90 per barrel today for the first time since late July, but backed down from those highs to trade at just below $88 recently.

Intel (INTC) has boosted the size of the stock sale it announced yesterday to $20 billion from $15 billion. The company said early this morning that it is pricing the offering of roughly 210.53 million shares at $95 per share, about 2.5% below yesterday’s closing price of $97.52. The company said it will generate proceeds of $19.7 billion, and will use the funds for “general corporate purposes” including capital expenditures. Intel and other chipmakers have been spending big on manufacturing capacity to meet the demand created for hardware used to run AI products. After slumping 4% on the news of the offering yesterday, Intel shares were down another 1% ahead of the opening bell Tuesday.

Shares of Riot Platforms (RIOT) are soaring this morning after the company topped revenue estimates, and announced a major new deal with a big-name AI firm. Riot, one of several cryptocurrency mining companies pivoting to cloud computing to capitalize on AI demand, said its earnings press release late Monday that it has secured a $9.1 billion, 20-year deal to supply 191 megawatts of computing power to “one of the world’s leading frontier AI labs.” Bloomberg reported late last night that the leading lab is Anthropic. The compute will come from Riot’s Rockdale, Texas facility, and be brought online in phases by December 2027 and June 2028. Meanwhile, Riot’s $174.24 million in second-quarter sales beat Wall Street estimates, while its net loss of 68 cents per share was bigger than expected. Riot shares were up 14% in recent premarket trading.

The quarterly earnings season rolls along with a number of companies tied to the AI trade reporting this afternoon. After the closing bell today, investors are slated to get reports from hardware makers Super Micro Computer (SMCI) and Lumentum (LITE), and cloud computing company CoreWeave (CRWV), among others. The companies are largely expected to report another quarter of solid sales growth thanks to continued AI demand. Among earnings releases this morning, Swiss sneaker maker On Holding’s (ONON) reported lower-than-expected second-quarter sales and trimmed its full-year forecast. On shares were down 16% recently, trading near their lowest levels of the year.

• The unemployment rate has been at 4.5% or less for more than four years, the longest stretch in history and breaking a record set in 1970.
• The jobless rate is falling because people are leaving the workforce, not because employers are accelerating job creation.
• The low unemployment rate could give the Federal Reserve breathing room to hike interest rates to curtail high inflation.

The job market isn’t exactly roaring these days, but by one important measure, it’s the best it’s ever been in history.

The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% from 4.2% in July, hitting its lowest in more than a year. That marked the 57th month the key statistic has been 4.5% or less, breaking a record set in 1970.

The rate has remained low despite the fact that job creation has faltered since 2025. In the last year, employers have pulled back on hiring amid uncertainty about tariffs, the war in Iran, and the adoption of AI technology.

It’s only because fewer people are looking for work that unemployment hasn’t risen. And the public is largely pessimistic about how easy it is to find a job, according to the Conference Board’s consumer confidence survey.

Still, the unemployment rate is an important measure of the economy’s health, and the persistently low rate suggests that widespread joblessness is not among the economy’s challenges, at least for the time being.

Low unemployment also leaves the Federal Reserve free to focus on the inflation half of its dual mandate to keep consumer price increases stable and employment high.

Financial markets see no possibility the Fed will be forced to cut interest rates to boost the labor market this year, and are pricing in a nearly 80% chance the Fed will raise the fed funds rate by at least a quarter-point before the end of the year to push down inflation instead, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, which forecasts rate movements based on fed funds futures trading data.

“From the Fed’s perspective, the labor market is at full employment and the economy cannot create jobs from people who are not here,” John Ryding, chief economic advisor at Brean Capital, wrote in a commentary. “This report is not a sign of economic weakness from a demand perspective but a shortage of workers from a supply perspective.”

• Super Micro Computer is due to report earnings Tuesday afternoon, with the server maker’s stock seen moving up to 12% in either direction by the end of the week.
• The company warned last month that revenue for the quarter could be closer to the low end of its previous forecast range.

Super Micro Computer is scheduled to report earnings after the closing bell Tuesday, with traders anticipating a big move in the AI server maker’s stock.

Shares of Super Micro Computer (SMCI) are seen swinging up to 12% in either direction by the end of the week, based on recent options pricing. A move of that size from Monday’s close could lift the stock as high as $35, recovering some of its recent losses. The low end of that range could see shares slip as low as $27.

Supermicro shares are up 7% since the start of the year, but nearly 40% off their June highs after concerns around the company’s $7 billion fundraising effort to boost production capacity sent the stock tumbling.

Supermicro’s recent fundraising effort rattled confidence in the shares, which have been rocked by a series of scandals in recent years.

In a preliminary business update last month, Supermicro warned revenue for the quarter could be closer to the low end of its previously forecast range of $11 billion to $12.5 billion, though new orders in the period exceeded $60 billion, suggesting a record backlog.

Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha are looking for Supermicro to report $11.55 billion in revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter, doubling year-over-year, along with adjusted earnings of 94 cents, up from 41 cents a year ago.

Analysts at Citi and Wedbush wrote recently that they still expect Nvidia (NVDA) partner Supermicro to benefit from AI-driven tailwinds, though neither recommended buying the stock. Just one of the five analysts tracked by Visible Alpha have a “buy” rating on the shares, compared to two neutral and two “sell” ratings. Their mean target close to $34 would suggest around 7% upside from Monday’s close.

• Intel shares fell after the company announced a $15 billion stock sale to fund AI-related growth.
• Despite today’s retreat, Intel’s stock has surged over 160% in 2026, driven by booming demand for AI semiconductors.

Intel shares fell Monday after the chipmaker announced plans to issue $15 billion of stock to meet booming demand for AI-enabling semiconductors. 

“Customers continue to signal a strong and sustainable demand environment, driven by unprecedented investment in AI compute,” the company said in a regulatory filing announcing the sale. Intel intends to use proceeds from the sale for general corporate purposes, which may include capital expenditures to pursue growth opportunities including “physical AI, purpose-built silicon, advanced packaging and external wafers.”

Intel’s (INTC) stock finished Monday down more than 4%. It remains up more than 160% in 2026.

Tech companies are spending hundreds of billions annually on AI infrastructure, primarily the graphics processing units (GPUs) designed by Nvidia (NVDA), but also competing offerings from the likes of Broadcom (AVGO) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Intel last month posted its fastest revenue growth in 15 years amid booming demand for AI computing power. 

Insatiable demand for processors has boosted sales and profits at chipmakers and led them to increase their investments in manufacturing capacity. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM), the world’s largest chipmaker, last month raised its full-year capital expenditure forecast to between $60 billion and $64 billion after reporting record quarterly revenue. Intel, the only U.S.-domiciled chipmaker with a significant manufacturing footprint, also raised its capex guidance.

Intel was one of the best-performing stocks in the S&P 500 in the first half of 2026. Shares rose as much as 280% as investors saw demand for non-GPU AI chips pick up. The stock also got a boost from buzz about potential chip manufacturing deals with tech giants like Apple (AAPL) and the Trump administration’s financial support for America’s leading chipmaker. Intel, like other chip stocks, has cooled off in the past month.

• Cybersecurity stocks surged Monday, amid broader market declines.
• Analysts highlighted AI innovation as a key driver of growth in the cybersecurity sector.
• Monday’s gains extend what’s been a strong stretch for many cybersecurity stocks in recent months.

Cybersecurity stocks were a bright spot in Monday’s trading at a time when broader markets declined.

Palo Alto Networks (PANW) and CrowdStrike (CRWD) were among the biggest gainers in the S&P 500 Monday. Their shares jumped 6% and 5%, respectively, to set closing records. Fortinet (FTNT), Cloudflare (NET) and SentinelOne (S) also climbed.

Analysts from Deutsche Bank said in a note to clients Monday that they came away from a cybersecurity industry event last week more bullish on the sector, pointing to the “pace and scale of AI innovation across the industry.” They called Palo Alto Networks their “top pick,” citing its “role in defining the market.”

In a report Friday, Citrini Research also highlighted Palo Alto Networks as a likely beneficiary of growing AI adoption and risks, along with Cloudflare and Fortinet, among others. The increase in interest in cybersecurity stocks comes as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta Platforms (META) have all said in recent weeks that their models hacked into outside companies during internal testing, raising cybersecurity concerns. 

Monday’s gains extend what’s been a strong stretch for many cybersecurity stocks. CrowdStrike shares have nearly doubled in value this year, while Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet shares have more than doubled year-to-date. SentinelOne shares are up close to 50%.

• GameStop is reportedly reconsidering its $56 billion bid to acquire eBay.
• The video game retailer could propose a partnership with eBay instead.
• Shares of GameStop are down 5% this year, while eBay shares have gained nearly 25%.

GameStop could be pulling back from its attempt to merge with eBay. 

Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, on Monday reported that video-game retailer GameStop (GME) “is considering withdrawing” its bid for online auction company eBay (EBAY). GameStop had launched a cash-and-stock bid valued at about $56 billion, which eBay declined, earlier this year. 

Neither company responded to Investopedia’s request for comment in time for publication. Shares of eBay were recently down 3%, while GameStop’s slipped about 1%. 

Bloomberg’s report also said GameStop was “considering proposing a partnership or joint venture that would enable eBay to leverage GameStop’s roughly 1,600 US retail locations.”

GameStop’s shares are off roughly 5% this year, while eBay’s are up nearly 25%. You can read Investopedia’s full coverage of today’s trading here.

• The S&P 500 is on track to post its fastest quarter of earnings growth since 2021, with profits surpassing estimates across the economy.
• Analysts predicted earnings growth would support the stock market in the second half of the year, and recent strength has helped bolster that conviction and offset uncertainty about inflation, interest rates, and geopolitics.

The broadening earnings growth that has eluded investors for years may have finally arrived.

The S&P 500 is on track to report earnings growth of more than 50% last quarter, the index’s fastest growth rate in five years, according to data from FactSet Research. Profit growth has surpassed Wall Street’s already high expectations: Nearly 90% of S&P 500 companies have reported better-than-expected earnings, also the highest rate in five years. In aggregate, the index has reported profits 29% above estimates, more than four times the five-year average and its biggest earnings beat since FactSet began tracking the metric in 2008. 

Robust earnings growth has helped the stock market march to record highs. Strong results from Palantir (PLTR) and Caterpillar (CAT) last week sparked an AI rally spanning semiconductor, software, and industrial stocks. Healthcare stocks rallied after Eli Lilly’s (LLY) earnings topped expectations. 

Analysts predicted that profit growth would need to offset stock market headwinds from tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty about the profitability of artificial intelligence expenditures. The earnings season’s better-than-expected results helped stocks recapture record highs last week despite volatility in the momentum stocks that fueled gains earlier in the year.

Booming demand for data center equipment is driving explosive growth for chipmakers and memory suppliers—and doing some heavy lifting in earnings reports. The technology sector, which accounted for 60% of S&P 500 earnings in 2025, is on track to report 70% growth, the fourth-highest of all sectors, and the second-highest if one accounts for the boost the communications and consumer discretionary sectors got from rapidly appreciating investments in a few AI companies.

Communications giant Alphabet (GOOG) and consumer discretionary juggernaut Amazon (AMZN) booked a cumulative $150 billion in unrealized investment gains last quarter, helping their paper profits blow past expectations and boost the index’s growth rate. Subtract those two companies and their respective sectors are growing slower than tech, and the S&P 500’s cumulative growth drops from 50% to 32%.

Still, 32% growth is nothing to sneeze at, and it’s been supported by broad-based strength. Eight of 11 sectors are on track to post double-digit growth. Only one—healthcare—is reporting a year-over-year drop in earnings, and it’s beating estimates. The median company in the Russell 3000, which accounts for about 98% of the U.S. stock market, grew earnings 15% last quarter, its fastest pace since 2021.

Even outside the U.S., which has consistently outgrown the rest of the world in recent years, the story is similar. European companies are on track to report their best quarter in more than three years, according to UBS. The firm estimates that spending on advanced chips and other technology could drive 72% earnings growth in Asia (excluding Japan) this year.

Corporate America’s healthy profits are bolstering Wall Street’s confidence in the stock market, helping to offset geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty. “The fundamentals appear to look overall positive for stocks notwithstanding plenty of noise,” wrote John Stoltzfus, chief investment officer at Oppenheimer, on Monday in a note advising investors to “stay the course.” Capital Group analysts last week argued “a broadening earnings landscape is providing investors an opportunity to hunt beyond AI,” a market niche that’s seen increased volatility in recent weeks. They recommend considering the healthcare, commodities, industrials, and consumer staples sectors to capture upside from economic growth. 

Earnings have even eased some AI jitters, notably in the software space. “Software is back,” Jefferies wrote on Sunday. “Solid beats, healthy margins,” and early evidence of AI monetization, “are shaving off fears of complete AI disruption,” wrote Brent Thill, head of software research at Jefferies, on Sunday. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) rose more than 8% last week, and was up more than 2% on Monday. 

• Apple stock fell after analysts downgraded it, citing concerns about iPhone plans.
• Analysts believe Apple canceled plans for an all-glass iPhone, which could have driven higher prices.

Apple could be changing its iPhone lineup plans, according to Wall Street analysts, which could push back future price increases.

Jefferies analysts on Monday downgraded Apple (AAPL) stock to “underperform,” trimming their price target to $264 from $286, citing concerns that their supply checks indicate that an all-glass iPhone has been canceled. The analysts said they view the development as a “major setback to efforts to bring in higher-priced iPhones amid soaring memory costs.”

Apple shares were down 2% in recent trading to about $307, extending the iPhone maker’s recent pullback after last month’s record rally saw Apple briefly surpass Nvidia (NVDA) as the world’s most valuable company. Shares have trended lower after Apple reported earnings that topped estimates, but its revenue forecast disappointed.

Jefferies said Apple had been planning to release an all-glass iPhone for the 20th anniversary of the first iPhone next September, with an average selling price of more than $2,000. They said the glass design could have been extended to future iPhone Pro and Pro Max models, boosting Apple’s sales and potentially providing an offset to soaring memory prices. Apple did not respond to Investopedia’s request for comment in time for publication.

Now, the analysts said, Apple could be forced to rely on the foldable iPhone that is expected to be announced at next month’s launch event to drive price increases, while cautioning that its high price tag could limit the foldable phone to a “niche product.”

The new rating puts Jefferies analysts in line with two others tracked by Visible Alpha, while the remaining four that cover Apple have called it a “buy.” Their mean price target of $330 would suggest about 8% upside to Monday’s levels.

• Berkshire Hathaway’s cash reserves dropped in the second quarter, as new CEO Greg Abel made some big moves.
• Monday’s rise extends the stock’s recent winning streak, and brings it within about 1% of its highs last year.

Berkshire Hathaway is finally putting its massive cash hoard to work under new CEO Greg Abel, and investors are liking what they see so far. 

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway  (BRK.A, BRK.B) were up more than 2% in recent trading after the conglomerate released its quarterly earnings report over the weekend. The company’s cash pile dropped to $365.5 billion at the end of the second quarter from a record $397.4 billion at the end of the previous quarter, as Abel made some big moves.

Berkshire was a net buyer of stocks for the first time in 14 quarters and acquired homebuilder Taylor Morrison during Abel’s second quarter as CEO. It also kept buying back its own stock, in a bullish signal for the shares.  

Growing profits across Berkshire’s energy, railroad and manufacturing businesses helped offset shrinking profits in its insurance business. Gabelli Funds portfolio manager Macrae Sykes, who called Berkshire’s performance outside of insurance “decent,” wrote that Abel “continues to build shareholder net worth” in his first year as CEO. 

“Investors will be encouraged by the top line growth trends and share repurchases this quarter. Margin expansion at several key units is also commendable,” CFRA analyst Cathy Seifert wrote, though she said the results from Berkshire’s insurance arm “tempers our enthusiasm.”

Monday’s rise extends the stock’s recent winning streak, and brings it within about 1% of its highs last year, just before Warren Buffett announced he would be stepping down at the end of 2025. 

Episode 307 of the Invstopedia Express Podcast with Caelb Silver (Aug. 10, 2026)

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