In episode 30 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal breaks down a surprise GDP miss as second-quarter growth comes in at a 1.5% annualized rate, below the 1.8% forecast and a deceleration from 2.1% in the prior quarter. On inflation, headline PCE cools to 3.7% for June from 4.1% in May, with core PCE easing to 3.3%, both matching expectations. In Active Stocks, Microsoft soars 15% on blowout earnings driven by surging Azure cloud revenue, while Meta Platforms drops 9% on disappointing guidance as AI investments squeeze cash flow, with Apple and Amazon on deck to report after the close. Markets trade higher at midday on a semiconductor rebound, with the VIX down 9% to 19. Editor Olivia Frey delivers Quick Takes with a downgrade of Las Vegas Sands to Hold on China weakness, a raised target on Coca-Cola on portfolio diversification and brand innovation, and a raised target on RTX Corp on strong defense demand and commercial aerospace exposure. The Deeper Dive digs into the GDP report, where core private demand rose a strong 3.9% despite a 4.1% drop in federal spending, consumer spending accelerated to 3.2%, and AI-driven investment powered 15.2% equipment growth. The Fed held rates at 3.5% to 3.75% in a 9 to 3 vote, and Argus Fixed Income Strategist Kevin Heal expects the target to hold through 2026 with a cut in the second half of 2027. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

In episode 29 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a down day for stocks as oil prices resume their climb, with crude up 8% near $85 a barrel and all eyes on the Fed's 2 p.m. rate decision. Markets aren't expecting a move, but recent close votes among committee members have investors on edge ahead of Chair Kevin Warsh's press conference. In Active Stocks, Ford rises 5% on raised full-year guidance despite mixed results, Seagate gains 2% on surging cloud storage demand, and Procter & Gamble falls 3% on a revenue miss and soft fiscal 2027 guidance tied to higher input costs. The Market Buzz notes that with earnings growth in the mid-20% range so far, investors are rotating AI winnings into long out-of-favor sectors like Healthcare, and Argus recommends looking for value beyond the recent headline leaders, including potential inflection points in software. Analyst Stephen Biggar delivers Quick Takes with a raised target on Johnson & Johnson after its $5.5 billion talc settlement clears a cloud over the stock, a defense of PayPal's value versus the Stripe-Advent takeover bid, and a bullish view on Quest Diagnostics on brain health testing demand and its 15th straight year of dividend hikes. The Deeper Dive examines U.S. leadership in drug R&D, with nearly $900 billion in biopharma R&D spending representing 55% of the global total, 58 new FDA drug approvals in 2025, and more than half of all new drugs launching in the U.S. first. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

In episode 28 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers another rough morning for semiconductors as an overnight rout in South Korea extends the chip slide. Micron falls 11%, AMD drops 9%, and SK Hynix slips 8% ahead of its earnings report after the close. For perspective, the SOX semiconductor index is still up 52% year to date even after a 17% slide over the past month, with concerns centering on consolidation in future chip orders. On the bright side, Coca-Cola jumps 7% on an earnings beat and raised guidance, and Boeing rises 4% on strong revenue despite a $280 million Air Force One charge. Chief Economist Chris Graja's call of the week looks ahead to Thursday's Personal Income and Outlays report, forecasting nominal personal income growth of 3.8% year over year, outpacing expected PCE inflation of 3.4%. Analyst Christine Dooley delivers Quick Takes with a positive read on Cracker Barrel's strategic reset with a new CEO and divestiture, a raised target on 3M driven by new product innovation, and a bullish view on Lockheed Martin as defense orders climb. The Deeper Dive makes the case for Min Vol as an all-weather equity strategy, delivering market-matching absolute returns with superior risk-adjusted performance, and covers the four new additions to the Argus Min Vol Theme Model Portfolio: Bank of New York Mellon, PNC Financial, AbbVie, and Motorola Solutions. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

In episode 27 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal previews a massive week ahead, with a Fed rate decision, inflation data, and nearly 900 companies reporting earnings, including a third of the S&P 500 and headliners like Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Amazon. With 26% of S&P 500 companies reported, earnings are up a whopping 39% from last quarter, led by Energy and Communication Services. The Fed announces its rate call Wednesday, with consensus still expecting no move. In Active Stocks, quantum names rally with D-Wave up 18% on an expanded AT&T partnership, Sandisk drops 13% on analyst disagreement, and Cracker Barrel slips as its CEO steps down. Analyst Christine Dooley delivers Quick Takes with raised targets on Novartis and Boyd Gaming, and a maintained Buy on SAP. The Deeper Dive breaks down the full economic impact of the World Cup, which added an estimated $40 billion to global GDP and $20 billion to the U.S., with 5 billion viewers, 104 matches, and 16 host cities. Argus maps out the beneficiaries across lodging, aviation, infrastructure, sporting goods, media, telecom, payments, sponsors, and sports betting, from Airbnb and American Airlines to Nike, Visa, and DraftKings. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

In episode 26 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a rough day for markets as a fresh spike in oil prices rattles Wall Street. Brent crude briefly breaches $100 intraday as new hostilities flare in the Persian Gulf, sending the major indices sharply lower and the 10-year Treasury yield up 5 basis points to 4.71%. Since the war with Iran began on February 28th, the benchmark oil contract is up 33%, having swung from $118 in April down to $68 earlier this month and back toward $92 today. American Airlines drops 8% despite record Q2 revenue, citing elevated fuel costs as the reason for lowering full-year profit guidance, and gas prices at the pump hit $4.00 and are likely heading higher. On the earnings side, Alphabet falls 7% after announcing it will double capex spending, Tesla drops 13% on a profit miss and negative free cash flow, and Lockheed Martin surges 11% as the standout of the day. Analyst Christine Dooley delivers Quick Takes with Charles Schwab added to the Argus Focus List after raising revenue guidance, Hasbro celebrating 10 consecutive quarters of earnings growth on Magic: The Gathering strength, and General Motors posting a 41% earnings jump with a raised full-year outlook. The Deeper Dive presents a broadly healthy consumer picture, drawing on commentary from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, the Fed's Beige Book, and the June FOMC minutes, all pointing to resilient spending, low delinquencies, and solid household balance sheets despite inflation pressures. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

In episode 25 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal previews what could be the most explosive stretch of earnings season yet, with Big Tech and the Mag Seven on deck. Super Micro Computer surges 23% on a record $60 billion AI server backlog and raised margin guidance, AT&T rises 3% on strong fiber and wireless subscriber growth, and GE Vernova slips 6% on a tariff hit of nearly $200 million. With about 25% of S&P 500 Financial sector companies reported, sector earnings are up 20% annually. The Information Technology sector is forecast to deliver over 60% EPS growth for the quarter, with memory names Seagate and Western Digital expected at 90%-plus growth, networking companies Ciena, Arista, and Cisco at 25% to 50%, and semiconductor giants Broadcom and Nvidia forecast at 80%-plus. The Mag Seven collectively are expected to post 30%-plus EPS growth. Analyst Stephen Biggar delivers Quick Takes with a bullish view on CrowdStrike following its four-for-one stock split and AI-driven cybersecurity expansion, a strong quarter and 19% dividend hike from Bank of New York Mellon, and a raised target on Fifth Third Bancorp on Comerica merger synergies and resumed buybacks. The Deeper Dive examines gold's pullback from a January high near $5,500 to below $4,000, the technical and fundamental signals behind the move, and Argus's full-year average price forecast of $4,200. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

In episode 24 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a strong morning for earnings as guidance raises take center stage. General Motors beats Q2 expectations and raises guidance, jumping 4%, while Hasbro surges 10% and 3M pops 9% on the same combination. Charles Schwab posts record Q2 revenue on client activity during the quarter's volatile stretches, and Danaher falls 14% despite an earnings beat. Chief Economist Chris Graja's call of the week highlights the Dallas Fed's Weekly Economic Index, currently tracking at 2.6% with a 13-week average of 2.8%, as a real-time read on GDP momentum. Analyst Christine Dooley delivers Quick Takes with a new Buy launch on Versigent, an EV charging equipment maker with growing revenue, a raised target on Palo Alto Networks on cybersecurity leadership in the AI era, and a raised target on J.B. Hunt Transport on higher demand and improving margins. The Deeper Dive makes the case for dividend growth as a top investment theme for the second half, explaining why consistent double-digit dividend hikes signal balance sheet strength, management discipline, and board confidence in near-term earnings, and why Argus favors dividend growth over dividend yield at this stage of the cycle. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

In episode 23 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal kicks off a big week for earnings season with some World Cup celebration mixed in. Spain takes home the World Cup title, with estimates putting the tournament's economic boost at $40 billion in global GDP and $20 billion for the U.S. alone. On earnings, with only 10% of S&P 500 companies reported, results are already up 26% from last quarter, with Argus forecasting 24% full-year EPS growth for 2026. In Active Stocks, AMC Entertainment surges 12% on a strong quarter ahead of The Odyssey's opening weekend, Domino's Pizza pops 3% on an earnings beat, and chipmakers including Micron and AMD bounce back 4% each after last week's drubbing. Analyst Christine Dooley delivers Quick Takes with a positive read on U.S. Bancorp's raised revenue guidance, a defense of the Netflix Buy rating despite a post-earnings stock drop, and an encouraging outlook on M&T Bank with 4% loan growth and 14% projected earnings growth. The Deeper Dive ranks the top 10 and bottom 5 performers from the Argus universe in Q2, led by Micron at an extraordinary 166% gain, with nine of the top ten being Technology stocks, against a backdrop of oil spikes, AI valuation fears, and Fed leadership uncertainty. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

In episode 22 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a mixed market day as semiconductor stocks continue to weigh on the Nasdaq while earnings season rolls on. UnitedHealth Group surges 5% on a strong quarter and raised guidance, while United Airlines slips 2% on $6 billion in fuel cost concerns and GE Aerospace falls 4% despite an earnings beat. On the economic front, retail sales rise a modest 0.2% in June, dragged lower by a 5.3% drop in gas station sales as fuel prices retreated from Iran conflict highs. Pending home sales fall 5.4% month-over-month, with the median home price hitting a record $440,600. Quick Takes shows raised targets on Morgan Stanley, where investment banking revenues surged 58% including SpaceX IPO fees, ASML Holding on generative AI-driven demand for leading-edge lithography tools, and PNC Financial on strong loan growth and improved credit quality. The Deeper Dive examines cooling pricing pressures, with CPI down to 3.5% and PPI at 5.5% for June, both aided by retreating oil prices, and lays out Argus's forecast that the fed funds rate will hold steady at 3.5% to 3.75% through year end. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

In episode 21 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers continued good news on inflation as wholesale price data follows yesterday's encouraging CPI print. Headline PPI comes in at 5.5% for June, down from 6.0% the prior month, and monthly PPI falls 0.3%, adding to the case that inflation is heading in the right direction. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh continues his Capitol Hill testimony, this time before the Senate, with markets hoping for rate clues given the improved data backdrop. In Active Stocks, PayPal surges 17% on a $53 billion takeover bid, BlackRock jumps 7% on strong Q2 earnings and better-than-expected asset flows, and Johnson & Johnson dips slightly despite raising full-year guidance. Stocks trade higher at midday on the combination of strong bank earnings and cooling inflation. Editor Olivia Frey delivers Quick Takes with a new coverage initiation on Sandisk at Hold with a long-term Buy, a raised target on JPMorgan Chase following its record quarter, and a raised target on Bank of America on improving return metrics and operating leverage. The Deeper Dive examines global demand for U.S. Treasury debt, with foreign holders owning $9.4 trillion of the $39 trillion total, led by Japan and the U.K., and why that steady demand has helped keep a lid on long-term interest rates even through elevated inflation. For full research and information about Argus subscriptions, visit argusresearch.com.

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