Hi everybody—welcome back to Retail Edge, where we help you track the retail crowd’s conversation and (hopefully) spot the next big move before everyone else. Tom Bruni’s back from the StockTwits offsite with just enough Arizona sun to survive the New York deep freeze… and we’ve got a lot to talk about.

On today’s episode:

Greenland drama + tariff threats heading into Davos: why the market cares (defense + critical minerals/rare earths) and what happens if Europe decides to play offense

The EU’s anti-coercion instrument: the “services” angle that puts U.S. big tech in the crosshairs (not just physical goods)

Which areas get hit: autos, industrials, agriculture, manufacturing-heavy U.S. brands—and why some European names are getting smoked

Retail reaction: mostly ignoring the noise and buying long-duration themes like space (ASTS, Rocket Lab)

Housing thaw? Redfin shows the slowest home price growth since 2012 and sellers outnumbering buyers—what that means for rates, transactions, and names like Rocket/Zillow/Compass + XHB/ITB

Natural gas spike: tight inventories + exports + the Arctic freeze → volatility explosion (UNG/BOIL/FCG on the radar)

Pros vs Joes: 3M dip-buying as retail pushes back on Wall Street’s consumer caution

PayPal pain: new lows, still-bullish retail sentiment, and the “cheap is cheap for a reason” reality check (Fastlane is the hinge)

Netflix & Spotify trading in lockstep: growth concerns, the “peak subscriber/peak margin” question, and why earnings matter this week

Drop a comment: Are you with retail—buying the stuff that’s not tariff-exposed—or are you treating this as a real risk-off moment?

Chapters:

Welcome back to Retail Edge — the podcast where we track the retail crowd’s conversation so you can spot the next big move before the rest of the street wakes up and drinks their lattes. Michelle Steele is joined by Stocktwits’ Tom Bruni for an expedited Monday pod because the headline machine went into overdrive.

On deck today:

The DOJ/Fed headline cycle: reported federal probe into Jerome Powell tied to Fed HQ renovation cost overruns — and what that means for Fed independence

Markets reaction check: initial drawdown → equities catch a bid, while gold/silver hit new highs (and what that “tells” the market is worried about)

The macro tell: fears that forced lower rates could reignite inflation; watching whether Bitcoin finally joins the party

Trump’s populist push: proposed one-year 10% cap on credit card interest rates — why credit stocks sold off and what could break in consumer credit (access, rewards, etc.)

Where retail thinks the “populist trade” might go next: housing-related names and health insurance volatility tied to ACA subsidy headlines

Meme of the week: Wheels Up (UP) — why it’s buzzing (private jets, Delta tie-in, $1 stock psychology) and how retail is trading it

China momentum: emerging markets chatter + Alibaba sentiment flips from void → FOMO

Microcap mover: Lulu’s Fashion Lounge (LVLU) doubles on an activist stake and an 8-point plan

Big retail flex: Walmart replacing AstraZeneca in the Nasdaq 100 on January 20 — why the market is rewarding the “tech-first retail giant” narrative (ads, Walmart+, logistics, partnerships)

Question for you: If credit card stocks keep dipping, are you buying the fear—or staying away from the policy risk?

#RetailEdge #StockTwits #Markets #Fed #CreditCards #Gold #Silver #Bitcoin #Walmart #Alibaba

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to Retail Edge + “expedited Monday pod”

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed on this show are solely the opinions of the hosts’ and guests’ and do not reflect the opinions of Stocktwits, Inc. or its affiliates. The hosts are not SEC or FINRA registered advisors or professionals. The content of this show is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult with your financial advisor before making any investment decision. Read the full terms & conditions here: https://stocktwits.com/about/legal/terms/

We’re finally through the first week of January — and 2026 is already throwing heat. In this episode of Retail Edge, we start with a market vibe check: despite geopolitical risk, oil shocks, and uncertainty around AI, stocks keep pushing higher — and the big story is market breadth expanding (mid-caps breaking out and the equal-weight S&P 500 joining the move). From there, we hit what the community’s talking about: Ripple leading crypto chatter as traders sniff out an altcoin rally, plus Applied Digital (APLD) staying hot after earnings and the rise of Data Vault AI after securing a deal with IBM tied to quantum-secure data. Then we go “D.C. to Wall Street” with the week’s biggest policy-driven movers: Venezuela + oil services: traders focus on the buildout of infrastructure and the oil services names/ETFs tied to it. Defense stocks: a whipsaw move after Trump comments on buybacks/comp, followed by a huge defense budget increase headline. Single-family housing headlines: talk of limiting institutional ownership sparks volatility across real estate names and even fuels debate around where companies like Opendoor fit. We wrap with the meme of the week (GameStop’s incentive comp playbook) and then head to CES in Vegas: robots, “physical AI,” drones, delivery bots, coffee-making robots, and voice/agentic AI — plus why chips, memory, and storage stayed front-and-center for investors. If you’re trying to figure out what retail traders are watching right now — this is the roadmap.

Chapters / Segments 00:00 — 2026 market vibe check: why it’s been tough to be bearish

00:55 — Breadth expanding: mid-caps + equal-weight S&P 500

02:05 — Crypto chatter: Ripple leads as altcoins rebound

03:25 — Tech buzz: APLD momentum + Data Vault AI + IBM deal

06:00 — Venezuela headlines: oil services names/ETF OIH in focus

08:25 — Defense whipsaw: tweets, reversal, and new highs (XAR / ITA)

11:05 — Housing policy shock: institutional single-family home headlines

14:20 — Opendoor wild card + what’s next (more clarity coming)

16:45 — Meme of the week: GameStop goes “full Elon” on comp structure

20:05 — CES takeaways: Vegas is experiences, not just casinos

23:15 — CES interviews: drones, delivery robots, coffee robots, voice AI

29:30 — CES investor talk: chips, Rubin platform buzz, storage winners

33:10 — Bubble talk: invest vs trade, momentum, and managing risk

35:10 — Wrap

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Welcome back to Retail Edge with Michelle Steele and Tom Bruni. The “Santa Claus rally” vibe is feeling a little stuck in the snow—but the bigger market structure still looks constructive. Then we get into what’s actually moving attention: precious metals mania, a Bitcoin stall, a brand-new space-themed ticker lighting up retail feeds, a China AI/autonomous driving divergence trade, and a sleeper under-the-radar idea: Nintendo.

In this episode, we cover: Why the S&P feels slow right now… and why bulls are still in control Gold & Silver retail fever: GLD, SLV + small miners like HYMC The wild performance board: Silver +168%, Platinum +145%, Gold +55% (and “digital gold” lagging) The silver squeeze/imbalance story: paper futures vs physical delivery concerns + export controls chatter Tom’s defined-risk SLV put spread view and what a potential retrace could look like Volume leaders: SLS, Bitcoin, SLV, FJET, TSLA Bitcoin frustration: stuck in an 84–95k range + year-end tax-loss harvesting dynamics FJET (Starfighter Space): new listing hype, air-launch-to-orbit theme, and the “buy the dip or was that it?” debate Pros vs Joes: BABA vs BYD — Wall Street prefers Alibaba, but retail is chasing the BYD AI/autonomy breakout Contrarian Call: Ramaco pivoting from coal to rare earths — big upside if it works, but long timelines + capex + regulatory risk Under the radar: Nintendo (NTDOY/NTDOF), Japan strength, and the Switch 2 cycle thesis

#RetailEdge #StockTwits #MarketSentiment #Silver #Bitcoin #Stocks #Trading

Welcome to the inaugural episode of StockTwits Retail Edge with Michele Steele and Tom Bruni—tracking where retail attention is moving, and what it could mean for markets. In this episode: Santa Claus rally talk + what the S&P 500 “reset” could mean into year-end.

Mag 7 breaking out again—and why that matters for broader market direction.

Top tickers by message volume: SLS, TLRY, ALT, plus NVDA and TSLA in focus. 

NVDA: discussion of H200 chip shipping timeline and why the market cheered.

TSLA: milestone week, optimism around autonomy/robotics, and big headline chatter.

Meme of the week: DJT (nuclear fusion + bitcoin?!) and why the stream got spicy.

RUM: video platform → AI/data center pivot via acquisition talk.

Pros vs Joes: Carvana’s wild turnaround… and why retail still side-eyes the valuation.

Contrarian Call: Nike’s brand strength vs business missteps—and what retail is betting on.

Under the radar: Insurance stocks quietly breaking out (IAK/KIE) + Chubb relative strength