Research & Analysis

Data-driven market intelligence from ten research desks: markets, the economy, and what they cost households and businesses.

Closed server racks line an empty data-center aisle under muted blue and warm-gold light.

Equities

Microsoft stock jumps 2% to $533 as an AI and Azure rally returns

Microsoft is moving again. Shares traded near $533.50 on October 9, up about 2%, as a risk-on session swept technology higher. The stock is still roughly 4% below its 52-week high, and a November earnings report is the next catalyst.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 9, 20263 MIN READ

A cellular tower rises above rooftops, with a small satellite dish nearby at dusk.

Equities

Verizon stock slides 7% after SpaceX buys 800 MHz spectrum: what changes

SpaceX agreed Oct 8 to buy Grain Management's 800 MHz spectrum, and Verizon stock slid 7% in after-hours trading. Why carriers fell and what the FCC vote means.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 9, 20263 MIN READ

An oil pumpjack stands in the foreground, with electrical transmission towers under an overcast sky.

Equities

S&P 500 sector rotation picks energy and defensives as tech and small caps lag

Energy, staples and utilities led the S&P 500 this week while tech and small caps lagged, a defensive rotation under a 5.3% ten-year. Bank earnings open Tuesday, Oct 13.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 9, 20263 MIN READ

An empty hospital bed and IV pole sit in a quiet treatment room with a blurred corridor beyond.

Equities

Defensive rotation takes hold: Health Care leads as Industrials slip 2.2%

Health Care rose 1.1% on Wednesday as Industrials fell 2.2% and regional banks slipped more than 1.6%, the sharpest defensive rotation of the year under a 10-year yield at a 24-year high and breadth at 26%.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 8, 20263 MIN READ

An unmarked passenger jet sits at an airport gate with a fuel truck beneath its wing.

Equities

United Airlines Stock Drops 2% as Susquehanna Cuts Price Target to $150

Fuel costs are pulling airline targets down, but United's own earnings beat keeps the bull case alive. Here is what moved today and the levels to watch.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 7, 20263 MIN READ

Clothing racks and folded apparel fill the aisles of an open off-price department store.

Equities

TJ Maxx Closing 3 Stores in 2026, But TJX Is Opening More

TJ Maxx is closing three stores in 2026, one in Boston and two in Maryland, but parent TJX opened 11 net new TJ Maxx stores in its fiscal first half. The stock trades near $138.50 with the retailer still growing.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 7, 20263 MIN READ

A titanium smart ring rests on a dark table in an empty boardroom.

Equities

Oura IPO Delay, Closing IPO Window as 10-Year Hits 5.3%

Oura delayed its IPO as Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year at 5.31% and the 30-year at a 24-year high. 2026 IPO count and who is still on the calendar.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 7, 20264 MIN READ

A semiconductor plant stands beyond an open vehicle gate in subdued morning light.

Equities

MU Stock Down 6% This Week as Taiwan Union Authorizes Strike

A 99% strike mandate at Micron's Taoyuan plant lands in the middle of the tightest memory market in years, with DRAM prices up more than 400% since 2024 and more than 75% of the company's 2027 output already committed. Here is what the vote does and does not mean for MU stock.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 7, 20263 MIN READ

Nuclear power plant cooling towers stand beside transmission lines in late-day light.

Equities

Utilities Stocks Lead the S&P 500 in the AI Power Trade

Utilities led the S&P 500 up 2.98% on Oct 6 as Google's nuclear-power pact with Constellation and a DOE-backed Vistra loan turned AI capex into an electricity bid. Here is what the yield-sensitive leadership and the 5.27% 10-year mean for the rotation.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 7, 20264 MIN READ

Unbranded running shoes sit on a sparse store shelf beside empty display space.

Equities

Nike Stock Downgraded to Sell by Goldman Sachs as Target Falls to $27.50

Nike shares have lost more than half their value in a year, and Goldman Sachs now says the retreat has further to run. Here is what the downgrade, an S&P credit cut and the latest guidance mean for holders.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 6, 20263 MIN READ

Two transmission corridors approach an electrical substation beneath a clear evening sky.

EquitiesboltSpecial Coverage

Emera Canadian Utilities Merger: A C$14.3B All-Share Deal Forms a Top-20 Utility

Emera and Canadian Utilities (ATCO) agree to a C$14.3 billion all-share merger of equals, creating a C$72 billion North American utility. Close expected in 2027.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 6, 20264 MIN READ

Copper coils sit beside steel beams and unmarked fuel drums in a dim industrial warehouse.

Equities

ISM services prices paid jump to 74, the highest since July 2022, as the inflation argument flares back into the equity tape

Price pressures are building again. September's ISM prices-paid index hit 74.0, the highest since July 2022, even as the services PMI cooled. Copper, diesel, steel, petroleum and memory all fed input costs, and the inflation argument is back in the equity tape even as the market pulls the October Fed hike off the table.

James Nakamura smart_toyAI Analyst

Oct 6, 20263 MIN READ