Zacks Investment Management

This week's Mitch on the Markets is now available: With Households Feeling Pressure, why is the Stock Market Booming?  #investing #stockmarket #households

Walmart and Target both sold off after their latest earnings reports, yet Chief Market Strategist Brian Mulberry says the market may be getting ahead of itself. Joining Yahoo Finance in-studio, Brian pointed out that Walmart has a history of "lowering the bar, making it a little bit easier to beat those expectations" before going on to beat earnings estimates repeatedly, a pattern worth keeping in mind before reading too much into the cautious guidance. Brian also discussed the consumer backdrop and rate environment, pointing out that with 30-year mortgage rates near 6.75%, many consumers are choosing to stay put and invest in renovation projects instead of moving. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/geZbQTN9 #Retail #ConsumerSpending #Markets

U.S. stocks closed out another strong week, with markets shrugging off rising crude-oil prices and Treasury yields. Chief Market Strategist Brian Mulberry spoke with Joseph Adinolfi at MarketWatch, pointing to solid earnings from major retailers including Walmart, Home Depot, Target and Lowe's as a key driver of investor optimism. As Brian put it, the results are "pushing back against the idea that we're looking at stagflation or recession." Read more: https://lnkd.in/gRm-pBPg #Markets #ConsumerSpending #Retail

2026 is shaping up to be a "prove it" year for AI stocks, and it's bringing fundamentals back to the forefront. Our Head of ETFs Salvatore Esposito joined Ryan Nauman on Zephyr's Adjusted for Risk podcast, recorded live at the ETF Exchange conference in Las Vegas, to discuss why Zacks' earnings-driven process is built for this kind of market. Sal explained that Zacks' Indicator model evaluates analyst agreement, earnings magnitude, upside potential and surprise, and it is applied consistently across all of our products, from SMAs to our growing ETF lineup. He also made the case for active management in small/mid caps and international equities, noting that "if you're riding the wave with the index, you might not have anything in your tool bag to combat" a downturn. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gYVx2W_V #ETFs #ActiveManagement #AIStocks 

Eli Lilly's latest round of acquisitions is turning heads, and Chief Market Strategist Brian Mulberry sees it as a sign of just how dominant the company has become. "It does provide a lot of upside to Lilly's potential," Brian shared with Mallika Mitra at The Daily Upside. "They have clearly won the GLP-1 market out of sheer scale and volume of production, and one of the key drivers of these new acquisitions will be once fully approved, Lilly has the industrial base to meet the demand of the market." Brian also drew a parallel to Nvidia, noting that Lilly has "multiple products that are in high demand" and has "been able to ramp up production capacity to a scale that balances the needs of the market with strong margins protecting shareholders." Read more: https://lnkd.in/gf_59FJU #Healthcare #Pharma #Investing

Global bonds inch up, AI power demand, Fed open to rate hikes View more in our latest article: https://lnkd.in/gR7FX7wN #bonds #investing #ratehikes

Is the long-rumored demise of the U.S. consumer overstated? Chief Market Strategist Brian Mulberry joined Liz Claman in-studio on Fox Business Network’s “The Claman Countdown” and shared that strong retail spending data is driving a real opportunity in consumer names. He noted that "retail sales over $650 billion last month, that's up 5% year over year, so what you're finding is there's durable spending out there." Brian also weighed in on the Nvidia vs. Walmart debate, emphasizing that Walmart's investment in AI-powered e-commerce gives it more room to grow where Nvidia's upside may already be priced in. He also flagged the one risk keeping him up at night: the possibility that AI data center buildout slows, creating collateral damage across AI-adjacent sectors. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/gNBk-cH4 #Walmart #Nvidia #RetailStocks #AI

OpenAI is reportedly planning to file for an IPO as early as this week, with a target debut as soon as September. Chief Market Strategist Brian Mulberry shared his perspective with William Gavin at MarketWatch, noting that the company still has some work to do before going public. "OpenAI needs to reassure its current investors that the revenue issues reported earlier this year are being resolved," Brian said. He also pointed to the company's potential legal dispute with Apple over the ChatGPT integration as another factor to watch, adding that "there are some hurdles that they need to clear before getting maximum value from the market." Read more: https://lnkd.in/gvZezfac #OpenAI #IPO #SpaceX #AIInvesting #Markets

TJX rose 5.7% on Wednesday after reporting a strong earnings beat across every category. Chief Market Strategist Brian Mulberry shared his reaction with Karee Venema at Kiplinger, calling the results a clear signal of durability. "TJX results were incredibly strong this quarter, beating and raising in every category and underscoring the durability of its off-price model," Brian said. He added that the results "allow for expansion plans to continue globally as TJX looks to continue to capture more market share." Read more: https://lnkd.in/gD6paKm2 #TJX #Retail #Earnings #ConsumerSpending 

Following Target’s Q1 earnings beat, Chief Market Strategist Brian Mulberry shared his perspective with Teresa Rivas at Barron's, calling it a strong quarter that gives new CEO Michael Fiddelke “a boost.” Brian also shared that  “it is encouraging to see same store comps and foot traffic increasing measurably,” noting that this “should reassure the market that these gains are sustainable.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gVHM--k3 #Target #Retail #Earnings #ConsumerSpending