Alan Long

TradingKey - Walmart (WMT) is scheduled to report its second-quarter fiscal 2027 financial results before the market open on August 20 ET. The market currently expects Walmart's Q2 revenue to range between approximately $186.3 billion and $186.9 billion, representing a year-over-year increase of about 5% to 6%, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) estimated at $0.73 to $0.74. Walmart's previously issued quarterly guidance projected net sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5% and adjusted EPS of $0.72 to $0.74.

TradingKey - As of the Asian session on August 19, gold (XAUUSD) maintained a modest intraday rebound, rising about 0.2% on the day to trade near $4,340. Gold had dropped nearly 2% on Tuesday, primarily suppressed by a global bond market sell-off and a sharp surge in U.S. Treasury yields. Today, as U.S. Treasury yields pulled back from their highs, gold regained buying interest, though the overall market remained cautious ahead of the release of the Federal Reserve's July meeting minutes.

On Tuesday (August 18) Eastern Time, futures tied to the three major US stock indexes fell across the board in pre-market trading, as a sell-off in long-dated US Treasuries, a rebound in oil prices, and a pullback in previously strong AI hardware stocks jointly weighed on risk appetite. Markets continued to digest the pressure of the 30-year US Treasury yield rising to near a 19-year high, while monitoring Home Depot's earnings report, US housing data, and the minutes from the Federal Reserve's July meeting set to be released this Wednesday.

TradingKey - Target (TGT) will report its second-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results before the U.S. market open on August 19, Eastern Time. Following significantly better-than-expected first-quarter results, TGT's stock has gained over 50% year-to-date, with the market holding high expectations for business improvements driven by new CEO Michael Fiddelke. Therefore, the key focus of this earnings report is whether the company can prove that its first-quarter sales recovery is sustainable.

TradingKey - As of August 17 Eastern Time, shares of Micron (MU) rose 4.13% on the day to close at $1,011.75, reclaiming the $1,000 mark. Since falling to a low of $737.88 on July 29, Micron's stock has rebounded by approximately 37%, though it still has roughly 20% upside potential to reach its all-time high of $1,254.80 set on June 25.

TradingKey - The U.S. Navy recently announced that it has signed a Tomahawk cruise missile procurement contract worth approximately $22.9 billion with Raytheon, a subsidiary of RTX (RTX), aimed at accelerating the replenishment of critical munitions and expanding missile production capacity. This large-scale, long-term contract will support Raytheon in increasing personnel, expanding production lines, and strengthening its supply chain to accelerate future deliveries of Tomahawk missiles.

TradingKey - Artificial intelligence company Anthropic is preparing for a potential blockbuster IPO. According to Reuters, citing two people familiar with the company's finances, Anthropic expects its revenue to reach $190 billion to $200 billion by 2028, an aggressive growth target that is becoming a key basis for Wall Street in assessing the company's IPO valuation.

TradingKey - On Monday, August 17 (ET), futures tied to the three major U.S. stock indices were mixed in pre-market trading, with tech stock sentiment holding a relative edge. The market entered a relatively light week following the S&P 500's third consecutive week of gains. Investors are focusing on the Fed's July meeting minutes, New York Fed manufacturing data, and earnings reports from major retailers including Walmart, Home Depot, and Target to gauge the next direction for U.S. consumer spending and interest rate expectations.

TradingKey - As of the European session on August 17, gold prices (XAUUSD) were trading above $4,400, up approximately 0.7% on the day and reaching an intraday high of $4,416.43, extending the gains from last Friday. Recent weak U.S. economic data has led the market to further dampen bets on a Fed rate hike in September, thereby providing ongoing support for gold prices.

TradingKey - As of the U.S. stock market close on August 14, Eastern Time, SpaceX (SPCX) shares fell 0.91% to close at $140. After touching $150 last Wednesday, the stock has pulled back for two consecutive trading days, signaling heavy selling pressure at the $150 mark.

TradingKey - In the coming week (August 17 to August 21), the US market's focus will be on the minutes of the July monetary policy meeting. The US will also release key data, including housing starts, building permits, industrial production, initial jobless claims, the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index, the Conference Board Leading Economic Index, and preliminary August PMI values.

TradingKey - The S&P 500 Index has recently continued to trade in a range near record highs. Following a rapid rally in the first half of the year, US equities have entered a repricing phase between high valuations and strong earnings. On one hand, AI capital expenditures, earnings growth among tech giants, and corporate earnings consistently beating expectations provide support for the index; on the other hand, Federal Reserve interest rates, market valuations, and geopolitical risks limit further upside.

TradingKey - As of August 13 Eastern Time, Nvidia (NVDA) was priced at $225.30. In early August, NVDA rapidly rebounded from below $200 to above $224, extending its upward momentum this week. Technical indicators suggest that the stock maintains an overall uptrend, with the potential to reach a new record high. From a fundamental perspective, the most critical factor driving the stock price recently is Nvidia's partnership with six Wall Street financial giants.

TradingKey - The latest U.S. retail sales data for July came in significantly weaker than market expectations. U.S. retail sales fell 0.6% month-on-month in July, compared to a 0.2% increase in June, whereas the market had previously expected modest growth to continue. The data indicates that after robust consumer spending in the second quarter, U.S. consumers turned noticeably more cautious at the start of the third quarter.

TradingKey - On Friday, August 14, Eastern Time, U.S. stock index futures were mixed in pre-market trading as the market shifted into a wait-and-see stance after the S&P 500 set another record closing high. U.S. PPI unexpectedly came in flat for July, further easing rate hike concerns; however, investors remain focused on today's release of July retail sales and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index to gauge whether U.S. consumer resilience is sufficient to support elevated stock valuations.

TradingKey - As of the European session on August 14, international spot copper prices (COPPER) hovered near historic highs, trading around $14,070, down a modest 0.3% on the day. Despite short-term profit-taking, global copper prices have maintained overall strength year-to-date, once again reclaiming the $14,000 mark.

TradingKey - Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday showed that the U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) was flat month-on-month in July, coming in below market expectations of a 0.2% gain. Year-on-year, it rose 4.7%, marking a notable slowdown from 5.5% in June and below market forecasts of 4.9%, indicating that producer-side inflationary pressures in the U.S. are cooling.

TradingKey - On Thursday, August 13 (ET), futures on the three major U.S. stock indices rose slightly in pre-market trading as markets awaited the U.S. July Producer Price Index (PPI) and initial jobless claims data. In the previous session, mild CPI figures and AI earnings reports propelled a rally in U.S. stocks, bringing the S&P 500 Index close to a record high. However, ahead of the PPI release, investors remained cautious as they evaluated the balance among inflation, interest rates, and AI valuations.

TradingKey - Billionaire investor Bill Ackman's Pershing Square revealed in its latest disclosure that the firm initiated a new position in Netflix (NFLX) in the second quarter, while also buying Visa (V), Mastercard (MA), S&P Global (SPGI), Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), and Alcon (ALC), adding a total of six companies.

TradingKey - As of the Asian session on August 13, gold prices (XAUUSD) pulled back intraday after yesterday's CPI pushed them up near $4,450, with the latest price trading around $4,380. This indicates that the market remains cautious ahead of the PPI data release, as profit-taking by some investors has driven the pullback in gold prices.