CarMax ( KMX ), the largest used-car retailer in the U.S., saw its stock jump over 6% after reporting fiscal Q1 2026 earnings that soundly beat expectations.  The company posted earnings of $1.38 per share—42% higher than the same period last year and well ahead of Wall Street’s $1.16 estimate. It marked a welcome reversal from a disappointing Q4, where the company missed on key metrics and suspended long-term guidance due to economic uncertainty. Behind this quarter’s rebound: stronger retail vehicle sales, careful cost management, and modest pricing shifts. Comparable-store used unit sales climbed 8.1%, while total retail vehicle sales rose 9% year-over-year to more than 230,000 units. CarMax also reported a 6.1% increase in total revenue to $7.55 billion, narrowly topping consensus forecasts. The improvement wasn’t isolated to a single month either. According to CEO Bill Nash, all three months of the quarter posted positive results, with April emerging as the strongest—likely bo...

Darden Restaurants ( DRI ) delivered a fourth quarter that exceeded expectations in a critical area: same-store sales. The company reported a 4.6% consolidated increase in same-restaurant sales, with Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse doing the heavy lifting. Olive Garden surged by 6.9%, and LongHorn posted a 6.7% gain—both far outperforming the previous quarter’s growth. These figures reflect a significant rebound in customer traffic and average check sizes compared to earlier in the fiscal year. Olive Garden’s performance was bolstered by the return of its “Buy One, Take One” offer, a popular promotion that had been absent for five years. This program was paired with its existing $6 take-home platform, allowing the restaurant to offer value to price-conscious diners without increasing operational complexity. A partnership with Uber Direct helped drive delivery volumes, nearly doubling weekly deliveries by the end of the quarter. LongHorn Steakhouse also continued to gain market sha...

Microsoft ( MSFT ) is on a tear in 2025. With its stock up 15% year-to-date—far outpacing the broader S&P 500’s modest 2% gain—Wall Street is clearly bullish.  The driving force? A boom in artificial intelligence, and Microsoft's Azure cloud platform is at the center of it. Businesses are racing to adopt AI tools, and Azure, thanks to its deep integration with OpenAI’s models, has become the go-to platform for many. This AI-powered momentum is showing up in the numbers. Azure’s revenue is growing at a double-digit clip, with AI services now making up roughly half of that growth. Microsoft’s earlier bet on AI—most notably its multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI—is paying off handsomely.   Revenue, Valuation, and Margin Expansion Microsoft’s financial engine is running strong. Since 2022, annual revenue has jumped from around $198 billion to $270 billion—an increase of more than a third. Meanwhile, the company’s price-to-sales multiple has expanded from 9 to 13.3, refle...

Major gains in crypto-linked equities marked Wednesday’s trading session as the U.S. Senate cleared a crucial stablecoin bill. The legislation proposal, known as the GENIUS Act, propelled stablecoin names—especially Circle ( CRCL ) and Coinbase ( COIN )—into sharp focus. This is emerging as a watershed moment for dollar-backed cryptocurrencies and their integration into everyday commerce. Stablecoin Bill Ushers Crypto Into Mainstream Finance The Senate approved the GENIUS Act by a decisive 68–30 vote, setting a regulatory framework for dollar-backed stablecoins like USDC and USDT. With requirements such as full reserve backing, monthly audits, and anti-money-laundering compliance, the bill gives legal definition and legitimacy to stablecoins as digital cash for payments. Circle stock surged more than a third on the announcement, rallying from around $150 to close near $200, and has now gained over 500% since its IPO debut in early June. Market optimism stems from the belief that this ...

La-Z-Boy ( LZB ), the iconic American furniture brand best known for its recliners and home seating, delivered a mixed performance to close out fiscal 2025. While the company’s top-line results came in above expectations, softness in margins, earnings, and forward guidance reflect the continued weight of macroeconomic uncertainty and consumer caution. Shares traded largely flat following the results, as investors digested both the positives and the persistent headwinds. Retail Resilience Offsets Macro Drag in La-Z-Boy's Fourth Quarter La-Z-Boy’s fourth-quarter revenue climbed 3.1% year over year to $570.9 million, exceeding the high end of its prior guidance. This outperformance was driven largely by an 8% increase in delivered revenue from its Retail segment, bolstered by new store openings and acquisitions. The company reached a key milestone during the quarter, opening its 200th company-owned La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries store. It now owns 55% of its entire retail network. Howev...

Marvell Technology ( MRVL ) surged nearly 9% this week, fueled by bullish sentiment following its custom AI silicon event and expanded long-term growth projections.   The chipmaker raised its 2028 data center market forecast to $94 billion, signaling an aggressive push into custom silicon and AI infrastructure—a strategy that appears to be resonating with Wall Street and hyperscaler partners alike. Marvell Expands AI Horizons with $94 Billion Market Target At the heart of Marvell’s bullish roadmap is a projected total addressable market (TAM) of $94 billion for its data center business by 2028, a 26% boost from prior estimates. Custom accelerated computing will drive the lion’s share, expected to hit $55.4 billion—$40.8 billion from custom XPUs and $14.6 billion from XPU attach. That growth hinges on expanding relationships with cloud powerhouses like Amazon ( AMZN ), Microsoft ( MSFT ), and Google ( GOOG ). The company recently announced it added two new XPU clients, bringing its ...

After enduring years of punishing losses and investor skepticism, Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF ( ARKK ) is showing renewed strength. Up more than 35% in the second quarter alone—well ahead of the broader market—ARKK’s resurgence is powered by a sharpened focus on future-facing sectors like AI infrastructure, advanced biotech, and stablecoin fintech. Recent moves confirm Wood’s enduring appetite for innovation, even as the ETF continues to evolve after its pandemic-era heyday. ARKK Rides Second-Quarter Surge with Bold Rotations The standout performance in Q2 comes as ARKK retools its high-conviction bets. Nvidia ( NVDA ), once a missed opportunity for ARK, is now back in the fold. On Monday, the fund snapped up over 128,000 shares, a stake worth about $18.5 million, reinforcing its commitment to next-gen computing despite geopolitical headwinds and export curbs. This follows upbeat guidance from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on quantum computing and a deliberate pivot away from China. In ...

Jabil Inc. ( JBL ) is riding the wave of artificial intelligence demand with precision.  The Florida-based electronics manufacturing giant reported its strongest earnings surprise in years, lifted its full-year outlook, and unveiled a $500 million plan to expand its U.S. manufacturing footprint. With growth accelerating in cloud and data center infrastructure—and Wall Street taking notice—Jabil’s pivot toward next-generation technologies is beginning to pay off. AI Momentum Drives Q3 Blowout Jabil reported adjusted earnings of $2.55 per share for the third fiscal quarter, outpacing analyst estimates by nearly 25 cents. Revenue jumped nearly 16% year-over-year to $7.83 billion, ending a streak of seven consecutive quarters of top-line declines. Behind the numbers is a surge in demand from cloud, AI, and data center infrastructure customers. Jabil’s Intelligent Infrastructure segment saw revenue soar 51% from the same quarter last year to $3.4 billion—more than $1 out of every $3 the...

After years of uncertainty and underperformance, Roku ( ROKU ) is regaining its footing. The streaming technology firm saw its stock jump more than 8% on Monday following the announcement of an exclusive advertising partnership with Amazon ( AMZN ). The deal is being hailed as a potential game-changer in the competitive world of connected television (CTV), offering advertisers unprecedented reach and promising new momentum for a company that has spent years trying to regain investor confidence. Streaming’s New Power Couple Roku and Amazon have joined forces to create what they describe as the largest authenticated connected TV footprint in the United States. The integration—available only through Amazon’s demand-side platform (DSP)—will give advertisers access to roughly 80 million U.S. households. In simpler terms, this new reach covers more than four out of every five CTV homes in the country. The partnership connects logged-in audiences across Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV devices, as w...

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) surged over 9% Monday, marking one of the best single-day performances in months, as investors cheered the company’s aggressive expansion into artificial intelligence infrastructure. The move followed a steady drumbeat of product announcements and bullish analyst commentary that began late last week and continued into Monday’s trading session.  The stock surged near $128, up more than $10 on the day, making AMD the top performer in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100. The rally was sparked by last week's "Advancing AI" event in San Jose, where CEO Lisa Su unveiled the new Instinct MI350 series chips and teased the 2026 debut of the MI400-powered Helios server rack. According to Su, Helios is expected to “set a new benchmark for AI at scale.” The company’s latest AI chips are positioned to compete directly with Nvidia’s market-dominant accelerators, with AMD claiming better price-performance ratios and faster inference speeds. While...

Sage Therapeutics ( SAGE ) shares skyrocketed 35% on Monday after Supernus Pharmaceuticals ( SUPN ) announced it will acquire the struggling biotech in a cash-and-stock deal valued at roughly $1.5 billion. The acquisition is aimed at expanding Supernus’ footprint in central nervous system (CNS) treatments, leveraging Sage’s existing pipeline and recently approved products. Under the terms of the agreement, Sage shareholders will receive $17.50 in cash and 0.1063 shares of SUPN for each share of SAGE, valuing the transaction at about $30 per share — a 42% premium to Sage’s Friday close. The sharp move higher reflects the market’s relief that Sage, which has faced recent regulatory and commercial setbacks, found a strategic exit with a reasonable premium. Relief Rally for Sage, Strategic Play for Supernus Sage has been under pressure for months after slow commercial uptake of its depression drug Zurzuvae and a disappointing FDA decision in 2023 that limited the product's label. The b...