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ExxonMobil eyes $5 billion Q2 profit boost from rising oil prices
Edgen Stock·Jul 18 2026, 16:08Share to
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[1] Higher Oil Prices Could Boost ExxonMobil's Profits By $5 Billion in the Second Quarter. Here's What Investors Need to Know. (https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/07/18/hig ...)[2] Kroger Company (The) (KR) stock forecast and price target (https://finance.yahoo.com/research/stock-fore ...)[3] New York Daily News' Business News (https://www.nydailynews.com/business/ ...)[4] Higher Oil Prices Could Boost ExxonMobil's Profits By $5 Billion in the Second Quarter. Here's What Investors Need to Know. - Yahoo Finance (https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/hig ...)
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Jul 18 2026, 17:09
BlackRock's no-loss ETF targets billions in sidelined cash
BlackRock Inc. launched a novel exchange-traded fund this week that promises investors full downside protection on their principal. The product targets investors who have stayed on the sidelines during the equity rally, unwilling to buy at all-time highs. The fund achieves its principal guarantee through a structured approach that allocates investor capital across different asset classes. A portion of the portfolio is invested in instruments designed to return the full principal at maturity, while the remainder provides exposure to equity market upside. The structure caps potential gains in exchange for eliminating downside risk, a trade-off that may appeal to conservative investors seeking alternatives to cash. The launch comes at a time when money market fund assets have swelled to record levels, as investors have been reluctant to deploy capital with major equity indexes near all-time highs. BlackRock's product is designed to convert a portion of that cash into equity exposure by removing the risk of permanent capital loss. For BlackRock, the fund represents an opportunity to capture fee revenue from assets that would otherwise remain in low-fee money market products, potentially boosting the firm's organic growth rate. Behavioral finance research has long documented that investors are disproportionately sensitive to losses relative to gains, a phenomenon known as loss aversion. Studies have shown that the psychological pain of a loss is roughly twice as powerful as the pleasure of an equivalent gain. This asymmetry helps explain why trillions of dollars sit in money market funds earning minimal returns while equity markets have delivered strong long-term performance. BlackRock's product directly addresses this behavioral bias by removing the possibility of loss entirely. BlackRock's entry into the full-principal-protection category could accelerate a shift already underway in the U.S. ETF market. Defined-outcome ETFs, which use options strategies to provide downside buffers in exchange for capped upside, have attracted growing inflows as investors seek ways to participate in equity markets while managing risk. If BlackRock's fund attracts a meaningful portion of the cash on the sidelines, it could pressure competitors to develop similar products and potentially shift billions in capital from money markets into equity-linked structured ETFs. The product also highlights a broader trend of traditional asset managers using options-based strategies to create customized risk-return profiles. BlackRock's distribution network, which handles a significant share of U.S. ETF trading volume, could make this product a template for how large asset managers address the behavioral biases that keep investors in cash during bull markets. The success of the fund will depend on whether investors accept the trade-off between capped upside and guaranteed principal — a calculation that becomes more attractive as equity valuations rise and the perceived risk of a correction increases. For investors, the fund offers a middle ground between the safety of cash and the full volatility of equity markets. The principal guarantee eliminates the risk of permanent loss, but the upside cap means investors will not capture the full benefit of a continued rally. In a market where the S&P 500 has delivered strong returns over the past year, that trade-off may be significant. However, for those whose primary concern is capital preservation, the product provides a path back into equities that did not previously exist in ETF form. The launch also raises questions about how the product will perform in different market environments. In a sustained bull market, the upside cap will cause the fund to underperform a direct equity investment. In a flat or declining market, the principal guarantee will protect investors from losses that would otherwise hit traditional equity funds. In a sharp correction, the fund could significantly outperform both cash and equities, as it would preserve principal while equity markets decline. These scenarios highlight the product's suitability as a tactical allocation tool rather than a core holding. From a competitive standpoint, BlackRock's move puts pressure on other large ETF issuers to develop their own principal-protection products. Vanguard, State Street, and Charles Schwab, which together with BlackRock dominate the U.S. ETF market, may need to respond with similar offerings to retain assets that might otherwise flow to BlackRock's fund. The product also competes with structured notes sold by banks, which offer similar principal protection but typically carry higher fees and less liquidity. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Jul 18 2026, 17:07
Qualcomm gets $260 price target with 53% upside as AI push accelerates
24/7 Wall St. initiated Qualcomm Inc. with a BUY rating and $260.52 price target, implying 52.7% upside from the July 16 close of $170.61. "The bull thesis rests on Qualcomm becoming a credible third player in hyperscaler custom silicon," the firm said in a note Friday. "CEO Cristiano Amon confirmed a custom silicon engagement with a leading hyperscaler is on track for initial shipments in the December quarter." Qualcomm shares have round-tripped dramatically this year. The stock hit a 52-week low near $121.54 in March, then surged to $258.96 after the June 24 Investor Day, where management doubled its 2029 non-handset revenue target to $40 billion and set a $15 billion AI data center sales goal. That rally has since reversed, leaving the stock roughly flat year to date at plus 0.77%. The 90% confidence rating reflects a blended valuation approach. The firm's trailing P/E-based price stands at $170.61, while the forward P/E-based price reaches $241.56. After adjustments for sector momentum, earnings growth, volatility and social sentiment, the final predicted price lands at $260.52. The bull-case scenario points to $269.05 if the data center ramp lands cleanly and China handset revenue bottoms in the current quarter. Fundamentals remain healthy despite the pullback. Q2 FY26 revenue came in at $10.60 billion, with non-GAAP EPS of $2.65 beating consensus by 3.67%. Automotive revenue hit a record $1.326 billion, up 38% year over year, while handset revenue fell 13% on memory supply constraints and Chinese OEM channel drawdowns. Management guided automotive to 50% YoY growth in Q3, exiting fiscal 2026 at a $6 billion-plus run rate. The bear case centers on customer concentration. Qualcomm expects only 20% share of Apple phones launching in fall 2026, with no relationship beyond that. Q3 FY26 guidance calls for a step-down to $9.2 billion to $10 billion in revenue and $2.10 to $2.30 in EPS. Operating income fell 26% year over year largely on the memory cycle, and insider activity has skewed toward net selling across 55 transactions. The bear-case downside target is $215.18, still meaningfully above the current price. Qualcomm trades at a forward P/E near 14 times on $15.27 forward EPS, a discount to peers. Nvidia Corp. trades at roughly 42 times earnings with Q1 FY27 data center revenue of $75.25 billion, up 92% year over year. Broadcom Inc., the closer analog, already sells custom AI accelerators to hyperscalers, booking $10.80 billion in Q2 FY26 AI semiconductor revenue, up 143% year over year, and carries a $1.78 trillion market cap. The price target implies Qualcomm could capture even a fraction of the rerating Broadcom has enjoyed. Polymarket traders assign an 87% probability that Qualcomm beats its next earnings report on July 29. The key catalysts to watch are whether that report confirms the Chinese handset bottom and reiterates hyperscaler custom silicon timing. A further push-out of data center shipments into 2027 would undermine the thesis. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Jul 18 2026, 16:39
Tianqi Lithium guides interim profit to RMB 4.25B on lithium price recovery
Tianqi Lithium Corp. expects interim net profit of as much as RMB 4.25 billion ($585 million), up from RMB 84 million a year earlier, driven by higher lithium prices and downstream demand growth. "The company expected to record a significant increase in revenue for the reporting period as compared with the corresponding period of last year," Tianqi said in a Hong Kong stock exchange filing. "Benefiting from multiple favorable factors, including the development of the new energy industry and the growth in downstream demand, the average selling prices of the company's major lithium products increased significantly." Net profit for the six months ended June 30 is expected to range from RMB 2.85 billion to RMB 4.25 billion, compared with RMB 84.41 million in the same period last year. After stripping out non-recurring items, profit is seen at RMB 2.81 billion to RMB 4.2 billion, versus RMB 1.32 million a year earlier. Basic earnings per share are expected at RMB 1.68 to RMB 2.51, compared with RMB 0.05. The company did not declare an interim dividend. The guidance signals a dramatic recovery for one of the world's largest lithium chemicals producers after a prolonged downturn. Tianqi and peer Ganfeng Lithium Co. have both benefited from a rebound in lithium prices, driven by electric vehicle adoption and energy storage deployment, according to a South China Morning Post report. The recovery in China's new energy vehicle sector has supported demand for battery-grade lithium compounds. Tianqi shares fell 3.6% on July 17 ahead of the announcement. The profit alert positions Tianqi for its strongest interim result since the 2022 lithium boom. Investors will watch for the full interim report, expected in late August, for revenue details, margin trends, and production guidance. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.