Alpha Coverage #118
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This Week’s Alpha Coverage: YouTube Playlist & Weekly Compilation.
Editor’s Pick:
[News] Enovix surges to six-month high after raising guidance for Q2 earnings, revenues
Enovix (NASDAQ:ENVX) +11.8% to its highest since early January after issuing upside guidance for a smaller than expected Q2 adjusted loss of $0.15/share on revenues of $7.5M, compared to analyst consensus estimate of a $0.19/share loss on revenues of $5.57M, which it said was driven by customer demand across multiple end markets.
Separately, Enovix (ENVX) said it launched its AI-1 artificial intelligence batteries for the next generation of mobile smartphones that require higher total energy storage and power to perform AI functions locally.
Last week, the company said it sampled its first 7,350 milliampere-hour AI-1 batteries to a leading smartphone OEM for qualification in the first-ever 100% silicon-anode battery smartphone launch.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 07, 2025
[News] Vistra Receives Approval to Extend Operation of Perry Nuclear Plant Through 2046
Vistra (NYSE:VST) said post-market Monday that it received approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the operation of its 1,268-megawatt Perry Nuclear Power Plant through 2046, an additional 20 years beyond its original license.
Perry, a single-unit facility, is the last of Vistra's six nuclear reactors to apply for and receive its license extension, through 2046, from the NRC.
Now, each of Vistra's reactors is licensed to operate for a total of 60 years.
Beaver Valley units 1 and 2 in Pennsylvania are licensed through 2036 and 2047, respectively;
the single reactor at Davis-Besse in Ohio is licensed through 2037;
and Comanche Peak units 1 and 2 in Texas are licensed to operate through 2050 and 2053, respectively.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 07, 2025
[News] China’s share of US container imports hits a 4-year low in June amid tariff pressure
China’s share of total U.S. containerized imports fell to 28.8% in June, hitting a four-year low and down substantially from the high of 41.5% in February 2022, according to supply chain technology firm Descartes.
Total U.S. container imports dropped 3.5% from a year ago.
The retreat followed an extended run of near-record imports fueled by importers rushing in goods to beat tariff deadlines.
“As U.S. importers continue to assess and adapt their supply chains, two key trade deadlines—the July 9 expiration of the pause on sweeping Liberation Day tariffs and the August 10 expiration of the U.S.–China trade truce—may create further pressure on businesses to bolster supply chain resilience in the wake of a quickly fluctuating trade environment,” said Jackson Wood, Director of Industry Strategy at Descartes.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 08, 2025
[News] MP Materials soars on partnership that makes Pentagon the company's largest shareholder
MP Materials (NYSE:MP) +38.9% pre-market Thursday, poised to open at its highest in at least three years, after announcing a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to accelerate the build-out of an end-to-end U.S. rare earth magnet supply chain and reduce dependency on foreign sources.
The Pentagon will become MP Materials' (NYSE:MP) largest shareholder after agreeing to buy $400M of a newly created class of preferred shares that are convertible into MP Materials’ (NYSE:MP) common stock, and will buy a warrant that allows it to purchase additional common stock in the company.
The convertible shares and the warrant for common stock would represent a ~15% stake in MP Materials (MP) as of July 9.
"With a multibillion-dollar package of investments and long-term commitments from DoD," MP Materials (MP) said it will construct the company's second domestic magnet manufacturing facility - the "10X Facility" - at a soon-to-be-chosen location to serve defense and commercial customers.
Once the new facility is completed, expected to begin commissioning in 2028, the company's total U.S. rare earth magnet manufacturing capacity would reach ~10,000 metric tons.
MP Materials (MP) said it also expects to add additional heavy rare earth separation capabilities at its Mountain Pass, California, facility.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
[News] U.S. expects to OK Tennessee Valley Authority small nuclear reactor in 2026
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted an application for a construction permit from the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a small modular nuclear reactor, the first U.S. utility to seek federal approval for such a project, Bloomberg reported Thursday.
The NRC expects to approve by the end of 2026 the TVA's plan to build a 300 MW reactor developed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEV) at its Clinch River site in Tennessee.
There are currently no small modular reactors operational in the U.S. and only three operating worldwide, and the NRC has approved only two SMR reactor designs, both of which were submitted by nuclear developer NuScale (SMR).
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
[Podcast/YouTube] When Will the AI Bubble Pop? | TCAF 198
On episode 198 of The Compound and Friends, Michael Batnick is joined by Joe Fahmy and Shay Boloor to discuss: where we are in the market cycle, the outlook for AI stocks, how Apple got left behind, the next Mag 7, the bull case for Tesla, and much more!
See specific, timestamped charts from this episode in the Charts section at the end of this blog.
Link to Full Video (01:19 Hours) - Jul. 04, 2025
[Podcast/YouTube] Why the Stock Market Goes Higher in the Second Half | TCAF 199
On episode 199 of The Compound and Friends, Michael Batnick and Downtown Josh Brown are joined by Ryan Detrick and Sonu Varghese to discuss: how AI saved the market, mid-year market takeaways, Bitcoin's new highs, economic indicators, and much more!
Link to Full Video (01:12 Hours) - Jul. 11, 2025
MSFT 0.00%↑ AVGO 0.00%↑ NVDA 0.00%↑ AMZN 0.00%↑ GOOG 0.00%↑
[YouTube] The ASICs Race - Microsoft Stumbles: Maia 200 Delayed
Microsoft's in-house AI chip efforts are facing setbacks, with its upcoming Maia 200 (Braga) chip delayed by at least six months, pushing mass production to 2026. The chip is expected to fall short of Nvidia’s Blackwell in performance. Its predecessor, Maia 100, released in 2023, was only used for testing and is not powering any AI services due to its outdated 2019 design focused on image processing, not generative AI.
Design changes during Braga’s development—especially to meet OpenAI's new demands—caused instability and further delays. Microsoft’s roadmap includes Braga-R and Clea (Maia 300), but Braga’s delay has cast doubt on the timeline. Clea, with a new architecture, is expected to be the first chip that could rival Nvidia.
Meanwhile, Amazon’s Trainium 3 and Google’s Ironwood TPUs are expected to launch later this year. However, Google's TPU progress hit a snag after key engineers from partner MediaTek left for Nvidia.
Link to Full Video (02:38 Mins) - Jul. 11, 2025
News, Facts, Analyst & Market Commentary - Short Reads:
President Trump signs tax-cut and spending bill
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday afternoon signed his sweeping tax-cut and spending package known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill”.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill in a 218 to 214 vote on Thursday afternoon, after the Senate approved the bill in a 51-50 vote on Tuesday, which required Vice President JD Vance’s vote to break the tie.
The bill contains $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, but a Congressional Budget Office report said it will raise the deficit by $3.3 trillion over the next 10 years. It will also cut $930 billion from Medicaid, Medicare, and Affordable Care Act programs over 10 years.
The bill will also include funds for Trump’s border and national security agenda, including migrant detention facilities and border wall construction.
The only Republicans in the House who voted against the legislation were Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), while Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Rand Paul (Ky.), and Thom Tillis (N.C.) opposed the bill in the Senate.
All Democrats voted against the legislation.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 04, 2025
Trump to start sending tariff letters on Friday, gives 10%-70% range
“We have more than 170 countries, and how many deals can you make?” Trump told reporters on Thursday.
“They’re very much more complicated.” “I think by the ninth they’ll be fully covered,” he said, referencing the end of the tariff pause.
Trump added that about "10 or 12" letters will be sent first, with more to follow "over the next few days." The proposed tariff rates would "range in value from maybe 60 or 70% tariffs to 10 and 20% tariffs."
These tariffs will take effect on August 1, 2025, unless countries reach separate trade agreements with the U.S. before a July 9 deadline.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 04, 2025
Chinese investment in overseas mining is said to surge to decade high
According to S&P and Mergermarket data cited by the newspaper, there were 10 Chinese mining deals valued at more than $100 million in 2023, the highest number since 2013. Separate research from the Griffith Asia Institute found that last year was the most active period for Chinese mining-related investments and construction projects abroad in over a decade.
As the biggest global consumer of many key resources, China’s appetite for minerals has driven its companies to invest overseas for years. But analysts say this recent wave of dealmaking reflects an urgent push to lock in resources before geopolitical tensions further restrict access, particularly in nations like Canada and the United States, where Chinese investment faces mounting resistance.
While China’s Belt and Road Initiative has largely focused on modest infrastructure and transport projects, overseas mining investments have remained significant, Christoph Nedopil, director of the Griffith Asia Institute and an expert on China’s foreign investment strategy, told the FT. He said this reflects China’s strategic pivot toward high-tech industries, such as electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy, alongside growing sophistication in how Chinese companies approach these deals.
Despite dominating mineral processing, particularly for rare earths, lithium and cobalt, China still relies heavily on imported raw materials. At the same time, Western governments are working to reduce reliance on Chinese-controlled supply chains for critical minerals vital to clean energy, semiconductors, and defense applications.
Industry observers cited by the FT have noted that Chinese companies have become highly skilled in acquiring mining assets from Western competitors. Their approach often involves longer investment horizons and a greater willingness to operate in politically or economically unstable regions.
According to John Meyer, an analyst with advisory firm SP Angel, part of China’s strategy involves proactively acquiring mineral assets to limit Western access.
In regions like Africa, Chinese firms are increasingly benefiting from shifts in resource nationalism, said Timothy Foden, co-head of the international arbitration practice at Boies Schiller Flexner. Some military-led governments have been seizing or renegotiating Western mining assets, demanding higher royalties. Chinese companies, he noted, are often more flexible on terms if it means securing operational control, the FT reported.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 06, 2025
Deep discounts can’t spur U.S. EV sales as buyers remain hesitant
Carmakers are slashing prices on electric vehicles, but American drivers are still slow to embrace them, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Despite the deals, many shoppers are sticking with traditional models. At a dealership in Indiana, sales manager Travis Shedron said customers often check out the Hummer EV but leave with a gasoline-powered Cadillac or GMC instead.
Industry-wide, EV sales have fallen for three consecutive months. Research firm Motor Intelligence reported a 6.2% drop in June, while Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) global sales declined 13.5% in the second quarter.
Analysts say concerns over vehicle range, high costs and limited charging options continue to hold buyers back. Although more EV models are available than ever, with 75 currently for sale in the United States, demand has yet to catch up.
Tax credits have helped boost EV sales, especially for budget-conscious shoppers, but those incentives are set to expire on September 30 under new legislation backed by Republican lawmakers. Up to $7,500 in credits for new EVs and $4,000 for used ones will no longer be available after that date.
Some automakers are offering free home chargers or covering public charging costs to ease buyer concerns, but analysts expect that EV sales will face a tough road ahead once federal subsidies disappear.
David Christ, North American head of Toyota, said the upcoming policy changes will force the industry to adjust quickly, the Journal reported.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 06, 2025
Startups race to help brands navigate AI-powered search: WSJ
At least a dozen companies are building tools to help businesses influence how AI models gather and present brand information, a next-generation form of search engine optimization, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Businesses have spent decades optimizing for Google’s search results, but that landscape is changing fast, Andrew Yan, co-founder of Athena, a startup focused on AI visibility, told the Journal.
Yan, a former Google employee, launched Athena last month with $2.2 million in funding to help brands understand how different AI models source information and recommend ways to improve their online presence.
Profound, for example, has raised more than $20 million to track how AI chatbots relay brand-related details, counting large companies like Chime among its clients.
The shift comes as Google itself evolves, rolling out AI-driven features like AI Overviews and conversational search that reduce the number of traditional website links users see.
Some in the marketing industry believe AI will lead to a “zero-click internet,” where bots, not humans, become the primary visitors to websites. Marketers are eager for tools that shed light on how AI systems influence brand visibility, though much of the technology is still experimental.
Scrunch AI, another startup in the space, has raised $4 million and is working with more than 25 clients to help them adapt their websites for AI-driven search. One of its customers, Clerk, reported a 9% increase in sign-ups from AI sources this year, the Journal reported.
Though the AI search optimization market is still small compared to the $90 billion traditional SEO industry, experts say demand is accelerating. Some consultants predict that AI visibility will soon account for a significant portion of their work.
Still, many of these tools remain in early stages, with marketers testing their effectiveness as AI models continue to evolve.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 06, 2025
XPeng jolts the electric vehicle sector with its new SUV powered by a Turing AI chip
The Turing chip is XPeng's (NYSE:XPEV) groundbreaking, self-developed artificial intelligence processor that the company designed to power the next generation of smart electric vehicles and advanced mobility platforms. Developed internally by XPeng (XPEV), the Turing chip was said to represent a major leap in automotive AI, offering unprecedented computing power and efficiency tailored for autonomous driving and intelligent cockpit systems. The 40-core processor and two proprietary neural processing units set the chip up to run large-scale AI models through its impressive computing capability of 700 trillion operations per second per chip.
Notably, XPeng's (XPEV) Turing chip debuted this month in the G7 SUV. The new G7 electric SUV in China entered the fiercely competitive electric crossover market with a starting price of just 195,800 yuan ($27,325) and is seen as positioned squarely to compete with the Tesla Model Y (TSLA) and the new Xiaomi (OTCPK:XIACF) YU7. Early reviews of the AI-enhanced G7 have been positive, especially with the Turing chip seen as a competitive edge.
In July 2023, Volkswagen (OTCPK:VLKAF) invested $700 million for a 4.99% stake in XPeng (XPEV), initiating a strategic alliance to co-develop electric vehicles tailored for China. Looking ahead, XPeng (XPEV) is actively pursuing partnerships to supply the chip to other automakers.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 07, 2025
Supply trails demand for Nvidia's B200, suggesting future growth: Wedbush
"Supply of B200/GB200 appears to be trailing customer demand even as NVDA production continues to lift," said Wedbush analysts Matt Bryson and Antoine Legault, in a Monday investor note. "Generally, it appears NVDA is favoring GB200 shipments (with greater tightness of B200 based PCIe solutions). In turn, we see this emphasis as more likely to favor model builder, neocloud, supercomputing, and sovereign data center NVDA server requirements. Such servers should include more NVDA networking, are more likely to be built by OEMs, in-line with Dell's (DELL) strong Q2, guide, Gigabyte's uptick in sales, and Wistron's strong May results."
"Several comments suggest AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) will realize substantial gains in CPU socket share through 2025," Bryson noted.
However, he cautioned they are still waiting for more positive feedback on AMD's MI350.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 07, 2025
GE Vernova started at Buy at UBS, as earnings seen lifted by AI-driven power demand
GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) +2.1% in Monday's trading as UBS initiated coverage with a Buy rating and $614 price target, saying the wind turbine maker is positioned to benefit from a structural upcycle in power generation sparked by surging electricity demand from data centers and a tight supply environment that will drive pricing power and long-term profit growth.
UBS analyst Amit Mehrotra anticipates GE Vernova's (NYSE:GEV) compound earnings growth of 70% over five years, the bank's highest estimate across covered companies, driven by AI-related energy needs and long equipment lead times that support pricing.
The analyst estimated GE Vernova (GEV) is only ~25% of the way through its earnings expansion opportunity for this cycle, with potential for operating profit to triple by 2030.
"While valuation is high, we believe it is sustainable," Memrotra wrote, pointing to backlog of more than 3x annual revenue and a long-tailed services business that now accounts for 45% of sales.
Mehrotra sees GE Vernova's (GEV) margin expansion supported by improved pricing discipline, backlog profitability, and lean cost structures.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 07, 2025
NLR 0.00%↑ TAN 0.00%↑ FAN 0.00%↑
Energy Department warns of more U.S. blackouts by 2030 from relying on renewables
The U.S. Department of Energy said Monday that the massive deployment of wind and solar energy expected by 2030 will not be enough to support the growing power demand expected by data centers and artificial intelligence.
"Blackouts could increase by 100% in 2030 if the U.S. continues to shutter reliable power sources," the DoE said in a new report that analyzes how much generation is scheduled to retire and come online over the next five years.
The report found that ~104 GW worth of plant retirements are scheduled by 2030, which DoE said threaten grid reliability since an insufficient amount baseload power sources, such as coal, natural gas and nuclear, will be coming online, and said the U.S. will see ~210 GW of new generation by 2030, but only 22 GW is baseload or "firm."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 07, 2025
Electrovaya enters commercial supply agreement with Janus Electric
Electrovaya (NASDAQ:ELVA) has entered into a commercial supply agreement with Janus Electric Holdings, an Australia-based company in the electrification of heavy transport vehicles.
The deal represents Electrovaya's (NASDAQ:ELVA) foray into a new mission-critical sector of heavy-duty Class 8 trucks for the Australian and US markets.
Under the terms of the agreement, Electrovaya will supply advanced, next-generation Infinity high-voltage lithium-ion battery systems to support Janus Electric's mission to transform diesel-powered Class 8 trucks into zero-emission electric trucks through its industry-leading swappable battery platform.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 08, 2025
Waymo expands east coast push with Philadelphia mapping
Alphabet’s Waymo (NASDAQ:GOOG) is coming to Philadelphia, testing its autonomous self-driving robotaxis through the fall on the city’s complex traffic patterns with human safety drivers.
By mapping out Philadelphia streets, the company hopes to expand its robotaxi service to more east coast metropolitan areas in addition to Miami, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and more recently, New York City. Waymo (NASDAQ:GOOG) currently has a significant presence in Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 08, 2025
ENPH 0.00%↑ TAN 0.00%↑ FAN 0.00%↑
Clean energy stocks slide as Trump orders tighter tax credit eligibility enforcement
Enphase Energy (NASDAQ:ENPH) and AES Corp. (NYSE:AES) are the two leading losers on the S&P 500 in early trading Tuesday, -5.1% and -4.1% respectively, after President Trump issued an executive order instructing the Treasury Department to "build upon and strengthen" the repeal of solar and wind tax credits included in the "Big Beautiful Bill" act, which was signed into law last week.
The executive order comes after reports the Trump administration had struck a deal with the U.S. House Freedom Caucus to more closely scrutinize green energy incentives in exchange for support of the "Big Beautiful Bill."
The act effectively ends renewable energy tax credits after 2026 if projects have not started construction, while wind and solar projects whose construction starts after 2026 must be placed in service by year-end 2027; under previous law, project developers would have been able to claim a 30% tax credit through 2032.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 08, 2025
X raises censorship concerns in India after receiving orders to block Reuters' accounts
Elon Musk's X on Tuesday said it was concerned about press freedom in India after a government order on July 3 asked the social media platform to block 2,355 accounts in India, including accounts handled by the international news agency Reuters.
In a post on X, the company said non-compliance with the Indian government's request would have risked "criminal liability."
The news outlet's global account was blocked on Saturday.
The account, which has over 25M followers, was unblocked on Sunday "after public outcry."
The social media platform's global government affairs team claimed when they received the order from the Indian government, they "demanded immediate action—within one hour—without providing justification and required the accounts to remain blocked until further notice."
"We are deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders. X is exploring all legal options available," X's global government affairs team said in a post. "Unlike users located in India, X is restricted by Indian law in its ability to bring legal challenges against these executive orders. We urge affected users to pursue legal remedies through the courts."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 08, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 08, 2025
QuantumScape rallies 20% to a 2025 high as sentiment swings positive
QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE:QS) rallied in Tuesday afternoon action as investors continued to focus on recent technical breakthroughs and show renewed optimism about the company's future in solid-state battery technology for electric vehicles.
Last month, QuantumScape (NYSE:QS) announced that it had successfully integrated its new Cobra separator process into baseline production ahead of schedule. The process is a significant improvement over its previous system, offering a 25-fold increase in manufacturing speed and requiring much less equipment footprint. The Cobra process is designed for gigawatt-scale battery production, which is crucial for mass adoption of solid-state batteries in the EV industry.
The Cobra breakthrough means QuantumScape (QS) can now produce battery cells more efficiently and at a larger scale.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 08, 2025
DAL 0.00%↑ #SpaceX
UK carrier Virgin Atlantic strikes deal with Musk's Starlink for internet services onboard
Virgin Atlantic Airways will use Elon Musk's Starlink (SPACE) (STRLK) for Wi-Fi services across its entire fleet, becoming the first UK airline to strike a deal with the tech billionaire's company, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
The company will start using Starlink for its aircraft from next year and expects to finish the full retrofit by the end of 2027, the report said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
At an event in London, top Virgin executives announced that the satellite internet service will be free for "Flying Club" members to use across multiple devices.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 08, 2025
NLR 0.00%↑ TAN 0.00%↑ FAN 0.00%↑
U.S. energy demand seen reaching record levels both this year and next
U.S. power consumption will hit record highs in 2025 and 2026, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its short-term energy outlook on Tuesday.
The EIA forecasts domestic power demand will jump to 4,189 billion kWh this year, up from 4,097 billion kWh in 2024, in a trend that is expected to continue into 2026, with demand reaching another projected record of 4,278 billion kWh.
Much of the demand growth is expected to come from data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, as well as the continued electrification of homes and businesses while using less fossil fuels for heat and transportation.
Natural gas' share of power generation would fall from 42% in 2024 to 40% in 2025 and 2026, the percentage of renewable generation would rise from 23% in 2024 to 25% in 2025 and 26% in 2026, while nuclear power's share would slide from 19% in 2024 to 18% in 2025 and 2026, according to the EIA's outlook.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 08, 2025
Arm sees 14-fold growth in data center customers since 2021 - report
The number of customers who use Arm (NASDAQ:ARM)-based chips in data centers has increased to 70,000, a 14-fold increase since 2021, Reuters reported.
Like other chip companies, the British chip architecture designer Arm has gained from the enthusiasm around generative AI computing and said a significant part of its data center growth is due to AI. The company said it had seen a 12-fold increase in startups that are using Arm chips from 2021, the report added.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 09, 2025
Broadcom execs say AI demand remains strong, to reinvest in AI growth opportunities rather than M&A: J.P. Morgan
AI demand remains strong, with incremental demand from inferencing workloads that were not accounted for in the prior 2027 Serviceable Available Market, or SAM, forecast, potentially leading to upside.
Strong execution in product technology development, with the 2nm 3.5D AI XPU product tape-out on track for this year, and the team is on track to tape-out first-generation AI XPU products this year with its two leading prospect engagements (the analysts believe with Arm/Softbank and OpenAI); AI compute workloads are driving strong networking demand and presenting significant dollar content capture opportunities in scale-up networking (5 to 10 times more content versus scale-up networking), according to the analysts.
Broadcom is seeing a gradual "U" shape recovery in its non-AI semiconductor business, reflected in the bookings/order inflection the team is seeing now, which could contribute to the positive EPS revision cycle next year, the analysts noted.
The VCF platform conversion is expected to sustain strong growth in its VMware business until late 2026/2027, at which point VMware's revenue base is expected to reach $20B in annualized revenues, with growth returning to more normalized levels of mid to high single-digit percentage thereafter, the analysts added.
Another point noted by the company's executives was that semiconductor operating margins are expected to continue expanding, driven by the operating leverage of the model, despite gross margin headwinds from the AI XPU business.
And Lastly, the company's focus will be on reinvesting in the business over the next one to two years on the large AI growth opportunities, rather than pursuing M&A, which could dilute attention and resources, the analysts noted.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 09, 2025
PLTR 0.00%↑ #Tomorrow.io
Palantir partners with Tomorrow.io to provide AI-powered weather forecasts
Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) has partnered with Tomorrow.io, a provider of artificial intelligence-powered weather predictions, to pursue joint, go-to-market opportunities for clients in the defense, government and enterprise sectors.
A critical component of the partnership allows Tomorrow.io to join Palantir's FedStart program. This means Tomorrow.io can offer its services to U.S. federal employees and scale operations within the federal government through a streamlined process.
The Boston-based Tomorrow.io was founded in 2016. It utilizes space-based observations and AI forecasts to provide weather modeling. It will be embedded into Palantir's "battle-tested decision engines" to give an operational advantage to government agencies and enterprises in dealing with extreme weather events.
The U.S. experienced 27 weather and climate disasters in 2024 that created $1B or more in damages. These totaled nearly $183B and caused 568 fatalities, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It ranked as the fourth-costliest year on record.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 09, 2025
ArcBest says the Tesla Semi aced a three-week test in California and Nevada
ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) has announced the successful completion of a three-week pilot program evaluating a Class 8 long-range electric semi-truck. The company said it put a Tesla Semi through a real-world over-the-road operations test.
The initiative was conducted through ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) less-than-truckload carrier ABF Freight. During the pilot, the Tesla Semi operated on standard dispatch lanes between Reno, Nevada, and Sacramento, California, as well as on regional Bay Area routes and rail shuttle operations. The truck logged 4,494 miles, averaging 321 miles per day, with an energy efficiency of 1.55 kWh per mile.
The electric semi was said to demonstrate reliable performance across various routes, including the demanding 7,200-foot climb over Donner Pass, and generally matched the capabilities of diesel trucks. In addition, drivers responded positively, highlighting the vehicle’s comfort, safety, and user-friendly features such as its center seat, broad visibility, and intuitive controls.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 09, 2025
GOOG 0.00%↑ GOOGL 0.00%↑ #Perplexity
Perplexity launches AI-powered browser Comet
Comet enables users to ask questions, perform tasks and conduct research in a single, unified interface.
The browser comes with a Comet assistant that can compare products, summarize content, and book meetings, among other things.
Perplexity said that Comet executes complete workflows while keeping perfect context and that research becomes conversation and analysis becomes natural.
The company noted that users can ask Comet to compare insurance plans or to help one understand a technology enough to decide whether to invest.
In Comet, user data is only stored locally in their browser, and never used for model training, according to Perplexity.
Starting July 9, Comet is available to Perplexity Max subscribers. The company said invite-only access will roll out slowly to its waitlist over the summer. New users will also receive a limited number of invites to share.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 09, 2025
Microsoft saves $500M via internal AI initiatives: report
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) saved more than $500M last year in its call center thanks to artificial intelligence tools, according to Bloomberg.
Judson Althoff, the software giant's chief commercial officer, said AI-powered coding assistants produced 35% of the code for new products as well.
Microsoft is taking AI beyond call centers and coding and also deploying it to handle sales with smaller clients.
Salespeople are also using Copilot AI assistants to help find leads and close deals quicker, which has led to revenue gains, the report added.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 09, 2025
Trump says 50% tariff on copper imports starts August 1
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed that the newly announced 50% tariff on copper imports will go into effect on August 1, 2025. The announcement follows a national security assessment, according to a post on Truth Social.
“Copper is necessary for Semiconductors, Aircraft, Ships, Ammunition, Data Centers, Lithium-ion Batteries, Radar Systems, Missile Defense Systems, and even, Hypersonic Weapons, of which we are building many. Copper is the second most used material by the Department of Defense,” he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC’s Power Lunch that the Trump administration wants to bring “copper production home.” He noted that Trump’s move will bring copper tariffs in line with U.S. duties on imports of steel and aluminum, which Trump doubled to 50% in early June.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 09, 2025
Tesla eyes San Francisco Bay Area for robotaxi expansion within months
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) plans to expand its robotaxi service to the San Francisco Bay Area "in a month or two," CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday, though the move depends on receiving regulatory approvals.
Responding on X to a user asking about updates, Musk said Tesla will expand the service to "a larger area in Austin this weekend."
When Tesla Owners Silicon Valley inquired about availability in the Bay Area, Musk replied: "Waiting on regulatory approvals, but probably in a month or two."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
Elon Musk says Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles 'very soon'
On Wednesday, xAI launched an updated version of the flagship AI model, Grok 4. Grok would compete with AI models like Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s (MSFT) ChatGPT and Alphabet unit (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google’s Gemini, capable of analyzing images and answering questions.
"Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles very soon. Next week at the latest," said Musk in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Grok 4 is better than PhD level in every subject Musk had said during a livestream on Wednesday night.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
Palantir sees price target raised at Wedbush on growing confidence in its AI strategy
Wedbush maintained its Outperform rating on Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) and raised the price target on the stock to $160 from $140, citing recent checks & growing confidence in the company's AI strategy, as the company is leading the software AI Revolution ahead.
The analysts believe the Street is underestimating the over $1B revenue stream that the company's Artificial Intelligence Platform, or AIP, U.S. commercial business can evolve into over the next few years and the technology competitive moat that CEO Alex Karp and team have built.
"To this point we believe the Trump Administration clearly represents an additional tailwind for PLTR with AI initiatives within the US government including the DoD accelerating as AI remains a strategic focus on the federal front," said Ives and his team.
The increased AI investments being seen under the Trump Administration with Project Stargate among other initiatives, should benefit Palantir on the government vertical as more focus within the Beltway heads down the strategic AI infrastructure build-out stage, according to the analysts.
In addition, the analysts said they believe the recent NATO deal win represents an additional tailwind for Palantir with AI initiatives across the U.S. and European governments accelerating as AI remains a strategic focus on the federal front with Palantir in the "sweet spot to benefit from a tidal wave of federal spending on AI across North America and Europe."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
OKLO 0.00%↑ CEG 0.00%↑ CCJ 0.00%↑
[Newsletter Exclusive] SA Sentiment: Top nuclear energy stock picks
Oklo's (NYSE:OKLO) order book exceeds 14GW, including an expected contract to power an Air Force base in Alaska. The company is targeting to deliver commercial power by 2027-end, and is working towards securing a license for its reactor. Investing Group Leader Michael Wiggins De Oliveira said while Oklo is still pre-revenue and regulatory licensing remains a big risk, "if they pull it off, this could be one of the most exciting energy stories of the next decade."
Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG) has the largest fleet of nuclear plants in the U.S. It has secured two 20-year deals to power data centers – one with Meta (META) and the other with Microsoft (MSFT). SA analyst Agar Capital believes Constellation is uniquely positioned to benefit from the AI boom, given its already operating nuclear plants and extendable licenses.
Cameco (NYSE:CCJ), one of the world's largest uranium producers, owns a 49% stake in Westinghouse Electric, which is reportedly considering the deployment of 10 large reactors in the U.S. SA analyst Investor Overview is bullish on Cameco as "utilities are likely to shift focus from enrichment and fabrication back toward securing long-term uranium supply."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
Microsoft is next in the $4T market cap club: Wedbush
"We believe Microsoft will also hit the $4 trillion market cap club this summer and then over the next 18 months the focus will be on the $5 trillion club....as this tech bull market is still early being led by the AI Revolution," said analysts led by Daniel Ives.
Based on their checks, the analysts believe the next three years, over 70% of Microsoft installed base will ultimately be on this AI functionality for the enterprise/ commercial which changes the landscape and growth trajectory for CEO Satya Nadella and Co. going forward.
Ives and his team noted that their recent partner checks have been incrementally strong around Copilot deployments with Microsoft customers, and ultimately they estimate this could add another nearly $25B to the company's topline trajectory by fiscal 26.
The analysts added that they see Microsoft as the clear front runner on the enterprise hyperscaleAI front, despite increasing competition from Amazon (AMZN) Amazon Web Services and Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google's Google Cloud Platform.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
Micron gets initiated with bullish views at Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank began coverage of Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) with a Buy rating and a $150 price target.
The analysts said they are constructive on both the cyclical and secular setup facing Micron. On the secular side, they believe High Bandwidth Memory, or HBM, is an underrated driver of gen/gen AI processor performance improvements and believe growth in HBM bits and Average Selling Price, or ASPs, should drive DRAM revenue growth (about 75% of MU revenues) and profitability above historical levels.
The analysts believe Micron will be a particular beneficiary of this trend, with HBM revenues expected to rise to about 23% of sales by 2026 (from nearly 0% in 2023), and HBM gross margins, or GMs, well above corporate average.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
NVDA 0.00%↑ AVGO 0.00%↑ SNPS 0.00%↑ CDNS 0.00%↑ AMD 0.00%↑ MRVL 0.00%↑
Nvidia, Cadence among those rated Buy as Goldman begins coverage
The firm has started coverage of Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) with a $185 price target and Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) with a price target of $315. In addition, Cadence Design Systems with a $380 price target and Synopsys (NASDAQ:SNPS) with a $620 price target.
Goldman began coverage of Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) with a $140 price target, British chip architecture designer Arm (NASDAQ:ARM) with a price objective of $160 and Marvell Technology (NASDAQ:MRVL) with a $75 price target.
Analysts led by James Schneider said they believe the AI investment cycle is in a state of transition, with over $350bn in capital expenditure spent on AI infrastructure. They added that although monetization has been elusive, they see early signs of incremental revenue and much clearer evidence of cost takeout to justify these investments, and believe AI CapEx can sustain growth from current levels.
The analysts noted that the magnitude of the AI infrastructure opportunity has resulted in a rapid re-ordering of semiconductor markets and technology leadership.
"We believe the balance between leading-edge AI model training and lower-cost inference should drive a "barbell" approach to semiconductor investing: (1) performance and software ecosystem leaders; (2) low-cost leaders enabling greater affordability," the analysts added.
Schneider and his team said that leading-edge model training favors performance and ecosystem winners, plus scale leaders in custom silicon. The analysts believe AI remains at an early stage of development, which should translate to a premium for performance and software ecosystem breadth. Commoditization remains some time away, and they think the custom silicon market — although rapidly ramping — will remain a minority for now.
More customers means more design, more designers, greater complexity, and more EDA. The analysts added that as the industry has moved from the era of client/server to cloud computing to generative AI, the number of systems and chip designers and customers has rapidly increased — along with chip design complexity and now multi-chip systems — thereby heightening the importance of EDA Software providers.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
Workday downgraded to Underweight by Piper Sandler over software spending concerns
"Per employee pricing risk coupled with eroding appetite to invest materially in applications could further pressure growth at WDAY," said Piper Sandler analysts in a Thursday investor note.
Piper Sandler also highlighted a CIO survey in which 52% of respondents expect to reduce workforce numbers due to artificial intelligence initiatives. Since Workday's software helps enterprises manage workforces, a "headcount drag" related to AI could prove negative.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 10, 2025
Tesla set to open first India store on July 15
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) will open its first official store in India on July 15, 2025, in Mumbai, marking a milestone for the electric vehicle giant as it formally enters the Indian automotive retail market after years of anticipation and speculation.
The new Tesla “experience center” will be located at Jio World Drive, one of the city's premier retail destinations. While the showroom will allow customers to experience Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) vehicles, test drives and deliveries are not expected to be available at launch.
The carmaker will initially focus on retail and vehicle imports, with no immediate plans for local manufacturing in India.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 11, 2025
Tesla applies to test robotaxis in Phoenix, Arizona - report
The company "expressed interest in operating within the Phoenix Metro area," the Arizona Department of Transportation told Reuters, adding that Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) applied to test and operate both with and without a driver.
On Wednesday, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk said the company would expand its Robotaxi service to the San Francisco Bay Area "in a month or two" and it was "waiting on regulatory approvals."
However, California's Department of Motor Vehicles said the company had not applied for a driverless testing or deployment permit to date.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 11, 2025
Gold extends gains on tariff tensions; silver rises to highest since 2011
Gold futures rose Friday for the third straight session, as investors regained their appetite for the safe-haven play following President Trump's threats to impose steep tariffs on trade partners, while silver continued its climb to the highest level in nearly 14 years.
Global stocks fell after Trump's new threat to impose a 35% tariff on Canadian goods starting August 1, as well as blanket 15%-20% levies on most other trading partners; the president this week also announced a 50% tariff on U.S. copper imports and the same levy on goods from Brazil.
Markets have become somewhat desensitized to Trump's recurring tariff threats, but analysts say concerns are growing that trade deals may not be reached.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 11, 2025
GE Vernova reaches $10.5M settlement with Nantucket over broken wind turbine blade
GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) agreed to pay a $10.5M settlement to the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, after one of its offshore wind turbine blades broke apart and washed ashore last year, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Fiberglass fragments of the blade began washing on beaches last summer during the peak of tourist season after pieces of the wind turbine at the Vineyard Wind project began falling into the Atlantic Ocean.
GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) blamed a manufacturing problem at one of its factories in Canada and said there was no indication of a design flaw; the company inspected all blades made at the plant and removed other blades made there from the Vineyard Wind location.
The settlement calls for establishing a fund to compensate local businesses for cleanup costs, forgone rental income and other losses, Nantucket officials said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 11, 2025
GOOG 0.00%↑ #OpenAI #Windsurf
OpenAI deal for Windsurf falls apart; Google paying $2.4B for Windsurf tech - reports
OpenAI, the generative AI company backed by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), saw its planned $3B acquisition of AI-assisted coding tool Windsurf go into the scrap heap on Friday, according to multiple reports.
In addition, Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, along with co-founder Douglas Chen, and other top talent are joining Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) DeepMind, which operates as an AI research laboratory, The Verge reported. The tech news outlet noted that the former Windsurf employees will focus efforts on Gemini.
Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) will have neither a stake nor control in Windsurf, but will have a nonexclusive license to some Windsurf technology, The Verge added.
Late Friday night, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google will pay ~$2.4B to license Windsurf's technology.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jul. 11, 2025
Charts & Technicals:
AMD 0.00%↑ AVGO 0.00%↑ TSM 0.00%↑ PLTR 0.00%↑ CRWD 0.00%↑
[YouTube/TCAF] When Will the AI Bubble Pop? | TCAF 198
Futurum AI 15: A list of top AI names to look out for from Shay Boloor from Futurum Equities.
Link to Full Video (01:19 Hours) (Timestamped) - Jul. 04, 2025
[YouTube/TCAF] When Will the AI Bubble Pop? | TCAF 198
Once again we come across the reference that the fair value average P/E ratio of the S&P 500 should be higher now, driven by the composition of the index and its allocation to technology stocks.
WealthWise Research article published in August 2023 making the same argument.
Link to Full Video (01:19 Hours) (Timestamped) - Jul. 04, 2025
Disclosure: We own positions in some/all of the tickers mentioned in this article.
