Core Insights - Retail investors have shown significant interest in five stocks this week, driven by earnings reports, retail hype, AI developments, and corporate news [1] Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) - Tesla's annual shareholder meeting resulted in a 75% approval for CEO Elon Musk's $1 trillion performance-based compensation package [5] - The company introduced software updates, but European sales have halved in key markets due to competition, and a recall affected 6,197 Cybertruck units [5] - The stock has a 52-week range of $214.25 to $488.54, trading around $451 to $453, with a year-to-date increase of 17.57% and a 50.18% rise over the year [6] Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) - Palantir's third-quarter earnings exceeded expectations with revenue of $1.18 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.21, driven by 122% growth in U.S. commercial sales and increased AI Platform adoption [6] - The stock has a 52-week range of $53.55 to $207.52, trading around $76 to $178, with a year-to-date increase of 132.81% and a 213.26% rise over the year [4] IREN Ltd. (NASDAQ:IREN) - IREN announced a significant multi-year GPU cloud services contract with Microsoft valued at $9.7 billion, providing access to NVIDIA GB300 GPUs [11] - The company reported first-quarter FY26 earnings of $240.3 million and adjusted EPS of $1.08 [11] - The stock has a 52-week range of $5.12 to $76.87, trading around $68 to $69, with a year-to-date increase of 540.15% and a 497.32% rise over the year [12] Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) - Strategy purchased an additional 397 BTC for $45.6 million, increasing total holdings to 641,205 BTC valued at approximately $47.5 billion [12] - The third-quarter earnings call highlighted a balance sheet transformation with digital assets surging from $7 billion to $73 billion year-over-year [12] - The stock has a 52-week range of $231.51 to $542.99, trading around $236 to $238, with a year-to-date decrease of 20.94% and a 12.41% decline over the year [13] Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) - AMD reported record third-quarter earnings of $9.25 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $1.20, driven by data center sales of $4.3 billion and client/gaming revenue of $4.0 billion [10] - Anticipation is building for the upcoming Analyst Day on Nov. 11, where new CPU and GPU roadmaps will be unveiled [14] - The stock has a 52-week range of $76.48 to $267.08, trading around $237 to $239, with a year-to-date increase of 97.05% and a 58.66% rise over the year [15]

Group 1: Major Deals in Bitcoin Mining - Cipher Mining signed a 15-year lease agreement worth $5.5 billion with Amazon Web Services for 300 megawatts at its Bear Lake facility, set to launch in July 2026, highlighting the growing demand for AI workloads [3][4] - IREN entered into a five-year, $9.7 billion cloud compute agreement with Microsoft for 200 megawatts at its Childress, Texas site, alongside a $5.8 billion procurement deal with Dell for hardware [5][6] Group 2: Market Reactions and Stock Performance - Despite the significant deals, Cipher's stock fell over 10% amid a broader tech-sector sell-off, with the deal value exceeding its $8 billion market cap, indicating investor enthusiasm for AI-related mining ventures [4] - IREN's shares also dropped approximately 10% on the same day, although analysts described the Microsoft agreement as a "watershed moment" for Bitcoin miners transitioning towards AI and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure [5][6] Group 3: Industry Trends and Future Prospects - The partnerships signify a shift in the Bitcoin mining industry towards providing power and infrastructure for AI tenants, while GPU management is left to specialized partners, validating the "powershell" model [6] - IREN's 20,000-unit Neo Cloud cluster may serve as a testing ground for independent AI compute capabilities, although uncertainties remain regarding its GPU strategy [6]

Core Insights - Bitcoin mining firms are transitioning from cryptocurrency mining to AI data centers due to rising energy costs and reduced halving rewards, marking a significant industry shift [1][2][3] Industry Trends - The April 2024 halving event reduced Bitcoin mining rewards, causing a decline in average hashprice from $0.12 to under $0.05 by mid-2025, prompting miners to seek alternative revenue sources [3] - AI infrastructure requires substantial energy, and existing Bitcoin miners possess the necessary resources, including energy contracts and hardware, to support AI operations [5] Financial Implications - Analysts from VanEck estimate that Bitcoin miners could generate $38 billion in annual revenue by converting their infrastructure for AI and high-performance computing, which is 25 times more profitable per megawatt than traditional mining [6][7] - Public miners have raised over $4.6 billion in debt and convertible securities since late 2024 to finance this transition, increasing execution risks associated with the pivot to AI [8] Company Developments - Core Scientific has committed to AI hosting, utilizing its 1.3 GW capacity and has signed a $10.2 billion contract with CoreWeave for AI compute services [10] - Iris Energy has expanded its AI cloud infrastructure, scaling its GPU units to over 4,300 [11]

IREN Limited (NASDAQ:IREN) shares were up after the company released its first-quarter earnings report after Thursday’s closing bell, beating estimates on the top and bottom lines.IREN reported quarterly earnings of $1.08 per share, which beat the consensus estimate of 14 cents per share. Quarterly revenue came in at $240.3 million, which beat the Street estimate of $235.5 million."IREN continues to execute with discipline, delivering record results this quarter and meaningful progress in our AI Cloud expan ...

Core Insights - IREN Limited reported a significant increase in Q1 FY26 financial results, with total revenue rising 355% year-over-year to $240.3 million and net income reaching a record $384.6 million compared to a net loss of $51.7 million in Q1 FY25 [1] - The company has transitioned from a Bitcoin miner to a leading AI Cloud Service Provider, capable of assembling over 3 gigawatts of power for AI customers [2] - Analysts had previously downgraded EPS estimates for IREN, but expectations may improve due to the booming business outlook [3] Microsoft Partnership - IREN signed a 5-year $9.7 billion AI cloud deal with Microsoft to deploy NVIDIA GB300 GPU systems at its 750MW Childress site, requiring an upfront hardware purchase of $5.8 billion from Dell [4] - The partnership is expected to generate $1.9 billion in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and is viewed positively by investors, with Microsoft highlighting IREN's expertise in AI cloud infrastructure [5] - IREN projects that this alliance could lead to $3.4 billion in AI Cloud ARR by the end of 2026, supported by multi-year contracts with clients such as Together AI, Fluidstack, and Fireworks AI [5] Analyst Outlook - Analysts are expected to revise their models and growth forecasts for IREN following the new partnership and financial results, indicating a potential buying opportunity as EPS estimates have already been significantly reduced [6] - The recent developments have generated excitement among investors regarding IREN's growth outlook in the AI Cloud sector [7]

Core Insights - IREN Limited has announced a significant deal with Microsoft Corp, indicating potential for more partnerships in the future [1][2] - The Microsoft deal involves a 200 megawatt GPU cloud services contract valued at approximately $9.7 billion, including a 20% prepayment [4] - IREN's Q1 earnings significantly exceeded expectations, reporting earnings of $1.08 per share compared to the consensus estimate of 14 cents [4] Company Developments - Co-CEO Daniel Roberts mentioned that there is interest from multiple parties for deals beyond the current Microsoft agreement [2][3] - IREN is likely to focus on partnerships with other hyperscalers for co-location and infrastructure deals rather than solely cloud deals [3] - The company is optimistic about pursuing AI Cloud opportunities, supported by the favorable terms of the Microsoft deal, which includes a 35% plus equity IRR [3]

Core Insights - IREN Limited (IREN) shares fell 12.4% after reporting weaker-than-expected earnings for Q1 fiscal 2026, with earnings of 1 cent per share missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 14 cents [1] - The company achieved net earnings of $384.6 million, a significant recovery from a loss of $176.9 million in the previous quarter [1] - Total revenues increased by 28.3% sequentially to $240.3 million, surpassing the consensus estimate by 8.83% [1] Financial Performance - Bitcoin revenues reached $232.9 million, up 29.1% sequentially, while AI Cloud Services revenues slightly increased to $7.3 million from $7.0 million [3] - Adjusted EBITDA was $91.7 million, down from $121.9 million in the previous quarter, with the adjusted EBITDA margin contracting to 38% from 65% [4] - Operating expenses rose to $236 million due to higher SG&A expenses and depreciation costs related to the expanded data center platform [4] Balance Sheet Strength - As of September 30, 2025, IREN had $1.03 billion in cash and cash equivalents, up from $564.5 million at the end of the previous quarter [5] - The company secured $400 million in total GPU financing and issued $1 billion in zero-coupon convertible notes in October 2025 to enhance liquidity and support growth initiatives [5] Future Outlook - IREN is targeting an annualized AI Cloud revenue run-rate of $3.4 billion by the end of 2026, with approximately $1.9 billion expected from its Microsoft contract and $1.5 billion from GPU deployments in British Columbia [6][7] - The company is transitioning its operations in British Columbia from bitcoin mining to AI, including the deployment of liquid-cooled data centers [6]

Government Shutdown - The federal government shutdown is nearing a resolution, with a vote expected soon, which could lead to a short relief rally in the markets [2] - Economic data releases are paused, and agencies are under strain, but market performance has been better than anticipated [2] IREN & Opendoor Earnings - Irēn Ltd. reported quarterly revenue of $240.3 million, a year-over-year increase of over 350%, with net income of $384.6 million, marking a significant turnaround from previous losses [3] - The company is progressing on its partnership with Microsoft, with AI data center construction underway and first-phase activation expected in 2026, although near-term revenue is primarily driven by mining [3] - Opendoor reported Q3 revenue of $915 million, exceeding consensus, but faced compressed margins and a loss of $0.12 per share, leading to a 15% decline in stock price after hours due to cautious forward guidance [5] Elon Musk's Pay Package - Tesla shareholders approved Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package, which aligns his compensation with the company's long-term performance and growth in AI, robotics, and EV manufacturing [6] - The approval reflects investor confidence in Musk's vision, although it raises discussions about governance and scale [6]

Core Viewpoint - The cryptocurrency sector in the U.S. stock market continues to experience a downward trend, with several key stocks declining significantly [1] Group 1: Stock Performance - Cipher Mining (CIFR.US) fell over 6% [1] - Iren (IREN.US) dropped more than 8% [1] - Strategy (MSTR.US) decreased by 3% [1] - Robinhood (HOOD.US) declined nearly 2% [1] - Coinbase (COIN.US) saw a drop of over 1% [1] - Circle (CRCL.US) was an exception, rising more than 1% [1] Group 2: Cryptocurrency Price Movements - Bitcoin briefly fell below $100,000 [1] - Ethereum experienced a decline of over 3% during the day [1]

I hold a Master’s degree in Cell Biology and began my career working for several years as a lab technician in a drug discovery clinic, where I gained extensive hands-on experience in cell culture, assay development, and therapeutic research. That scientific foundation gave me an appreciation for the rigor and challenges behind drug development, which I now bring into my work as an investor and analyst. For the past five years, I have been active in the investing space, with the last four years dedicated to ...