Market Overview - On February 19, U.S. stock markets opened lower and closed down, with all three major indices declining [1][2] - The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 0.54% to 49,395.16 points, the S&P 500 decreased by 0.28% to 6,861.89 points, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped by 0.31% to 22,682.73 points [2][3] Asset Management Sector - Blue Owl Capital announced the sale of $1.4 billion in loan assets from three private debt funds, raising concerns among investors about potential losses in the private loan sector [4] - Following this news, several asset management companies experienced significant stock declines: Blue Owl Capital down 5.93%, Blackstone down 5.37%, Apollo Global Management down 5.21%, Ares Management down 3.08%, and Brookfield down 2.68% [4] Software Industry - The software sector also showed weakness, with notable declines in stocks such as Cadence Design Systems down 2.76%, SAP down 2.41%, Intuit down 2.06%, and ServiceNow down 1.33% [4] - Concerns about artificial intelligence potentially disrupting the software industry were highlighted, with Mistral AI's CEO stating that over 50% of enterprise software could be replaced by this technology [4] Energy Sector - Energy stocks mostly rose amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with ConocoPhillips up 0.97% and Chevron up 0.49% [5] Retail Sector - Walmart's stock fell by 1.38% after the company provided a fiscal year profit guidance that fell short of market expectations, overshadowing its better-than-expected fourth-quarter results [5] Technology Stocks - Major tech stocks had mixed performances: Nvidia down 0.04%, Apple down 1.43%, Alphabet down 0.13%, Microsoft down 0.29%, Amazon up 0.03%, Meta up 0.24%, and Tesla up 0.12% [6][7] Chinese Stocks - The LiFeng Chinese stock index fell by 0.54%, and the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index decreased by 0.35% [8] - Popular Chinese stocks mostly declined, with Bawang Tea down 2.5%, Trip.com down 2.28%, Alibaba down 0.96%, and Pinduoduo down 0.94% [8] Company News - Amazon surpassed Walmart to become the highest-grossing company globally, reporting $717 billion in sales for the fiscal year ending December, compared to Walmart's $713.2 billion [9] - AMD announced it will support a $300 million loan to Crusoe, backed by chip products [10] - Hims & Hers Health is acquiring Australian digital health company Eucalyptus for up to $1.15 billion, which boosted its stock by approximately 7% in pre-market trading [11] - Yorkville America Equities LLC announced plans to acquire the Point Bridge America First ETF, focusing on investments aligned with former President Trump's "America First" ideology [12] - BE Semiconductor Industries reported fourth-quarter revenue of €166.4 million, exceeding analyst expectations, and projected a revenue growth of 5%-15% for the first quarter [13]

Intuit Inc. ( INTU ) has lost nearly $100 billion in market value over the past six months, as the “SaaSpocalypse” narrative has taken hold of the market.James Foord is an economist by trade and has been analyzing global markets for the past decade. He leads the investing group The Pragmatic Investor where the focus is on building robust and truly diversified portfolios that will continually preserve and increase wealth. The Pragmatic Investor covers global macro, international equities, commodities, tech a ...

For almost a decade, I held research analyst positions in various investment firms, mostly in Toronto. I started in sell-side research with a Canadian bank, then moved to a hedge fund, followed by a family office and then finished my career in wealth management. I was 20 on my first day on Bay Street. I will forever remember. I had worked so hard to get there, from a small French-speaking town in Québec. Getting my CFA and CAIA designations by 25 was another important milestone. I was a young man with a dre ...

Group 1: Pool Corp - Pool Corp is a robust company with a significant portion of its revenue, 62%, coming from pool maintenance, indicating a strong business model beyond new construction [2] - The company is currently 50% off its all-time high, presenting a buying opportunity despite challenges in the housing market [3] Group 2: Occidental Petroleum - Occidental Petroleum is positioned well due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Venezuela, which are expected to support energy prices over the next two years [3] - The company has diversified operations beyond crude oil, including gas and chemicals, which provides resilience against market fluctuations [3] Group 3: Intuit - Intuit has seen a significant decline, down 50% from its all-time high, but is considered oversold and strategically positioned with partnerships in AI [3] - The company offers a suite of products, including QuickBooks and TurboTax, which are expected to benefit from AI integration [3] Group 4: Duke Energy - Duke Energy is forecasted to meet increasing power demands, with a projected 1.5% growth in gigawatts needed from new data centers [3] - The company has the highest integrated capital expenditure spending in the US regulated energy sector, positioning it well for future growth [3] Group 5: MicroStrategy - MicroStrategy is currently viewed as a sell, being 77% off its all-time high, with concerns about Bitcoin's potential decline through mid-2027 due to yield curve dynamics [3][4] - The company is associated with Bitcoin and blockchain but faces challenges in proving its value as a long-term asset during economic downturns [4][5] Group 6: Bitcoin as Digital Gold - Bitcoin's performance has diverged from gold, raising questions about its status as "digital gold" and its reliability during recessions [4][5] - The regulatory environment surrounding cryptocurrency remains unclear, which adds to the speculative nature of Bitcoin investments [5][6]

Fourlane Now an Official Reseller of Intuit Enterprise Suite, Expanding Decade-Long QuickBooks Leadership- # Fourlane Now an Official Reseller of Intuit Enterprise Suite, Expanding Decade-Long QuickBooks LeadershipShare---AUSTIN, Texas--([BUSINESS WIRE])-- [Fourlane], the nation's top-ranked Intuit QuickBooks Solution Provider, and [Intuit Inc.](Nasdaq: INTU), the global financial technology platform that makes [Intuit TurboTax], [Credit Karma], [QuickBooks], [Mailchimp], and [Intuit Enterprise Suite], toda ...

Core Insights - Figma is launching a new feature called "Code to Canvas" in partnership with Anthropic, which allows users to convert AI-generated code into editable designs within Figma [1][2] - This feature aims to bridge the gap between AI coding tools and Figma's design process, enabling teams to refine and compare design options directly [2] - The introduction of this feature reflects a belief that AI coding tools have not diminished the need for design but rather made it more critical [3] Company Performance - Figma's stock has experienced a significant decline, dropping approximately 85% from its 52-week high of $142.92 reached in August [5] - The company is affected by a broader market trend referred to as the "SaaSpocalypse," which has seen a sell-off in software-as-a-service stocks, impacting major players like Salesforce and ServiceNow [4] - Figma is set to report its earnings after the market close, which may provide further insights into its financial health amidst the current market conditions [5]

Core Insights - Intuit Inc. (INTU) has shown strong growth in revenue and free cash flow (FCF) over recent years, indicating a solid operational performance [1] - Despite this growth, the stock price has declined significantly, falling 33% year-to-date and over 45% from its all-time high, raising concerns among investors [1] Financial Performance - The company has demonstrated solid revenue growth and free cash flow generation, which are positive indicators of its financial health [1] - The substantial drop in stock price suggests a disconnect between the company's operational performance and market perception [1] Investor Sentiment - Investor concerns are primarily focused on the recent stock price decline, which may reflect broader market trends or specific issues within the company [1]

Core Viewpoint - The release of Anthropic's Claude Cowork tools has negatively impacted the stock market, particularly affecting software companies and AI competitors, but some investors see this as a buying opportunity for Alphabet shares [1][2]. Group 1: Market Impact - Anthropic's Claude Cowork, featuring industry-specific plugins, caused a significant market reaction, leading to declines in stocks of software companies like Salesforce, Intuit, and Atlassian, which are down 27.9%, 33%, and 41.6% year-to-date, respectively [4]. - Alphabet's shares dropped over 6% following the announcement of Claude Cowork, reflecting investor anxiety despite Alphabet not being directly impacted by the specific software offerings [5]. Group 2: Alphabet's Position - Alphabet, with a market cap of $3.7 trillion, has a strong presence in the AI sector, recently launching its own LLM, Gemini 3, which has shown improvements over competitors like OpenAI's ChatGPT [7]. - The rollout of Gemini 3 has resulted in a significant increase in paid subscribers, indicating potential customer shifts from ChatGPT to Gemini, raising concerns that Claude Cowork could attract these subscribers away from Alphabet [7]. Group 3: Investment Opportunities - Notable investors, including Warren Buffett, have taken positions in Alphabet, suggesting confidence in the company's long-term prospects despite recent stock price declines [10]. - Cathie Wood's Ark Invest purchased $21.6 million in Alphabet shares, indicating a strategic move to capitalize on the current dip in stock price [11].

Market Overview - Wall Street is experiencing significant disruption concerns due to AI, leading to a sell-off in various sectors, particularly software companies, which has resulted in sharp losses in U.S. stocks this week [1][2]. Software Sector - The S&P 500 Software & Services index has lost approximately $2 trillion in value since its peak in October, with half of this loss occurring in the past two weeks due to fears that AI could disrupt traditional subscription and enterprise tools [2]. - Notable declines in the Nasdaq 100 include Atlassian down 47%, Intuit down 40%, and Workday down 33% [4]. - The U.S. software sector is facing its worst drawdown in over three years, impacting alternative asset managers with exposure to software-related loans, with firms like Ares, Blackstone, and KKR seeing declines between 13% and 24% this year [5]. Financial Brokerage, Data Analytics & Legal Services - The financial industry, especially brokerages and data analytics firms, has been negatively affected after Altruist introduced AI-enabled tax planning features, raising fears about the viability of their business models [6]. - Shares of brokers such as LPL Financial and Charles Schwab fell over 7%, while S&P Global's shares dropped more than 25% in February, marking its worst month since 2009 [7]. Real Estate Services - Commercial real estate and investment managers have suffered as investors shift away from high-fee, labor-intensive business models perceived as vulnerable to AI disruption, with CBRE Group and Jones Lang LaSalle each dropping about 12% [8]. Insurance Sector - Insurance stocks have experienced a significant decline, with the S&P 500 insurance index falling 3.9% on a single day, its largest drop since mid-October, following the release of an AI-powered comparison tool by Insurify [10]. - Shares of Willis Towers Watson have decreased by 15% this week, while Aon and Arthur J. Gallagher fell by 9% and 15%, respectively [11]. Trucking & Logistics - The trucking and logistics sector saw unexpected declines, with stocks like Landstar System and C.H. Robinson dropping sharply after Algorhythm Holdings reported a significant increase in freight volumes without a corresponding rise in operational headcount [13].

Market Overview - Inflation has dropped to its lowest level in eight months, with core inflation at its lowest since March 2021, indicating a potential shift in market dynamics [1][3] - The current market sentiment suggests that bad news may not be beneficial for the market, as it could limit the Federal Reserve's ability to be more accommodative [2][3] Federal Reserve Insights - The Federal Reserve is less likely to cut rates with inflation decreasing and job numbers unexpectedly high, leading to a lower unemployment rate of 4.3% [4][5] - Citigroup's analysis suggests no rate cuts in the first half of the year but anticipates three cuts in the latter half, raising questions about the underlying analytics driving this forecast [5][7] Sector Analysis - The software sector has been oversold, and while AI poses a threat, it is not yet time to abandon software investments [8][13] - Companies like Intuit, which have strategic partnerships in AI, are seen as potential investment opportunities due to their revenue growth and current valuation being 50% off their all-time high [10][11][13] Energy and Infrastructure - Energy companies, particularly Duke Energy, are highlighted as strong long-term plays due to their capital expenditure plans to support data centers necessary for AI [15] Gold and Bitcoin Perspectives - Gold is viewed as having potential for significant price increases, with some analysis suggesting it could be valued around $20,000 per troy ounce based on inflation [18] - Bitcoin remains speculative, with expectations of further price declines in the near term, but it is recognized as a long-term investment due to its foundational role in blockchain technology [20][22] Market Expectations - The market is expected to experience volatility, with a projected overall positive performance for the year, but not at the levels seen in previous years, estimating a 5-10% increase [22][23]