Market Overview - U.S. stock markets have shown strong performance in 2025, with the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite increasing by 13.1%, 17.1%, and 22.3% year to date, respectively [1] - Strong third-quarter earnings, solid economic fundamentals, and an anticipated interest rate cut by the Fed are expected to sustain market momentum through December [1] Corporate Focus - Five major companies with market capitalizations over $50 billion have been identified for investor focus in December, all of which have delivered double-digit returns in the past month: Carvana Co. (CVNA), Walmart Inc. (WMT), Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT), Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX), and Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) [2][8] Carvana Co. (CVNA) - Carvana's operational focus, scalable model, and cost-cutting efforts are attracting investor interest, with the acquisition of ADESA's U.S. operations enhancing its logistics and reconditioning processes [5][6] - Currently holding only a 1.5% share of the U.S. automotive retail market, Carvana has significant expansion potential [6] - The company reported an adjusted EBITDA of $637 million for Q3, up $208 million year-over-year, with industry-leading margins of 11.3% [7] - For the full year, Carvana forecasts adjusted EBITDA between $2 billion and $2.2 billion, an increase from $1.38 billion last year [7] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for Carvana are 44.8% and over 100%, respectively, for the current year [9] Walmart Inc. (WMT) - Walmart's diversified business model and strong omnichannel strategy have increased traffic to both physical and digital platforms, leading to steady grocery market share gains [10] - Significant enhancements in delivery capabilities include the Express On-Demand Early Morning Delivery service and partnerships with Salesforce and DroneUp [11] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for Walmart are 4.4% and 4.8%, respectively, for the current year [12] Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) - Applied Materials is benefiting from a rebound in the semiconductor industry, particularly in foundry and logic sectors, with strong performance in its services segment [13][14] - The company has a diversified portfolio that supports growth across various sectors, including IoT and automotive [14] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for Applied Materials are 2% and 1%, respectively, for the current year [15] Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX) - Freeport-McMoRan is expanding reserves through exploration activities and executing smelter projects in Indonesia, positioning itself to benefit from the automotive electrification trend [16] - The company is focused on reducing debt and maintaining solid financial health [16] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for Freeport-McMoRan are -1.9% and 0.7%, respectively, for the current year [17] Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) - Merck's sales are driven by its blockbuster drug Keytruda and new product launches, with ongoing label expansions expected to sustain growth [18] - The company is pursuing M&A opportunities to diversify its pipeline beyond Keytruda, with recent approvals for new products [19] - Expected revenue and earnings growth rates for Merck are 1% and 17.4%, respectively, for the current year [20]

I just want to kind of add on to what Ray Dalia was saying. He ended it saying because wealth has to be sold to come up with the money to deliver whatever is needed whether it's a bubble or not. Basically saying that it might pressure some parts of the market.So let's just say we are in some type of bubble right now. What parts of the market do you see negatively impacted. Is it just other tech stocks that don't uh perform as well as some of the leaders.I mean where do you see the weakness if we are in a bu ...

Core Viewpoint - Morgan Stanley has raised its S&P 500 year-end target for 2026 to 7,800, driven by strong earnings growth and AI-enhanced efficiency gains [1][2] Group 1: Market Outlook - The market's positive shift began in April 2025, reversing previous negative growth assumptions due to supportive government policies [2] - The government's "Big Beautiful bill" is expected to enhance capital expenditure and provide tax benefits for consumers in the first half of 2026 [2] - The Federal Reserve's actions are also contributing to market momentum [2] Group 2: Sector Performance - The market is anticipated to broaden beyond a few major names, with potential in sectors like consumer discretionary, underperforming financials, transports, and consumer products [3] - These sectors have low earnings multiples, which may lead to earnings surprises and subsequent multiple expansion [3] Group 3: Stock Recommendations - A list of 11 stocks has been curated based on analyst ratings and hedge fund sentiment, focusing on those with over 25% upside potential [6][7] - The methodology includes analyzing top holdings from quality factor ETFs and ranking them by analyst upside potential [6] Group 4: Company Highlights - **NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)**: - Hedge fund holders: 234, Analyst upside potential: 25.06% [8] - Recent partnerships with Mistral AI and AWS enhance its AI capabilities and cloud infrastructure [10][11] - **The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)**: - Hedge fund holders: 104, Analyst upside potential: 25.93% [12] - Mixed opinions from analysts following Q3 2026 results, with revenue growth of 2.82% year-over-year to $41.35 billion, but EPS of $3.74 fell short of consensus [13][14] - The company is positioned for market share gains despite recent performance challenges [14][15]

Core Viewpoint - UnitedHealth Group is expected to rebound in 2026 despite a challenging 2025, where the stock has seen a significant decline of over 30% year-to-date and a peak drop of 53% [2][4]. Financial Performance - The company lowered its 2025 full-year earnings guidance due to higher-than-expected utilization in Medicare Advantage plans and unexpected changes in Optum Health member profiles [5]. - UnitedHealth suspended its 2025 outlook due to significantly rising medical costs and the unexpected departure of CEO Andrew Witty [5]. - The current market capitalization of UnitedHealth Group is approximately $300 billion, with a 52-week price range of $234.60 to $606.36 [7]. Future Outlook - The company is increasing premiums to address rising medical costs, which is expected to drive solid operating earnings growth in 2026 [8]. - There is an expectation for earnings growth to accelerate in 2027 and beyond, with the potential for stock prices to rise in anticipation of this growth [9]. - The ongoing DOJ investigation may take time to resolve, but previous investigations did not find evidence of wrongdoing, suggesting a possibility of a favorable outcome [10][11]. Management Changes - Stephen Hemsley has returned as CEO, indicating a shift in leadership that may influence the company's strategic direction moving forward [8].

Analyst optimism about Corporate America’s ability to grow earnings is spreading from Big Tech megacaps down to the market’s minnows and virtually everything in between https://t.co/adm0KCAcmc ...

Core Viewpoint - The Canadian bank anticipates strong earnings growth in the upcoming year despite ongoing uncertainties related to U.S. trade policy, with expectations for solid capital and liquidity measures [1] Group 1 - The bank is focused on achieving strong earnings growth [1] - There is lingering uncertainty due to U.S. trade policy [1] - Capital and liquidity measures are expected to remain solid [1]

Wall Street’s forecasts for 2026 have started to hit the market, with some strategists projecting that the S&P 500 could rise to as high as 8,000 thanks to the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The S&P 500 stood at 6,849.09 as of Nov. 28, 2025. If the index reaches the 8,000-mark by 2026, it would represent a 17% gain.Among the most optimistic is Deutsche Bank, which argues that the ongoing investment flows, strong buybacks and persistent earnings strength set the stage for “mid-teens returns” next year, a ...

Joining us now, John Belton, portfolio manager for growth equities at Gabelli Funds. Okay. Where do you see it.What what were numbers there. 7100 7500 8,000. Pick a number. >> I'm not going to pick a number.That's that's too risky. I'm not going to do that in a public forum. But um I do think this this issue >> Well, you can give me any number.Just don't give me the [laughter] cake. >> Let's go let's go 7% higher from here. The long-term average.>> Okay, great. Yeah, that's bold. So, I mean, I do think this ...

Core Insights - The company anticipates an EBITDA of 45 million pounds for fiscal 2026, with expectations for double-digit percentage growth in the following fiscal year [1]

Joe, we're looking ahead to 2026 right now. Do the earnings growth, is that going to come from tech. Is that going to come from com services.Is that where you need to put the money as we go into not only the last month of the year, but go into the new year. >> So, obviously the last several quarters, the overwhelming majority of earnings growth has been attributable to artificial intelligence and therefore communication service and technology names. But I also think you've seen strong earnings growth in oth ...