Markets Eye Nike Earnings as Bears Circle EV, Chips

US Highlights

Nike dominates the week ahead. The sneaker giant reports Q4 2026 results on June 30. Investors will focus on North America sales and margin trends. Options flow is active into the July 2 expiry. Short interest sits at just 5.1% of free float — bears are not the primary story here.

Airlines are the week's standout sector call. Analysts at multiple firms lifted targets on Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines on Friday. Delta's consensus target rose to $86.41. Bears are not pressing — Delta's SI is just 3.6% of free float. The bullish analyst tone contrasts sharply with more troubled names elsewhere.

Short sellers are piling into beaten-down names. Wolfspeed hit 129.9% SI % FF — up from 103% just a week ago. Availability has dropped to zero. Lucid Group saw SI climb to 39.2% from 32.2% with cost to borrow surging to 77.9%. That is an expensive short. Restaurant Brands International saw SI nearly double in a week, from 6.6% to 14.8%.

Insider selling is heavy. Executives at Applied Materials filed nearly $87M in combined sales. Argan insiders sold $79M worth of shares. AST SpaceMobile founder-CEO Abel Avellan filed a $146.7M sale.

Europe Highlights

Oil is back near pre-conflict lows. Brent crude fell below $72.48 — the level it traded at before Iran tensions flared. That signals easing supply fears and pressure on energy names. easyJet is in talks with Castlelake after rejecting a £4.9bn takeover bid. Bitcoin dropped below $60,000 as retail investors shift focus toward AI stocks.