Q2 earnings season moves into high gear this week. Alphabet reports Tuesday after the close — the $2 trillion search and cloud giant carries just 1.5% short interest, and options put flow is running hot ahead of the print. Intel follows Wednesday with investors watching for any turnaround signs. Charter Communications also reports Thursday. Analysts have been trimming targets on the cable firm, yet options activity leans bullish — a split verdict heading into results. S&P Global heads into earnings with bulls firmly in charge.
Financials dominated analyst upgrades on Friday. Morgan Stanley received a consensus target lift to $231.85. State Street saw the sharpest move — analysts raised the average target to $196.89 from $185.04. Regional banks including also received upward revisions following a strong earnings run. The lone major downgrade hit , where one analyst cut the rating. Short sellers have already been piling in — Fox's SI % FF climbed to 21.1% from 15.6% in a week.
Bessemer Venture Partners filed over $112 million in ServiceTitan sales across ten transactions this month — a sustained VC exit showing no signs of stopping. Broadcom CLO Mark Brazeal sold $10 million near all-time highs. On the short side, Iovance Biotherapeutics posted an 18% weekly gain as shorts retreated. Hertz sits at 70.1% SI % FF with zero availability — squeeze risk is building.
Oil traders are warning that markets are close to running dry as the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. Energy IPOs are surging globally as investors seek AI-linked plays. China's CXMT chipmaker seeks a $10 billion listing — the largest Chinese IPO since 2010.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
