Earnings, Oil, and M&A Drama Define a Volatile Thursday

Mega-Cap Earnings in Focus

The biggest story this week is earnings. MSFT, AAPL, AMZN, and META all report this week. Options markets are pricing heavy negativity across mega-cap tech. TSLA sits at an RSI of just 29 — deep in oversold territory — and is down nearly 29% year-to-date. Piper Sandler trimmed its target to $450 from $500 today, though the analyst kept a Buy rating. MSFT is off 21% year-to-date. Negative options flows are running high ahead of Wednesday's print.

Oil Breaks $100, Rattles Bonds

Brent crude pushed above $100 a barrel this week. The move is stoking inflation fears and triggering a global bond sell-off. The FT reports the oil surge now threatens to reset interest rate expectations. Energy options are seeing elevated activity. The macro backdrop adds pressure to an already tense earnings week.

Media M&A Hits a Speed Bump

Paramount Skydance agreed to delay closing its Warner Bros. Discovery buyout. A judge is now considering a challenge from state authorities. The deal pause could last months. It is a fresh complication for one of the year's most-watched media mergers.

Analysts and Short Sellers Diverge

Digital Realty Trust got a sharp upgrade from TD Cowen — Hold to Buy with a $222 target. Short interest on DLR sits at just 2.3% of free float. Bears and bulls are pointing in opposite directions on data centers. Separately, HTZ short interest hit 75% of free float. That is up 29 points in just 30 days. Carlos Slim filed over $54M in PBF Energy sales this week, spanning five separate transactions. The selling stands out for its scale and pace.

Europe: Defence and Hong Kong

European defence stocks rallied after Ukraine ratified a $105 billion EU loan deal. Hong Kong's exchange relaxed listing rules in a move to attract more global capital. Hedge funds globally grew at their fastest rate on record in 2026, driven by the AI-fuelled equity rally.