Earnings Week Puts Bears and Bulls on Collision Course

Markets are heading into one of the busiest earnings weeks of the year. Over 1,800 companies report results. The biggest names hit Tuesday through Wednesday.

Earnings in Focus

Palantir kicks things off today after the close. The AI-data firm carries a $283 billion market cap. Tomorrow brings AMD, Caterpillar, and Merck. Wednesday's headline act is Eli Lilly, where GLP-1 drug sales will dominate the conversation. Amazon and Meta also report later in the week.

Short Sellers Pile In

Bears are positioning hard ahead of results. Hertz tops the short interest table at 84.6% of free float — up nearly 10 points in seven days. Shares to borrow have dried up entirely. Chewy is close behind at 82.4% SI, also up 10 points. The pet retailer faces a tough demand backdrop. WhiteFiber saw the sharpest single-week move — up 14 points to 53.4%.

Options Signal Disagreement

Options flow is split. Tesla and Sandisk attracted heavy bearish bets. Tesla is down 30.8% year-to-date with an RSI of 31.7. Micron is pulling in bets from both sides — reflecting genuine disagreement among traders. Nvidia saw large bullish options flow, underlining confidence in AI infrastructure spending.

Analysts Cut Three Names

Wall Street downgraded Johnson Controls, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Zebra Technologies on Saturday. The JCI and BMY cuts point to broader caution on industrials and pharma fundamentals heading into the back half of 2026.

Insider Confidence at Albertsons

Albertsons CEO Susan Morris and EVP Thomas Moriarty filed purchases totalling over $2.4 million this week. The coordinated buying near multi-year lows signals internal confidence ahead of results.