Earnings Blitz Sets the Tone for Monday

Earnings in Focus

A heavy earnings week kicks off today. Palantir reports tonight — markets are watching its AI-driven revenue closely. Vertex Pharmaceuticals also posts after the close. Marriott reports at 12:30 ET, offering a read on travel demand. Tuesday brings the biggest names. Caterpillar and McDonald's both report then. CAT results are a key gauge of global industrial health. MCD will show whether consumers are still spending freely. In Europe, Amrize AG reported this morning.

Bears Circle Rental Cars and Biotech

Short sellers are piling into car rental stocks. Hertz now has 84.6% of its free float sold short — up nearly 10 points in a week. Avis Budget climbed to 36.2% SI % FF from 29.1%. Alvotech short interest jumped 22.9% in one week to 4.7M shares. Its stock has rallied hard, drawing fresh bears in. Availability remains ample at 127.7%, leaving room for further builds.

Options and Geopolitics

PBF Energy tops the options score board. The refiner is up 167% year-to-date. Calls are dominating as traders bet the energy rally continues. Geopolitics add a tailwind. Reports suggest Trump could declare victory over Iran and use sanctions relief to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a direct read-through for oil prices and energy names.

Insiders and Analysts

Charles Schwab's founder filed over $19.7M in SCHW share sales last week. Broadcom CLO Mark Brazeal filed two sales totalling nearly $20M. On the analyst side, Seagate targets were nudged higher while FICO saw a small trim. Both moves were modest but confirm tech remains in focus heading into this week's results.