Semis Rule, Insiders Split, Earnings Loom

Semiconductors Lead the Bull Case

Options traders are piling into semiconductors. Micron tops bullish flow rankings, up 219% year-to-date. Sandisk carries the highest ORTEX stock score in the screener at 94.92, up 466% YTD. Analysts at Truist lifted their Cisco target to $140 from $125, citing institutional demand. Chip equipment giant Applied Materials reports earnings today — a key read on semiconductor spending ahead.

Bears Pick Their Spots

Not everyone is bullish. AppLovin sits deep in bearish options flow. Its RSI14 is 26.6 — oversold — and the stock is down 55% YTD. Short sellers are also fresh on CoreCivic, where SI jumped from 2.3% to 10.3% in one week. Clinical-stage biotech Replimune saw short interest leap 10.9 percentage points to 43.3% of free float.

Insider Split: Gates Buys, Executives Sell

Bill Gates filed an $81M purchase in Republic Services across two days — 377,866 shares total. That's a large, deliberate bet on waste management. Encompass Health CEO Mark Tarr moved the other way, filing a $21.5M sale. Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato sold $10.8M in shares filed August 7.

Retail Earnings Week Ahead

Wednesday August 19 brings a major consumer test. Lowe's and Target both report — two bellwethers for discretionary spending. Home Depot drops results Tuesday. Analyst upgrades at Cardinal Health, with JP Morgan lifting its target to $260 from $215, add to a picture of cautious optimism heading into the week.