Global markets are in a risk-on mood. The Nikkei 225 hit a new record high this week after holiday closure, boosted by gains at SoftBank and Samsung — the latter's market cap crossed $1 trillion on AI chip demand. Hedge funds posted their best monthly returns since 2020 in April, led by tech rallies in Intel, Alphabet, and AMD. European stocks closed broadly higher today despite lingering Iran-related geopolitical noise.
Over 1,600 companies report globally between May 8–14. Cisco is the marquee name mid-week. Also watch Mettler-Toledo today and Monday. , down 37% year-to-date, faces a critical Q1 print with options expiries stacked through July. heads in down 17% on the month with short sellers firmly dug in. enters earnings with call positioning at a 52-week extreme — bulls are making a statement.
Datadog saw the biggest analyst target lift of the week — up nearly $20 to $196.67. Howmet Aerospace also drew upward revisions to $284, with defense spending tailwinds supporting the move. On the flip side, EPAM Systems took a 7% target cut. Geopolitical risk around its Eastern European workforce continues to weigh.
Insider activity tells a clear story. General Atlantic spent $34.7M buying Alkami Technology shares across three days — a concentrated commitment from a 10% owner. Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman put $17.6M into his own closed-end fund. Meanwhile, Pershing Square's backed Seaport Entertainment faces its first major earnings test today, adding pressure to that position.
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.
