Markets head into a pivotal week. Nearly 1,000 companies report earnings between May 18 and 23. European markets closed higher Friday, though UK gilts fell as political pressure on Prime Minister Starmer intensified. HSBC separately paused a $4bn private credit push it announced last year. Big Tech is increasingly tapping foreign debt markets at a rapid pace to fund AI infrastructure buildouts.
Short sellers moved hard into semiconductors and EVs this week. Wolfspeed saw its SI % FF rocket from 60.4% to 89.3% — nearly 29 points in seven days. Lucid Group climbed from 27.7% to 34.7%. Carvana drew fresh bears too, jumping from 2.1% to 10.1%. Options traders also piled into negative bets on MU and , hedging massive year-to-date gains.
On the earnings front, Home Depot reports Tuesday before the open. Target, TJX Companies, and Lowe's follow mid-week. These results will test whether the American consumer is holding up under tariff pressures.
Colliers International CEO Jay Hennick bought over $29M of CIGI stock across three days — a loud signal of confidence. On the other side, Quanta Services CEO Earl Austin filed $61M in sales. AAPL Chairman Arthur Levinson sold $71M worth of shares on May 6.
Applied Materials drew a fresh recommendation with a new consensus target of $503, up from $451. Easing US-China trade tensions are lifting chip equipment stocks broadly. Consolidated Edison was upgraded to buy as investors seek defensive income plays.
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.
