Archive

2026-07-23 19:14 • The Motley Fool Negative Axe Cap view: Selective RIVN LCID TSLA

Rivian announced a 75 million share offering at $15.50 per share to raise approximately $1.2 billion for AI technology investments and R2 production scaling. While this dilutes existing shareholders by ~6%, the author argues it's a reasonable trade-off to fund critical autonomous driving capabilities needed for long-term competitiveness, similar to Lucid's strategy but with better non-dilutive financing options available.

Axe note: Rivian’s recent share offering dilutes investors but funds key AI and production growth, a trade-off that South African investors should watch closely.

2026-07-23 19:03 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective VOO RSP VXUS

Despite concerns about market valuations after recent strong gains, the article argues that long-term investors should still consider investing in the S&P 500 ETF. While a market correction is possible, history shows the market always recovers over time, and attempting to time the market is difficult. The article also presents alternative investment options for those with different risk preferences.

Axe note: Despite recent US market strength, history favours steady exposure to the S&P 500, even from a South African perspective.

2026-07-23 18:32 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective META NVDA AMD AVGO GOOG GOOGL GOOGM GOOGN MSFT

Meta is set to report Q2 earnings on July 29 with expected $60 billion in revenue. While the advertising business remains strong, investors should focus on whether Zuckerberg's massive $125-145 billion 2026 capital spending plan for AI data centers is paying off. Meta is exploring becoming a cloud infrastructure provider by renting computing power to external customers like Anthropic, potentially creating a second revenue engine alongside its advertising business.

Axe note: Meta’s huge AI data center investment could reshape its business — but the impact on JSE and rand is indirect.

2026-07-23 18:22 • The Motley Fool Negative Axe Cap view: Bearish SMR FLR

NuScale Power's stock crashed 29% in H1 2026 as investors faced reality: the company hasn't built a reactor yet and won't deliver its first module until 2031. Key setbacks included a $507.4 million milestone payment to commercialization partner ENTRA1 Energy, a $690 million operating loss in Q4 2025, plummeting Q1 2026 revenue, and major shareholder Fluor's complete exit. Despite $890 million in cash reserves, mounting losses and lack of firm revenue-generating contracts have made the stock highly speculative.

Axe note: NuScale Power's 29% plunge in early 2026 highlights the harsh truths of long-term nuclear tech bets.

2026-07-23 18:20 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective CVX GS GSPA GSPC GSPD

Brent crude surged 7% to over $100 a barrel following reports of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea. With ongoing disruptions to oil supply routes via the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, Goldman Sachs warns crude could reach $120 a barrel. Despite oil's 65% surge this year, major oil stocks have only gained modestly, presenting potential upside for investors.

Axe note: Brent crude is rallying on tanker attacks in the Red Sea, pushing oil above $100 a barrel and raising questions for South African investors.

2026-07-23 18:15 • The Motley Fool Mixed Axe Cap view: Selective GOOG GOOGL GOOGM GOOGN MU

Alphabet reported strong Q2 earnings but announced increased AI capital spending of $195-205 billion annually, causing its stock to drop 6%. However, Micron stock rose 3.7% as investors recognized that Alphabet's massive spending will likely benefit memory chip suppliers like Micron, which provides high bandwidth memory and flash memory for AI infrastructure.

Axe note: Alphabet’s hefty AI capital plans slam its shares but boost Micron’s chip outlook.

2026-07-23 18:15 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective VDC VTI VOO

The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) has outperformed major market indexes and other Vanguard ETFs during all recessions and bear markets since its launch in January 2004, including the Great Recession, COVID-19 recession, and 2022 bear market. The ETF offers downside protection for investors concerned about economic downturns.

Axe note: Vanguard’s Consumer Staples ETF shows how defensive stocks can hold up when markets get ugly.

2026-07-23 18:03 • The Motley Fool Neutral Axe Cap view: Selective AGNC AGNCL AGNCM AGNCN AGNCO AGNCP AGNCZ

AGNC Investment, a mortgage REIT yielding over 13%, faces uncertainty as the Fed shifts toward potential rate hikes. While the company expects stable spreads and continues generating strong income to cover its dividend, the stock trades above tangible book value with limited upside potential unless spreads tighten significantly.

Axe note: AGNC offers a high dividend but faces pressure from a shifting interest rate environment.

2026-07-23 17:36 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective GOOG GOOGL GOOGM GOOGN AMZN MSFT META

Alphabet increased its 2026 capex guidance to $195-205 billion (from $180-190 billion), joining Amazon in the $200 billion spending club, though the stock fell 6% following the announcement. The article analyzes whether Amazon will similarly raise its capex guidance on July 30 earnings and discusses investor concerns about whether big tech companies can realize profits from massive AI infrastructure investments.

Axe note: Alphabet joins Amazon’s $200bn capex spree, but South African investors should watch carefully before piling in.

2026-07-23 17:30 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective ALAB AMD MSFT

Astera Labs and Advanced Micro Devices are both benefiting from AI infrastructure demand, but with different growth profiles. Astera Labs is growing faster with 93% year-over-year revenue increase in Q1 2026 ($308.4M), while AMD maintains a much larger absolute revenue base at $10.3B with 38% YoY growth. Astera Labs has posted eight consecutive quarters of growth, while AMD's growth has been more fluctuating, narrowing the historical revenue gap between the two companies.

Axe note: Astera's rapid revenue climb contrasts with AMD's size and steady growth, providing a nuanced view for investors.

2026-07-23 17:23 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective TSM MU NBIS ASML META NVDA

The article highlights three AI stocks positioned to benefit from the growing AI infrastructure boom: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), which is investing $100 billion in Arizona facilities for advanced chip production; Micron Technology, which saw net income surge 1,400% with strong DRAM demand from data centers; and Nebius Group, an AI cloud services company backed by Nvidia with $2 billion in investment and major partnerships with Meta.

Axe note: Global AI infrastructure investments spotlight opportunities and challenges for South African stocks and the rand.

2026-07-23 17:12 • The Motley Fool Negative Axe Cap view: Bearish SPCX

SpaceX's lock-up agreements will begin expiring in August, allowing pre-IPO shareholders to sell approximately 911 million shares, potentially doubling the public float to 12%. This insider selling could create downward pressure on the stock, which has already declined 47% from its $225 peak to trade below its $135 IPO price. Additional tranches of shares will be released through December, with Elon Musk and other major investors subject to a one-year lock-up.

Axe note: Massive insider selling after SpaceX’s IPO could keep downward pressure on shares.

2026-07-23 17:06 • The Motley Fool Negative Axe Cap view: Selective TSLA

The YieldMax TSLA Option Income Strategy ETF (TSLY) declined 14.2% following Tesla's disappointing Q2 earnings report. Tesla's stock fell 14.1% due to lower-than-expected gross and profit margins, along with CEO Elon Musk's cautious guidance on robotaxi rollout timing. The ETF's option-selling strategy amplified losses during sharp stock declines.

Axe note: A sharp Tesla earnings miss sent a Tesla-focused ETF tumbling, underscoring risks in option-heavy structures.

2026-07-23 17:05 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective PLTR LMT

Palantir Technologies offers explosive AI-driven growth potential with 78% earnings growth forecast, but trades at a premium 90x forward earnings valuation requiring flawless execution. Lockheed Martin provides steadier returns with modest 5% annual growth, a 2.65% dividend yield, and a reasonable 20x earnings multiple backed by strong defense spending and a funded backlog. For most risk-conscious investors, Lockheed Martin presents a more attractive risk-adjusted opportunity over the next five years, though Palantir could deliver higher absolute returns if its AI momentum sustains.

Axe note: Lockheed’s steady dividends outshine Palantir’s risky AI growth bet for South African investors.

2026-07-23 16:30 • The Motley Fool Mixed Axe Cap view: Selective IONQ IONQ.WS QBTS NVDA

Quantum computing stocks IonQ and D-Wave have experienced significant declines recently, with IonQ down 37% and D-Wave down 28% over the past month. While both companies rely heavily on federal government contracts and funding, IonQ shows stronger revenue growth ($64.7M in Q1 2026, up 755% YoY) and cash reserves ($3.1B), whereas D-Wave faces challenges with declining revenue ($2.9M in Q1 2026, down 81% YoY). Nvidia, which provides foundational GPU infrastructure for quantum computing through its NVQLink platform, is positioned as the lower-risk play that benefits regardless of which quantum company succeeds.

Axe note: IonQ and D-Wave are down sharply, but Nvidia’s role as quantum computing’s backbone makes it a steadier play.

2026-07-23 16:25 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective RSP NVDA AAPL

The article recommends the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) as a complementary investment to balance the concentration risk in the traditional S&P 500 index. The S&P 500 has become heavily concentrated in mega-cap tech stocks, with the Magnificent Seven accounting for nearly 32% and the tech sector representing 38% of the index. RSP provides more diversified exposure across sectors like industrials, utilities, and healthcare, and has outperformed the S&P 500 year-to-date.

Axe note: An equal-weight S&P 500 ETF reduces tech concentration risk—worth watching from a SA perspective.

2026-07-23 16:24 • The Motley Fool Negative Axe Cap view: Selective GOOG GOOGL GOOGM GOOGN

Alphabet stock fell 6.6% despite crushing Q2 earnings expectations with $9.11 EPS (vs. $2.88 expected) and $119.8B revenue (vs. $116.5B expected). The decline was driven by investor concerns over massive AI capital investments of $195-205B this year, which have turned the company's free cash flow negative at -$5.8B in Q2, despite strong GAAP profit growth.

Axe note: Alphabet's stock fell sharply as its aggressive AI investments turned free cash flow negative, raising sustainability concerns.

2026-07-23 16:23 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective VBR SLYV

Small-cap value stocks are outperforming major indexes year-to-date and over the past 12 months. The Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR) offers lower fees (0.05%) but the State Street SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Value ETF (SLYV) has delivered superior recent performance with 20.4% YTD returns versus 15.5% for Vanguard. The author recommends State Street's offering for its quality earnings screen and better recent performance, though both ETFs could be held together for diversification.

Axe note: State Street’s SLYV beats Vanguard’s VBR on recent returns despite higher fees.

2026-07-23 16:15 • The Motley Fool Neutral Axe Cap view: Selective AAPL

Tim Cook will step down as Apple CEO on September 1, 2026, after 15 years, handing the role to John Ternus, a 25-year Apple veteran and hardware chief. Cook will remain as executive chairman. The transition is expected to maintain Apple's operational discipline and capital returns while potentially bringing more aggressive hardware innovation. The key challenge for Ternus will be closing Apple's AI gap and reigniting hardware innovation while preserving the company's margins and cash returns.

Axe note: Tim Cook stepping down signals continuity with a dash of needed innovation, but South African investors should watch USD/ZAR closely.

2026-07-23 16:05 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective NKE

Nike stock is trading 75% below its previous peak due to weak sales growth and margin pressure. While current financial results are weak with flat revenue and declining earnings, management is implementing structural improvements in supply chain and inventory management. The stock trades at a low 11x P/E multiple relative to peak earnings, and CEO Elliott Hill indicates the company is building for long-term growth over the next decade. The analyst views Nike as a solid hold or potential buy opportunity given its strong brand recognition and operational improvements underway.

Axe note: Nike’s shares are deeply discounted amid weak earnings, but operational fixes could unlock growth over the next decade.