CPI read the room, and our AI-powered tech just got cleared for serious altitude

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Morning brief: AI cloud keeps futures climbing ahead of CPI, and our SMR bet just found its data center niche

Futures Rise Ahead of Key CPI Data: Tech futures are climbing ahead of July CPI as AI cloud earnings boost sentiment, keeping Fear & Greed in Greed at 61. SMR Surges 7.73% on Nuclear Outlook: NuScale jumped 7.73% as Wall Street revised earnings estimates higher on expected utility power deals for AI data centers. APP Drops 5.99% After BofA Downgrade: AppLovin fell 5.99% after Bank of America downgraded shares to Neutral over concerns around long-term ad growth durability. NBIS Gains 4.95% on Blowout Revenue: Nebius rallied 4.95% before the open after Q2 revenue leaped 454% year-over-year on booming AI cloud infrastructure demand. CPI Print and Late Earnings Ahead: Watch 8:30 AM CPI for Fed rate clues, followed by after-hours earnings from watchlist names Coherent and CBRS.

Futures Rise Ahead of Key CPI Data

Tech futures are climbing ahead of July CPI as AI cloud earnings boost sentiment, keeping Fear & Greed in Greed at 61.

SMR Surges 7.73% on Nuclear Outlook

NuScale jumped 7.73% as Wall Street revised earnings estimates higher on expected utility power deals for AI data centers.

APP Drops 5.99% After BofA Downgrade

AppLovin fell 5.99% after Bank of America downgraded shares to Neutral over concerns around long-term ad growth durability.

NBIS Gains 4.95% on Blowout Revenue

Nebius rallied 4.95% before the open after Q2 revenue leaped 454% year-over-year on booming AI cloud infrastructure demand.

CPI Print and Late Earnings Ahead

Watch 8:30 AM CPI for Fed rate clues, followed by after-hours earnings from watchlist names Coherent and CBRS.

Posture: Greed at 61 and rising tech futures favor a cautiously optimistic posture while awaiting pivotal CPI inflation data.

Tickers in focus: SMR, NBIS, APP

Upcoming earnings

  • CBRS — 2026-08-12, After Market Close
  • COHR — 2026-08-12, After Market Close
  • NBIS — 2026-08-12, Before Market Open
  • LUNR — 2026-08-13, Before Market Open
  • WMT — 2026-08-20, TBD
  • CRM — 2026-08-26, After Market Close

Evening brief: CPI read the room, and our AI-powered tech just got cleared for serious altitude

Tame CPI Data Triggers Broad Tech Rally: July CPI inflation matched expectations at 3.4%, easing Fed rate hike fears and driving tech gains alongside AI earnings. Nebius Skyrockets 34.14% on Earnings Beat: Shares surged after Q2 revenue jumped 454% year-over-year, boosted by positive adjusted EBITDA and a major deal with Reflection AI. CoreWeave Soars 19.28% After Guidance Hike: The neocloud provider jumped following a second-quarter sales beat, narrowed net losses, and an upward revision to full-year targets. Lumentum Jumps 13.63% on Strong Outlook: The optical component maker rallied after Q4 revenue doubled year-over-year and forward guidance crushed analyst estimates on AI data center demand. Intuitive Machines Reports Q2 Ahead of Open: Watch LUNR tomorrow morning for Q2 results, where backlog conversion and progress on lunar infrastructure contracts will drive near-term sentiment.

Tame CPI Data Triggers Broad Tech Rally

July CPI inflation matched expectations at 3.4%, easing Fed rate hike fears and driving tech gains alongside AI earnings.

Nebius Skyrockets 34.14% on Earnings Beat

Shares surged after Q2 revenue jumped 454% year-over-year, boosted by positive adjusted EBITDA and a major deal with Reflection AI.

CoreWeave Soars 19.28% After Guidance Hike

The neocloud provider jumped following a second-quarter sales beat, narrowed net losses, and an upward revision to full-year targets.

Lumentum Jumps 13.63% on Strong Outlook

The optical component maker rallied after Q4 revenue doubled year-over-year and forward guidance crushed analyst estimates on AI data center demand.

Intuitive Machines Reports Q2 Ahead of Open

Watch LUNR tomorrow morning for Q2 results, where backlog conversion and progress on lunar infrastructure contracts will drive near-term sentiment.

Posture: Greed at 62 and tame CPI data support a moderately bullish, growth-oriented posture focused on AI infrastructure leaders.

Tickers in focus: SMH, LITE, LUNR

Upcoming earnings

  • LUNR — 2026-08-13, Before Market Open
  • WMT — 2026-08-20, TBD
  • CRM — 2026-08-26, After Market Close
  • IREN — 2026-08-26, After Market Close
  • NVDA — 2026-08-26, After Market Close
  • MRVL — 2026-08-27, TBD

The day's moves on the ledger

Every entry below is public and permanent. "Human call" means the desk decided; "Robot call" means the nightly model did.

  • Aug 12, 2026 · TDG — Sold @ $1,235 -1.1% (cut) · Robot call
    DOJ acquisition block stalls the inorganic growth engine; exiting to reallocate into higher-conviction AI energy plays.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · CEG — Stage change — → Buy Zone @ $279 · Robot call
    Largest US nuclear operator directly monetizing hyperscaler AI baseload demand via long-term power contracts.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · SNDK — Stage change Buy Zone → Take Profit @ $1,344 · Robot call
    Surged over 10% since entry on enterprise SSD demand; trading near fair value as NAND cycle matures.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · SKHY — Stage change Buy Zone → Hold @ $154 · Robot call
    Dominant ~60% market share in HBM memory feeds Nvidia's Blackwell cycle; entry gain intact.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · HOOD — Dropped @ $94.91 · Robot call
    Stagnant price action and an exhausted upside target make room for a higher-conviction growth engine.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · TDG — Stage change — → Buy Zone @ $1,250 · Human call
    Aerospace aftermarket toll booth: 23% growth, 21% margins, raised guidance and a $2.2B bolt-on — and it doesn't live or die on AI capex like most of this slate. Our $1,478 value sits below the street's $1,537.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · CEG — Sold @ $280 +11.0% (target-hit) · Human call
    Booking it. Up 10% and only 8% left to our value — the thinnest on the slate — while CCJ and VST already carry the AI-power trade. We take the win and free the seat.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · NFLX — Sold @ $74.79 +2.4% (target-hit) · Robot call
    Booking profits as price approaches fair value with streaming competition and engagement normalization capping near-term upside.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · RDDT — Stage change — → Buy Zone @ $156 · Robot call
    61% revenue growth and high-margin ad licensing warrant fresh entry; opening in buy-zone.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · TLN — Added to universe @ $358 · Robot call
    Nuclear co-location leader supplying direct baseload power to hyperscaler AI datacenters with massive pipeline potential.
  • Aug 12, 2026 · ANET — Dropped @ $198 · Robot call
    Target hit as price breached G-Street valuation target with negative remaining upside.

← Tuesday, August 11, 2026 · Thursday, August 13, 2026 → · Archive