Chris Versace
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aging, infrastructure, cyclicals, weight, connected devices, investing, consumer, demographics, nokia, research in motion, spending, inflation, mobile, policy, stocks, guilty pleasure, apple, economy, technology
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CIO & Thematic Strategist @TematicaRsrch; PM for @TheStreetPro Portfolio; Podcast host, model & index builder, author, and dog lover.
Articles by Chris Versace
Time to Get Back Into Rocket Lab?
Though not in the name for more than two weeks, we are wondering if it’s time to get back into Rocket Lab (RKLB). Sir Peter Beck’s launch services company has been a core member of the Sarge-folio, the Stocks Under $10 Portfolio and the $10,000 Portfolio. We sold our final shares in early July at $84 and change. The stock bottomed with a $64 handle last week.
Buying More of This Small-Cap Names as Shares Fall Under Pressure
We had to wait for Tuesday morning, but the portfolio we finally got its price for the 100 shares of Ocular Therapeutix (OCUL) that we’ve been trying to sell since last Friday’s closing bell. That allowed the portfolio to add the 10 shares of Velo3D (VELO) that we wanted to add. By the way, see below — VELO is in the news.
New GM Trade Idea After Historic Earnings
On Tuesday morning, General Motors (GM) released the firm’s second quarter financial results. For the period ended June 30, GM posted an adjusted EPS of $3.57 (GAAP EPS: $1.41) on revenue of $48.026 billion. These top- and adjusted bottom-line numbers both easily beat Wall Street’s expectations despite the sales print reflecting annual growth of just 1.9%. On CNBC this morning, CFO Paul Jacobson spoke: “These results are very consistent with what we’ve been doing for the last several years.
Taiwan Semi to Hike Prices, AMD Advances, Iran Fighting Expands
As you slept, yet another oil tanker was attacked by Iranian forces while trying to traverse the Strait of Hormuz. This tanker happened to be the Kuwaiti-flag Kaifan. That ship was hit by a still unidentified projectile northeast of Limah in Oman. This attack came after strikes on several tankers owned by Greek shipper Dynacom had taken place over several days. According to Bloomberg News, exactly zero ships have successfully transited the Strait so far on Tuesday.
Why I’m Buying IBM After 115-Year Record Plunge
Last week, the news landed like a lead balloon (not a Led Zeppelin, though that would have been more fun). The share price of (IBM) fell out of bed on Tuesday, July 14, giving up 25.2% for the day. The share price has continued to drop since. I have added twice during this period and expect to add further. The firm, which is scheduled to release its second quarter financial results this Wednesday, released preliminary results that morning that fell well short of expectations.
Why I’m Not Chasing AMC’s Odyssey
Well, that was a mild surprise. I honestly expected our $9 Ocular Therapeutix (OCUL) call expiring on Friday afternoon to be called away. Alas, on Friday, that stock gave up $0.19 or 2.13% and closed at $8.97. The call, which we sold for $0.90, expired worthless, so that was a win for the portfolio. We need some of those.
Our Ocular Call Is Set to Expire as Market Struggles
Markets are struggling yet again on Friday. The portfolio, as readers can see, is down to about $92 in cash. Hence, I am kind of handcuffed in what I can do right now, unless I sell a few shares of something. Anything. The problem with that is two-fold. One: I don’t want to sell anything that we already have in inventory. I already sold the more expensive stocks (on a per share basis) that were in the portfolio in preparation for lower stock prices so I could add to our core positions.
Netflix Sends Weak Message to Investors as Disappointment Drives Selloff
On Thursday evening, former “FANG” member Netflix (NFLX) released the firm’s second quarter financial performance and that performance might be best described as “pedestrian.” For the three-month period ended June 30, Netflix posted a GAAP EPS of $0.80 on revenue of $12.56 billion. The top-line print was good enough for year-over-year growth of 13.4%, though it did fall just short of what Wall Street was looking for. The bottom-line result did manage to beat Wall Street by a penny.
Taiwan Semi’s Higher Spending Is Spooking Markets. It Shouldn’t.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM) (TW:2330), the world’s largest maker of physical chips, Thursday boosted its sales and profits forecasts for Q3, as it notched record revenue and income for Q2. It also boosted its capital-expenditure plans by $100 billion as the capacity-constrained chip producer struggles to meet demand.
After a Tough Run for the $10K Portfolio, Time to Get Back in the Win Column
Can’t brag with performance like this. That’s for sure. Since the $10,000 Portfolio was launched back on March 24, we have been down since inception and up as much as 32% since inception. Now, it appears that we are down from our starting point since inception yet again. I know this is not funny for those of you investing alongside me. This is real money for me too, as this is not a model portfolio, but one actually backed with my own funds.
Here’s My Buy Price for GE After Stellar Report
GE Aerospace (GE) went to the tape with second-quarter earnings on Thursday, revealing an adjusted earnings per share of $2.02 on adjusted revenue of $12.634 billion. These adjusted top and bottom lines both easily beat expectations. On an unadjusted basis, the GE posted an EPS of $2.30 on revenue of $13.349 billion. This is a little tricky, as we do not see revenues adjusted very often. For GE, unadjusted total revenue includes run-off of the legacy insurance operations (GE Capital).
Tech Trade Gets Thorny; Hynix Hit; U.S. to Ramp Up Fight With Iran?
U.S. military forces attacked targets inside of Iran for a fifth straight day on Thursday. Iran fired upon U.S. military bases inside Kuwait and Jordan. The U.S. and Iran have accused each other of violating the all-but-forgotten “memorandum of understanding” that never prevented Iranian forces from attacking civilian merchant vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz anyway. The beat goes on.
Two Charts, Three Buys and a Fourth Attempt
Since early July, shares of Evolv Technologies (EVLV) have been trying to break out (unsuccessfully) from a Rising Wedge pattern of bullish reversal. Since then, the stock has lost contact with both its 200-day simple moving average (resistance) and its 50-day SMA. The swing crowd appears to have at least put up a fight at the 21-day exponential moving average. Should this line hold, another run at resistance could be very possible. Otherwise, a $5 downside target would be realistic.
ASML Plans Capacity Additions: 8 Key Items Shaping the Stock Market Wednesday
These are the early headlines and other items poised to influence the market at start of trading Wednesday. As we share this collection of market drivers, U.S. equity futures point to a positive open. Following the reaction to yesterday’s softer-than-expected June CPI data, we will want to revisit equity futures once the market digests the June PPI report that will be published at 8:30 AM ET. 1. Iran said it had launched strikes at U.S. military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
What Can We Expect as Asia’s Largest Company Readies Earnings?
Asia’s largest company is due to report earnings on Thursday. What can we expect? Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM) (TW:2330) is one of my perennial favorite stocks in Asia. It is the region’s largest stock by market capitalization, at $2.2 trillion, good for No. 6 worldwide, just behind Amazon.com (AMZN) and ahead of Broadcom (AVGO) and SpaceX (SPCX). And it is the standard bearer for the chip sector.
Holding My Nose and Taking a Quantum Leap of Faith on IBM
My regular readers know that I have been long the shares of International Business Machines (IBM). IBM has and is my investment in the quantum computing space. My thesis as many of my readers know, after I exited most of the other quantum computing names, is that unlike those much smaller companies, firms like IBM and Alphabet (GOOGL) had the positive cash flows to fund expansion into that still costly business and were set up to maybe acquire the more promising of those companies.
Adding to 2 Names as We Hope Third Time’s a Charm on a Sale
The stock that won’t wait. Yes, still. It happened again on Monday. For the second time in as many trading days, the price that I had intended to sell a portion of the $10,000 Portfolio’s long position in Rackspace Technologies (RXT) close to, was nowhere in sight by the time the article hit publication. Hence, I did not make a sale on Monday, and the intention was as stale as week-old bread by the time you read it.
High-Stakes Fighting in Hormuz; Hostage to Hynix; Fading ‘Memory’ Basket?
Freewheel Burning Fast and furious we ride the universe To carve a road for us that slices every curve in sight We accelerate, no time to hesitate This load will detonate whoever would contend its right Born to lead At breakneck speed With high octane We’re spitting flames Freewheel burning Freewheel burning – Tipton, Downing, Halford (Judas Priest), 1984 Zero to 120… So much going on. Markets under pressure? That was so Monday. What Tuesday brings? Could be anything.
New AMD Price Target as Earnings Estimates Grow
On June 12, which is about a month ago, I wrote to our readers that Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya, who is rated at five stars out of five by TipRanks, reiterated his “buy” rating on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) while increasing his target price from $500 to $560. Last week, Arya reiterated his “buy” on the name.
Selling Rackspace, Buying Ondas Ahead of Earnings Season
There’s not a lot of news in our $10K Portfolio names on Monday morning. I am going to use this session, which comes one day ahead of both a plethora of macroeconomic releases and the unofficial start of earnings season to adjust a couple of positions that have gone semi-rancid on us. Ondas Inc (ONDS) has continued to scrape along the stock’s lows for about three weeks now. The stock, due to the low share price, is not subject to my $8 rule. That said, the position is still 20% against us.
New Delta Trade Idea After Unexpected Guidance
On Friday morning, Delta Air Lines (DAL) released the firm’s financial results for its fiscal third quarter, which ended on June 30. For that three-month period, Delta posted an adjusted EPS of $1.56 (GAAP EPS: $2.44) on revenue of $19.8 billion. These top- and bottom-line results beat expectations across the board while the sales print was good for year-over-year growth of 18.7%.
Who the Heck Is Inseego? We’re Buying the Small-Cap 5G Firm
Ever hear of Inseego Corp (INSG)? Probably not. Shares of the small-cap provider of 5G mobile broadband and fixed wireless access as well as IoT solutions have been hit hard after peaking in early May. The firm is a defense contractor, which is why it’s on my radar. It was then that the firm reported a tough quarter, posting a Q1 adjusted EPS of $0.06 on revenue of $34.34 million. The sales print fell short of expectations.
The Meta Effect, Semis Surge, Wall Street Says, ‘What War?’
What a day! Sort of. There is no doubt that domestic financial markets showed incredible resiliency on Thursday and that this came on top of a midday rebound for U.S. equities on Wednesday. War? The markets don’t seem to care, at least not right now. Does Wall Street continue to see a quicker-than-reality resolution to the shooting in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the higher energy prices that conflict is causing? It would appear so.
Selling Rackspace After Guidance Cut Drives a Change of Strategy
Rackspace (RXT) is in the news, and it ain’t necessarily good news. The firm cut guidance. The outlook for full fiscal year revenue was reduced to $285 million to $295 million from $305 million $315 million. The firm reported earnings preliminarily. Rackspace posted preliminary Q2 revenue of $641 million to $649 million. Wall Street had been looking for roughly $657 million. The firm also posted a preliminary Q2 adjusted EBITDA of $58 million to $62 million and an adjusted Q2 EPS of -$0.11 to -$0.08.
The Mag 7 Stock That Could Break Out
I’m still in two Magnificent Seven stocks. Those would be Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT). However, one of those, at this moment, is postured quite bullishly, at least technically. That’s my opinion and I’m invested in the shares. This piece is about Microsoft. Let’s check out the charts. First, readers should be cognizant that second-quarter earnings reporting season will kick off in earnest next week when the big U.S. banks go to the tape with their results.
Selling 3 Stocks as the Space Trade Comes Down to Earth
This is not a permanent evacuation of what has been one of our themes here at the $10,000 Portfolio, the “Space Trade.” Fortunately, we took what were significant profits in Rocket Lab (RKLB) at higher prices. Still, RKLB is trading down around $82 in pre-opening trading. That’s an 8% haircut from what is currently the position’s net basis. Hence, my 8% rule is triggered.
Bad ‘Memory’!; I’m Trimming & Bailing on These Tech Stocks; Peace … Out?
The market sniffed this out well before it was news. Zero dark-thirty. Wednesday morning. The man in the darkened window has bowed his head in sadness. Crude oil prices have spiked higher. I now see front-month WTI Crude trading with a $74 handle, up from $67 going into the holiday weekend. Bond traders are selling U.S. Treasury debt securities. I have seen the U.S. Ten-Year Note pay as much as 4.58% this morning. That’s up from 4.45% as recently as Monday. Asian stocks are trading lower.
New SoFi Price Target as Swing Traders, Portfolio Managers Align
So far, the shares of SoFi Technologies (SOFI) are coloring within the lines. The double-bottom pattern of bullish reversal that we have discussed has worked to this point. The shares have retaken their 50-day SMA and 21-day EMA, which appears to have put swing traders and portfolio managers on the same team. That 21-day line has been the line of support for almost a month now, indicating that the swing crowd is still on the bid.
Why I’m Eyeing Lockheed, RTX; Fire in Hormuz; SpaceX Lands on … Nasdaq 100
Here we go again. Has anyone at least considered that these guys will always attempt to disrupt the peace process? It’s pretty obvious that they have no interest in a peaceful coexistence with the U.S., with Israel, or even with their Islamic neighbors. It’s also pretty obvious that the more radical voices within that nation have no interest in sharing internal power with those holding more moderate views within their own government.
June Monthly Roundup: The Market Stumbled in June. The Portfolio Didn’t.
June was a challenging month for the market as both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq lost ground. On a positive note, however, the Pro Portfolio gained in June, extending our lead over the S&P 500 for Q2 2026 and on a year-to-date basis. We’ll review the puts and takes behind that in “Catching Up With the Portfolio” below, but as we move into the second half of the year, let’s discuss what’s on our radar.
Stunning South Korea Stock Shock Triggers Circuit Breaker as Semi Names Strike FOMO
It’s a holiday-shortened week in both Hong Kong and on Wall Street, so trading is muddling along in midsummer manner. And then there’s Korea! South Korea’s Kospi plummeted again on Thursday, losing 7.9% on Thursday alone. The sharp selloff stems entirely from the semiconductor stocks that have made the Seoul market this year’s standout performer worldwide.
Sticking With This Evolv Technologies Price Target as Swing Crowd Wakes Up
As traders buckle down for the BLS release on June job creation, one $10K Portfolio stock is making a real-time attempt at breaking out, and it’s not Alto Ingredients (ALTO), which we discussed on Wednesday. On Wednesday, (EVLV) made an attempt at cracking the upper trend line of the falling-wedge pattern of bullish reversal. That trend line just happens to run close to concurrently with the stock’s all-important 200-day SMA.
Nike Rallies as Execution Improves but There’s a Problem
On Tuesday evening, athletic equipment and apparel seller Nike (NKE) went to the tape with the firm’s fiscal fourth quarter financial results. Wall Street is less than excited about it. Even after the shares have fallen more than 77% from their late 2021 high, there just seems to be no way for the once-prestigious brand name to get out of its own way. The shares are down 36.5% just in 2026 alone.
Sticking With This Alto Ingredients Price Target as Breakout Develops
Is portfolio holding Alto Ingredients (ALTO) breaking out? Maybe. Check this out: Readers should note that, despite the fact that ALTO had developed a double-top pattern of bearish reversal from early April into June, that the downside pivot was never triggered. Now, the shares have retaken both their 50-day SMA and 21-day EMA. This gets professional participation and the swing crowd on the same side of the football.
Semi Shocker; Micron, Intel, AMD Hit Home Runs; Warsh Gets to Work
I think I’ll go for a walk outside now The summer sun’s callin’ my name I hear ya now, I just can’t stay inside all day I’ve gotta get out, get me some of those rays Everybody’s smilin’ Sunshine day Everybody’s laughin’ Sunshine day Everybody seems so happy today It’s a sunshine day – Stephen McCarthy (The Brady Bunch), 1972 Pencils down. The second quarter of 2026 came to completion on Tuesday afternoon as the closing bells down at 11 Wall St. and up at Times Square peeled their last.
Asia’s Chip Stocks Set Records. Where Do We Go From Here?
It’s been the strongest quarter in history for semiconductor stocks. That helps explains Asia’s stock-market winners for the first half of the year, as we close out the second quarter. South Korea’s stock market has led the world’s markets, with the Kospi ending June 30 on a 101.1% gain. That performance has helped memory-chip makers Samsung Electronics (KR:005930) and SK Hynix (HXSCL) (KR:000660) well past $1 trillion in market capitalization.
Drone Firm AeroVironment Crushes Expectations, When Is the Right Time to Buy?
On Monday evening, small- to medium-sized unmanned aircraft designer and manufacturer AeroVironment (AVAV) released the firm’s fiscal fourth quarter financial results. Many investors think of the Arlington, Virginia based firm as a drone maker, which it is, but this firm is more than that. The firm is well-known for its “Switchblade” Kamikaze drones that loiter above a target and the strike.
New Rocket Lab Price Target After $8 Billion Iridium Update
This much we told readers on Monday: Portfolio holding Rocket Lab (RKLB) and Iridium Communications (IRDM) had announced the two firms have entered into a definitive agreement under which Rocket Lab will acquire Iridium for $54 per share in a cash and stock transaction. That price represents an enterprise value for Iridium of approximately $8 billion. We told you that we here at the portfolio saw the deal as a positive for RKLB. The stock ran 15.9% on the day.
Should U.S. Investors Buy Into a Wall Street Listing for SK Hynix?
Tuesday’s hard reset on memory-chip makers produced plenty of handwringing. Is the rally in memory stocks over? Today’s answer is a loud shout “No!” Strong earnings from Micron Technology (MU) saw the stock up 17.8% in after-hours trade. That has fed into a strong showing in Asia on Thursday. Micron has settled back slightly in early trade but is still up 12.4% in early going. Memory stocks are trading in tandem at the moment.
Broadcom and OpenAI Make an AI Chip Splash with Jalapeño
Over the course of the current quarter, there have been numerous announcements across the AI landscape, from chip tie-ups to locking in power capacity, and securing networking access. One of those announcements was between Broadcom (AVGO) and OpenAI, with the two collaborating on 10 gigawatts of custom AI accelerators that would start arriving in the second half of 2026.
Korea’s ‘Black Tuesday’ Spills Over to Memory Makers Worldwide
Tuesday’s hefty memory-stock selloff started in Seoul. South Korea’s top-performing stock market plummeted 10.0% on Tuesday, its fall stemmed only slightly as circuit breakers kicked in. The benchmark Kospi saw its biggest-ever daily drop, with it dubbed “Black Tuesday.” While surely a landmark day’s trade, this kind of volatility is not now all that unusual for Korean stocks. Consider that we just had “Black Monday” on June 8, when the Korean market plunged 8.3%.
Real Winners and Losers Emerge in Asia After Fed Meeting
The march higher continues. Selectively. Investors in Asia looked past the implications of Wednesday’s U.S. Fed policy meeting to bid up Asian equities Thursday, figuring the “lower” cost of oil will ease inflationary pressures and more than offset any potential higher borrowing costs down the road. It is the three East Asian markets in Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei that continue to set and renew all-time records. They’ve done it again Thursday.
Japan Raises Rates to Highest Level Since Bubble Pop
The central Bank of Japan (BOJ) opted to raise interest rates on Tuesday to their highest level in 31 years. The BOJ is lifting the base rate by 25 basis points to “around 1.0%.” It’s the fifth hike for the central bank since it exited the era of negative rates in March 2024. The central bank says it is encouraged by the high level of corporate profits as well as improvement in jobs and income.
Alibaba Pushes Back on U.S. Punishment as Stock Dips
China calls itself the “Middle Kingdom,” a term coined 3,000 years ago that captures a worldview placing itself at the nexus where Heaven and Earth meet. But the term appears appropriate today, given the heightened focus on the world’s second-largest economy.
Crackdown Hits Hong Kong Financials on Anniversary of Tiananmen Square
Hong Kong financial stocks sank on Thursday, the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seeks further ways to cut off the flow of capital heading out of mainland China. Insurer AIA Group (AAGIY) (HK:1299) was one of the worst performers in the Hang Seng index, with 6.7% shaved off its stock price on Thursday. Rival insurer Prudential (PUK) (HK:2378) ended Thursday down 3.6% in Hong Kong, but finished Thursday down 7.8% in London.
SoftBank Overtakes Toyota as Japan’s Largest Company
There’s a changing of the guard in Japan, where SoftBank Group (SFTBY) (T:9984) has replaced Toyota Motor (TM) (T:7203) as the largest company in the country, a shift that reflects the broader reshaping of the investment landscape in East Asia. SoftBank, whose founder Masayoshi Son says he is “all in” on artificial intelligence (AI), has a market capitalization equivalent to $308 billion. What started as a prosaic software distributor has morphed into one of the world’s largest tech investors.
World-Leading Stock Rally Gets Pension Fund Support
Although the world’s top-performing market dipped on Thursday, stocks in Seoul received an extra underpinning after South Korea’s state pension fund revealed that it will significantly boost its allocation to domestic equities. The National Pension Service (NPS), the world’s fourth-largest retirement fund, says Thursday that it will increase its allocation to Korean stocks to 20.8% by year-end, up from the 14.9% target that it set in January.
This Financial Holding Signals Healthy Trend for Banking, Trading Volumes
This week and next we have several investor conferences being held, and with just over a month until we close the current quarter and get ready for the subsequent earnings season, the presentations being given will closely dissected. Are the comments being made tracking management guidance from earlier in the quarter? Do they indicate a pick-up in business activity? And what is being said about the impact of the U.S.-Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as those disruptions continue?
Doug's Daily Diary - Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Funniest Cannabis Tweet of the Day BY Doug Kass · May 27, 2026, 3:24 PM EDT Earnings After the Close Wednesday and Before the Open Thursday BY Doug Kass · May 27, 2026, 3:10 PM EDT Expanding My Index Shorts BY Doug Kass · May 27, 2026, 2:35 PM EDT Howling About Micron BY Doug Kass · May 27, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT Programming Note BY Doug Kass · May 27, 2026, 1:35 PM EDT Late Morning Breadth, Sectors and Movers BY Doug Kass · May 27, 2026, 11:59 AM EDT Nvidia Since Earnings BY Doug Kass · May 27,...
Declining Commodity Prices Bring a Former Holding Back to the Bullpen
Following on my comment Wednesday morning about the market being technically overbought, its emphasis, if not overemphasis on the AI basket, and potentially overlooked opportunities, let’s take a look at some interesting developments in key commodities.
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