Connect with us

Technologies

The Nasdaq-100 just had its worst month since March 2025. These stocks held up and are expected to outperform ahead

All eight of these Nasdaq-100 stocks gained in July even as the flagship index suffered its steepest decline since March 2025

The Nasdaq-100 just suffered its steepest monthly decline in more than a year. The tech-driven benchmark fell more than 7% in July, the most since a loss of 7.7% in March 2025. Attacks in and around the Persian Gulf and Iran, off again, on again oil shipments and volatile energy prices, questions over Federal Reserve policy and plunging semiconductor shares weighed on the Nasdaq-100 last month. Investors also challenged lofty tech stock valuations and doubted whether surging capital spending will generate adequate returns. Tesla and Alphabet recently lost hundreds of billions of dollars in market value after reporting their latest earnings . CNBC Pro looked for bright spots in the Nasdaq-100, comprised of the 100 largest non-financial stocks on the Nasdaq. First, we started by finding those few who advanced in July, weeding them down further by limiting our search to stocks rated buy by at least 60% of analysts and with potential upside of at least 25% based on consensus price targets. Here are the eight stocks that made the cut. Autodesk surged nearly 21% in July, lading the gainers. Roughly 75% of analysts rate it a buy and the average price target implies about 34% upside. The design software provider posted a strong fiscal first quarter, reporting 18% year-over-year revenue growth and announcing its intention to acquire MaintainX, a maintenance and operations software provider. Autodesk uses AI extensively across its software portfolio through a dedicated initiative called Autodesk AI and is investing $200 million in World Labs to strengthen a long-term AI foundation. “Our goal with MaintainX is to bring deep operational expertise, contextual data, and workflows that enhance our ability to use AI to converge digital and physical worlds,” CEO Andrew Anagnost said at the time. Intuit , a close second to Autodesk, climbed roughly 20% in July. Sixty percent of analysts rate it a buy with the average price target implying 41% upside. The tax preparation software company delivered solid fiscal third quarter results , driven by an AI-driven expert platform strategy. Revenue grew to $8.6 billion, up 10% from $7.7 billion a year ago. The owner of TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks and Mailchimp raised full-year revenue guidance in May after QuickBooks revenue grew 22%. “The powerful combination of Intuit’s proprietary data, domain-specific AI platform capabilities, and AI-powered human expertise is setting the standard for trusted financial intelligence,” Intuit CEO and chairman Sasan Goodarzi said then. “As we look ahead, we are further scaling our growth engines.” Broadcom gained 2% in July despite a broader sell-off in semiconductor stocks. More than 76% of analysts rate the stock a buy, the highest proportion in the screen, and the average price target suggests 37% upside. The chipmaker’s AI business has continued to rapidly expand. Broadcom’s revenue soared 48% to $22.2 billion in the second quarter ended in early May from the year-earlier period. AI semiconductor revenue more than doubled, climbing 143% to $10.8 billion, driven by demand for custom AI accelerators and networking products. “The momentum continues and in Q3 we expect semiconductor revenue from AI to grow over 200 percent year-over-year to $16 billion,” CEO Hock Tan said during the last financials. Broadcom expanded a multiyear partnership with Meta Platforms earlier this year to develop successive generations of custom AI accelerator chips, supporting the Instagram and WhatsApp parent’s growing AI infrastructure.

This site is now part of Versant. By continuing to use this service, you agree to our Terms. You also acknowledge that our updated Privacy Policy applies, including to your existing data. For details on your data rights, click here.

On this service, we and our vendors use cookies and other tools (“Cookies”) to store and access information on your device, such as device identifiers, IP address, and your browser type. You can access a list of all our potential 1013 vendors by selecting “IAB and Google Vendors,” although we may work with only a small selection of these on this service. Your data may be used to save and communicate your privacy choices; ensure security, prevent fraud, and debug our products and services; personalize advertising and content; for advertising and content measurement; to conduct audience research and services development; so we can improve our services and develop new ones; to match and combine offline data with your online activity; and for social features. We may share this data with select vendors with your consent.

Click “I Accept”, to consent to our use of these Cookies or “Reject All” to reject our use of these Cookies. Click “Manage Choices” to set your preferences. If you previously made choices with respect to Versant’s use of Cookies on this browser and device, you will need to update them. You can adjust your choices any time through the “Cookie Preferences” link in the footer of relevant Versant sites or in-app settings. Visit our Cookie Notice and Privacy Policy to learn more.

We will also use other Cookies that are essential or related to our services, including for security and fraud prevention.

Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.

– Your Privacy

– Strictly Necessary

– Save and communicate privacy choices 508 partners can use this special purpose

– Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 645 partners can use this special purpose

– Deliver and present advertising and content 633 partners can use this special purpose

– Store and/or access information on a device 844 partners can use this purpose

– Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 980 partners can use this purpose

– Targeted Advertising

– Content Selection

On this service, we and our vendors use cookies and other tools (“Cookies”) to store and access information on your device, such as device identifiers, IP address, and your browser type. Your data may be used to save and communicate your privacy choices; ensure security, prevent fraud, and debug our products and services; personalize advertising and content; for advertising and content measurement; to conduct audience research and services development; so we can improve our services and develop new ones; to match and combine offline data with your online activity; and for social features. We may share this data with select vendors with your consent. You can adjust your choices any time through the “Cookie Preferences” link in the footer of relevant Versant sites or in-app settings.

We will also use other Cookies that are essential or related to our services, including for security and fraud prevention. To learn more about some of our vendors, see the IAB and Google Vendors under each purpose. Visit our Cookie Notice and Privacy Policy to learn more.

Always Active

These Cookies and SDKs are required for Service functionality, including security and fraud prevention, and to enable any purchasing capabilities. You can set your browser to block these tracking technologies, but some parts of the site may not function properly.

The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.

Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.

Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.

Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.

– Use limited data to select advertising 781 partners can use this purposeAdvertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).

– Create profiles for personalised advertising 628 partners can use this purposeInformation about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.

– Use profiles to select personalised advertising 633 partners can use this purposeAdvertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.

– Create profiles to personalise content 257 partners can use this purposeInformation about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.

– Use profiles to select personalised content 229 partners can use this purposeContent presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.

– Measure advertising performance 901 partners can use this purposeInformation regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.

– Measure content performance 403 partners can use this purposeInformation regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.

– Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 573 partners can use this purposeReports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).

– Develop and improve services 679 partners can use this purposeInformation about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.

– Use limited data to select content 179 partners can use this purposeContent presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).

These Cookies and SDKs are used to collect data about your browsing habits, use of the Services, your preferences, and your interaction with advertisements across platforms and devices for the purpose of delivering targeted advertising content, both on our Services and on third party sites. Third-party sites and services also use Targeting Cookies to deliver content, including advertisements relevant to your interests on the Services. If you reject these Cookies or SDKs, you will see less relevant advertising.

Data collected under this category through Cookies and SDKs can also be used to select and deliver personalized content, such as news articles and videos.

Consent Leg.Interest

label

Related Topics:

Technologies

One Singapore ship was sunk, but here’s why others are still transiting the Strait of Hormuz

Singapore vessels are set to continue navigating the perilous Strait of Hormuz despite attacks on two container ships, said maritime experts.

Commercial vessels are likely to continue navigating the perilous Strait of Hormuz despite the sinking of a Singapore-flagged container ship this week, as strong demand for Middle Eastern energy and lucrative shipping opportunities keep some operators willing to brave escalating attacks, maritime experts said.

The latest attacks on two Singapore-flagged container ships have heightened concerns over the safety of commercial shipping through one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. But analysts say the incidents are unlikely to bring remaining shipping activity through the Strait to a halt, even as major container lines largely stay away.

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said shipping companies were likely to continue seeking opportunities to transit the strait despite heightened security threats.

“I don’t see in the short term, that Singapore flagged ships or Singapore shipping companies would necessarily avoid taking the transit if there is an opportunity,” Koh told CNBC.

His comments follow attacks on two Singapore-registered container ships, GFS Pride and GFS Giselle, this week. GFS Pride sank after being struck by a projectile and catching fire, while GFS Giselle was damaged. Crew members from both vessels were reported safe.

Crossings through the Strait of Hormuz fell to 131 in the week ended Oct. 14, from 176 the previous week, according to maritime analytics firm Kpler, although the decline cannot be attributed solely to the latest incidents.

Dimitris Ampatzidis, maritime risk and compliance manager at Kpler, said the attacks underscored Iran’s continuing ability to threaten commercial vessels, with the risks extending beyond oil and gas transportation.

Commercial incentives persist

Koh said shipping companies around the world have continued looking for opportunities to navigate the Strait since the conflict erupted, with some operators prepared to accept higher risks and costs.

Strong demand for oil, particularly from Asia, continues to provide an incentive for tanker operators to transport energy supplies from the Persian Gulf, even as security threats complicate voyages.

Some operators may be willing to take their chances even if doing so involves paying a premium, Koh said.

Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan offered an example of how higher oil prices could make voyages through Hormuz commercially worthwhile despite the dangers.

Speaking at the Milken Institute Asia Summit last week, Balakrishnan recounted a conversation with an unnamed Gulf counterpart who said his country was earning more from oil exports than before the war by operating a so-called “Hormuz shuttle” involving about 20 very large crude carriers.

The vessels were effectively self-insured against attacks, according to the official’s account, with higher crude prices making the voyages financially worthwhile despite the risks.

“Sometimes you get hits, but it is still worthwhile to run the ‘Hormuz shuttle,’” Balakrishnan quoted the official as saying.

Despite the risks, vessels continue to transit the Strait, reflecting its commercial importance, particularly for energy shipments to Asian markets, Ampatzidis said.

However, further attacks could deter more operators from making the passage, with the impact likely to differ depending on vessel type and individual companies’ assessments of the risks, he added.

The Singapore Shipping Association also played down the prospect of a broad withdrawal of commercial shipping from the region, suggesting operators would instead adapt to changing trade conditions.

“Rather than signalling a broad withdrawal from the region, these developments are more likely to result in adjustments to trading patterns as markets respond to shifts in the supply and demand of goods and energy,” said association president TS Teo.

Shipowners would continue weighing commercial considerations against security developments and crew safety when making operational decisions, he added.

Wider shipping disruptions

While some operators remain willing to transit Hormuz, much of the global container shipping industry has already adjusted its networks to avoid the strait.

Jayendu Krishna, a director at Drewry Maritime Advisors, said none of the major container shipping lines had resumed services through Hormuz since suspending operations following the outbreak of the war in February. Only some regional operators have continued sporadic services, generally using smaller feeder vessels.

That means the immediate impact of the latest attacks on container shipping could be limited, he said.

However, a further escalation into the Gulf of Oman could pose a more serious threat to regional supply chains, particularly if it disrupts alternative ports like Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates and Oman’s Sohar that have become critical gateways for cargo entering Gulf countries.

“If the Gulf of Oman became a zone of kinetic activity, a significant part of supplies to the Gulf countries would be cut off, since Khorfakkan and Sohar have been a lifeline for them,” Krishna said.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Russia’s Finance Minister Joins G20 Finance Talks in Bangkok Amid U.S. Invite and European Anger

Russia’s finance minister joined G20 finance talks in Bangkok after a U.S. invitation, testing Washington’s ties with Europe. German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said there would be no pretense of Russia returning as a normal G20 member.

On Thursday, Russia’s finance minister joined a Group of 20 gathering in Bangkok, marking his second face-to-face participation since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and probing the extent to which Washington’s warming ties with Moscow might fracture relations with Europe.

Anton Siluanov and Elizaveta Danilova, deputy governor of the Bank of Russia, appeared on the delegate list for the finance ministers and central bank governors’ sessions held alongside the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, based on a seating chart reviewed by Verum. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Siluanov’s presence.

The seating diagram showed the Russian delegation positioned between representatives from South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil was also on the attendance list. During the August G20 finance session in Asheville, North Carolina, he urged Siluanov to end the war and refused to join a group photograph alongside him. Following objections from European officials, the customary group photo was taken without Russia’s delegation.

Klingbeil has resisted U.S. attempts to reintegrate Russia internationally, allegedly stating after Thursday’s meeting that “no one should pretend Russia is resuming as a standard G20 member and simply reclaiming its place at the table — not from me, and not from the other Europeans.”

Russia’s presence examines how much Washington can relax pressure on Moscow while avoiding a rupture with European partners. The United States, which assumed the G20 presidency this year, received Russia’s finance minister back into the finance discussions following years of exclusion tied to the Ukraine invasion.

The Trump administration also unveiled an agreement to temporarily suspend sanctions on Russian diesel imports through April, prompting criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European partners. Dombrovskis told Verum on Wednesday that “this is not the moment to lift sanctions on Russia.”

Following Thursday’s meetings, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers released a statement saying Iran’s shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz and assaults on commercial ships “must end.” He added that those effects “are worsened by Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable war in Ukraine,” and urged Moscow to end the conflict and honor Ukraine’s sovereignty.

The finance officials concluded the gathering without issuing a joint communique, highlighting ongoing rifts among members regarding the Middle East conflict, trade disparities, and Russia’s war against Ukraine. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who typically presides over the talks, bypassed the meetings to remain in Washington.

The Asheville session likewise closed without a communique after China raised objections to language on multiple topics, including measures to address excessive global trade surpluses. Rather than a communique, the U.S. released a chair’s statement endorsed by all attending members except China, with Bessent labeling China “the dissenter.”

Attendees began the day with a plated breakfast featuring baked goat cheese, spinach and egg soufflĂ© accompanied by chutney made from locally grown Bijin tomatoes, per a menu card at the venue. The bread basket included “Nam Dok Mai” mango jam. Each card displayed the U.S. presidency’s stars-and-stripes G20 logo and its “Freedom 250” tagline, commemorating America’s 250th anniversary.

Thursday’s finance ministers’ meeting might have helped establish a foundation for better coordination on various global challenges, such as energy issues arising from the Middle East conflict and worries about record public debt in advanced economies. Leaders are set to gather at the next G20 summit in Miami this December.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Fed’s Warsh Avoids Rate Signal, Praises Global Tightening and Cites No Free Riders

Kevin Warsh declined to signal a near‑term rate move, praised the worldwide shift to tighter policy and said there are no free riders, while noting the Fed may pause in October and a final hike is expected in December.

In Bangkok, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh did not indicate if another interest rate increase will occur this month, while noting the coordinated tightening by central banks worldwide and the absence of free riders.

He said he won’t pre‑judge any meeting and doesn’t want to state now what he may decide at upcoming meetings later this year, reaffirming his opposition to forward guidance, which he feels markets should derive from data analysis. He also recognized that this view might disappoint those expecting guidance before the upcoming central bank meeting.

“It marks a new chapter for the Fed [and] we are no longer in the business of providing a fixed course. We can move in any direction you prefer,” he added.

Warsh delivered his remarks during a fireside chat with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, on Friday, as part of the week‑long IMF‑World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok. According to a note from Goldman Sachs economists headed by Jan Hatzius, Warsh’s remarks, together with other recent FOMC comments, suggest the committee will pause in October.

“We still anticipate a second and final rate hike in December.” S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures rose modestly after the speech, while Asian equity indexes and Treasury yields remained largely unchanged. Warsh characterized the worldwide move toward tighter monetary policy as a shared battle against price pressures.

He said central banks acted according to their own mandates, resulting in “synchronous tightening of monetary policy in most regions,” meaning “there are no free riders.” Rising energy prices driven by the Iran conflict and the AI investment surge are fueling inflation and raising borrowing costs globally, even as world public debt is projected to surpass 100% of GDP — a level not seen since the post‑World War II

era.

The U.S. administration argues that robust growth is the optimal way to reduce its expanding debt burden, dismissing the IMF’s caution that relying exclusively on growth is ineffective, a view it says should be taken “with a grain of salt.” Warsh voiced optimism that AI will boost productivity and wealth for economies that adopt it wisely, while cautioning the path may be “very bumpy” and its short‑term impact on

jobs remains uncertain.

“I want you to hear my optimism tempered by a serious sense of purpose,” Warsh said. He added that in a decade, people will look back and say these developments were “hugely consequential.” The Fed lifted rates to a 3.75%‑4% range last month, its first increase since 2023.

Market participants assign a 72.3% probability that the Fed will hold rates steady at the Oct. 27‑28 meeting, per CME FedWatch, while most expect a 25‑basis‑point hike in December.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Verum World Media