How To Navigate An “AI Bubble” (If One Exists)

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • How To Navigate An “AI Bubble” (If One Exists)

Futures are sharply lower following sweeping tariff announcements by the administration overnight.

The Trump administration made numerous reciprocal tariff announcements and while the vast majority of them were previously reported, the sheer volume of tariffs is weighing on sentiment.

Focus today will be on economic data and specifically the jobs report and ISM Manufacturing PMIs.  Expectations for the jobs report are: 110K Job-Adds, 4.2% UE Rate and 3.7% y/y Wages) while the ISM Manufacturing Index expectation is 49.5.

Given the early, tariff related weakness in stocks, a “Too Cold” jobs report or ISM Manufacturing PMI could accelerate the selling as they would compound worries that high tariffs will hurt future growth.  So, solid numbers from both are needed to push back on this morning’s tariff anxiety.

Finally, on earnings, today is the last meaningful day and some reports we’re watching include: BRK.B ($5.24), XOM ($1.49), CVX ($1.66), D ($0.69), CL ($0.89), KMB ($1.68).

 

AI Euphoria Driving Market Bubble? Sevens Report Co-Editor Warns

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Tyler Richey compares tech rally to Looney Tunes—gravity may come next

US stocks soar to new highs as fears of bubble bursting rise

As U.S. stocks soar to record highs, Tyler Richey, co-editor at Sevens Report Research, warns the market may be approaching a bursting point.

“Every market bubble in modern history has had a narrative,” said Richey. “In 2000, it was the internet. In 2008, real estate. In 2025, it’s AI.” With NVIDIA’s market cap jumping $1.933 trillion since April, Richey likens the chip sector’s run to the Road Runner, while the S&P 500 plays Wile E. Coyote—suspended in midair, just before the fall.

He pointed to:

  • Multidecade extremes in relative strength

  • Technical imbalances across sectors

  • Bearish sentiment divergence despite index highs

“A downward force that the broader stock market could very well be on the brink of facing itself,” Richey warned.

Also, click here to view the full article published in S&P Global on July 31st, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Fed Takeaways and Jobs Report Preview

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • What the Fed Decision Means for Markets
  • FOMC Takeaways
  • Jobs Report Preview
  • Weekly EIA Data Takeaways and Oil Market Update

Futures are solidly higher as traders digest the largely benign July Fed decision amidst solid earnings and guidance from tech giants MSFT and META, which are trading higher by 8%+ and 12%+ in pre-market trade, respectively.

Today, focus will be on more key economic data early with Jobless Claims (E: 225K), and the Core PCE Price Index (E: 0.3% m/m, 2.7% y/y) being the key numbers to watch while the monthly Chicago PMI (E: 42.0) will also be released.

In the wake of the Fed decision yesterday, the Treasury’s 4-Week & 8-Week T-Bill auctions at 11:30 a.m. ET today could shed some light on market expectations for Fed policy rates between now and the end of the third quarter (the more dovish, the better).

Finally, earnings season continues in full force with multiple major global corporations reporting Q2 results today including CVS ($1.47), ABBV ($2.89), MA ($4.05), AAPL ($1.42), AMZN ($1.33), MSTR ($-0.12), COIN ($1.18), KKR ($1.03), and SO ($0.93). Strong mega-cap tech earnings have become largely expected rather than appreciated by this market so any disappointment in corporate news could spark a wave of profit taking into the end of the month.

 

How stock-market investors should trade what could be a historic Fed dissent on Wednesday

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Dissents unlikely to signal policy shift amid speculation over Fed succession

How stock-market investors should trade what could be a historic Fed dissent on Wednesday

Under normal circumstances, dissents for a rate cut would signal a dovish shift. But current dynamics make that unlikely to move markets, said Tom Essaye, editor of Sevens Report Research.

“Don’t believe any reporting that implies the dissents are a dovish surprise or make a September rate cut more likely,” Essaye wrote Tuesday. “It won’t be a surprise and they won’t make a September cut more likely.”

Essaye notes that any dissents from Waller or Bowman would be seen as political positioning, not monetary policy pivots—particularly as both are viewed as potential successors to Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May.

Also, click here to view the full article published in MarketWatch on July 29th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Sevens Report Co-Editor Says $750B EU Energy Deal Carries Financial Asterisk

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Tyler Richey, Co-Editor, Sevens Report Research Quoted by MarketWatch.

The Energy Report: They Said It Couldn’t Be Done

“If there are plans to more rapidly expand Europe’s nuclear power capacity by utilizing U.S.-based companies, and the power-plant construction, operation, long-term fuel fulfillment contracts, and future reactor services (some of which can be decades long) are all included in that $750 [billion] ‘headline number,’ then there could be a case made that the pulled-forward dollar amount of future operations could boost the value of the deal,” said Tyler Richey, co-editor at Sevens Report Research.

However, that scenario would require some “financial engineering” to achieve the $750 billion, which would “leave the realistic dollar amount of the deal carrying an asterisk based on the three-year timeline mentioned,” Richey told MarketWatch.

Also, click here to view the full article published in Investing.com on July 29th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Four Risks That Could Disrupt S&P 500 Rally, Says Sevens Report

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Tariffs, surprises, and complacency are among the threats to market momentum

These four threats could ’upset’ bullish S&P 500 momentum: Sevens Report

Markets continue to push toward all-time highs, but the Sevens Report warns that optimism shouldn’t overshadow real risks. In a note Monday, the team outlined four potential threats that could upend the bull run:

  1. Higher-than-expected tariffs on Aug. 1, which could shake the TACO (Tariffs Are Coming Off) narrative.

  2. Market complacency, driven by the false belief that “if it hasn’t happened, it won’t.”

  3. Other unspecified surprises that could inject volatility.

  4. Broader macroeconomic or geopolitical shifts that are underpriced.

“While there’s undeniably a positive setup for stocks, I believe it’s always important to look at the other side of the trade,” the report said.

“We will remain vigilant to what could go wrong so we’re not blindsided by volatility and don’t give back these strong gains.”

Also, click here to view the full Investing.com article featured on Yahoo Finance published on July 28th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Sevens Report Co-Editor Questions Validity of $750B US-EU Energy Deal

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Tyler Richey says headline figure may rely on “financial engineering”

The E.U. to buy $750 billion of U.S. energy products. Why that’s ‘absurd.’

The European Union’s plan to buy $750 billion worth of U.S. energy products raised eyebrows this week, with Sevens Report Research co-editor Tyler Richey calling the figure “absurd” without major assumptions baked in.

“If there are plans to more rapidly expand Europe’s nuclear power capacity by utilizing U.S.-based companies… then there could be a case made,” Richey told MarketWatch.

But that would require “financial engineering,” he added, and the three-year timeline would likely leave the real value of the deal carrying an asterisk.

Also, click here to view the full article published in MarketWatch on July 28th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Credit Spreads Are More Elevated Than You Think

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Credit Spreads: More Elevated Than You Think
  • Case-Shiller Home Price Index Points to Cooling Inflation
  • JOLTS Decline But Top Estimates

Futures are modestly higher this morning as traders digest yesterday’s pullback ahead of today’s Fed decision.

Economically, Eurozone GDP rose +1.4% y/y vs. (E) +1.2% which is supporting the tentative risk-on price action this morning.

Today, focus will be on economic data early with the ADP Employment Report (E: 75K), Advanced Q2 GDP (E: 2.5%),  and Pending Home Sales (E: 0.2%) all due to be released.

Attention will then turn to the Fed meeting with the FOMC Announcement at 2:00 p.m. ET and Fed Chair Powell’s Press Conference at 2:30 p.m. ET with traders most focused on the prospects of a September rate cut.

Finally, earnings season continues as well and the following companies results have the potential to move markets, particularly the Mag-7 names reporting today: KHC ($0.64), HUM ($6.32), META ($5.83), MSFT ($3.35), CVNA ($1.10), QCOM ($2.72), ADP ($2.22), HOOD ($0.31).

 

FOMC Preview: Wildcard to Watch

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • FOMC Preview: What’s Expected, Hawkish Scenario, Dovish Scenario
  • Fed Meeting Wildcard to Watch: Dovish Dissents

U.S. equity futures are tracking European shares higher this morning amid continued optimism surrounding the U.S.-EU trade deal and resilient earnings ahead of the Fed decision.

There were no noteworthy economic reports overnight which will leave focus on earnings and U.S. economic data today as the July Fed meeting gets underway in Washington.

Today’s economic calendar is a fairly busy one with several potential market-moving reports due to be released including: Consumer Confidence (E: 95.8), JOLTS (E: 7.4 million), Case-Shiller Home Price Index (E: 2.9%), and International Trade in Goods (E: $-99.0B).

Looking at earnings, the Q2 reporting season continues with notable companies releasing results today including: UNH ($4.84), SOFI ($0.06), BA ($-1.54), PG ($1.43), V ($2.86), MRK ($2.01), SBUX ($0.64).

Bottom line, investors will continue to look for resilient, yet not “too hot” economic data trends and upbeat earnings and guidance in order for stocks to hold yesterday’s record highs, however a familiar sense of “Fed Paralysis” is likely to grip markets ahead of tomorrow’s critical Fed decision.

 

What Could Go Wrong? (Four Candidates)

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • What Could Go Wrong?  (Four Candidates)
  • Weekly Market Preview:  A Busy and Important Week of Fed Decisions, Earnings and Economic Data
  • Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet:  Jobs Report and ISM Manufacturing PMIs Friday Are the Highlights

Futures are modestly higher on the announcement of a U.S./EU trade deal and further delay in tariff increases for China.

The U.S. and EU agreed to a trade deal this week with details that are largely in-line with market expectations at the end of last week.

The U.S. and China agreed to a 90-day extension of their tariff pause to continue to work on a larger trade deal.

This will be a busy and important week from an economic standpoint, but it starts quietly as there are no reports today.

Similarly on earnings, this is the most important week of the year with earnings looming from major tech firms (MSFT/META/AAPL/AMZN) but it starts quietly.  Some reports we’re watching today include: WM ($1.88), WHR ($1.54), WELL ($1.22).