MarketBeat Week in Review – 07/27- 07/31

Investors had many things to digest this week, including a continued pause in interest rates by the Federal Reserve, earnings reports from four of the Magnificent Seven companies, and the escalation of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran. The common denominator for all of these is inflation. There’s no lack of opinions, but investors are getting anxious for solutions.

That anxiety may be accelerating a rotation into defensive stocks. One example is the performance of the Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (BATS: COWZ), which is up 10.5% in 2026, with a significant part of that gain coming in July.

Next week, investors will get the latest employment data when the July jobs report is released on Aug. 7. However, the signal is still earnings. Reports from Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) showed that investors are willing to reward companies that deliver strong results and, more importantly, deliver strong free cash flow.

Articles by Thomas Hughes

AirJoule Technologies (NASDAQ: AIRJ) is an atmospheric renewable energy and water harvesting technology company. The company is a startup, but maybe not for much longer. Thomas Hughes explained why the company's deal with Kubota (OTCMKTS: KUBTY) provides it with an exclusive sales channel for multi-unit developments in water-starved areas of Texas and California.

It's been a rough time for chip stocks, including Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD), which is down over 15% in July. However, Hughes wrote that the company’s advancements in the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure market are setting the stage for explosive gains in the second half of 2026.

SK hynix (NASDAQ: SKHY) is down 30% from its post-IPO high, and a revenue miss has given investors another reason to stay away. However, Hughes made the case for why SKHY may be one of the best stocks to own for the rest of 2026 and beyond.

Articles by Sam Quirke

ServiceNow Inc. (NYSE: NOW) has spent the better part of a year showing investors that the existential threat from AI isn’t eroding its business. The most recent example of this was the company’s Q2 2026 earnings report. Sam Quirke explained that this creates an opportunity for risk-tolerant investors willing to follow earnings.

Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) has been one of the strongest performers in the AI memory/storage trade. But Quirke reminded investors that, unlike some other names in this space, WDC comes with a hefty valuation. Investors can only hope that the company’s upcoming earnings report will help determine if the stock has room to run.

Quirke took Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) head-on. Specifically, should investors buy Tesla of today, or the company that could merge with SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX)? Those two avenues lead to very different futures for TSLA.

Articles by Chris Markoch

Chris Markoch noted that the market's reaction to the Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) earnings report showed that good news can still be good news. The robust growth in Azure and the anticipated capital expenditure are reshaping the story of AI investment.

Investors won’t have to wait too long for the next major earnings report. Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) reports its Q2 earnings on Aug. 3. The report is likely to be good, but Markoch explained that bullish investors will have to hope that the underlying business matters more than the stock’s recent history after earnings.

Carrier Global (NYSE: CARR) has become a data center story, but investors aren’t buying it. CARR stock is down since its earnings report, but Markoch pointed out that the market may be placing more concern on the company’s current valuation than its future one.

Articles by Ryan Hasson

Ryan Hasson highlighted the contradiction between Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) strong earnings report and the market’s reaction to it. This may just be a case of a company that reported a week too early, as the bullish case was clear in its results.

After shooting to the moon in the first half of 2026, space stocks have come crashing back to Earth. Investors are concerned about valuation in companies that aren’t profitable (including SpaceX). Nevertheless, Hasson highlighted five down-and-out space stocks and explained which ones may offer a buy-the-dip opportunity.

Articles by Leo Miller

Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) provides the infrastructure for AI. Leo Miller explained why that distinction makes Broadcom the big winner from Alphabet’s earnings. It’s also why investors should put its agreement to buy $200 billion in memory and other chips from Samsung Electronics (OTCMKTS: SSNLF) in its proper context.

Miller also delivered a summary of Meta Platforms' (NASDAQ: META) earnings report. It was a problematic report on many levels, but investors’ primary concerns center around the company’s AI spending and a lack of clarity about how it plans to monetize that spending.

Articles by Nathan Reiff

Nathan Reiff pointed out that value stocks are outperforming growth stocks in 2026. There’s still time to capitalize on that shift, and Reiff gave investors three broad-based value ETFs that still offer reasonable upside.

Riding the hot hand is often a successful strategy in volatile markets. Reiff highlighted three of the market’s biggest winners in the first half of 2026 and pointed out what catalysts each company will need to generate strong earnings momentum to keep their rallies going.

Despite their lackluster performance of late, space stocks still have a bright future. But investing in single stocks may carry too much risk for some investors. That could make two new space ETFs an attractive option.

Articles by Dan Schmidt

Defense stocks are generally evergreen choices, but the conflict between the U.S. and Iran is a good reminder that there are times when owning them may be better than at other times. This week, Dan Schmidt explained why investors may want to take a close look at RTX (NYSE: RTX) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT).

Many of the largest oil companies reported earnings this week. However, Schmidt reminded investors that now is the time to look at refiners and pointed them to three refining stocks that offer pure-play exposure to the sector.

Schmidt also explained why the telecom sector may deserve investors' attention. Three of the top telecom names reported earnings, and each company posted year-over-year growth, along with buybacks and dividends, to reward shareholders.

Articles by Jeffrey Neal Johnson

The circular financing of AI infrastructure came back into focus on news that NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is considering a large financing backstop tied to an OpenAI data center product. Jeffrey Neal Johnson explained why investors should think carefully about the insatiable demand for AI infrastructure, which comes with an increasingly leveraged financing model.

Generac Holdings (NYSE: GNRC) normally gets a lift from hurricane season. However, Johnson analyzed the company’s latest earnings report, which showed data center demand is helping offset cyclical risks.

On the other hand, cyclical risks suggest a cautious approach to Whirlpool Corp. (NYSE: WHR). The company faces a macro risk with the current state of the housing market. But Johnson also highlighted why an activist investor may be the stock’s biggest short-term headwind.

Articles by Peter Frank

Peter Frank examined UnitedHealth Group's (NYSE: UNH) latest earnings report, noting that the company's stock remains well below its April 2025 high. The company’s recovery is real, but risks remain. Nevertheless, UNH may be a solid choice in a resilient healthcare sector.

Sticking in the healthcare sector, Frank explained the bull case for McKesson (NYSE: MCK). The company moves medicines around the world. Being a distributor may not be the most glamorous business model, but it allows the company to generate strong free cash flow (FCF). That’s important as investors are beginning to reward cash-rich companies.

Frank also explained why Wintrust Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: WTFC) should be on investors' radar for exposure to financial stocks. The company just delivered record second-quarter net income, but it comes with a lofty valuation.

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The article "MarketBeat Week in Review – 07/27- 07/31" first appeared on MarketBeat.