Home Depot after the close tonight. Target and Lowe's Wednesday morning. Walmart Thursday. Four of the biggest retailers on the tape, all lower into their own prints, on a Monday the retail ETF closed red for the third straight session.
⚡ FIRST 90 SECONDS
HD closed $337.88 Monday, down $16.60 from Aug 11's $354.48 into tonight's print. A stock that traded 4.7% lower into its own earnings is not one investors were leaning long on.
XRT closed $87.54, down 1.59% Monday and lower all three sessions from Aug 12. The retail ETF started selling before the wave, not after.
The setup is specific and it is not about any single retailer. Four of the biggest square-foot names on the tape report in the next three sessions. HD after the close tonight. TGT and LOW before the open Wednesday. WMT before the open Thursday. Between now and Friday morning, the market gets a fresh read on the U.S. consumer four times.
What matters is the way the tape walked into it. HD is down 4.7% since Aug 11 and closed Monday at $337.88, its lowest print in a week. TGT is down $3.47 in two sessions to $151.01. LOW gave back $2.66 Monday to close $215.81. WMT is off from Aug 12's $116.01 to Monday's $114.33 on above-average volume. And XRT, the broad retail ETF, printed its third consecutive red session at $87.54. Buyers are not showing up to defend the group before the numbers land.
The way to read that is not that the prints will be bad. The way to read that is that the market is not going to give retail credit for a good print unless the print is unambiguous. A HD comp in line does not get a rally back to $354. It gets a small green day and a sell-into-strength. A miss on the comp gets read through into TGT and LOW inside 36 hours, and into WMT inside 60. The tape has already decided the direction of the read. Only the size is unknown.
The line to watch on HD tonight is $340. That was Aug 14's high and Monday's post-close ceiling. Any print reaction that opens above $340 Wednesday and holds it into lunch says the walk-in was wrong and the group has room. Any print reaction that opens under $335 and stays there says the tape was right to sell first. TGT's number Wednesday morning then either amplifies or bounds it. If HD leaks and TGT confirms, the WMT print Thursday becomes the whole week's tell for whether the consumer story broke or bent.
📈 BY THE NUMBERS
$337.88 HD Monday close, $16.60 below Aug 11's $354.48 walk-in. Down four of the last five sessions into tonight's print.
3 Consecutive red sessions for XRT, the retail ETF. Aug 12 was the last green day and Monday's $87.54 close undercut it.
60hr Between HD's after-close print tonight and WMT's pre-open print Thursday. Four prints, three sessions, one consumer read.
The tape does not need to be right about the print. It needs to be positioned. Monday shows retail was not positioned for a positive one.
🔥 THE STREAK BOARD
Streaks alive into Monday's close:
None. The two names carrying a second green day into Friday — MP Materials and USAR — both broke their streaks Monday. MP closed $58.51 (-0.4%) on lighter volume, USAR $19.29 (-3.6%). No name printed a third consecutive green session on rising volume. The board comes back the day the tape stops giving Monday back.
The second story that belongs on this page
NBIS is doing the job the other two Friday names could not. Monday's close of $268.85 held the $255 floor by $13.85, and Monday's low of $263.82 never even challenged it. Volume shrank from Friday's 29 million to Monday's 19.7 million. That is the specific shape of a hold — a giveback the market did not want to press.
The setup that matters is whether NBIS can go four more sessions above $255 without volume expansion on a down day. If that happens, the Aug 12 gap from $226 to $259 becomes the new base and the whole month gets re-read as a repricing rather than a euphoria bar. If $255 breaks on a volume up-day, the same gap gets marked as exhaustion and the mean-reversion trade wakes up. Same test as RDDT and NU. One week ahead, one week already ruled.
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⌛ THE 48-HOUR CLOCK
HD prints tonight after the close. TGT and LOW report before the open Wednesday. That is three of the four retail tells inside the next 40 hours. If HD's Q2 comp lands below the +1.0% Street bar, the Wednesday tape reads the miss through the whole group before management opens the mic.
Is HD tonight the print you would fade regardless, or does the retail ETF's three-day slide already tell you which way the group opens Wednesday? Reply and tell me.
— Cal Torres, Markets Editor
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If you turn on the financial news right now, they will tell you everything is fine. The market is pushing new highs, and the talking heads are celebrating.
While the market rips higher, consumer sentiment is sitting at historic lows. Everyday Americans feel worse about the economy than they did during the 2008 financial crisis.
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TSMC’s Strong July Sales Offer Another Sign the AI Boom Isn’t Slowing
Posted On Aug 10, 2026 by Ian Cooper
Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, just reported a sharp increase in sales as demand for chips used in artificial intelligence continues to grow.
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In fact, the semiconductor giant said that its revenue for July reached 467.58 billion new Taiwan dollars, equivalent to around $14.5 billion. That represents a 44.7% increase compared with July last year. The strong result is another sign that the substantial spending on AI infrastructure by the world’s biggest technology companies is continuing to support the semiconductor industry. That should continue with AI showing no signs of slowing.
Remember, TSMC manufactures some of the world’s most advanced computer chips for a wide range of customers, including major technology companies such as Nvidia and Google. These chips are increasingly important for AI systems, which require enormous amounts of computing power. Plus, as companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta continue to invest billions of dollars in data centers and AI infrastructure, demand for advanced semiconductors has remained strong.
That makes TSMC’s financial results an important indicator of the health of the broader technology industry.
TSMC’s latest sales figures suggest that, at least for now, demand for the chips powering that AI expansion remains strong. “TSMC is now guiding for 40% growth in revenues for this year, so July’s numbers put it ahead of that figure,” Ben Barringer, head of technology research at Quilter Cheviot, told CNBC.
Barringer said the result was significant because it suggests demand is still holding up, meaning TSMC does not necessarily need August and September to deliver unusually strong growth to meet its targets.
In addition, TSMC is also preparing to spend heavily to meet future demand. The company recently increased its capital expenditure forecast for 2026 to between $60 billion and $64 billion. That spending will help TSMC expand its manufacturing capacity and produce more advanced chips as demand from AI companies and other technology customers grows.
That Follows an Impressive Earnings Report
Taiwan Semiconductor once again exceeded Wall Street’s expectations with a standout earnings report. The company reported earnings per share of $4.31, topping analyst estimates by $0.37. Revenue climbed nearly 34% year over year to $40.2 billion, also beating forecasts. The results reflect continued strength in demand for advanced chips, particularly those used in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and high-performance computing.
Management also raised its long-term outlook, signaling confidence that AI demand will remain strong for years. The company now expects revenue to grow by more than 40% in 2026, an increase from its previous projection of roughly 30%.
TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei said demand for advanced silicon continues to expand as AI requires increasingly powerful computing capabilities. According to the company, major cloud providers and technology customers continue to signal robust future demand, reinforcing management’s confidence in the long-term AI growth trend.
What’s Next for TSMC?
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing remains one of the most important companies powering the artificial intelligence revolution. Its latest earnings report reinforced that demand for advanced chips continues to accelerate, while its aggressive investments today are designed to support growth for years to come.
With industry-leading technology, deep relationships with the world’s largest chip designers, and expanding AI demand acting as powerful growth drivers, TSMC continues to look like a strong buy-and-hold candidate for investors focused on the future of artificial intelligence.
Today’s editorial pick for you
Albertsons Insiders Buy Stock After Shares Hit Record Lows
Posted On Aug 10, 2026 by Ian Cooper
Albertsons (NYSE: ACI) insiders bought shares of the grocery chain after the company reported disappointing earnings and lowered its outlook for the rest of the year.
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The purchases came shortly after ACI shares dropped sharply following its latest earnings report. The company warned that it is facing pressure from higher costs, weaker grocery sales, and financial challenges among lower-income shoppers. Plus, the buying is being seen as a sign that company leaders believe the stock has fallen too far.
Nearly half of the world's biggest money allocators are scrambling to reposition for what they expect to be the most volatile market in years.
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The biggest-name buyer was Albertsons CEO Susan Morris. Morris, who became CEO last year. On July 28, Morris purchased 20,277 shares for $11.46 per share. She also bought another 19,132 shares the same day for $11.38 per share. Together, the purchases gave Morris more than 39,000 additional shares.
Morris has generally received restricted stock units through Albertsons’ employee equity incentive program rather than buying shares directly on the open market. That makes her recent purchases particularly notable.
Morris wasn’t the only insider buying stock.
Thomas Moriarty, the company’s executive vice president of mergers, acquisitions, and corporate affairs, picked up 170,500 shares on July 27. He paid $11.51 per share for the stock.
CFO Sharon McCollam also bought 9,000 shares for $11.48 each.
The fact that several senior executives bought shares around the same time suggests that management may believe Albertsons stock is undervalued following the recent selloff.
Earnings Report Disappoints Investors
Albertsons recently reported its fiscal first-quarter results, and investors were not pleased.
The company reported revenue of $24.94 billion, which was slightly higher than the same period a year earlier and above analysts’ expectations. However, adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.42, missing Wall Street expectations by $0.12.
More concerning for investors was Albertsons’ decision to significantly lower its expectations for the full year. The company cut its fiscal 2026 earnings-per-share guidance by 21% at the midpoint. The new forecast calls for earnings of between $1.75 and $1.85 per share.
The grocery store chain said the weaker outlook reflects several problems, including pressure on lower-income consumers, weaker trends in grocery shopping volumes, and the possibility of higher supplier costs.
Another major concern is ACI’s profit margins.
The company said gross margins are likely to remain under pressure in the second quarter. Management expects some modest improvement during the third and fourth quarters, but margins are still expected to remain below previous levels.
Citi Downgraded the Stock
Following the earnings report, Citi analysts downgraded Albertsons from a buy rating to a hold rating, cutting their price target to $11 from $17.
The firm added that the company still has significant work to do following the failed merger attempt with Kroger (NYSE: KR). Citi also lowered its forecast for Albertsons’ fiscal 2026 earnings per share from $2.12 to $1.81. The firm now expects comparable sales to decline 0.7%, compared with its previous forecast for 0.5% growth.
What Happens Next?
ACI now has the difficult task of improving its business while dealing with higher costs and cautious consumers. The recent insider purchases are encouraging for shareholders, as several top executives are investing their own money in the company.
For now, ACI remains a company in transition. Its executives appear willing to bet on the business, but the grocery chain still has plenty of work to do. The coming quarters will be important. If management can improve operations, control costs, and win back customers, the recent stock decline could eventually look like an opportunity. If those improvements take longer than expected, however, Albertsons shares could remain under pressure.
