Benzinga Bulls And Bears: AMD, Apple, Eli Lilly — And Wall Street Treads Water

Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors' favorite stocks over the last week — here's a look at some of our top stories.

Wall Street treaded water this week as the Federal Reserve maintained rates at 4.25-4.50% despite mounting pressure. Disappointing July jobs data — just 73,000 new positions, coupled with downward revisions totaling 258,000 for May and June — further unsettled markets. Inflation persists above the Fed's 2% target, tempering expectations for immediate easing.

President Donald Trump intensified his criticisms of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and moved to consolidate control over economic institutions, nominating new leadership for the Fed and Bureau of Labor Statistics. This coincided with a surge in speculative optimism, with JPMorgan now forecasting four rate cuts starting in September.

Investor sentiment remained volatile. Stocks dipped as trust in economic data wavered following the BLS firing, while Treasury yields fell and gold gained ground. Markets now eye September cautiously, awaiting more clarity on labor and inflation trends amid growing questions over Fed independence.

Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

"AMD stock has a lot ‘to be encouraged and excited about': analysts are cautious but bullish", by Chris Katje, highlights that while analysts — including Goldman Sachs, Wedbush, and Benchmark — welcome AMD's strong Q2 performance and optimistic guidance, they remain cautious due to lofty valuation and China-related risks, keeping targets modest despite enthusiasm for AI-GPU momentum.

"Apple's smart move may save iPhone sales — and the stock could soar", by Piero Cingari, reports that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) added a $100 billion U.S. manufacturing commitment—bringing its total to $600 billion over four years—which earned the company a key exemption from President Trump's threatened 100% semiconductor tariffs and sparked an 8% rally in its stock.

"Sunrun stock soars after Q2 earnings report — here's why", by Erica Kollmann, reports that Sunrun Inc. (NASDAQ:RUN) earned a surprise profit in Q2 with $1.07 EPS (beating an expected -$0.18 loss) and revenue of $569.33 million, topping forecasts; strong subscriber growth, record solar and battery installations, and a 70% storage attachment rate drove a rally of over 30%, buoyed further by a 316% year-over-year surge in contracted net value creation and a fifth straight quarter of positive cash generation.

For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:

DraftKings Q2 Earnings Soar — Record Revenue & Net Income, Plus A Prediction Market Tease?

Eli Lilly's Rare Weight Loss Data Miss Could Benefit Competitors

Virgin Galactic Stock Takes Off After Q2 Earnings, Company Continues To Target Commercial Service In 2026

The Bears

"Eli Lilly crashes on worst day in 25 years: What's moving markets Thursday?", by Piero Cingari, reports that Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY) plunged 14%, erasing over $100 billion in market value, after its experimental oral weight-loss pill, orforglipron, delivered a 12.4% average body-weight reduction — missing the expected 13-15% and trailing rivals like Wegovy.

"Super Micro Computer Q4 earnings highlights: shares fall on double miss, lower guidance", by Chris Katje, reports that Super Micro Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:SMCI) missed Street expectations with Q4 net sales of $5.76 billion (versus $5.88 billion expected) and EPS of $0.41 (versus $0.44 expected), while trimming its fiscal 2026 sales target to at least $33 billion — down from a prior $40 billion outlook — which triggered a sharp decline in the stock.

"Joby stock falls after Q2 earnings report — here's why", by Erica Kollmann, reports that Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) missed expectations in Q2 — posting a $0.41 per share loss (versus a $0.19 forecast) and just $15,000 in revenue (well below the $43,000 estimate) — triggering investor concern despite ending the quarter with $991 million in cash and short-term investments.

For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:

AMD Stock Is Sliding Wednesday: What's Going On?

Navitas Semiconductor Stock Sinks After Q3 Guidance Disappoints

NuScale Power Stock Slides After Q2 Earnings Report: Here's Why

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