BABA MAKING ITS OWN CHIPS INVESTORS THINK ITLL BE A HIT

🚀 Daily Hype Recap: AI PCs, Adtech, BNPL, Beauty, China, Tariffs & Rates

1) DELL (Dell Technologies) — “AI PC tailwind, still cooking” 💻⚙️

Earnings vs. Street: Revenue & EPS beat; AI server + AI-PC demand the hero.
Guidance/Outlook: Management leaned constructive on AI-related backlog and enterprise refresh into ’25/’26.
Stock reaction: Up on the print, then choppy with macro jitters.
Past few yrs: Big post-2023 run on AI servers; more volatile in 2024–25 as orders lumpier.
Analyst vibe: Mostly Buy/Overweight; PTs cluster higher than spot (AI optionality).
Valuation snapshot (ballpark): Mid-teens P/E, low P/S (hardware), solid FCF; modest dividend; D/E manageable after deleveraging.
Bull/Bear:
- Bull: AI servers + AI PCs expand margins, mix improves.
- Bear: Hardware cycles + price wars; hyperscaler spending timing.
Big holders: Vanguard, BlackRock, T. Rowe.

2) MRVL (Marvell Technology) — “Met the bar; eyes on the guide” 🔌🧠

Earnings vs. Street: Met on EPS; revenue in line; data-center/AI networking healthy.
Outlook: Watching sequential acceleration as AI optical/custom silicon ramps.
Stock reaction: Muted to slightly red—print wasn’t a knockout, and semi group wobbled.
Past few yrs: From cyclical to AI-infrastructure play; rerated higher in AI boom.
Analyst vibe: Buy skew; PTs assume AI growth persists.
Valuation (typical AI semi): Higher P/E / P/S vs. legacy semis; gross margin strong; D/E modest.
Bull/Bear:
- Bull: Cloud AI interconnect is a secular tide.
- Bear: Any AI digestion, China export noise, or pricing pressure = multiple risk.
Big holders: Vanguard, BlackRock, Fidelity.

3) AFRM (Affirm) — “BNPL back in style” 💳📈

Earnings vs. Street: Beat on revenue & EPS (less negative); GMV growth solid; take-rate sturdy.
Outlook: Guides for continued volume growth; new merchant wins (travel, big box) help.
Stock reaction: Up on the numbers; still very headline-sensitive to rates/credit.
Past few yrs: Round-trip post-2021, rebuilt on profitable growth talk.
Analyst vibe: Mixed Hold/Buy; PT dispersion wide.
Valuation: High P/S, improving P/FCF trajectory; no dividend; watch credit losses & funding costs.
Bull/Bear:
- Bull: Embedded checkout + network effects; unit economics improving.
- Bear: Macro slowdown/credit cycle + regulation risks.
Big holders: Baillie Gifford, Vanguard, BlackRock.

4) ULTA (Ulta Beauty) — “Beauty still buys you time” 💄✨

Earnings vs. Street: Beat on EPS & sales; prestige makeup/skin care steady, loyalty strong.
Outlook: Modest comp growth, margin discipline; store refresh + services.
Stock reaction: Up, then faded with retail tape.
Past few yrs: Elite operator; comps cooled from peak but outperformed peers.
Analyst vibe: Many Buy/Overweight for execution + cash returns.
Valuation: Mid-teens P/E, robust ROIC, strong FCF; no div or small; D/E low.
Bull/Bear:
- Bull: Category resilience + loyalty moat.
- Bear: Trade-down risk; promotional flare-ups.
Big holders: Capital Group, Vanguard, BlackRock.

5) Webull — “Brokerage scaling up” 📱📊

Results: Reported higher revenue (trading + net interest), user growth intact.
Outlook: Expanding product (options/IRAs), cautious on volatility-driven activity.
Stock reaction: Private/limited—peer comps (HOOD/IBKR) moved on macro & volumes.
Take: Rising rates helped NIM; long-term rests on durable active users.

6) Alibaba (BABA) — “CEO: ‘Historic opportunities’” 🐉🛒

News: Management flagged unusually strong openings in AI, cloud, cross-border, and domestic consumption recovery pockets.
Earnings setup: Investors focus on cloud margins, commerce take-rate, share buybacks.
Stock reaction: Green on optimism; fades with China macro headlines.
Past few yrs: De-rating on regulation + macro; 2024–25 buybacks and restructuring narrative helped.
Analyst vibe: Many Buy with sum-of-parts upside; geopolitical discount lingers.
Valuation: Low-teens P/E, low P/S for scale; net cash; buyback active.
Bull/Bear:
- Bull: Cloud/AI monetization + capital returns.
- Bear: Policy risk, competitive intensity (PDD/TEMU), consumer softness.
Big holders: SoftBank legacy ties reduced; Vanguard, BlackRock, TEMASEK on registers historically.

7) Macro — “Tariff jitters + hotter producer prices = risk-off” 🌡️🧾

Headline: Stocks slipped as inflation data rekindled tariff-pass-through fears heading into key Fed speak.
Read-through: Good prints got faded; defensives bid, high-multiple AI chopped around.
What to watch next: CPI/PPI trend, tariff timelines, and 10-year yield—those drive multiples.

🏆 Power Ranking (Best → Worst today, on execution + setup + risk)