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Datadog’s Next Trick Is Earnings
4:24 pm — DDOG -3.31% today
By Seth Jayson
Team Rule Breakers
Not much happened with Datadog (DDOG +2.54%) this week that wasn’t happening to every other growth stock — the whole market whipsawing on war news, purported AI advances that will either doom or supercharge software depending on who’s talking their book. DDOG went with it, dropping from around $120 to $109. Guggenheim upgraded to Buy on the way down, which is easy to ignore in the moment but worth noting if you think the business is basically the same one it was at $160. The product engine keeps humming along. Earnings land in a few weeks and that will tell us more than any analyst note.
Closing Bell
4:08 pm
Stocks wobbled Friday after a hotter CPI print raised fresh inflation concerns. The Dow fell while the Nasdaq rose, lifted by semis like Nvidia (NVDA +1.67%) and Broadcom (AVGO +2.02%). March CPI rose 0.9% month over month and 3.3% annually, driven largely by energy. Still, core inflation cooled, and major indexes remain up 3%+ for the week. Oil prices slipped after a volatile stretch tied to U.S.-Iran tensions, with markets watching whether geopolitics or inflation sets the next move.
- Energy Drives the Story: Nearly three-quarters of CPI’s monthly rise came from gasoline, with energy costs up 10.9%, a key swing factor for markets and Fed expectations.
- Sentiment Cracks Appear: Consumer sentiment hit a record low as inflation expectations jumped to 4.8%, raising the risk of weaker spending even if markets hold near highs.
TSMC Update Sparks an AMD Rally
3:46 pm — AMD +3.61%, TSM +1.20%
Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 0.03%) rose after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM +1.97%) reported 35% Q1 sales growth on April 10, offering a fresh read on AI chip demand. Investors are looking through to AMD’s May earnings, where data center momentum will be key. The company expects about $9.8 billion in Q1 revenue (+32% YoY), and peer results suggest AI infrastructure spending remains resilient despite market volatility.
- Timing matters: The April 10 update hit just weeks before AMD reports, sharpening expectations and raising the bar for a beat.
- Proxy in motion: TSMC’s upstream strength often flows to customers like AMD—keeping the AI trade intact unless execution slips.
CoreWeave Jumps 11% on Claude Tie-Up
2:53 pm — CRWV +11.94%
If you want to track where AI spending is going, follow the infrastructure deals. Shares of CoreWeave (CRWV 2.19%) jumped after the company signed a multi-year deal with Anthropic to power its Claude models, adding to a fresh $21 billion expansion with Meta Platforms (META +1.81%). The AI cloud provider now serves nine of the top 10 model builders.
- Deal Stack, Not One-Off: Back-to-back wins suggest CoreWeave is becoming a default partner for AI labs needing fast GPU access. Expansion is capital-intensive and rising debt, as the company races to scale, could magnify both upside and risk if demand cools.
- AI Deals Show Up Daily: Motley Fool contributor Matt Frankel, of Team Hidden Gems, recently said that CoreWeave has been on his watch list “for a long time,” calling it “an interesting business” that’s “tough to value.” But the bigger point, underscoring persistent demand: “Even on a slow news day… we’re going to get an AI infrastructure deal somewhere.”
NASDAQ: CRWV
Key Data Points
LUNR Jumps 10% Ahead of Artemis Test
2:34 pm — LUNR +7.84%
Shares of Intuitive Machines (LUNR +1.21%) rose on Friday as investors look ahead to the Artemis II crew’s return to Earth, a key milestone for NASA’s broader lunar plans. A successful landing—the Orion is expected to splash down in the Pacific near San Diego around 8pm ET—could unlock a multiyear pipeline of missions, including cargo deliveries and infrastructure needed for a permanent moon presence, work that directly ties to Intuitive Machines’ contracts and growth outlook.
- 30 Shots On Goal: NASA’s roadmap includes roughly 30 lunar cargo missions, creating repeat revenue opportunities for contractors already in the program. But competition is rising. “There’s a lot of competition in Intuitive Machines’ core businesses, and the company will have to continue executing well to meet the market’s elevated expectations,” Team Hidden Gems wrote in February.
- Contract Flywheel: The company recently secured a $180 million award, with potential follow-on deals running into the billions.
NASDAQ: LUNR
Key Data Points
Musk's Robot Promises Face Reality
1:00 pm — TSLA -0.6%
Tesla (TSLA +2.96%) is staring down its eighth consecutive weekly loss, a punishing 23% slide since January that has left the EV giant trailing a flat S&P 500. While the stock historically struggles early in the year, investors are growing restless as updates on the Optimus Gen 3 robot remain in limbo. Despite Elon Musk’s lofty claims of factory integration, the humanoid remains a pre-revenue project. Bulls are now scouring for any catalyst to break the technical "death spiral" before first-quarter earnings arrive.
- Ghost in the Machine: Cybercab production hit milestones at Giga Austin, yet the ride-hailing service remains shackled to human safety drivers.
- Optimus or Bust? April was billed as a massive month for robotics, but silence from leadership is fueling fears of another product delay.
NASDAQ: TSLA
Key Data Points
Today's Lunchtime News
1:05 pm
Satellite surveillance firm Hawkeye 360 filed for an initial public offering, joining a wave of defense tech companies seeking to go public amid rising geopolitical tensions. The company nearly doubled revenue to $118 million in 2025 and swung to breakeven from a $31 million net loss a year earlier.
- Defense tech boom: Hawkeye joins Arxis and Aevex, both pricing IPOs next week, as global conflicts drive military spending higher.
- Backlog explosion: Hawkeye's order backlog surged more than six-fold to $303 million last year, signaling demand for its constellation of 30-plus satellites that collect intelligence for the U.S. government. Shares will trade on the NYSE under "HAWK."
Will Subs Stay After YouTube's Price Hike?
12:15 pm — GOOG -0.1%
Alphabet (GOOG +2.00%) is raising U.S. subscription prices for YouTube Premium for the first time in three years, with the individual plan jumping to $15.99 per month. Family plans face a steeper $4 increase to $26.99 as the platform moves to offset rising content and operating costs. This pricing shift follows similar moves by rivals like Netflix (NFLX 9.71%) and Spotify (SPOT +0.97%), signaling a broader industry pivot toward profitability over pure user growth. With YouTube recently surpassing 125 million global subscribers, Alphabet is testing the pricing power of its 300-million-track library and ad-free experience in an increasingly crowded streaming market.
- Monetizing the Heavy Users: The $2 increase to the individual tier aims to squeeze more margin out of a loyal subscriber base that grew by 25 million users in just the last year.
- Tiered Strategy Refinement: Even the budget-friendly "YouTube Lite" saw a price bump, suggesting Alphabet is aggressive about standardized increases across its entire digital services portfolio.
GOOG performance
Related articles
Burry Bets Palantir Will Tank to $50
12:35 pm — PLTR -1.5%
Michael Burry is doubling down on his bearish bet against Palantir Technologies (PLTR +2.45%), dismissing a recent stock pop triggered by President Trump's praise on Truth Social. The "Big Short" investor revealed Friday that he is holding long-dated put options, including strikes at $100 and $50, arguing the AI software firm remains "wildly overvalued." While Trump lauded Palantir’s "warfighting capabilities," the shares are still nursing a 28% loss in 2026. Burry’s persistence pits his valuation-driven thesis against a company that has become a vital Pentagon contractor during the current administration and a perceived beneficiary of ongoing Middle East tensions.
- The $50 Floor Theory: Burry contends the company's fundamental value sits below $50 per share, implying a potential 60% collapse from current levels despite the firm's deepening ties to military intelligence.
- War-Tech Divergence: While CEO Alex Karp touts record government engagement, Burry’s wager mirrors a broader sell-off in software stocks, suggesting that even "great warfighting equipment" can't outrun a stretched valuation.
Court Greenlights Meta Addiction Suit
11:10 am — META +0.5%
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday that Meta Platforms (META +1.81%) must face a state lawsuit alleging it engineered Instagram to addict minors. This landmark decision bypasses Section 230 protections, which typically shield internet giants from liability. The ruling arrives during a brutal legal stretch for the company, following a $375 million penalty in New Mexico and a joint $6 million negligence verdict alongside Alphabet (GOOG +2.00%) in California. With 34 other states pursuing similar federal claims, Meta's "proprietary design" strategy is now under intense judicial scrutiny for allegedly exploiting psychological vulnerabilities to drive engagement.
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Section 230 Sidelined: The court found that federal immunity does not cover allegedly deceptive claims Meta made regarding the safety of its age-verification systems and user well-being tools.
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Corporate Email Exposure: Internal documents suggest top leadership, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, may have brushed off early research warnings that infinite scrolling and push notifications harmed teen users.
TSMC Revenue Rockets to Record High
10:05 am — TSM +3.2%
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM +1.97%) reported record first-quarter revenue of $35.6 billion, a 35% year-on-year surge that cruised past analyst estimates. As the sole manufacturer of the world’s most advanced processors, TSMC remains the primary beneficiary of massive infrastructure spending by Nvidia (NVDA +1.67%) and Apple (AAPL +2.65%). Despite supply chain jitters and memory shortages slowing the PC market, TSMC’s AI segment is doing the heavy lifting. Analysts credit aggressive price hikes on cutting-edge nodes for the beat, with projected gross margins potentially hitting a staggering 64% when full earnings drop April 16.
- The Foundry Monopoly: As tech giants like Alphabet (GOOG +2.00%) and Arm Holdings (ARM +2.71%) pivot to designing custom internal silicon, they increasingly find themselves tethered to TSMC's unique manufacturing capabilities.
- Bellwether Watch: Markets now turn to next week’s results from ASML (ASML +3.42%); the Dutch lithography giant provides the essential machinery TSMC requires to maintain its lead over rivals like Intel (INTC +0.00%).
NYSE: TSM
Key Data Points
Top of the Morning
9:05 am
By Alicia Alfiere
Team Rule Breakers
OpenAI is often in the news, but two recent stories offer a glimpse into the company's potential strategies.
According to an article in Axios, OpenAI expects ad revenues to undergo an impressive expansion over the next few years, growing from $2.5 billion this year to $100 billion by 2030.
- Why is this important? To attract investors and potentially make itself an attractive IPO candidate, OpenAI has to prove its ability to create various revenue streams. There are concerns about ads on ChatGPT, since people share a lot of personal information with it, but even so -- the opportunity to hyper-target consumers will be attractive to advertisers.
Speaking of concerns ... OpenAI has seen a bit of a backlash recently, and a recent NPR article suggests that is perhaps part of the reason why OpenAI recently purchased a streaming talk show.
- Why is this important? The streaming talk show is known as the "SportsCenter for Silicon Valley." According to the NPR article, OpenAI aims to maintain the show's editorial independence ... but they'd also like it to feature "constructive conversation" on AI.
This isn't the first time a company has tried to manage their brand, and it won't be the last. The question is, will it work and help sway some of the more critical opinions on AI?
6:00 am -- COST unchanged in pre-market trading
By Morning Show host Jim Mueller, CFA
Team Rule Breakers
What's the best thing at Costco (COST +1.28%)?
In a world of rising inflation leading to higher costs for pretty much everything, it's nice to know that Costco's $1.50 hot dog plus soda combo has stayed the same price for years. Since 1985, in fact, so that's 41 years and counting! And it will remain that price going forward, according to current CEO, Ron Vachris. "The hot dog price will not change as long as I'm around," he recently said.
Yay!
It's a big thing for a company that sells more hot dogs than Major League Baseball. Some 245 million last year. (Wow!) Some things should not change.
However, Costco's not dumb. They don't want to lose a bunch of money selling them at a loss, especially with numbers like that. So over the years, Costco has made some changes.
First, they now make their own. The dogs used to be Hebrew National and Sinai 48 dogs, but now they're Kirkland dogs (Costco's in house brand). These are made at two locations, in California and Illinois. This has helped reduce costs.
Second, the soda, originally a 12-ounce can, was changed to a 20-ounce fountain drink. That's actually cheaper for the company, especially as people like to add lots of ice, which costs next to nothing compared to syrup.
Will Costco ever raise the price? Hopefully not. And not if founder Jim Sinegal (who's still around, by the way) has anything to say about it. He reportedly told previous CEO Craig Jelinek in 2018 – who was looking to raise the price of the combo – that, "If you raise the [price of the] f***-ing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out."
Motivation indeed to keep a corporate icon – something that members truly treasure – intact. Long may it last!
NASDAQ: COST
Key Data Points
Opening Bell
9:30 am
The S&P 500 is pacing for its best weekly performance since November, climbing over 3% as a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire holds. While President Trump issued a fresh warning against Iran charging "tanker fees" in the Strait of Hormuz, the market appears to be looking past the immediate energy shock. Analysts suggest the relief rally is sustainable, betting that energy prices will gradually descend over the next six months. This constructive outlook is bolstered by tame "core" inflation data, which signals that underlying economic fundamentals remain resilient despite the geopolitical volatility that spiked headline CPI to 3.3%.
Market indexes
War-Driven Energy Spike Jolts Inflation
9:10 am
March's Consumer Price Index (CPI) reflects a stark "supply shock" as the headline inflation rate jumped to 3.3%, up from 2.4% in February. This surge was almost entirely driven by a 10.9% monthly explosion in energy costs, with gasoline prices skyrocketing 21.2% due to geopolitical conflict. Conversely, Core CPI -- excluding food and energy -- remained remarkably calm at 0.2% monthly, suggesting that underlying economic demand isn't yet overheating. This divergence complicates the Federal Reserve's path, likely delaying interest rate cuts despite the cooling core numbers.
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Supermarket Stalemate: A 0.2% dip in "food at home" suggests the brutal cycle of grocery inflation is finally breaking, potentially aiding margins for retailers like Walmart (WMT +2.19%) and Target (TGT +3.17%).
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The Shelter Floor: Persistent 0.3% growth in housing costs continues to act as an inflationary anchor, meaning the Fed may stay hawkish until the rental market shows more aggressive signs of cooling.
CarMax Adds Two Directors to End Starboard Fight
8:15 am -- KMX unchanged in pre-market trading
CarMax (KMX +0.96%) reached a settlement with activist investor Starboard Value on Thursday, agreeing to appoint industry veterans Bill Cobb and Jim Kessler to its board. Starboard, which recently disclosed a $350 million stake, withdrew its own director nominations following the deal, signaling a truce with the used-car retailer. The shakeup comes as new CEO Keith Barr--who recently joined from InterContinental Hotels Group--faces pressure to modernize the company's digital sales platform and overhaul its pricing structure. Starboard CEO Jeff Smith expressed confidence that the refreshed leadership can "drive substantial value creation" as the company battles intense competition and high interest rates.
- Strategic Pivot: The addition of Kessler, CEO of RB Global, and Cobb, CEO of Frontdoor, specifically targets Starboard's demands for improved operational efficiency and a more sophisticated digital customer experience.
- Activist Momentum: This settlement ends a potential proxy contest and suggests management is aligning with Starboard's push to cut costs and streamline the used-vehicle shopping process to regain lost market share.
NYSE: KMX
Key Data Points
Sezzle Director Quits Over Governance Rift
8:00 am -- SEZL unchanged in pre-market trading
An 8-K filing revealed Sezzle (SEZL +8.81%) director Karen Webster resigned over governance disagreements with management. The company appointed Bryan Hunt to replace her amid investor concerns about internal tensions.
- Webster exits citing strategic differences: Director Karen Webster resigned effective April 3, 2026, citing growing differences with management over company direction and governance decisions.
- Hunt appointed with committee compensation: Bryan Hunt, a Relevance Ventures partner, was appointed as independent director with $65,000 annual retainer plus committee fees totaling up to $16,250.
NASDAQ: SEZL
Key Data Points
This Morning's Breakfast News
7:30 am -- CRWD +2.20%, NET +0.96% in pre-market trading
Cybersecurity companies sold off on Thursday, with CrowdStrike (CRWD +1.38%) and Cloudflare (NET +1.83%) closing over 7% lower, as renewed fears around AI disruption in the sector took hold following a new Anthropic model release.
- The S&P 500 software and services index fell 2.6%, now down 25.5% this year: As reported in Wednesday's Breakfast News, Anthropic announced a new release able to detect flaws in operating systems. It has already detected countless flaws in big tech platforms, causing concerns around existing cybersecurity provisions.
- Anthropic plans to further disrupt existing AI supply chain: Reuters reports the business is exploring the potential to design its own chips, which ultimately could diminish the need for units from existing suppliers including Alphabet (GOOG +2.00%) and Amazon (AMZN +0.26%).
Lilly Slides in India While Novo Stands Firm
7:25 am -- LLY +0.19%, NVO +1.76% in pre-market trading
Eli Lilly (LLY +2.55%) saw its dominant position in the Indian weight-loss market falter in March, with its category share dropping from 61% to 56%. This erosion comes as India--home to a massive diabetic and obese population--witnesses a flood of 26 new generic brands following the patent expiration of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk (NVO 1.00%) products. Surprisingly, Novo Nordisk maintained a steady 25% market share despite the influx of cheaper local alternatives. Analysts suggest Lilly's premium-priced tirzepatide brands are proving more vulnerable to price-conscious Indian consumers opting for newly affordable, locally produced semaglutide copies.
- Generic Disruption: The rapid entry of 13 Indian pharmaceutical firms into the GLP-1 space highlights the "world's pharmacy" capability to scale production, potentially serving as a blueprint for future global pricing pressure on blockbuster obesity drugs.
- Tirzepatide Under Fire: As semaglutide becomes a low-cost commodity in major emerging markets, Eli Lilly faces an uphill battle justifying its brand premium, potentially forcing aggressive pricing shifts to protect its international growth runway.
NYSE: LLY
Key Data Points
ICYMI: Thursday's Scoreboard
6:15 am -- COKE unchanged in pre-market trading
Coca-Cola Consolidated (COKE +2.24%) was the subject of the latest Scoreboard video.
TSM Revenue Jumps 35% on AI Demand
5:00 am -- TSM +1.76% in pre-market trading
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM +1.97%) was little changed ahead of the opening bell after releasing Q1 revenue numbers, with a strong 35% gain versus the same period last year, indicating continued AI application demand.
- Upbeat figure ahead of full earnings release next week: The detailed results are due out April 16, but the headline revenue figure beat market expectations, providing optimism for investors that financial momentum is strong.
- "Appetite for high-performing growth stocks with AI exposure remains voracious": In January, Fool contributing analyst Dan Caplinger reviewed TSM's latest earnings, noting the business is setting "a high bar for its future performance" as it "anticipates full-year 2026 sales to rise nearly 30% in U.S. dollar terms."
NYSE: TSM
Key Data Points
Before the Opening Bell
4:30 am
Stock futures remained flat Friday as investors weighed a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire against new complications in the Strait of Hormuz. While a two-week pause in direct combat holds, President Trump has renewed threats after Tehran began tolling tankers attempting to traverse the waterway. However, a potential diplomatic breakthrough emerged as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and pursue a "historic" peace deal. Amid this geopolitical uncertainty, Wall Street is pivoting to fresh data showing the March Consumer Price Index surged 0.9% month-over-month, bringing the annual inflation rate to 3.3% as war-related energy costs filter into the economy.
- Energy Market Friction: The introduction of Iranian transit tolls effectively maintains a "de facto" blockade on cheap energy flows, pressuring global supply chains and keeping crude prices volatile despite the cessation of active bombing.
- Monetary Policy Outlook: Hotter-than-expected CPI figures increase the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will maintain high interest rates, creating a challenging environment for high-valuation AI infrastructure leaders like CoreWeave (CRWV 2.19%) following their recent $21 billion Meta (META +1.81%) deal.
