Tracking 49 Signals Across 11 Portfolio Investment Themes
Let’s scan through the headlines for the stories of the week that speak to our Pro Portfolio holdings.
Weekly Roundup: Renewed AI Concerns Weigh on the Market and Portfolio
We added to six holdings, and upgraded and lifted a price target on another as favorable AI data conflicted with market emotion.
Sticking With This American Express Price Target
Improving membership benefits and driving cost out of the business remains a winning recipe.
Tracking 39 Fresh Portfolio Signals Across 10 Investing Themes
Let’s scan through the headlines for the stories of the week that speak to our Pro Portfolio holdings.
Weekly Roundup: The AI Trade Got Smacked. We’re Following the Data, Not the Fear
We put capital to work in two holdings, exited another and bumped up our price target for a long-time position.
PPI Shows Red Hot Inflation Pressure: 8 Key Items Shaping the Stock Market Thursday
September Retail Sales surprise to the upside, takeaways from Anthropic’s meeting, and other headlines moving the market this morning.
Back in Action and Eyeing Producer Prices
Apologies for briefly stepping away but I had to get to today’s 8 Things Moving the Market Today, which should be out shortly.
In response to the hotter-than-the-market-expected September producer price index (and thanks to Neil “the Facts” Sethi for covering it in more detail in the Comment section below), I will share a “as I suspected” moment:
Here’s the thing: If we follow the September PMI data from ISM and S&P Global, odds are it means we will see another step up in the September Producer Price Index data due on Thursday. Walking into Wednesday’s September CPI data, the market consensus called for flat to down figures headline and core PPI for September:
September PPI: 5.3% year over year versus 5.4% in August
September core PPI: 4.4% versus 4.6% in August
As we pointed out in our opening comments on Thursday morning, core PPI has been running over 4% on a year-over-year basis since April. With that trend at least continuing in September and likely heating up further during the month, barring any collapse in oil and related energy prices, inflation pressures will continue to ripple through the economy, especially as companies look to protect margins where they can.
On that September retail sales report, which saw spending accelerate across multiple categories even after we strip out that 28% year over year jump in gasoline station retail sales, it provides a very nice yardstick by which to measure upcoming retail facing earnings with its 5.4% year over year increase for Retail only sales in Q3 2026.
And yes, in my view sizing up the September retail sales report and factoring in the lessons in the September consumer price index and PPI reports, I continue to see Costco ($COST) taking consumer wallet share as we head into the year-end holiday season.
Position: TheStreet Pro is long COST.
Goldman Beats, JPMorgan Misses: 8 Key Items Shaping the Stock Market Tuesday
Domino’s weak comp sales, Applied Materials sees its top-line doubling, and other headlines moving the market this morning.
Meta Trots Out 2 New AI Models
Here’s where Meta’s AI subscription figures become more than just interesting.
The Consumer Is Spent Up, Not Pent Up (Part Deux)
From Bramo in support of my consumer is spent up and not pent up thesis:
From late August:
The Consumer Is Spent Up, Not Pent Up
* The cumulative or “stacked” inflation (since 2000) is weighing on the consumer sector
* This, coupled with the shrinking savings rate, is critical to the outlook for equities given the role of consumer spending and the large swath of stocks dependent on the consumer...
Combine the flatlining in real disposable income:
With the dwindling savings rate:
And the outlook for consumer spending over the next 12 months is poor. The shares of Costco ($COST), Walmart ($WMT), Dick’s Sporting Goods ($DKS) and other consumer-related equities already “know this.”
BY Doug Kass · Aug 27, 2026, 7:10 AM EDT
Position: None