profitpencil

Weekly Market Recap: Earnings, Movers, and Macro That Shaped the Week

Executive summary Market overview One-week moves (week of Sep 22–26, 2025): S&P 500 −0.3%, Nasdaq Composite −0.7%, Dow −0.1% (Friday rebound reduced losses). Trading was dominated by headline catalysts (AI capex, M&A rumours) rather than broad earnings beats. Volume and breadth narrowed into Friday’s rally. (AP News) ETF moves (selected): XLK (Technology Select Sector ETF)…

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E-commerce Battle: Amazon vs Shopify vs eBay

Executive summary Amazon, Shopify and eBay represent three distinct e-commerce models: Amazon (AMZN) is a massive marketplace + logistics + AWS hybrid; Shopify (SHOP) is a merchant-platform/subscription model powering independent stores; eBay (EBAY) is a marketplace focused on reuse, collectibles and a growing ad/managed-services mix. Recent results show: Amazon reported Q2 2025 net sales $167.7B…

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Comparison: Robinhood vs Coinbase vs Charles Schwab – Different Models, Same Audience?

Executive summary Robinhood (HOOD) is positioning itself as a digital-first retail brokerage with trading, crypto, subscription and wealth ambitions. In Q2 2025, it posted revenue of $989M, net income of $386M, and diluted EPS of $0.42, backed by strong net deposits and growth in Gold subscriptions. (Robinhood Investors)Coinbase (COIN) remains the leading U.S. crypto exchange,…

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Deep Dive: Reddit (RDDT) – Post-IPO Growth, Engagement Metrics, and Ad Market Position

Executive summary Reddit reported a breakout Q2 2025: revenue $499.6M (-78% YoY growth), advertising revenue $465.3M (+84% YoY), GAAP net income $89.3M, adjusted EBITDA $166.7M, and record daily active uniques (DAUq) 110.4M (+21% YoY). Strong ARPU acceleration (global ARPU $4.53, +47% YoY) and improving margins drove free cash flow $110.8M and cash + marketable securities…

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Thematic Study: RKLB vs AST SpaceMobile vs Astra – Space SPACs in 2025

Executive summary Space-related SPAC-era equities remain a high-variance, catalyst-driven cohort. Rocket Lab (RKLB) delivered a record Q2-2025 quarter – revenue $144.5M, 36% y/y growth – and a ~$1.0B backlog while pushing toward Neutron and expanded space-systems revenue. (Business Wire) AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) is aggressively capitalizing its direct-to-cell constellation: Q2-2025 revenue remained trivial (~$1.1–$1.2M) while capex…

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Comparison: AppLovin vs Unity vs Digital Turbine – Mobile Adtech Winners

Executive summary AppLovin (APP), Unity (U) and Digital Turbine (APPS) occupy adjacent positions in mobile adtech: AppLovin is a large-scale performance ad platform that recently exited game development to focus on high-margin adtech; Unity is a broader real-time content and monetization platform with a growing ad network and AI-led product push; Digital Turbine is a…

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Deep Dive: Rigetti Computing (RGTI) – Quantum Computing’s Commercial Path in 2026

Executive summary Rigetti reported Q2 2025 revenue of $1.8m and a net loss of $39.7m, while completing an equity raise that brought cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to ~$571.6m and left the company with no outstanding debt at quarter-end. Management pushed product milestones (general availability of a 36-qubit multi-chip system and a stated plan…

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Deep Dive: Opendoor (OPEN) — Can iBuying Survive in a Higher-Rate Housing Market?

Executive summary Opendoor reported tangible progress toward unit economics in Q2 2025 while shrinking balance-sheet exposure: revenue of $1.57B, gross profit $128M, and the company posted its first quarter of Adjusted EBITDA profitability since 2022 (Adjusted EBITDA $23M). Inventory and purchasing activity have been deliberately cut (homes purchased down 63% YoY), reflecting a pivot to…

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Thematic Analysis: Which Tech Companies Benefit Most from AI Infrastructure Spending?

Executive summary AI infrastructure spending (hyperscaler capex for model training, inference clouds, networking and storage plus enterprise AI deployments) is the dominant demand driver for semiconductor suppliers, datacenter networking and cloud service providers in 2025. Winners have one or more of three positions: (A) provide accelerators (GPUs/AI ASICs), (B) supply supporting silicon or networking (switches,…

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Deep Dive: Palo Alto Networks (PANW) — Balancing Growth with Profitability

TL;DR Palo Alto Networks is executing a scale-at-margin cybersecurity strategy: FY-2025 revenue ≈ $9.2B (+15–16% YoY) with Next-Generation Security ARR running in the $5.6–5.8B range and gross margins roughly 73%. The company is pushing into identity and AI security via large M&A (CyberArk acquisition announced), while guided FY-2026 revenue implies mid-teens growth. Balance sheet leverage…

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