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But one needn’t always chase after the latest buzzing thingamajig to achieve a decent return, you see. I’ve been casting a discerning eye over the market, and have alighted upon a rather unpretentious little company called Pool Corporation (POOL +1.80%), distributors of all things piscine. Up over fourteen percent year-to-date, it is, and I suspect there’s a good deal more where that came from. Rather like a well-maintained swimming pool, it just keeps on giving.

The company had, on the surface, delivered a quarterly report that would have pleased the bookkeepers. Fourth-quarter earnings and sales exceeded the anticipations of those who chart these things. Yet, a curious dissonance arose. The numbers, bright as they were, failed to stir the deeper currents of investor sentiment. It was as if a perfectly crafted melody fell upon ears preoccupied with a distant, gathering storm.

The trouble, it seems, is people. Not the freelancers, mind you – they’re busy clicking away. No, it’s the customers. Or rather, the lack of them. Six percent fewer active clients, they say. That’s a lot of empty chairs at the digital water cooler. Investors, being the jumpy creatures they are, got the jitters. They don’t like empty chairs. It suggests… well, it suggests nobody’s buying the sweets.

The company, in its quarterly report delivered this morning, revealed a curious duality. Sales figures, it must be admitted, exceeded the expectations of those who devote their energies to predicting the future – a task akin to divining the intentions of a capricious god. Yet, this apparent triumph was shadowed by a loss, larger than anticipated, a chasm between aspiration and reality that seems to perpetually haunt such ventures. The pursuit of profit, one observes, is rarely a straight path, but rather a winding road beset by unforeseen obstacles and the ever-present specter of failure.

But here’s the thing. I have a bad feeling. A sort of low-level, persistent anxiety that usually manifests as an urge to alphabetize the spice rack. And it’s telling me this dividend growth is… unsustainable. I’m almost certain they’ll announce a halt to the increases later this year, probably in October. It’s just… a hunch. A very financially-informed hunch, obviously. (I’ve read a lot of charts. It’s not healthy.)

The revelation came after the market’s slumber, in the quiet hours following yesterday’s earnings report. A performance, it appears, that did not merely meet expectation, but breached it, like a river overflowing its banks. And with it, a forecast – a glimpse into a future where the currents strengthen, not abate.

Revenue hit $2.8 billion for the quarter. A robust number, they claimed. Seventeen percent up. Numbers can lie. The loss deepened, though. To $353 million. A hole in the water. Last year it was merely unpleasant. Now it’s starting to look like a chasm. Analysts wanted more. They always do. They expected $3.1 billion in revenue and a smaller loss. They’re dreamers, those analysts.

So, if you find yourself gazing longingly at Lilly’s ascent and suspecting the ladder has been thoroughly dismantled, allow me to introduce two contenders. Viking Therapeutics and Abivax. Both are attempting to bottle lightning – or, more accurately, to coax recalcitrant hormones and immune systems into a semblance of order. Whether they succeed is, as always, a matter for the Fates – and a rigorous phase 3 trial or two.

Second quarter fiscal 2026 saw net sales nearly triple year-over-year to just under 647 million euros (about $770 million). Tripling is good. Losses, however, deepened to 9.1 million euros ($10.8 million). It’s like, you get a raise, then your dry cleaner triples his prices. The per-share loss was 0.05 euros ($0.06). It’s a delicate balance, really.

This morning, before the sun had fully wrestled the shadows from the canyons of the financial district, Datadog unveiled its fourth-quarter secrets. The numbers, like ancient glyphs, revealed a company not merely surviving, but flourishing. Sales, a river swollen with the currency of innovation, flowed past expectations, and earnings, once fragile seedlings, had taken root and begun to bear fruit. The market, accustomed to the fleeting blooms of hype, seemed genuinely surprised, as if witnessing a miracle in the mundane.