US Stocks prediction

Now then—before you go dashing off to the races, do recall that the well-worn path to financial felicity is chock-full of detritus, the odd banana peel, and the carelessly discarded prospectus. So let us cast a gimlet eye over two wondrously high-yielding chaps: EPR Properties and Vici Properties—entities whose very names ring with the promise of stable dividends and boardroom shenanigans galore. Most conventional types will land upon these tickers with the fervour of a Labrador at a duck pond. Yet, as a contrarian of the old school, I sniff opportunity hiding behind the massed ranks of doubters and armchair Cassandras. And really, there’s nothing quite so delicious as wading into a market other investors have declared “a bit too rich for my blood.”

Huang, a man whose mind operates on a plane where differential equations dance with tea leaves, does not merely “understand” artificial intelligence. He communes with it, as one might commune with a particularly argumentative ghost in a steam-powered calculating engine.²

Out of Vancouver, this outfit has been making waves, the kind you notice on the stock market. The price shot up like a rocket in 2025—430%, to be precise, up to July 31. Investors, those hopeful souls, have lined up like moths to a flame, thinking that the future of clean energy lies under the sea. The Metals Company wants to scoop up these nodules—polymetallic, fancy name for lumps of metal, heavy with nickel, copper, cobalt, and manganese. All essential to the electric vehicle revolution, or so they say. But the truth’s always got a funny way of surfacing, doesn’t it?

But rich stories come with high valuations, like clothes with too many zippers—impressive on the outside but suspiciously confounding underneath. Palantir’s P/E ratio is nearing 700, which, if you’re not into math, means analysts are basically betting on this company being a miracle machine, or just that they really, really believe in AI’s future. The forward P/E is still sitting at 270, just to keep the thrill alive. Investors are riding a roller coaster with no brakes, clinging to the hope that Palantir’s AI will reinvent everything from warfare to warehouse management—because who doesn’t want their next conspiracy theory to come with a profit margin?

QuantumScape’s breakthrough? A production process 25 times faster. Not a tweak. A gut punch to the old ways. The kind of edge that makes engineers whisper, “Now we might just make it.” But hope’s a fickle currency. The euphoria’s half-unraveled already. Investors remembered what they forgot: prototypes don’t pay bills. Not yet. Still, this pullback? A door left ajar. A second chance for the bold.

Confession: I have a thing for moats. Economic moats, not the crocodile kind (though honestly, both are equally compelling from an investing standpoint). And Intuitive Surgical (ISRG)? They’re the castle, the moat, and probably the village idiot who’s trying to work out how to swim across.

They’ve been selling the da Vinci system since the late 90s—back before robots in the medical field were more than sci-fi fodder and everyone still thought Clippy was helpful. Now, they’re in bladder, womb, abdominal cavity, and sometimes the hearts of patients who probably didn’t expect to meet a robot on the way to the hospital.

Intuitive doesn’t just sell hardware; no, that would be too basic. They play the classic “razor-and-blades” game. Buy the dazzling system (the “razor”), then spend eternity buying its accessories (the “blades”), which, frankly, should come with a warning: “Side effects may include recurring revenue and mild feelings of helpless addiction.” Even their service contracts are irresistible. As a trader, I see “recurring revenue” and my heart flutters—because consistency, however illusory, is sexier than spontaneity in this business.

Their Q2? $2.4 billion up 21%—not bad for a company that already dominates its niche. Instruments and accessories are the real cash cows ($1.47 billion), with the systems and services content to play supporting roles. Ten thousand da Vinci systems installed worldwide—tell me they’re not setting up world domination in the least villainous way possible.

[stock_chart symbol="NASDAQ:ISRG" f_id="204057" language="en"]

Still, if you’re anxious about buying in right now, what with a price-to-earnings ratio hovering at 70—well, welcome to the club. I lose sleep over valuation, too. But surgical robots aren’t exactly household appliances yet, so there’s runway. Would I buy at this price? Perhaps with one eye open and the other on the “Sell” button, but five years is a long time, and history’s on their side (119% earnings growth over five years is enough to make my therapist nod encouragingly).

At roughly $118,000, Bitcoin stands at a crossroads, where fresh liquidity and a faltering dollar might converge into a gale. To the value investor, this is no mere speculation but a test of patience, a moment where history whispers of opportunity to those who listen.

Will there be another split before 2025 ends? Let’s find out. Or don’t. The future is a mystery wrapped in a spreadsheet.

Imagine a storied old chef deciding to split his kitchen into two—each specializing in its own cuisine—hoping that one can flourish without the other dragging it down. That’s what Medtronic is doing with its diabetes care unit. This division, announced recently, is set to become a standalone, publicly traded entity. The logic? Well, while diabetes devices have been nudging forward faster than the rest of Medtronic’s platter, they’ve also held margins hostage, much like an overenthusiastic guest who hogs the last slice of cake. During 2025, this segment contributed 8% to total revenue but only 4% to operating profits—meaning it’s a good revenue source but not quite the cash cow management wants. The rest of Medtronic’s business isn’t exactly sprinting ahead either, but it’s more profitable. So, by shedding the slower-growing, more expensive-to-manufacture bits, and focusing on higher-margin opportunities, the company hopes to better navigate the tightrope of tariffs and macroeconomic upheavals. Plus, it’s relaxing the grip on its consumer-facing side, perhaps acknowledging that the healthcare world is more complicated than simply selling to hospitals—think of it as moving from a busy train station to a more manageable boutique.

The AI arms race is no longer a metaphor—it’s a full-blown psychotic break. And the tickets are priced in volatility.