📈 Eli Lilly's Weight-Loss Goldmine

Apple Commits $600B Manufacturing Investment, McDonald's Q2 Profit Jumps 11%, Airbnb Shows Consumer Spending Resilience, ConocoPhillips Reports Q2 Results, Dividend, Peloton Beats Earnings, Cuts Jobs

Author

Evelio Silvera
August 07, 2025

In partnership with

Good morning.

⚡ The Fast Five → Apple Commits $600B Manufacturing Investment, McDonald's Q2 Profit Jumps 11%, Airbnb Shows Consumer Spending Resilience, ConocoPhillips Reports Q2 Results, Dividend, Peloton Beats Earnings, Cuts Jobs

🔎 Market Trends → Wall Street ends higher with Nasdaq up more than 1%, led by Apple; US Futures Point to Gains at the Open

And now…

⏱️ Your 5-minute briefing for Thursday, August 7, 2025:

MARKET BRIEF
Before the Open

As of market close 08/06/2025.

Pre-Market

  • Arista Networks (ANET) with a +17.5% gain, the strongest performer on the S&P 500.

  • Super Micro Computer (SMCI) with a −18.3% drop, the weakest performer on the S&P 500.

Fear & Greed

 

Markets in Review

Chip Shock or Strategic Bet? Market Inches Higher After Trump’s 100% Tariff Threat

The S&P 500 closed up 0.7% Wednesday, with the Nasdaq surging 1.2% and the Dow adding 81 points. Futures edged higher late evening as investors priced in fresh policy headlines.

The Big Picture:

Markets brushed off tariff drama after President Trump announced a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors, with exemptions for U.S.-based chipmakers. While headlines may sound punitive, this move could accelerate a domestic chip manufacturing renaissance.

The announcement coincided with Apple (AAPL) unveiling another $100 billion commitment to U.S. supply chains, pushing shares up another 3% after-hours. Add that to February’s $500B pledge, and Cupertino’s clearly playing the long game—with bullish investors likely to follow.

Behind the drama? Geopolitical chess. Trump’s additional 25% tariff on India, citing Russian oil ties, shows he’s serious about realigning global trade. But the market? Still focused on earnings momentum and low volatility.

Market Movers:

  • Apple (AAPL) soared +8% in total across the session and after-hours. Its domestic investment narrative shields it from tariffs and makes it a poster child for policy-aligned growth.

  • Rogers Corp (ROG) jumped 11% in extended trading after activist investor Starboard Value boosted its stake to over 9%, eyeing a turnaround in the underperforming engineering firm.

  • Duolingo (DUOL) spiked 14% after raising Q3 guidance and crushing estimates, showing that edtech isn’t just surviving—it's thriving.

What They’re Saying:

“Volatility across major asset classes is currently sitting at unusually low levels.” — Kristian Kerr, LPL Financial

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Events

  • Today: Department of Labor - Unemployment Claims - 8:30am

    Why You Should Care: Although it's generally viewed as a lagging indicator, the number of unemployed people is an important signal of overall economic health because consumer spending is highly correlated with labor-market conditions. Unemployment is also a major consideration for those steering the country's monetary policy;

Earnings Reports

  • Today: Toyota, Monster Beverage, Eli Lilly, Motorola Solutions, Block (formerly Square), Take-Two Interactive

  • Tomorrow: Under Armour, Wendy’s, fuboTV

MARKET BRIEF
Leading News

Eli Lilly's Weight-Loss Goldmine Just Got Heavier

Photo Credit: Scott Olson | Getty Image

Why it matters:

America's appetite for shedding pounds is driving LLY to unprecedented heights, validating the thesis that healthcare innovation can mint money faster than the Federal Reserve.

Zoom Out:

The pharmaceutical giant delivered a masterclass in earnings execution Thursday, with Q2 adjusted EPS of $6.31 crushing estimates of $5.57. Revenue surged 38% to $15.56 billion, powered by Mounjaro and Zepbound sales that would make crypto bros weep with envy.

Here's the kicker: Management raised 2025 guidance to $60-62 billion in sales, up from $58-61 billion. That's not just confidence—it's the sound of cash registers singing in harmony across America's weight-loss journey.

The stock initially stumbled on disappointing obesity pill trial data, reminding us that even the best growth stories face speed bumps. Smart money sees this as a buying opportunity in a secular megatrend.

Key Insights:

  • Mounjaro raked in $5.2 billion (up 68% YoY), while Zepbound delivered $3.38 billion (up 172%)—numbers that make traditional pharma pipelines look pedestrian

  • Volume growth of 46% in the U.S. signals genuine demand expansion, not just price hikes—a sustainable foundation for long-term wealth creation

  • The GLP-1 market could reach $100 billion by 2030, positioning Lilly as the pickaxe seller in healthcare's gold rush

Market Pulse:

"Tirzepatide will likely become the best-selling drug in the industry in its third year," CEO David Ricks told CNBC, channeling the quiet confidence of a poker player holding pocket aces.

Bull’s Take:

Lilly isn't just riding the weight-loss wave—it's creating the tsunami. For patient investors, this represents a rare convergence of demographic destiny and pharmaceutical dominance.

Headlines

  • Apple Boosts Investment in U.S. Manufacturing to $600B, Easing Tariff Pressures (link)

  • McDonald’s net income increases 11% to $2.25bn in Q2 2025 (link)

  • Airbnb’s Results Show Consumer Resilience as Platform Eyes Uncertainty (link)

  • ConocoPhillips announces second-quarter 2025 results and quarterly dividend (link)

  • Peloton jumps after revealing Q4 earnings beat, more layoffs (link)

CRYPTO
Fear & Greed

 

Headlines

  • Bitcoin Regains $115K as Markets Recover (link)

  • Ex-Apple Engineer Unveils Privacy-Focused Crypto Visa Card (link)

  • Babylon Introduces Trustless Bitcoin Vaults for BTC Staking Protocol (link)

Former Zillow exec targets $1.3T market

The wealthiest companies tend to target the biggest markets. For example, NVIDIA skyrocketed nearly 200% higher in the last year with the $214B AI market’s tailwind.

That’s why investors are so excited about Pacaso.

Created by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso brings co-ownership to a $1.3 trillion real estate market. And by handing keys to 2,000+ happy homeowners, they’ve made $110M+ in gross profit to date. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

No wonder the same VCs behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay also invested in Pacaso. And for just $2.90/share, you can join them as an early-stage Pacaso investor today.

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