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Coinbase Global COIN has selected Chainlink as the oracle infrastructure for its tokenized stocks, a move that could expand its role beyond digital representations of listed shares. By providing continuous pricing data, Chainlink can help make these assets usable across finance applications, connecting traditional securities with onchain markets and opening revenue opportunities for both companies.

Coinbase has introduced tokenized versions of stocks such as Apple, NVIDIA, Meta and Alphabet on Base. Each token is a 1:1-backed claim on an underlying share held in regulated custody. Chainlink Data Feeds give developers across the Base ecosystem access to pricing information for these tokenized equities.

Chainlink reports that tokenized equities are among the fastest-growing segments of the real-world asset market, with their value reaching a record $2.3 billion by mid-July 2026. The milestone points to rising demand for blockchain-based access to traditional investments. Coinbase also benefits from Base's reach, including millions of users and a developer ecosystem.

The opportunity for Coinbase goes beyond transaction fees. If tokenized stocks gain acceptance as collateral in DeFi, they could attract liquidity, lending activity and new financial products to Base. Meanwhile, Chainlink would benefit from growing demand for oracle services. Together, the companies are positioning Base as a marketplace where crypto assets and traditional securities can operate within the same financial system.

What About Peers?

Robinhood Markets, Inc. HOOD launched tokenized stocks in Europe in 2025 and subsequently built Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum-compatible Layer-2 specifically designed to bring traditional assets onchain. Robinhood's Stock Tokens provide economic exposure to U.S. stocks and ETFs.

Interactive Brokers IBKR continues to add features that widen its addressable client base and deepen wallet share. Interactive Brokers has added nine new tokens for trading through zerohash and three new tokens through Paxos, while introducing the ability to transfer funds to external wallets via stablecoin.

COIN's Price Performance

Shares of COIN have lost 20.3% in the year-to-date period, underperforming the industry.Zacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

COIN's Expensive Valuation

COIN trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.85, significantly above the industry average of 17.2.Zacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Estimate Movement for COIN

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for COIN's third-quarter and fourth-quarter 2026 earnings per share (EPS) witnessed southbound movement in the last 30 days. The same holds true for 2026 and 2027.

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Zacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The consensus estimates for COIN's 2026 revenues and earnings indicate year-over-year decreases. Nonetheless, the consensus estimates for 2027 revenues and earnings imply year-over-year increases.

COIN stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Investing.com -- Apple Inc.'s first foldable iPhone, set to launch in September, is projected to ship more than 10 million units in its first year, according to research firm IDC.

The device will mark Apple's entry into the foldable smartphone segment, which Samsung Electronics Co. introduced seven years ago. IDC forecasts the passport-style phone will carry a $2,500 price tag.

"I expect the passport-style Apple foldable to be widely successful despite the high $2,500 price tag," said Nabila Popal, IDC senior research director. "A very elite set of consumers are being targeted here, who will be lining up to buy the device."

The foldable category, which consists of devices that fold like a book to convert from smartphone to tablet size, has remained a small market segment. IDC projects the category will grow 12.6% this year and 18% next year. Apple is expected to capture 40% of all foldable shipments in 2027, according to IDC.

The broader smartphone market faces a 16.7% decline this year, IDC said, revising its forecast downward. Rising costs for memory chips and other components are limiting production and increasing retail prices.

"The components that make AI possible are the same ones in short supply, and their cost is being passed straight through to the shelf," said IDC's Francisco Jeronimo. "The era of the cheap smartphone has ended."

Foldable devices command premium prices, making them a profitable segment for manufacturers despite representing a small portion of the smartphone market, which exceeds 1 billion units annually.

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Apple AAPL has introduced the M6 and M5 Ultra chips, strengthening its silicon portfolio for increasingly compute-intensive AI workloads. The M6, debuting in the new Mac mini, is Apple's first chip built on a 2-nanometer process and includes a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, a Dual 16-core Neural Engine and up to 170GB/s of unified memory bandwidth. Meanwhile, the M5 Ultra, powering the new Mac Studio, uses a quad-die architecture and offers up to a 36-core CPU, an 80-core GPU and 1.2TB/s of unified memory bandwidth.

The M6 is particularly focused on accelerating mainstream on-device AI. Its Dual 16-core Neural Engine delivers up to twice the peak compute of previous generations, while GPU compute for AI improves nearly 30% over M5. The chip supports up to 32GB of unified memory, allowing users to run large language models (LLMs) and agentic AI tasks locally with greater privacy. These improvements should strengthen Apple's ability to expand Apple Intelligence capabilities across Mac devices while giving developers more computing capacity for coding, content creation and AI applications.

M5 Ultra could provide an even bigger boost to Apple's ambitions in advanced AI development. Its GPU provides up to 4.5 times the peak AI compute of M3 Ultra, while a 32-core Neural Engine is designed to accelerate Apple Intelligence features securely on the device. More importantly, configurations with up to 512GB of unified memory and 1.2TB/s of bandwidth can run LLMs containing hundreds of billions of parameters locally. This could make Mac Studio increasingly relevant to AI researchers, developers and enterprises seeking to reduce dependence on cloud infrastructure for large-model inference and development.

The M6 and M5 Ultra launches arrive amid solid momentum in Apple's Mac business and increasing AI investment. Mac revenues climbed 29% year over year to $10.4 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2026, while Apple reported an installed base of more than 2.5 billion active devices. Research and development expenses also increased to $11.73 billion from $8.87 billion a year earlier, highlighting Apple's elevated spending on innovation. Apple's latest results also showed revenues rising 16% year over year to $109.4 billion, providing substantial financial resources to support its AI roadmap.

Apple Faces Stiff Competition

AAPL is facing stiff competition from the likes of Alphabet GOOGL and Microsoft MSFT in AI. Alphabet and Microsoft are challenging Apple in AI by building broader AI ecosystems that span consumer applications, enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, developer platforms and autonomous agents. This has spooked investors as concerns continue to grow that Apple risks falling behind in the generative AI race despite its large ecosystem and hardware advantages.

Alphabet is leveraging the scale of Gemini across its consumer ecosystem. Gemini App reached 950 million monthly active users, while AI Mode surpassed 1 billion monthly active users. Gemini is also being integrated into Search, YouTube and Chrome, giving Alphabet multiple high-frequency consumer touchpoints for AI adoption. More than 140 million users interacted with Ask YouTube in June 2026. This broad distribution could challenge Apple's ability to differentiate Apple Intelligence primarily through its device ecosystem.

Microsoft is leveraging AI for productivity and enterprise workflows. Microsoft 365 Copilot has surpassed 30 million paid seats, while the number of customers with more than 50,000 seats increased more than sevenfold year over year. Microsoft is evolving Copilot from conversational chat toward Cowork and autonomous Autopilots, while combining its AI experiences into a super app spanning consumer and commercial users. Microsoft also has significant developer leverage. GitHub Copilot has 50 million users, and Copilot revenues accelerated more than 60% sequentially.

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AAPL's Share Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates

Apple shares have returned 14% year to date, underperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector's return of 14.4%.

Apple Stock's PerformanceZacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The AAPL stock is trading at a premium, with a forward 12-month price/earnings of 32.77X compared with the broader sector's 20.66X. AAPL has a Value Score of F.

AAPL ValuationZacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $8.85 per share, up 0.9% over the past 30 days, suggesting 18.63% year-over-year growth.

Apple Inc. Price and ConsensusApple Inc. Price and Consensus

Apple Inc. price-consensus-chart | Apple Inc. Quote

Apple currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Global companies are leaning on Chinese technology more even as Washington tightens restrictions on it. CNBC reported on August 13, 2026, that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is tapping Alibaba and Baidu for AI in China, and Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is turning to CATL for electric vehicle battery technology. Neither relationship is new, and both companies have benefited from Chinese technology for years before this latest news.

Why This Matters

China has shifted from a market Western companies sell into to a source of technology those same companies increasingly can't avoid. That raises the real question: is this dependence a temporary bridge until Western alternatives catch up, or a structural shift that's already too deep to reverse?From Apple Inc. (AAPL) to Ford Motor Company (F) : Why Global Giants Can't Quit Chinese Technology

Alibaba Deal Unlocks China AI Access for Apple amid Rising Geopolitical Risk

IDC China's Kitty Fok said working with Alibaba and Baidu isn't really optional for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), since foreign AI providers face restrictions inside China. It is making the partnership the only realistic way to compete in the world's largest smartphone market. An IDC survey of European companies found security, compliance, and performance, not cost, are the top reasons for extensive Chinese AI adoption. It is a sign Apple's reliance shows real strength. Most importantly, Apple has benefited from this relationship for well over a year: Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai said as early as February 2025 that Apple evaluated several Chinese AI partners before choosing Alibaba, telling an audience in Dubai "in the end they chose to do business with us." That tie deepened through 2026, with Apple clearing Chinese regulatory approval for Apple Intelligence in July and more recently training its own China-specific AI model with Alibaba's support.

However, it shows Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has limited hold inside China's regulatory system, a dependence that has grown more deep-rooted over time. Apple's execution has also looked unsteady in public: it published a guide on connecting Macs to Alibaba's Qwen assistant, then deleted it days later without explanation. Washington has also steadily tightened restrictions on Chinese technology since blacklisting Huawei in 2019, adding geopolitical risk on top of the competitive one.

Ford Deepens CATL Tech Tie While Moving Lincoln Production Out of China

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is using CATL's lithium-iron phosphate battery technology at a $3.5 billion Michigan plant, tapping a supplier that analysts say has completed a structural shift in EV batteries too deep to unwind quickly. Automakers including CATL, BYD, CALB, and Gotion together control close to 70% of global EV battery production. BYD, Changan, and Chery made up nearly 63% of the global EV market in 2025, per Counterpoint Research. This means Ford is drawing genuine market leadership and not just a cheaper option. Ford's tie to Chinese manufacturing runs deeper still since the current Lincoln Nautilus has been built for years at a Changan Ford plant in Hangzhou and exported to the US. It shows Ford leaned on Chinese production long before turning to CATL.

Story Continues

Still, analysts caution that switching battery suppliers takes years of engineering, testing, and recertification, not one quarter. So Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)'s reliance on CATL will be hard to reverse if trade tensions escalate. Ford's China manufacturing tie has also turned into a real liability: the China-built Nautilus faces a 52.5% US tariff, a cost Ford escapes only by shifting production stateside starting in 2030. Ford is exiting one Chinese dependency while deepening another.

Insider Monkey's Hedge Fund Data

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was held by 170 hedge funds as of Q1 2026, up from 169. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) was held by 50, down from 52.

Conclusion

Both Apple and Ford are making a similar bet: that the operational benefits of Chinese technology partnerships outweigh the long-term risk of becoming harder to separate from them later.

While we acknowledge the potential of AAPL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on thebest short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: ExxonMobil Holdings Corporation (XOM) vs. Chevron Corporation (CVX): Trump Attacks the Oil Giants for Making "Too Much Money" and The Crown Keeps Switching Hands: Apple Inc. (AAPL) vs NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA).

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

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Will there be a market crash within the next year or so? It's hard to say. On the one hand, geopolitical and macroeconomic tensions are affecting broader equities. Things may intensify in the coming months and eventually lead to a full-blown bear market. On the other hand, it's hard to predict these things, and for all we know, these tensions will subside soon enough and not cause significantly more damage to the economy and equity markets.

However, whatever happens over the next 12 months, it's important to keep in mind that holding shares of excellent companies over the long term remains a great way to earn substantial returns. Warren Buffett, perhaps the greatest investor of all time, famously has a preference for a "forever" holding period, and several of his favorite stocks are precisely the kind that can navigate market crashes and perform well thereafter. Let's consider two of them: Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO).

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

Image source: The Motley Fool.

1. Apple

At first glance, Apple may not look like a particularly attractive stock to own during a market downturn, especially if it is caused by economic problems. The company's devices are famously expensive, and they are exactly the kind of thing people can afford to stop buying when the going gets tight. A new iPhone is hardly a necessity, especially when grocery and oil prices are rising. However, Apple has a resilient business that tends to perform relatively well, even during challenging economic times.

The company owes that in part to its large, loyal customer base, many of whom renew their iPhones every few years. So if a market downturn is on the way, investors can stick with Apple. The tech leader won't escape entirely unscathed, but it could navigate the storm and emerge in one piece, ready to tap into several lucrative opportunities.

For instance, Apple boasts an installed base of more than 2.5 billion active devices, but it has just 1.5 billion paid subscriptions. True, some people own multiple Apple devices, and some subscriptions sometimes cover multiple services. Still, there is an opportunity for Apple to improve its monetization. It's something management itself has pointed to as a potential opportunity. Apple could also launch new services to appeal to a growing subscriber base while expanding its installed base by introducing new, differentiated devices.

Story Continues

The company is working on those projects. Apple is increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence features into its devices, while the company is reportedly planning to release a foldable iPhone, a niche that has yet to see Apple make its mark. Apple also generates significant free cash flow to reinvest in the business and to distribute to shareholders via dividends and share buybacks, something the company does regularly. Apple's shares recently dropped after its latest earnings update due to poor guidance.

However, investors focused on the long game should look beyond these short-term swings. The stock still has strong long-term prospects and is worth holding onto regardless of whether a bear market develops soon.

2. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola, a leading consumer staples company, is a great stock to own in a market crash. Here are three reasons why. First, it belongs to a defensive industry that fares better than most others during economic downturns. Second, Coca-Cola has a robust business. The company boasts a large portfolio of beverages across many categories, including some leading brands within certain niches.

Third, Coca-Cola is an outstanding dividend stock. The company is a Dividend King -- those are businesses with at least 50 consecutive years of payout increases; Coca-Cola's streak is 64. The beverage leader's dividend program provides further evidence of the resilience of its underlying operations. Also, the regular payouts can help smooth out market losses during a downturn.

All of these qualities explain why Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKA) (NYSE:BRKB) has owned Coca-Cola for decades. But can Coca-Cola still post strong long-term returns? In my view, the answer is yes.

Coca-Cola has performed well over the long run, partly thanks to its ability to innovate. The company's beverage portfolio has evolved with consumers' changing tastes and preferences. Coca-Cola routinely launches new products (or at least new takes on old ones). Legacy brands still matter even more and continue to attract many consumers and generate significant revenue.

Coca-Cola estimated that it accounted for 2.2 billion of about 65 billion daily beverage servings in 2025. That leaves plenty of white space for the company to exploit, and it can post stronger financial results through a strategy that includes raising prices on particularly popular brands, launching new products in certain geographies, etc. Coca-Cola doesn't have the most exciting business, but its resilience, lucrative prospects, and outstanding dividend program all make the stock a buy for long-term investors.

Should you buy stock in Apple right now?

Before you buy stock in Apple, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Apple wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $443,461! Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,307,633!

That performance is why people listen. With a track record of beating the S&P 500 by nearly 5x, Stock Advisor offers a distinct advantage. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built for the long haul.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of August 26, 2026.

Prosper Junior Bakiny has positions in Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

2 Warren Buffett Stocks Built to Survive Any Market Crash was originally published by The Motley Fool

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Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has just reported what was possibly one of the best years in its history. In fiscal 2026 (the year ended June 30), revenue rose 18% to $331.8 billion, and net income grew 31% to $133.7 billion.

The stock, however, did not follow the same path. Microsoft's market cap, at about $3.59 trillion as of this writing, sits about 4.5% below where it was a year ago.

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

How did this happen? The market put a different price on earnings. A year ago, investors paid about 37 times earnings for Microsoft. Today they pay about 27 times earnings.

Put another way, the business grew nearly a third, yet the price of each dollar of its earnings fell more or less by the same proportion.

So, exactly what did the market stop paying for?

Image source: Getty Images.

The business did its part

Whatever the answer, it is not headline results. Revenue growth held at 18% for the full year and again at 18% in the fourth quarter. Azure revenue topped $100 billion for the fiscal year, up 41%, and fourth-quarter revenue from Azure and other cloud services grew 43%. Commercial remaining performance obligation (contracted work not yet recognized as revenue) hit $678 billion, up 84% year over year. Operating income rose 21% to $155.2 billion, faster than revenue.

To be fair, gains from Microsoft's investments in OpenAI added about $5 billion to fiscal 2026 net income, which boosts that 31% figure. Excluding the impact of OpenAI, earnings per share still rose 22% -- although even that figure includes a $3.2 billion gain in the fourth quarter from Microsoft's stake in Anthropic.

Still, a business of this size growing at those rates year after year would normally command a higher price, not a cheaper one.

What gives?

Software stocks have fallen broadly this year on fears of disruption from generative artificial intelligence (AI) models -- and Microsoft has been caught in that decline.

The underlying spending

But I think the bigger and more specific concern lies in the company's cash flow position.

Microsoft spent $115.9 billion on property and equipment in fiscal 2026, up 80% from the $64.6 billion the prior year. In the fourth quarter alone, capital expenditures and finance leases hit $41 billion, up 69% year over year. For calendar 2026, chief financial officer Amy Hood has given guidance of about $175 billion in capital expenditures and finance leases, and expects more growth in fiscal 2027, pointing to "demand signals across our portfolio."

Story Continues

Contrast that with what the company earns. In fiscal 2026, the company generated $155.2 billion in operating income. In other words, planned capital expenditures for the year are greater than everything the entire business earned from operations last year.

Sure, operating cash flow rose 34% year over year to $182.9 billion in fiscal 2026 (the business generates money in droves). But after capital expenditures, free cash flow came in at about $67 billion -- below about $72 billion from the prior year.

So, earnings rose 31%. But the leftover cash flow after capital expenditures shrank.

Further, almost every dollar Microsoft spends on data centers returns over time as depreciation that reduces future earnings, and the payoff is uncertain, depending on AI computing demand staying strong enough in a few years to fill the capacity being built today.

Pricing in the doubt

The contrast with Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shows how the market is voting. Apple spent $6.8 billion on capital expenditures in the first nine months of its fiscal year (less than what Microsoft spent just in its June quarter), and its market cap rose about a third over the past year, to $4.51 trillion. Apple now trades at about 35 times earnings, versus 27 for Microsoft.

Right now, investors pay a premium for the company that touches the customer and spends the minimum, and a discount for the one that builds the computing layer underneath.

Then there's, of course, the discount the market seems to be assigning many software-centric stocks since it's uncertain how well software will hold up in an AI era. This risk may be the biggest reason Microsoft's stock hasn't kept up with its underlying business performance.

But there's a lot to be excited about.

The $678 billion backlog is demand customers have already contracted for (although Microsoft said in January that about 45% of that figure at the time came from OpenAI alone). And if Azure continues growing at a pace near 40% while spending stabilizes, today's 27 times earnings could look conservative.

Overall, the market seems to be approaching Microsoft stock skeptically but possibly fairly as well. In other words, I think shares are more of a hold than a buy here.

Should you buy stock in Microsoft right now?

Before you buy stock in Microsoft, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Microsoft wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $443,461! Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,307,633!

That performance is why people listen. With a track record of beating the S&P 500 by nearly 5x, Stock Advisor offers a distinct advantage. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built for the long haul.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of August 26, 2026.

Daniel Sparks and his clients have positions in Apple. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Microsoft Earns 31% More Than It Did a Year Ago and Is Worth Less was originally published by The Motley Fool

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently surprised the bond market by announcing that the Treasury would repurchase a larger amount of longer-duration bonds to ease longer-term yields, which have surged lately.

The announcement has received a lackluster response. Many believe the move is unlikely to constrain yields, while others are confused by the Treasury's decision. The yield on the 30-year U.S. Treasury bond has come off its highs after surging to 5.32% and was slightly below 5.19%, as of this writing (Aug. 25).

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

The move could have unintended consequences, particularly for Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (center). Image source: The White House.

Bessent is trying to get long-term yields under control

The Treasury regularly repurchases outstanding Treasury bonds being held by investors and retires them. Before Bessent's announcement, the Treasury had been repurchasing about $2 billion of longer-dated Treasuries on a regular schedule, typically several times per month.

Bessent announced that the Treasury plans to expand this part of the program to at least $4 billion of longer-dated bond repurchases. "Part of it is signaling here and to show that we believe that the yields don't reflect the underlying fundamentals," Bessent told CNBC on Aug. 20.

What seemed to catch many experts off guard was that Bessent announced the plans two weeks after the Treasury's quarterly refunding announcement, the time when the Treasury would typically announce changes like this.

The market can be incredibly sensitive to seemingly minor changes by the Treasury or the Fed because it might hint at a broader trend or event.

Furthermore, CNBC, citing anonymous sources, reported on Aug. 24 that the Treasury could fund such repurchases from its $1 trillion general account, perhaps suggesting it wouldn't have to issue new bonds, as investors may have assumed.

This could have a more powerful effect in reducing supply, which would drive up demand and, in turn, long-term bond prices, sending yields lower. Still, much is unclear about how the plan will proceed, and the Treasury could still issue new bonds to fund the repurchases.

How can Warsh be a hawk when this is happening?

When Kevin Warsh became the new chair of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors this year, the big debate was whether he would be hawkish and in favor of interest rate hikes to stamp out persistent inflation or dovish.

Story Continues

Warsh has been clear that he wants to shrink the Fed's balance sheet over time, a hawkish stance. But he was also nominated by President Donald Trump, who greatly desires interest rate cuts.

Meanwhile, Warsh has confused the market in his first few Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings. On one hand, Warsh has repeatedly said that he believes prices are too high and that the Fed will rein in inflation.

However, Warsh has also said that he prefers to measure inflation differently from how the Fed measures it now. The method he's discussed, the "trimmed average" approach, would actually indicate inflation is lower than under the current methods.

Bessent's expanded repurchase program makes it harder for Warsh to be a hawk because raising the Fed's overnight borrowing rate, the federal funds rate, could very well put upward pressure on long-term yields, which the federal funds rate influences.

Shrinking the balance sheet could also put upward pressure on long-term yields, although Warsh is unlikely to do much on this front in the near term. Bessent's move could also undercut Warsh, according to EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco.

"There is a risk, if you extend this thought process, that we have entered into an environment of fiscal dominance, where essentially the Fed is taking its instruction from the Treasury and delivering upon a desired outcome of lower long-term interest rates," Daco said, according to MarketWatch.

In another CNBC interview, Bessent said that the expanded buyback announcement "has nothing to do" with the Federal Reserve and its decision on whether to raise rates later this year.

Evercore ISI senior economist Marco Casiraghi also said the Treasury's expanded buyback program could ultimately weaken the dollar, which could lead to higher inflation.

While all this could be true, it would seem odd, at least in the near term, for the Fed to raise interest rates at the exact time the Treasury is trying to lower long-term yields.

It's likely to make the market wonder who's truly driving the bus and could also result in the market paying less attention to Warsh or taking his claims about reining in inflation less seriously.

Don't miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a "Double Down" stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $553,267! Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $59,116! Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $443,461!*

Right now, we're issuing "Double Down" alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join Stock Advisor, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of August 3, 2026

Bram Berkowitz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Evercore. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's Plan to Calm the Bond Market Could Have Unintended Consequences for Fed Chair Kevin Warsh was originally published by The Motley Fool

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Is a market crash coming? What investors really want to know is whether a market crash is coming soon; there's sure to be a market crash at some point, but the unknown is whether it's around the corner or far off into the future.

There are certainly signs that it might be sooner rather than later. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) is trading near its highest valuation ever as measured by a cyclical-adjusted P/E (CAPE) ratio of 41, and when it hit its record of 44 in 2000, the market crashed and lost value for three years straight.

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »Image source: Getty Images.

The Buffett indicator, which measures the total stock market value relative to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), is at 240%, implying that it's highly overvalued.

There are several ways you should prepare for the eventual event, especially since it could be close by. Make sure your portfolio is diversified, own a selection of defensive stocks, and keep cash on hand to grab bargains. Here's one thing you should not do.

Buy, hold, and....hold

It could be tempting to sell stocks as they near highs. But as soon as you sell, you lock in the gain and close out the opportunity to gain even more. If you ask successful investors what their biggest mistake was, you're likely to hear from many of them that it was selling too soon.

Here are a few examples of when it might have looked like a good time to sell top stocks, and what happened years later.

Netflix went public in 2002, and 15 years later, it had gained 14,500%. However, if you'd held on for nearly 10 more years, it would have gained 67,000%. Apple stock dipped during the 2008 crash, and if you'd bought it on the dip, you might have been tempted to sell it 10 years later, when it had gained more than 800%. If you didn't, it would be up 5,000% in total. Nvidia was a popular gaming technology stock that had gained more than 10,000% from its initial public offering (IPO) in 1999 through 2017. But if you didn't sell at that time, your money would now be worth 500,000% more since the IPO.

These are some of the best gainers ever to demonstrate the point, but many other stocks follow a similar trajectory.

Water your flowers

Warren Buffett likens selling great stocks too early to cutting flowers, and he said that Berkshire Hathaway is the opposite of investors who sell in a hurry and book profits. He said that at the same time as his famous maxim that his favorite holding period is forever.

Story Continues

Historically, the market has always reached new record highs after crashes. Sometimes it's a quick recovery, and sometimes it's slower, but it's always happened. In 2020, the S&P 500 lost nearly 30% of its value in about three weeks, but it had completely recovered within another eight weeks, and it's gained 240% since then.^SPX data by YCharts

The caveat is that if you'll need your money very soon, you might want to pocket some gains while the market's at a high and the chance of a crash grows. But if you have a long time horizon, let your top stocks flower.

Should you buy stock in S&P 500 Index right now?

Before you buy stock in S&P 500 Index, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and S&P 500 Index wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $443,461! Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,307,633!

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Jennifer Saibil has positions in Apple. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Netflix, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

If a Stock Market Crash Is Coming, Here's the 1 Thing You Shouldn't Do, According to History was originally published by The Motley Fool

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Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!

Apple AAPL introduced new Mac mini and Mac Studio models built to tackle increasingly demanding AI workloads, strengthening its appeal among AI developers. The tech giant unveiled new Mac mini and Mac Studio models on Tuesday, packing them with its latest-generation chips.

The upgraded desktops are set to deliver faster AI performance, enhanced graphics, greater storage and improved connectivity, making them better suited for demanding AI workloads. The new desktop systems could become a significant addition to Apple's Mac lineup as the company looks to strengthen its position in artificial intelligence.

What Apple's New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Bring to the Table

Revenues of the company's Mac lineup jumped about 29% in the fiscal third quarter, even as chip shortages contributed to higher product prices. Though the new Mac mini and Mac Studio carry higher price tags, their enhanced AI performance and long-awaited chip upgrades could help sustain demand.

If AI developers and other power users continue to embrace the upgraded systems, the new products could provide another catalyst for Mac revenue growth, giving the company another avenue to capitalize on the AI boom.

Let's take a closer look at the key specs of Apple's new Mac mini and Mac Studio.

Mac Mini Takes a Big Leap Into AI

As quoted on the tech giant's press release, AAPL is giving its Mac mini a major performance upgrade with the all-new M6 and M5 Pro chips, positioning the compact desktop to handle more demanding computing and AI workloads. The enhanced capabilities could make the new Mac mini particularly appealing to AI developers and power users, while also providing an attractive upgrade for existing Mac users.

The latest model delivers up to four times faster AI performance and up to twice as fast graphics and storage, along with enhanced connectivity. Importantly, Apple has packed these improvements into its signature ultracompact design, combining greater computing power with the convenience of a small form factor.

The upgraded chipset gives the Mac mini a significant boost in both multitasking and performance. Apple says the M5 Pro delivers substantial improvements in AI compute over the previous-generation model, enabling faster execution of demanding workloads, including app development, video rendering, scientific simulations, photo and video upscaling, along with large diffusion models.

Mac Studio Raises the Bar for On-Device AI

The new Mac Studio strengthens Apple's push into high-performance AI computing with the M5 Max and all-new M5 Ultra chips. The upgraded system delivers a significant leap in AI and graphics performance for demanding professional workloads, without sacrificing its compact design, as per the tech giant's press release.

Story Continues

Apple's most powerful Mac significantly strengthens its local AI capabilities, delivering up to four times faster AI performance, up to twice as fast storage and 1.3 times faster CPU performance, along with enhanced graphics. These upgrades could make the Mac Studio increasingly attractive to AI developers, researchers and data scientists to tackle increasingly complex professional and AI workloads with greater speed and efficiency.

Built for professionals tackling the most demanding workloads, the new Mac Studio delivers a significant leap in performance. The M5 Max-powered model is designed for musicians, photographers, software engineers and designers working with real-time 3D and motion graphics. Meanwhile, third-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing enables faster, more realistic lighting, reflections and shadows, enhancing demanding 3D, VFX and design workflows.

The Mac Studio upgraded with the M5 Ultra chip is built to handle intensive workloads, from real-time color grading of uncompressed 8K footage and complex VFX simulations to training local AI models on large datasets. Its graphics performance is up to 1.8 times faster than the prior generation, supporting smoother and more efficient 3D and VFX workflows.

Balancing Performance and Sustainability

Apple is also incorporating sustainability into its latest Mac lineup, with both the Mac mini and Mac Studio designed to support the company's goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions across its entire business by 2030.

The new Mac mini incorporates 50% recycled materials, while the Mac Studio uses 35% recycled content. Additionally, Apple also sources 100% of the electricity used to manufacture the Mac mini from renewable sources such as wind and solar across its supply chain, compared with 40% renewable energy for the Mac Studio.

Into AAPL's Stock Outlook

Apple currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 2.02 on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations made by 42 brokerage firms.

Of the 42 recommendations deriving the current ABR, 22 are Strong Buy and three are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy, respectively, account for 52.38% and 7.14% of all recommendations, indicating that the majority of the analysts remain bullish. A month ago, Strong Buy made up 55.81%, while Buy represented 6.98%.

Based on short-term price targets offered by 37 analysts, the average price target for Apple comes to $328.67, representing an increase of 6.06% from its current level, with the forecasts ranging from a low of $240.00 to a high of $400.00. Currently, AAPL stock is priced at $309.90 (as of market close on Aug. 25) and has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), along with a Growth Score of B.

You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

ETFs to Get a Slice of Apple's Growth

Here, we have highlighted ETFs with exposure to Apple.

Global X PureCap MSCI Information Technology ETF GXPT has an exposure of 18.89% to AAPL.

Vanguard Information Technology ETF VGT has an exposure of 16.24% to AAPL.

Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF FTEC has an exposure of 17.40% to AAPL.

VanEck Technology TruSector ETF TRUT has an exposure of 14.53% to AAPL.

iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF TOPT has an exposure of 14.39% to AAPL.

Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF MGK has an exposure of 13.19% to AAPL.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF (FTEC): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares (VGT): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF (MGK): ETF Research Reports

iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF (TOPT): ETF Research Reports

Global X PureCap MSCI Information Technology ETF (GXPT): ETF Research Reports

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

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Haftungsausschluss: Der Text wurde mit Hilfe einer KI zusammengefasst und übersetzt. Für Aussagen aus dem Originaltext wird keine Haftung übernommen!

Apple AAPL introduced new Mac mini and Mac Studio models built to tackle increasingly demanding AI workloads, strengthening its appeal among AI developers. The tech giant unveiled new Mac mini and Mac Studio models on Tuesday, packing them with its latest-generation chips.

The upgraded desktops are set to deliver faster AI performance, enhanced graphics, greater storage and improved connectivity, making them better suited for demanding AI workloads. The new desktop systems could become a significant addition to Apple's Mac lineup as the company looks to strengthen its position in artificial intelligence.

What Apple's New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Bring to the Table

Revenues of the company's Mac lineup jumped about 29% in the fiscal third quarter, even as chip shortages contributed to higher product prices. Though the new Mac mini and Mac Studio carry higher price tags, their enhanced AI performance and long-awaited chip upgrades could help sustain demand.

If AI developers and other power users continue to embrace the upgraded systems, the new products could provide another catalyst for Mac revenue growth, giving the company another avenue to capitalize on the AI boom.

Let's take a closer look at the key specs of Apple's new Mac mini and Mac Studio.

Mac Mini Takes a Big Leap Into AI

As quoted on the tech giant's press release, AAPL is giving its Mac mini a major performance upgrade with the all-new M6 and M5 Pro chips, positioning the compact desktop to handle more demanding computing and AI workloads. The enhanced capabilities could make the new Mac mini particularly appealing to AI developers and power users, while also providing an attractive upgrade for existing Mac users.

The latest model delivers up to four times faster AI performance and up to twice as fast graphics and storage, along with enhanced connectivity. Importantly, Apple has packed these improvements into its signature ultracompact design, combining greater computing power with the convenience of a small form factor.

The upgraded chipset gives the Mac mini a significant boost in both multitasking and performance. Apple says the M5 Pro delivers substantial improvements in AI compute over the previous-generation model, enabling faster execution of demanding workloads, including app development, video rendering, scientific simulations, photo and video upscaling, along with large diffusion models.

Mac Studio Raises the Bar for On-Device AI

The new Mac Studio strengthens Apple's push into high-performance AI computing with the M5 Max and all-new M5 Ultra chips. The upgraded system delivers a significant leap in AI and graphics performance for demanding professional workloads, without sacrificing its compact design, as per the tech giant's press release.

Story Continues

Apple's most powerful Mac significantly strengthens its local AI capabilities, delivering up to four times faster AI performance, up to twice as fast storage and 1.3 times faster CPU performance, along with enhanced graphics. These upgrades could make the Mac Studio increasingly attractive to AI developers, researchers and data scientists to tackle increasingly complex professional and AI workloads with greater speed and efficiency.

Built for professionals tackling the most demanding workloads, the new Mac Studio delivers a significant leap in performance. The M5 Max-powered model is designed for musicians, photographers, software engineers and designers working with real-time 3D and motion graphics. Meanwhile, third-generation hardware-accelerated ray tracing enables faster, more realistic lighting, reflections and shadows, enhancing demanding 3D, VFX and design workflows.

The Mac Studio upgraded with the M5 Ultra chip is built to handle intensive workloads, from real-time color grading of uncompressed 8K footage and complex VFX simulations to training local AI models on large datasets. Its graphics performance is up to 1.8 times faster than the prior generation, supporting smoother and more efficient 3D and VFX workflows.

Balancing Performance and Sustainability

Apple is also incorporating sustainability into its latest Mac lineup, with both the Mac mini and Mac Studio designed to support the company's goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions across its entire business by 2030.

The new Mac mini incorporates 50% recycled materials, while the Mac Studio uses 35% recycled content. Additionally, Apple also sources 100% of the electricity used to manufacture the Mac mini from renewable sources such as wind and solar across its supply chain, compared with 40% renewable energy for the Mac Studio.

Into AAPL's Stock Outlook

Apple currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 2.02 on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations made by 42 brokerage firms.

Of the 42 recommendations deriving the current ABR, 22 are Strong Buy and three are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy, respectively, account for 52.38% and 7.14% of all recommendations, indicating that the majority of the analysts remain bullish. A month ago, Strong Buy made up 55.81%, while Buy represented 6.98%.

Based on short-term price targets offered by 37 analysts, the average price target for Apple comes to $328.67, representing an increase of 6.06% from its current level, with the forecasts ranging from a low of $240.00 to a high of $400.00. Currently, AAPL stock is priced at $309.90 (as of market close on Aug. 25) and has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), along with a Growth Score of B.

You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

ETFs to Get a Slice of Apple's Growth

Here, we have highlighted ETFs with exposure to Apple.

Global X PureCap MSCI Information Technology ETF GXPT has an exposure of 18.89% to AAPL.

Vanguard Information Technology ETF VGT has an exposure of 16.24% to AAPL.

Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF FTEC has an exposure of 17.40% to AAPL.

VanEck Technology TruSector ETF TRUT has an exposure of 14.53% to AAPL.

iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF TOPT has an exposure of 14.39% to AAPL.

Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF MGK has an exposure of 13.19% to AAPL.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF (FTEC): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares (VGT): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF (MGK): ETF Research Reports

iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF (TOPT): ETF Research Reports

Global X PureCap MSCI Information Technology ETF (GXPT): ETF Research Reports

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

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