BUSINESS

Some of the biggest names in the market are making headlines this month, but I’m more interested in what they could mean for the stocks going forward. Here’s why I’m buying Bloom Energy, Apple and Alphabet.

Bloom Energy’s S&P 500 addition could fuel more gains

Shares of Bloom Energy Corporation (BE) have soared more than 33% since the start of September, helped by two big announcements.

First, an SEC filing that Nancy Pelosi’s husband bought up to $12 million in Bloom Energy, including two big option bets. Whenever a Pelosi trade gets disclosed, it moves markets. So, when word got out about the Bloom Energy buy, it helped spark a rally in BE shares.

But the bigger news was that BE will join the S&P 500 on September 21. Joining the index should put Bloom in front of more investors and boost institutional buying. That should help reduce some of the volatility the stock has experienced this year.

Bloom Energy’s addition to the S&P 500 shouldn’t be a big surprise. The company has grown into a large, liquid and profitable company, largely helped by the data center buildout.

Related: Louis Navellier delivers hot take on rising bond yields

Bloom Energy expects 2026 revenue between $3.9 billion and $4.2 billion, representing 93% to 108% annual revenue growth. The company is also expected to achieve 256.6% annual earnings growth in its fiscal year 2026.

Analysts have also raised third-quarter earnings estimates over the past three months. They now expect earnings to jump 346.7% year-over-year to $0.67 per share. Revenue is expected to more than double year-over-year to $1.06 billion.

When you combine Bloom Energy’s addition to the S&P 500 with its strong expected revenue and earnings growth, it’s easy to see why I think BE has a lot more room to run. 

BE remains an Aggressive buy below $303 and is rated as an A in my stock grading system.

Apple’s foldable iPhone creates a buying opportunity

Apple’s annual product launch did not disappoint. At its September 9 event, Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, but its foldable phone, iPhone Duo, stole the show. The iPhone Duo isn’t cheap at $1,999. But you can bet loyal Apple fans will be opening their wallets.

Apple shares pulled back after the launch of its foldable phone, iPhone Duo, but Louis Navellier is expecting the stock to rally in two months.KARL MONDON / Getty Images

Now, investors might have expected Apple shares to jump in the wake of its newest products, especially the iPhone Duo. Instead, the stock pulled back slightly after the launch.

That’s nothing unusual. AAPL often sees a “sell the news” reaction on launch day. But after that, Apple shares tend to rally strongly in the two months after a launch. So, I encourage investors to take advantage of any dips to buy AAPL. 

AAPL is a Conservative buy below $342 and is rated as a B in my stock grading system.

Google doubles down on AI infrastructure

Alphabet (GOOG) made another big AI investment and is planning to invest at least 13 billion euros, or $15.1 billion, on AI infrastructure in Finland over the next two years.

Finland is quickly becoming a major data center hub in Europe due to its cool climate helping data centers handle the heat they produce. About 40 data centers already operate there. Google and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) both have facilities in the country, too.

The investment in Finland is part of Google’s broader plan to spend $195 billion and $205 billion on AI worldwide. 

GOOG is a Conservative buy below $384 and is rated as a B in my stock grading system.

For more information about my stock grading system, click here. 

Related: AT&T CEO drops 4-word verdict on new Apple iPhone Duo

Dividend investing has a reputation for being unglamorous. However, the strategy is a steady way to build long-term wealth. 

Investors can either identify individual dividend stocks or own exchange-traded funds which offer diversification.

Two popular dividend ETFs in the U.S. are the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) and the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM). 

Over the last decade, the two funds have quietly delivered very different results for investors.

And one of them has pulled noticeably ahead. 

“In addition to providing a stream of income to investors, dividend-paying stocks may helpto buffer market volatility and are an important part of total return,” Invesco’s strategy insights on dividend investing explained.

That idea is exactly what the numbers show for SCHD and VYM.

Why dividend investing is a top strategy

Dividend ETFs are ideal for investors who want stability while generating a passive income stream.

As the best ETFs own dividend stocks across multiple sectors, the overall risk profile of your portfolio reduces significantly. 

SCHD and VYM are two of the biggest names in the dividend ETF space. 

SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index.  It screens for companies with at least 10 consecutive years of dividend payments, then ranks the companies on cash-flow-to-debt, return on equity, dividend yield, and five-year dividend growth.

Related: Early SCHD ETF investors now earn a 12.5% dividend yield on cost

Only the highest-quality names are added to the index with a maximum portfolio weight of around 4.6%. 

VYM takes a broader approach.

It tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, which ranks around hundreds of companies by forecasted dividend yield. After the ranking is complete, the bottom half of the stocks are excluded from the ETF. 

Holdings are weighted by market cap rather than dividend quality, and real estate investment trusts are excluded. 

The result is a wider, more conservative basket tilted toward large, stable businesses in sectors such as financials, energy, and industrials.

SCHD total returns beat VYM over the decade

According to data from YCharts:

SCHD delivered a total return of 243.6% over the last decade, after adjusting for dividend reinvestments.

Comparatively, the VYM has returned 206% since September 2016. 

Even on share price appreciation, SCHD has returned 145.8%, higher than VYM’s 127.5%. 

Both funds tracked closely together for stretches, especially through 2020 and 2021. But SCHD began pulling away more consistently starting around 2022, according to the chart data, and the gap has held since.

Schwab’s own fund materials, as of June 30, 2026, show SCHD posting a 10-year annualized return of 12.37% on a net asset value basis, alongside a three-year standard deviation of 13.32% and a Sharpe ratio of 0.65. 

Recent performance has also been strong. VYM posted a year-to-date return of 14.90% based on market price as of Sept. 11, 2026, according to Vanguard’s fund overview page. 

SCHD posted a year-to-date NAV return of 17.46% through June 30, 2026, according to Schwab.

Dividend ratios SCHD and VYM investors should track

Before choosing between the two funds, it helps to compare the numbers that explain the performance gap.

SCHD expense ratio: 0.06%, well below the Morningstar category average of 0.27%

VYM expense ratio: 0.04%, versus an ETF Database category average of 0.55% and a FactSet segment average of 0.37%

SCHD distribution yield: 3.24%

SCHD return on equity: 27.76%

SCHD price-to-earnings ratio: 19.57

SCHD dividend history screen: requires at least 10 consecutive years of dividend payments

VYM holdings count: Roughly 607 stocks, far more diversified than SCHD’s 102

Both funds charge rock-bottom fees compared with their category averages. The low fees matters over time, since a higher expense ratio could easily eat into total returns over time. 

Investing in quality dividend ETFs such as the SCHD can help you grow wealth over time.Richard Drury / Getty Images

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity vs. Vanguard High Dividend Yield: how they differ

The performance gap traces back to how each fund picks its stocks. SCHD’s quality screen weeds out companies that pay a big dividend but may not be sustainable. 

That has steered the fund toward sectors like consumer staples and healthcare, at 20.4% and 20.7% of the portfolio, respectively, while keeping technology exposure light.

More Dividend Stocks:

Does IBM pay dividends? History, yield & payout ratio explained

Does Walmart pay dividends? Its yield and payouts explained

Does Sandisk pay dividends? Will it split its stock?

VYM’s simpler yield ranking casts a wider net. Its top 15 holdings include Broadcom, JPMorgan Chase, ExxonMobil, and Johnson & Johnson, spreading exposure across banking, energy, healthcare, and industrials.

Neither approach is wrong. 

VYM offers broader diversification and a slightly lower expense ratio, which can appeal to long-term, buy-and-hold investors who want simplicity. 

SCHD’s stricter quality bar has simply produced stronger total returns over the stretch shown in the data, a gap most investors chasing yield alone would never think to check.

For readers building a dividend-focused portfolio, the lesson is not that one fund is universally better. 

It is that yield and total return are not the same thing, and that the fund with the higher sticker yield is not always the one that grows an account the most.

Related: Schwab SCHD draws $679M as dividend ETF climbs 2.39%

In the span of four days, Rybakina took Sabalenka’s world No. 1 ranking away from her and then ended her bid for a three-peat at the U.S. Open.

Cathie Wood, chief of Ark Investment Management, often shifts money between her favorite tech stocks.

This week she sold $28.7 million of Alphabet while pouring money into Meta Platforms, as the Facebook parent pushes deeper into AI.

Last year, her flagship Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK) gained 35.49%, far outpacing the S&P 500’s return of 17.88% in the same period. So far this year, Ark Innovation ETF is up 8.66% as of writing, while the S&P 500 surged 11.85%, Yahoo Finance data shows.

Wood gained a reputation after Ark Innovation ETF delivered a rosy 153% return in 2020. But her style also brings painful losses in bearish markets, as seen in 2022, when Ark Innovation ETF tumbled more than 60%.

Those swings have weighed on Wood’s long-term gains. As of Sept. 11, Ark Innovation ETF has delivered a five-year annualized return of -6.89%, while the S&P 500 has an annualized return of 11.42% over the same period, according to data from Morningstar.

Cathie Wood says AI could help support high corporate profits

Wood focuses on high-tech companies across artificial intelligence, blockchain, biomedical technology, and robotics. She believes these businesses have strong growth potential, but their volatility often causes fluctuations in the Ark’s funds.

Over the decade ended 2025, Ark Innovation ETF wiped out nearly $5 billion in investor wealth, according to a report by Morningstar’s analyst Amy Arnott. That made it the fourth-biggest wealth destroyer among mutual funds and ETFs in the ranking. 

Wood remains optimistic about AI, which she sees as a major driver of productivity, economic growth, and corporate profits in the years ahead.

“Two hundred railroads went bankrupt in the 1800s. I don’t  think the AI buildout will end the same way. The railroads were built on a hope and a prayer while AI revenues seem to be screaming,” Wood said in a recent post on X.

Related: Cathie Wood buys $6.5 million of surging semiconductor stock

In another August post on X, Wood said U.S. corporate profits remain unusually strong, with domestic profits before tax at 13.2% of GDP, a level she said is near multi-decade highs. 

Some of that strength came from the massive monetary and fiscal stimulus during the pandemic, but Wood believes another factor is helping sustain margins today: companies are leaning into AI and productivity gains to protect them.

“I think we’re still early in seeing how far that can go,” she said, adding that companies that use AI effectively will “separate themselves from the ones that don’t.”

But not all investors agree with Wood’s optimism. Over the past 12 months through Sept. 10, Ark Innovation ETF saw roughly $2.3 billion in net outflows, according to data from ETF research firm VettaFi. 

Over the past 12 months through Sept. 10, the Ark Innovation ETF saw roughly $2.3 billion in net outflows.Getty Images

Cathie Wood sells $28.7 million of Alphabet stock

On Sept. 9 and 11, Wood’s Ark funds sold a total of 86,531 shares of Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL), according to Ark’s daily trading information sent to TheStreet. These stocks were worth about $28.7 million.

Meanwhile, Wood on Sept. 9 bought 43,091 Meta Platforms (META) shares worth about $27.9 million as the stock hit a two-month high on excitement around its latest AI moves, including the launch of its Muse AI assistant earlier this week.

Mizuho says Meta’s new Muse AI agent could pressure Google and give Meta shares another boost, according to The Fly.  

Related: Morgan Stanley renews Apple stock forecast after iPhone Duo launch

After testing Muse, the firm was impressed by its polish, range of features, news-feed integration and free access. Mizuho says the product could be the start of a major new cycle for Meta that investors haven’t fully priced in yet.

Google is still one of the strongest players in the megacap AI race. Beyond Gemini, Google has its own AI chips and a large cloud business, while Search, YouTube and Android give it plenty of places to put new AI products in front of users.

Alphabet’s July earnings showed strength in Google Cloud, helped by growing demand for AI products and infrastructure. Google Cloud revenue jumped 82% to $24.8 billion in the second quarter.

Overall revenue reached $119.8 billion for the second quarter, topping the $116.93 billion expected by analysts, while adjusted earnings of $2.85 per share fell slightly short of the $2.89 estimate, CNBC reported. Google has also been pushing AI deeper into Search through AI Overviews and AI Mode.

But competing at the top of the AI race comes with a big price tag. Google has been pouring money into servers, data centers, and networking equipment to support its AI models and cloud customers.

Google has increased its capex for this year to between $195 billion and $205 billion to meet the growing demand for AI computing, up from the $180 billion to $190 billion forecast provided last quarter. 

“We’re still in a supply-constrained environment,” said Google’s finance chief Anat Ashkenazi during the July earnings call. “We are seeing very strong demand both from external cloud customers as well as across the business.”

This week, the company announced another $15.1 billion investment in AI infrastructure in Finland, including three new data centers that will support Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube, Reuters reported.

Alphabet stock is up about 7% year-to-date, underperforming the S&P 500 index.

Alphabet is not a top-10 holding in the Ark Innovation ETF. Before the latest sales, Wood sold roughly 10,000 Alphabet shares in late July after buying more than 100,000 shares on June 3.

Top 10 Holdings in the Ark Innovation ETF by weight as of Sept. 11, 2026:

Tesla (TSLA) – 9.75%

SpaceX (SPCX) – 6.52%

Circle Internet Group (CRCL) – 5.56%

Tempus AI (TEM) – 4.83%

CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) – 4.52%

Coinbase (COIN) – 4.47%

Robinhood (HOOD) – 4.18%

Twist Bioscience (TWST) – 3.29%

10x Genomics (TXG) – 3.21%

Shopify (SHOP) – 3.07%

Other than selling Alphabet shares, Wood’s latest trades included buying Meta Platforms (META), Beam Therapeutics (BEAM), Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA), and CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP).

She also sold shares of Brera Holdings (SLMT), GeneDx Holdings (WGS), Tempus AI (TEM), 10x Genomics (TXG), Bullish (BLSH), and Twist Bioscience (TWST).

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Looking for help with today’s New York Times Wordle? Here are some expert hints, clues and commentary to help you solve today’s Wordle and sharpen your guessing game.

Team USA is headed to the FIBA World Cup final after a 76-66 win over Spain. Can the Americans beat France in a rematch of the 2024 Olympic final?

Looking for something new to stream this weekend? Here’s every major new movie and show hitting Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV and more.

If you’re expecting to fill up a gas tank or a truck with diesel fuel in the next few days, don’t be surprised that prices are higher.

Wholesalers in the United States and elsewhere have been telling customers they’re raising prices to retail outlets, according to a tweet from Patrick De Haan, chief oil analyst at GasBuddy.com.

It’s not just diesel. though. His projections, as of Sept. 10, were 8 to 15 cents a gallon for gasoline and 24 cents to 27 cents a gallon for diesel.

Related: Oil markets look calm on top, but underneath shows a big toll

And there’s little chance for relief anytime soon, given escalations in the Middle East and Ukraine.

That’s not good news for anyone: not consumers filling up tanks, not businesses shipping products to stores, or politicians campaigning for office this fall, given the strain on everyday voters.

Diesel sets record nobody wanted

Diesel hit an unwelcome level this past week, setting a U.S. national record of $6.055 a gallon on Sept. 11. The price of diesel is up 62% in 2026, according to data from both GasBuddy and AAA Fuel Prices.

The significance of $6-a-gallon diesel is its reach, GasBuddy said. It’s “the fuel that moves the economy, powering the freight trucks, trains, agricultural equipment, and construction machinery behind nearly everything Americans buy.”

In dollars and cents, it comes down to this for a trucker or farmer. The price of diesel averaged $2.839 per gallon on Dec. 31, according to AAA data.

The price is now $6.0556 a gallon.

If you paid the national average of $425 for 150 gallons of diesel for your truck or tractor at the end of 2025, the cost, as of Sept. 11, is $908.

Think that’s bad? Those same gallons in California, where diesel is averaging $7.9827 a gallon, will cost $1,197, up 55% from a year ago.

Oil markets, supplies: No relief in sight

What GasBuddy’s de Haan didn’t say (but probably would not disagree) was that supplies may be squeezed well into 2027. That’s according to energy analysts at S&P Global.

In fact, for the first time since the US-Iran war began on Feb. 28, S&P Global “no longer expects Middle Eastern crude production to recover to prewar levels by year-end 2027.”

Not a cheerful thought, to be sure, but look at the conflicts:

The Middle East — the U.S.-Israel War against Iran and the battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has cut the number of oil tankers passing out of the Persian Gulf from 90-to-100 ships a day to around 5, according to a report from Al Jazeera, the Middle East news service. And there’s little evidence that anyone is interested in a settlement.

The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Increasingly, this war is using drone attacks, enabling Ukraine’s success against Russia’s oil infrastructure.

Energy markets dipped a little on Sept. 11, if only because prices had moved so high and so fast during the week that profit-taking was inevitable. When the dip arrived, it set off a huge rally in stocks. But it’s not clear that stocks will move higher with the fundamental conflicts showing few signs of resolution.

Not only is there the general war, but Houthi rebels in Yemen and militants in Iraq are now players in the fight.

Also read: S&P 500’s greatest risk is fast becoming reality

Houthi forces have seized two towns along the Red Sea. They have also seized Perim Island, located in the mouth of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, at the south end of Red Sea, the BBC reported.

On Sept. 11, Saudi Arabia was forced to shut down its Red Sea pipeline operation after repeated drone attacks from Iraqi militants. The pipeline was capable of carrying up to 7 million barrels of oil from the primary Saudi fields along the Persian Gulf, The Wall Street Journal said.

The worry now is that all of Saudi production will be disrupted. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s ruler, has been asking President Donald Trump for U.S. help in the fight against the Houthis, CBS News has reported.

Ships at anchor in Mutrah, Oman, along the Gulf of Oman.Craig Hastings / Getty Images

Ukraine-Russia war is just as important

Ukraine and Russia have been at war basically since 2014, but the violence exploded when Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.

Ukraine has fought off Vladimir Putin with stealthy drone attacks on Russian naval ships. Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and infrastructure seem to be the most effective moves, though. A Sept. 9 attack on gas processing facilities in northern Siberia was 1,800 miles from the Ukraine-Russia border.

The drone attacks have cut Russian oil production by about 30%. More importantly, Russia had been a major exporter of diesel fuel to Western Europe. The Ukrainian attacks have halted the exports.

More Oil & Gas:

Is Trump’s big splashy oil deal in Venezuela real?

Goldman Sachs doubles down on oil price forecast for 2026

Oil and Yields Drive Equity Losses for a Fourth Session

U.S. oil and gasoline continue to challenge

GasBuddy’s U.S. average price of gasoline was $4.30 per gallon on Sept. 11, up 52% in 2026. The price is up 5.6% in the first 11 days of September and 17 cents in the last week.

AAA’s price was $4.295 a gallon, up nearly 15 cents for the week, and 51% for the year.

Light sweet crude, the U.S. benchmark, closed at $100.25 per 42-gallon barrel, off 2.4% from a day earlier’s $102.48, according to Wall Street Journal data. The final price, however, was up from its low of $98.48, and the change for the week was a gain of about 4%.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, settled down 2.8% to $104.61 a barrel. But it was up 8.6% for the week.

For the year, light sweet crude is up about 74% and Brent is up 72%.

Despite the oil-price decline on Sept. 11, oil stocks were mostly higher, led by Shell (SHEL) and Chevron (CVX).

Related: Morgan Stanley warns of possible stock market correction

Concerns about AI safety have ramped up, and OpenAI’s CEO says now would be an ‘ill-advised’ time for the ChatGPT creator to go public

Stocks fell on September 10 after U.S. oil prices topped $100 a barrel for the first time in months. The move spooked markets. Inflation fears came back. And one of the most watched voices on financial television went on air with a specific message about what investors should actually be focused on.

Jim Cramer said on Mad Money that day that the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield is the single force driving stocks right now, and investors who do not understand that are missing what is really happening in the market, CNBC reported.

Why Cramer says the 30-year Treasury is running the stock market

“The long bond, the 30-year Treasury, is in charge of everything,” Cramer said on Mad Money.

The 30-year Treasury yield was sitting near 5.3% on September 10, a level not seen in roughly 19 years. At that rate, U.S. government bonds are paying investors more than 5% annually with essentially no credit risk. That changes the math on owning stocks.

Cramer made the case directly for older investors. “Stocks are terrific, they can make you fortunes, especially younger people who can afford to take chances,” he said. “But you know what beats stocks for anyone who’s 50 or older? The 30-year Treasury, that’s what.”

More Jim Cramer:

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When safe government bonds yield 5.3%, stocks have to offer more to justify the additional risk. Companies with high valuations, weak earnings or heavy debt become especially hard to own. Investors can just take the 5.3% and go home.

The yield is high partly because of supply. About $4.5 trillion in long-dated Treasury bonds are outstanding. The Treasury Department tried to buy back as much as $6 billion of longer-dated bonds to push yields lower. It purchased about $5.2 billion, according to CNBC. Yields rose anyway. The supply problem is too large for buybacks that size to fix.

What the Delta Air Lines story says about the bond market

Cramer used Delta Air Lines to make the point concrete. Early in his career at Goldman Sachs, he recalled being asked what primarily determined Delta’s stock price. He cited oil and airline fundamentals. His instructor told him he was wrong.

“It’s hostage to the long bond,” Cramer recalled being told.

Airlines borrow heavily to buy planes and fund operations. Their borrowing rates run above what the U.S. government pays because companies carry more credit risk.

When the 30-year Treasury yield climbs, Delta and other airlines have to pay more to raise money. That squeezes their ability to expand and raises the cost of debt they already carry.

“That means they can’t expand if the 30-year isn’t behaving,” Cramer added.

The same math applies across any sector that relies on debt. Homebuilders, utilities, real estate companies and other capital-intensive businesses all feel the pressure when long-term rates rise.

Higher yields also reduce the present value of future corporate earnings in the models investors use to price stocks, which pushes valuations down even when the underlying business has not changed.

Jim Cramer said on Mad Money that day that the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield is the single force driving stocks right nowBloomberg / Getty Images

Why oil prices make the 30-year problem worse

Oil crossing $100 a barrel on September 10 added a second layer of pressure. The concern is that expensive oil keeps inflation elevated, which makes it harder for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, which keeps long-term yields high.

For airlines specifically, the combination is painful. High oil prices raise fuel costs directly. High long-term yields raise borrowing costs. Cramer said the two together create a very difficult environment for airline stocks.

“If the economy slows down, then people will be laid off and plans to expand will be scrapped,” Cramer added. “If that were to change, then you know people won’t travel as much. The airlines will cut estimates. The stocks will get hammered.”

Oil above $100 also feeds into inflation expectations more broadly. If investors believe inflation will stay elevated, they demand higher yields on long-term bonds to compensate. That keeps the 30-year yield elevated even if the Fed is not actively tightening. Cramer called this dynamic the core reason the long bond is so important right now.

What Cramer told investors to do with this information

Cramer’s advice split along age lines, CNBC reported. Younger investors with time to ride out volatility can still own stocks and benefit from the long-term return premium equities historically deliver over bonds.

Older investors are in a different position. At 5.3%, a 30-year Treasury offers meaningful income with no default risk and no need to watch earnings calls or worry about management mistakes.

For someone in or near retirement, that tradeoff looks different than it did when yields were closer to 2%.

Cramer was clear that the 30-year yield is the number to watch, not the Fed funds rate or the 10-year yield. Short-term rate cuts from the Federal Reserve do not necessarily bring long-term yields down. Long-term rates are driven by supply, inflation expectations and investor demand for duration.

All three of those forces are currently pushing yields in the wrong direction for stock investors.

Related: Jim Cramer has strong message for Nvidia, Broadcom investors