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Known for everything from beaches and the Amazon rainforest to the Carnival festival season that brings in over 50 million tourists in February and March alone each year, Brazil is by far the most-visited country in South America.Every year, the country sees tens of millions of tourists from all over the world. It is also a particularly popular travel destination for Americans; according to numbers released by the country’s Ministry of Tourism, over 137,699 American travelers came to Brazil in the first two months of 2026 which makes the U.S. the country’s fourth-largest source of international tourism.Rio de Janeiro saw a 17% spike in international tourists coming into the city between 2025 and 2026.GOL Linhas Aéreas to launch only direct summer flight between Rio and JFKTo tap into this travel interest, Brazilian low-cost airline GOL Linhas Aéreas just started running a new route between New York’s JFK and Galeão International Airport (GIG) in Rio de Janeiro.The route that ran for the first time on July 8 is initially being tested as a seasonal flight that will be retired in October 2026. As both American Airlines and Delta only run direct flights to New York during the winter season, GOL will be the only airline providing a direct link during this time of year.Related: Why United Airlines is betting big on Colombia travelTaking approximately 10 hours in each direction, the Rio-New York flight will depart JFK on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and Rio on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays throughout the summer.Flights in one direction are currently listed starting at $560 USD in one direction on the GOL website. The codeshare partnership with American Airlines also allows U.S.-based travelers to connect from other cities in the U.S. through the same booking as well as collect and spend their loyalty points.The route was also envisioned to connect travelers from the U.S. to GOL’s wide domestic network of other cities in different parts of the world’s fifth-largest country.

GOL Linhas Aéreas new flight between Rio and New York this summer.GOL Linhas Aéreas

“Much more than a new destination on our route map”: GOL on New York-Rio routeGOL has been flying to Orlando from Rio since March 2026. The U.S. was a major target market that the carrier wanted to expand into after receiving delivery of five new Airbus A330-900 planes earlier this year. Each has room for 280 passengers of which 20 are lie-flat seats in GOL’s Insignia business class.The menu served in this fare class has also been designed by Brazilian Michelin-starred chef Felipe Bronze to highlight several of the dishes cooked and eaten throughout the country.More Travel News:Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.There is a very cool Irish version of swimming pigs in the BahamasUnexpected country is most luxurious travel destination for 2026Low-cost airline launches easier way to get to Sri Lanka”This is much more than a new destination on our route map,” GOL CEO Celso Ferrer Gol said in a statement on a new route. “GOL is an invitation for travelers to experience Brazil from the moment they board our aircraft.”Other cities to which GOL will expand now that it has received the new A330-900 planes, likely several large European capitals such as Paris and London, are expected to also be announced by the airline in the coming weeks.Related: Literary tourism and hotels that amp it up have come to Iceland

Inflation. Oil. Tariffs.  And, of course, interest rates.Those are the questions that both chambers of Congress will be throwing at Kevin Warsh during his first live appearances on Capitol Hill as Federal Reserve Chairman July 14-15.Neither the House nor the Senate committees may be content to hear answers touting artificial intelligence as the key to keeping all of the above at optimum levels, especially given the current economic angst squeezing consumers and businesses during the midterm election year.They’ll be armed with the latest Consumer Price Index figures, which will be released July 14, plus the findings of the Fed’s July 10 Monetary Policy Report, which said the outlook of the future path of interest rates “is subject to considerable uncertainty.”Warsh has pledged in his first seven weeks on the job that the central bank will work toward price stability, and told a group of global central bankers on June 30 that inflation was beginning to come down. Moody’s Analytics Deputy Chief Economist Cristian deRitis said with consensus puts headline CPI near 3.8% from a year ago, down from 4.2% in May. Nearly all of the improvement comes from a roughly 10% drop in retail gasoline prices as Persian Gulf supply fears eased in June. The real focus on CPI will be on core inflation, including price changes for tariff-sensitive goods, he added. “We’ll also want to pay attention to sticky service price inflation which should be less impacted by tariffs and energy prices. Without a deceleration here, it will be difficult to get overall inflation down,’’ deRitis said in a LinkedIn post.A soft core CPI number will buy the Fed some breathing room around interest rates, he added. “A firm one, with more tariff pass-throughs in the pipeline and oil at risk of spiking again, will harden the case for tightening,’’ deRitis said.Fed’s dual mandate is a tricky danceThe Fed’s dual mandate from Congress requires maximum employment and stable prices.Lower interest rates support hiring but can fuel inflation. This risks fueling further inflation, potentially leading to an inflationary spiral.Higher rates cool prices but can weaken the job market. This increases the cost of borrowing and further stifles economic activity.

Interest rates steady thus far this year The rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously last month to hold its benchmark Federal Funds Rate target in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%. But the minutes of the June FOMC meeting showed policymakers split on inflation risk and the impact on interest rates.Investors are now pricing in at least one quarter-point rate rise by year-end, in part due to underlying inflation risks.Fed cut rates in 2025 due to labor risk To shore up the softening labor market, policymakers had cut rates by a quarter point at each of their last three meetings of 2025. These “insurance” cuts stopped after the majority of policymakers decided the risk from higher prices was outweighing signs that the jobs market was stabilizing.Related: Warsh recruits all-star team, AI experts to kickstart Fed reformThe funds rate is the interest rate at which banks lend balances at the Federal Reserve to other banks overnight. A change in the funds rate triggers moves in borrowing costs ranging from credit cards to auto loans and, indirectly, mortgage terms.What’s ahead for interest rates?Following the July 7 release of the June FOMC meetings, the CME Group FedWatch Tool estimated there will be at least one quarter-point rate hike this year with more potentially to come in 2027.New York Fed President John Williams said July 7 that monetary policy was well-positioned. He expected headline PCE, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge that’s been hitting close to 4%, to dip over the next several months as energy prices stabilize.  J.P. Morgan Wealth Management Global Investment Strategist Vinny Amaru told TheStreet in an email following the June jobs report on July 2 that overall, the U.S. economy remains resilient. “Slightly weaker payroll gains and mild wage growth reinforce our view that the Fed will remain on hold this year as neither signal the need to hike interest rates to cool an overheating labor market,’’ Amaru said.The next FOMC meeting is July 28-29.Related: Bernstein revamps gold price target on Fed-rate shift

If you’ve ever walked into a Sephora location before, you may have experienced the same thing I did — sensory overload. Of course, for some beauty enthusiasts, there’s nothing more exciting than stepping into a massive store that’s loaded with just about every skin care and makeup product imaginable. For someone like myself whose beauty routine consists mostly of ChapStick, the main reason you’ll find me inside a Sephora is because one of my daughters has asked, or because I’ve stopped in to buy a gift. Still, even if you’re into beauty products, Sephora can be…a lot. From the digital screens to the upbeat music to the competing scents, the immersive shopping experience Sephora is known for can also be overwhelming.For customers who are neurodivergent or have anxiety or sensory processing disorders, those same elements can make a trip to Sephora stressful to the point where it becomes undoable. Now, Sephora is taking a significant step to make its stores more inclusive. The beauty giant is introducing Quiet Hours designed to create a calmer shopping environment for people with a variety of needs, including those who experience sensory sensitivities.Sephora rolls out quiet hours across its storesSephora is rolling out designated Quiet Hours across its stores globally after testing the concept in 32 locations across eight markets. During these dedicated shopping periods, stores will reduce sensory stimulation by lowering the volume of music, dimming digital screens, and creating a more peaceful atmosphere for customers who prefer a less stimulating environment.Related: Costco makes big investment to keep members coming backThe initiative was developed with input from members of the neurodiverse community and is intended to benefit anyone who finds traditional retail environments overwhelming, not just shoppers with diagnosed sensory conditions. “At Sephora, we’re driven by our purpose to champion a world of inspiration and inclusion where everyone can celebrate their beauty. With Quiet Hours at Sephora, we provide a beautifully calm atmosphere where clients feel welcome, allowing them to shop at their own pace,” said Global Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Yeh.Sephora said customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. A good 90% of shoppers surveyed said the Quiet Hours make stores feel more inclusive, while employees reported that the calmer environment allows for better interactions with customers.

Sephora will reduce sensory stimulation in stores, creating a more peaceful atmosphere for customers.Lutsenko_Oleksandr/Shutterstock.com

Why the move matters for Sephora and the beauty industrySephora isn’t the first major retailer to embrace sensory-friendly shopping. Walmart previously introduced sensory-friendly hours in its U.S. stores, Disability Scoop reported. The retailer reduced lighting and eliminated television wall displays and in-store radio during designated morning hours to create a calmer environment for shoppers with sensory sensitivities. More Retail:Costco sees major shift in member behaviorRetail chain shuts all locations as legal changes hit industryCostco makes major investment in online shopping for membersThe initiative was widely praised by disability advocates and customers alike.Sephora’s decision, meanwhile, carries a lot of weight because of its influence in the beauty industry. The company operates more than 2,700 stores worldwide and has built its reputation around highly interactive, experiential retail environments where customers are encouraged to test products and engage with brands.The financial opportunity is also significant. The U.S. beauty and personal care market is valued at roughly $130 billion, Mordor Intelligence noted. If Sephora proves to be a pioneer in accessibility, it could gain an even larger share of it. For shoppers who have long found Sephora’s stores overwhelming, Quiet Hours could make the difference between avoiding the beauty retailer altogether and feeling comfortable enough to enjoy a beauty shopping experience from which they once felt excluded.Related: Walmart quietly found a way to undercut Costco on gas

Apple’s next iPhone problem may not be demand. It may be the price of making demand profitable.Hardware costs are rising, and Apple has drastically decreased its demand projections for the regular iPhone 17, according to a recent report from MacRumors, citing the Weibo account Fixed Focus Digital. Some production lines might have moved from an earlier reduction of 15% to a plan for suspending about a third of production capacity, the report said. MacRumors said the report could not be independently verified, and it was unclear whether it applied to total iPhone 17 production or just to specific lines. That bit of caution matters for Apple investors.The investor takeaway is still significant for Apple (AAPL): The AI explosion isn’t simply boosting chipmakers and cloud providers. It is also driving up the prices of memory, storage, and other components for producers of consumer goods.That makes it a harder decision for Apple.It can absorb higher costs and compress profits, or it can boost prices and test demand for the iPhone.“iPhone achieved a March quarter revenue record,” Apple CEO Tim Cooksaid in the company’s April earnings release. But now we are in a new situation.Apple’s iPhone rumor is really about pricing powerThe MacRumors report is not the same as actual Apple guidance.Apple has not said it is cutting iPhone 17 demand, and the report itself has some major caveats. A Chinese leaker made the assertion, and MacRumors said it was unclear how extensive the production adjustments were.But the tale is instructive because it touches on the question investors will certainly hear more and more as Apple heads into its next major iPhone cycle. Can Apple safeguard margins without alienating too many customers?That question is important, because Apple’s most recent official figures indicate a corporation still running from strength. Apple reported revenue of $111.2 billion for the fiscal second quarter, up 17% year-over-year, and diluted profits per share of $2.01, up 22%. The company also said iPhone revenue set a March-quarter record, while services revenue reached an all-time high.Related: Nvidia and Apple may solve AI investors’ biggest worryThat leaves room for Apple. It raises expectations, too.Investors are not only interested in Apple selling more iPhones. They want Apple to sell to them profitably while maintaining consumers in its ecosystem and using services, wearables, and subscriptions to grow lifetime customer value.It’s why a standard iPhone demand rumor is more interesting than it seems.Price sensitivity may be more evident in the basic iPhone than in the Pro series. The consumer who buys the most costly model may be more willing to accept a price increase. The customer buying the ordinary model may be less likely to delay an upgrade, purchase an older model, or wait for discounts.If higher hardware costs compel Apple to raise pricing across the board, the regular iPhone becomes the actual test of elasticity.AI spending is creating a consumer-hardware problemThe cost pressure is not happening in isolation. The AI buildout has produced a massive demand for memory and storage, particularly as data centers compete for high-value components. The boom in demand for AI has caused global memory scarcity, Reuters reports, with analysts pointing to dramatic hikes in average costs of DRAM and NAND.That’s important because Apple is on the other side of that supply chain.The company doesn’t sell AI servers. It sells phones, Macs, iPads, and accessories that still require memory and storage. AI infrastructure buyers bid fiercely for components, which may lead to higher input prices for consumer-device producers.More Apple:Apple just billed you for the AI buildout you never asked forApple’s gamble just exposed the AI bubble’s fatal flawBank of America resets Apple stock forecast after Siri AI shiftOverall, tech companies are facing higher component costs, according to MacRumors, and Apple has already hiked pricing across numerous product categories, but not yet on iPhones. MacRumors added that Apple is generally expected to use the iPhone 18 Pro unveiling as an opportunity to boost pricing throughout its smartphone portfolio. That is the genuine story of an investment, such that AI might be a stealth tax on Apple’s hardware business.For Nvidia (NVDA), memory demand can support pricing and growth. For Apple, the same trend could pose a margin challenge if the company is unable to pass costs on to consumers. That makes Apple’s brand strength especially essential. If customers accept increased iPhone costs, Apple can maintain profitability. If they push back, Apple may be forced to count more heavily on mix change, services growth, and buybacks to keep the profitability narrative going.

Apple faces a quieter threat from the AI boom.Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

Apple may push buyers toward higher-margin modelsApple has a familiar way of dealing with this kind of strain.That can make the more costly models look like better value.That’s why the rumored bifurcation between the regular iPhone and future Pro models is so significant. If the base model is burdened by component inflation, Apple may have an incentive to direct more buyers into higher-end smartphones with higher margins and more clear upgrade rationales.The tactic would fit into Apple’s broader strategy.Apple doesn’t require every customer to buy the cheapest new iPhone. It profits when users move up the line, increase storage, subscribe to services, buy AppleCare, use iCloud, and stay within the ecosystem.That’s why the iPhone price is not only a hardware issue. It also impacts service expansion, timing of upgrades, client retention, and average selling prices.Key takeaways for Apple investorsA MacRumors report says Apple may have cut demand expectations for the standard iPhone 17, though the claim is unverified.The bigger issue is rising hardware costs tied partly to AI-driven demand for memory and storage.Apple’s latest official quarter showed strong momentum, including record March-quarter iPhone revenue and all-time-high services revenue.The standard iPhone may be more sensitive to price hikes than Pro models.Investors should watch whether Apple can raise prices without slowing upgrades.The next iPhone cycle may become a test of Apple’s pricing power, not just product demand.Those points indicate a more complex danger: Apple’s brand is strong, but not infinitely strong.The business trained users to spend more on better cameras, longer battery life, greater storage, and tighter integration across devices. But a wide price increase due to component inflation is distinct from a price increase tied to a clear product jump.That’s where Apple’s next launch fits in. Investors may regard the move as margin protection if Apple can couple higher prices with enough product improvement. Demand questions could get louder if rising prices come without a convincing upgrade case.Apple’s next iPhone cycle is a margin testThe MacRumors story is insufficient to indicate a problem with iPhone demand, but it is enough to explain why investors should watch Apple’s next pricing move intently.Apple came into the period with a huge financial tailwind. Revenue reached double digits in the March quarter, EPS grew faster than sales, and the business announced an additional $100 billion stock repurchase program, according to Apple Insider.That offers Apple some support.But the market already understands Apple is a terrific business. The more difficult question is whether the iPhone can maintain its ability to command premium prices in a future in which AI infrastructure investment is boosting the cost of consumer hardware.That’s the hidden cost of the AI explosion.It doesn’t only show up in data-center capex. You see it in the pricing of memory chips, storage, and devices that customers purchase every few years.Apple investors are now viewing the next iPhone cycle in terms of more than just cameras, design, or artificial intelligence technologies. They’re considering whether Apple can make increased costs seem palatable.That might mean the difference between higher hardware costs being a minor annoyance, versus a major threat to the company’s most important product franchise.Related: Broadcom gets $30 billion Apple boost as valuation debate grows

Between its rich cultural history and vibrant food scene as well as an abundance of crystal-blue beaches, the Southeast nation of Thailand is by far one of the most popular travel destinations in Asia and for tourists from countries such as the U.S., the United Kingdom and Canada in particular.With just under 33 million international visitors coming into the country in 2025, Thailand was behind only Malaysia as the most-visited country in Asia. The 30 million visitors who passed through Bangkok in the same year also made the Thai capital the most-visited city in the world in the same year, behind places like Hong Kong, London and Paris.And while the majority of travelers who come to Thailand come and go home with only the most positive experiences, the country has a number of both entry and country-specific laws of which foreign tourists can be unaware of and accidentally run afoul.Thailand changes penalties on tourists caught bringing cannabis buds into the countryIn its latest travel advisory for the country, the U.S. State Department drew attention to a change in Thailand’s border laws reclassifying cannabis buds as a fineable offense.While the previous law differentiated buds from other marijuana products in that they would be simply confiscated by a border guard upon discovery without charge, passed updates to border rules means that any “individuals importing, exporting, or attempting to evade restrictions on cannabis” from June 2026 can be hit with criminal charges.Related: U.S. government issues strange warning on Ireland travelThe penalties for the specific offense include up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 500,000 baht ($15,000 USD). With mistakes in which a traveler might have been unaware of law changes most likely to take place in the first months following implementation, the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada put out similar travel advisories for their citizens on the way to Thailand.”Although Thailand decriminalized possession of cannabis in 2022, it remains illegal to import or export without correct permissions,” the U.S. State Department travel update put out on July 8 reads. “You are subject to local laws when traveling abroad. The U.S. government cannot guarantee your release when you are detained or arrested abroad.”

Thailand made several changes affecting tourists coming into the country in 2026.Shutterstock

Other recent changes to rules for tourists coming to Thailand in 2026The changes to Thailand’s border rules were pushed forward by lawmakers as part of a wider effort to crack down on drug and other types of crime in the country.More Travel News:Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.There is a very cool Irish version of swimming pigs in the BahamasUnexpected country is most luxurious travel destination for 2026Low-cost airline launches easier way to get to Sri LankaAt the start of 2026, the Thai Cabinet has voted in plans to bring down the number of days citizens of most Western countries can stay without a visa from 60 to 30 days after finding that raising this numbers in 2024 led to a spike in Westerners entering as tourists and then launching illegal businesses.In May 2026, regulators on the Thai island of Koh Samui have revoked the licenses of four travel agencies that were run by Westerners with no right to run a business in Thailand by using a local “Thai nominee” registered on their behalf.Related: A new travel advisory targets World Cup travel

Costco has built its reputation on a simple premise — offer members high-quality products at competitive prices. From groceries to household goods to its popular private-label Kirkland Signature line, Costco’s success depends heavily on consumer trust. Shoppers often buy in bulk because they believe Costco has already done the work of carefully selecting products that meet certain standards. That makes product selection one of the company’s most important responsibilities. A mistake involving a single item could garner outsized attention because Costco members expect quality. A recent lawsuit involving protein powder highlights why Costco is typically cautious about the products it places on its shelves. Though it would be premature to say that Costco risks losing members over a single legal battle and product issue, it highlights the risks the company faces when a popular item becomes the subject of safety concerns.Costco faces lawsuit over protein powderCostco is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that it sold Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder that contained undisclosed levels of heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, and arsenic.The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, claims Costco failed to warn consumers about the ingredients. Worse yet, the product was marketed as “high quality, clean, and nutritious,” which some say is deceptive. Related: Costco members voice a surprising complaint”As a major national retailer with sophisticated supply-chain management and quality control processes, Costco knew or should have known about the heavy metals,” the lawsuit said.The allegations have not been proven in court, and Costco has not publicly commented on the allegations reported in connection with the lawsuit.An Orgain spokesperson said, “While trace amounts of substances that occur in the environment can be present in plant-based ingredients, our products comply with applicable food safety standards and guidance,” reported The Guardian.

Costco requires a membership to shop in its warehouses.Shutterstock

Product quality issues are rare for Costco but problematicCostco has spent decades building loyalty through its membership model, curated product selection, and emphasis on value. And the retail giant’s ability to quickly remove or address problematic products has historically been an important part of maintaining customer confidence.Still, Costco works to avoid quality issues in the first place whenever possible. The company’s business depends on members believing that the items available in its warehouses have already passed a careful review process. A challenge involving a food or related product can create questions about how suppliers are evaluated and monitored.Furthermore, while the protein powder involved in the lawsuit is an Orgain product rather than a Kirkland Signature item, the controversy still matters because a big part of Costco’s success is its store brand’s reputation.If customers can’t trust the products Costco brings in, that could trickle down to the Kirkland name, too.More Retail:Costco sees major shift in member behaviorRetail chain shuts all locations as legal changes hit industryCostco makes major investment in online shopping for membersOf course, a single incident like this is unlikely to undo years of trust-building on Costco’s part. But if anything, this shows why Costco’s limited inventory model is so crucial.Unlike most grocery stores, which can easily carry 30,000 or more SKUs (stock-keeping units), Costco typically limits its SKUs to about 4,000. This allows the company to have a better eye on quality.That doesn’t mean Costco won’t have the occasional slipup. But it proves that Costco is smart to focus on quality over product quantity. Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco.Related: Costco makes big investment to keep members coming back

When Target CEO Michael Fiddelke took over the struggling company in February, he faced a daunting task. Not only did he have to reverse a sales slide, but the new boss also had to change how consumers saw the brand.Conservative shoppers viewed the brand as “woke” because of its DEI policies, bathroom rules, and Pride merchandise. Liberal shoppers watched Target abandon some of those things, leaving the company to anger customers on both ends of the political spectrum.That wasn’t the chain’s biggest problem, according to GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders. He believes Target’s lackluster sales had more to do with failing on execution than being caught up in cultural issues like DEI.“As important as that matter is, and as much as it does have some impact, it has never been the main issue,” Saunders wrote, according to the Associated Press.Sujeet Naik, an analyst at Coresight, did an interview with TheStreet looking at the changes Target has made and where the company stands now. Target needed to make changesTheStreet: Was Target really struggling as badly as it was portrayed?Sujeet Naik: I would say no. Headlines were exaggerated, but Target is not facing any existential crisis. It just lost momentum over the past few years while Walmart and Amazon kept widening their advantages.Sales slowed, traffic weakened, shoppers questioned its value proposition, and the company became caught up in political debates that distracted from the business. At the same time, execution slipped as many customers increasingly complained about out-of-stocks, messy stores and inconsistent shopping experiences.The encouraging part is that consumers haven’t abandoned Target. In our Back-to-School survey, it remains the second most popular destination after Walmart, narrowly ahead of Amazon. That tells me the brand still has meaningful equity. The challenge isn’t getting consumers to know Target, but it is giving them a compelling reason to choose it more often.TheStreet: Will the chain be able to reset as a non-political brand, and is that even the right choice?Naik: I am not convinced this is fundamentally a political story anymore. Politics certainlydamaged Target because it upset consumers on multiple sides, but I don’t thinkshoppers wake up asking whether Target is political. They ask whether it offers good prices, whether the shelves are stocked, and whether shopping there feels easy. The bigger issue is that Target lost clarity around what made it different. Walmart owns value. Amazon owns convenience. For years, Target owned affordable styleand discovery, better known as the “Tarzhay” experience. That positioning became blurred. The retailer now needs to rebuild a clear retail identity rather than simply trying to become less political.TheStreet: What does the back-to-school season mean for the chain? Naik: Back-to-school is one of the most important moments of the year for Target becauseit combines almost everything the company does well: apparel, school supplies, accessories, home, beauty, and convenience. This year’s back-to-school season is especially important because consumers are cautious, but they are still spending. Our research estimates U.S. back-to-school spending will reach $36.1 billion in 2026, up 5.9% year over year. More Target:Ulta Beauty is leaving Target, here’s what’s replacing itTarget adds an unexpected big brand partnerTarget brings back iconic partnership after 17-year shutdownHowever, shoppers are becoming much more deliberate about where they spend. That plays into Target’s strengths. More than four in five BTS shoppers plan to shop in-store, which highlights the importance of physical stores for discovery, immediate needs and seeing products before buying. Target also benefits because back-to-school is a category where Amazon is not automatically the winner. Back-to-school is more store-driven. Parents often need to check sizes, match school lists, and make last-minute purchases, things that favor Walmart and Target stores.TheStreet: Has the new CEO made an impact?Naik: It’s still early, so I would separate direction from results. Michael Fiddelke has been saying the right things. He’s acknowledged that Target lost shoppers’ trust, and his priorities on better merchandising, cleaner stores, improved execution, and investing in the shopping experience address many of the company’s actual weaknesses. First quarter 2026 sales and traffic have been strong, but I don’t think we have yet seen enough evidence to say the turnaround has been achieved.The real test starts now. Back-to-school is the first major opportunity for Target to show that stores are easier to shop, products are consistently available, and the company has rediscovered what made customers choose Target over Walmart or Amazon in the first place. If those improvements show up consistently during back-to-school and continue into the holiday season, then we will be able to say the new leadership is making a meaningful difference. Right now, I would describe the turnaround as promising, but still very much in the execution stage.

Target has returned to sales growth. Schwemmer/Shutterstock

Target had a strong first quarterFirst-quarter financial results were stronger than expected, providing encouraging early signs that our clarified strategy is resonating with our guests and driving broad-based growth across our business,” said Fiddelke in the Q1 earnings release.First-quarter net sales grew 6.7% over last year.Comparable traffic grew 4.4% compared with Q1 2025. Net sales in all six core merchandising categories were higher than a year ago.Digital comparable sales grew 8.9%, led by more than 27% growth in same-day delivery.The CEO made it clear during the chain’s Q1 earnings call that he’s happy with the results, but not satisfied.”… A single good quarter has never been our goal,” Fiddelke said. “Our goal is consistent long-term growth. So while we’re very encouraged by our Q1 results, what you’ll hear from me and the team today is our focus on continuing the work to reach our full potential as a company.”Target needed a resetAs a frequent Target shopper with more than 30 years experience in covering retail, I never really believed that the woke controversies were the biggest issue facing the brand. Instead, I strongly felt the retailer had let its merchandise go a little stale, while delivering a less-than-friendly in-store experience with long checkout waits.That’s something I discussed with RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino.”You are spot on about the culture wars with Starbucks and Target being similar. In fact, having been running online media companies and social media for 30 years, there are countless places which reflect the fickleness of the public,” he wrote. Those controversies, he noted, were not what was causing Target’s sales struggles. “People have a culture wars type moment and that changes quickly. Besides Starbucks, one can think of dozens of examples where we had this social media outrage and then the public gets over it pretty quickly,” he added.Target, Miserandino shared, has been correcting its core operational problems. “But more importantly, the 2026 numbers are showing this growth turnaround,” he shared.Saunders thinks that Target has made progress, but that work remains.”I do not, for one moment, believe that everything has been fixed at Target. And, to be fair, nor does Target’s management. But there has been a change in tone and focus, and there is a determination to get to grips with the issues,” he wrote on his Linkedin page. He cited a number of meaningful changes the company has made. Target is now showing up better, albeit in a patchy way, Saunders noted. But initiatives like a focus on trading cards and collectibles, showcasing food better, injecting more fashion in the shape of edited capsules, and so forth, all helped to drive custom and spend.Related: Dollar General offers retro prices

Bloom Energy has been one of the hottest stocks on Wall Street this year. The stock is up over 800% in the last 12 months and 1,300% in the past three years. The remarkable run has turned the fuel cell maker into one of the biggest AI infrastructure stories in the market.Despite its outsized gains, the clean energy stock is down 30% from its all-time highs, making it a buy-the-dip opportunity, according to a leading investment bank. Let’s see why. The bull case for Bloom Energy stockBloom Energy (BE) makes solid oxide fuel cell systems that generate power on-site without requiring a connection to the local electric grid. Its “Energy Servers” power AI data centers, which need massive, reliable electricity supplies quickly.During the company’s first-quarter 2026 earnings call, CEO K.R. Sridhar said Bloom is becoming the “standard and go to choice for on site power” for AI data centers. More Bank Stock Resets:Bank of America resets Micron stock price target after earningsMorgan Stanley resets Micron stock price target on strong AI demandJPMorgan resets Broadcom stock price targetHe pointed to a new partnership with Oracle for the Project Jupiter AI data center campus in New Mexico, a deal that could reach up to 2.45 gigawatts and will rely entirely on Bloom equipment instead of gas turbines or diesel backup generators.Sridhar also said more than half of Bloom’s current data center backlog comes from other hyperscalers, neoclouds, and colocation providers beyond Oracle.The numbers back up that momentum. Bloom posted first-quarter revenue of $751.1 million, up 130.4% from a year earlier, its first-ever quarter of triple-digit percentage growth as a public company. The company also raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $3.4 billion-$3.8 billion, up from a prior forecast of $3.1 billion-$3.3 billion.

Bloom Energy CEO KR Sridhar is bullish on AI growth.Bloomberg/Getty Images

UBS raises its price targetUBS raised its price target for Bloom Energy to $350 from $322 while maintaining its buy rating on the stock. The move followed news that Bloom and investment giant Brookfield expanded their partnership from $5 billion to $25 billion, a fivefold jump from the deal first announced in October 2025.UBS analyst Manav Gupta said the two companies “continue to advance a new model for AI factories that integrates power, compute, data center infrastructure, and capital from the outset.”
Source: Investing.com
The expanded funding is tied to Brookfield’s AI Infrastructure Fund, which launched in November 2025 with a goal of deploying $100 billion. Related: JPMorgan resets Bloom Energy stock price target”Today’s commitment reflects the momentum we are seeing in the market, as evidenced by recently announced large-scale deals,” Bloom’s Chief Commercial Officer Aman Joshi said. “Bloom is uniquely positioned to address the urgent need for clean, reliable power to support the rapid growth of AI.”Brookfield Head of AI Infrastructure Sikander Rashid said scaling the partnership strengthens the firm’s ability to deliver “end to end solutions, from electrons to tokens” for major customers, the statement confirmed.Wells Fargo kept an equal weight rating on Bloom Energy. Oppenheimer maintained a perform rating.BMO Capital reiterated a market perform rating. 
Source: Investing.com
Is Bloom Energy stock undervalued?According to Tikr.com data, analysts tracking Bloom Energy stock forecast revenue to increase from $2 billion in 2025 to $14 billion in 2030. In this period, free cash flow is projected to improve from $57 million to $4.77 billion. If Bloom Energy stock is priced at 40x forward FCF, which is reasonable given its growth estimates, it could almost triple within the next four years. Of the 19 analysts covering Bloom Energy stock, 9 recommend “buy,” and 10 recommend “hold.” The average BE stock price target is $287, 17% above the current price of $245. Bloom has real contracts, record revenue growth, and a fast-growing backlog of AI data center customers. Bloom’s own research points to a bigger trend fueling the story.The company’s mid-year Data Center Power Report found 61% of developers plan to bring their own power if the grid can’t keep up with demand, and inference now makes up more than half of all AI compute. That suggests the need for fast, on-site power isn’t going away anytime soon, no matter what the stock does in the short term.Related: Bloom Energy’s $25B partnership targets AI’s next bottleneck

PepsiCo spent February cutting prices. Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, and Tostitos are all down 15%. The company needed American shoppers to start buying snacks again, and cheaper prices seemed like the obvious way to get them back.It didn’t really work. And when CEO Ramon Laguarta got on the Q2 earnings call on July 9, he had a pretty specific explanation for why. It wasn’t the prices. It was the gas pump.What PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said about gas prices, consumer spending”I think the consumer is worse than what we had anticipated, and it’s driven mainly by gas prices,” Laguarta told analysts, CNBC confirmed.Gas hit a four-year high of $4.56 a gallon in late May because of the oil disruptions from the U.S.-Iran conflict, according to Yahoo Finance. People filling up their tanks were spending a lot more than usual. And when that happens, the $4 bag of Doritos starts to feel like something you can skip.North American food volumes were flat in the quarter. Beverage volumes in North America fell 4%. The price cuts didn’t move the needle.More Oil & Gas:Chevron CFO reveals why gas prices are stuckJPMorgan resets oil price target for rest of 2026Goldman Sachs sees an oil glut coming, but don’t expect much relief at the pumpLaguarta was specific about where it hurt most. “Probably some channels, more the impulse channels, have been impacted, where there is more of a correlation with the price of gas,” he said. “Certain convenience stores… we’re seeing a slowdown of the conversion of traffic into purchases.”Why gas prices cut into convenience-storesnack and beverage sales Here’s how that actually works. Someone pulls into a gas station to fill up. While they’re there, they used to grab a Gatorade or a bag of chips. That’s an impulse buy. Nobody plans it. It just happens when you feel like you have a few bucks to spare.When gas is expensive, that feeling goes away. People are still stopping at gas stations. They’re just filling up and leaving. PepsiCo sells a huge amount of product through exactly these locations, so when the grab-and-go behavior stops, it shows up right away in their numbers.CFO Steve Schmitt put it plainly. “We need to see some improvement in the convenience and gas channel, and hopefully we’ll get some tailwinds from gas prices to do that,” he said on the call, according to CNBC.The company is essentially waiting for gas to get cheaper before it expects things to turn around at home. That’s a pretty candid admission from a company that just cut prices across its biggest snack brands and still didn’t see the recovery it had hoped for.PepsiCo North America snack, beverage volumes fall while growing internationallyThe split in PepsiCo’s results this quarter was pretty stark. Overseas, things are going well. Global food volumes were up 3%, beverage volumes up 2%, the strongest growth since 2022. Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa are all showing gains.In the U.S., the opposite is happening. North American organic revenue fell about 0.5%. Even the zero-sugar products, Pepsi Zero Sugar and Mountain Dew Zero Sugar, which had been doing well, weren’t enough to offset the broader domestic weakness.”Our North America business was softer than we anticipated in the second quarter, and we now expect a more gradual improvement in performance trends for the balance of this year,” Schmitt said, as CNBC reported.PepsiCo held its full-year guidance. Still expecting organic revenue growth of 2% to 4% and core constant currency EPS growth of 4% to 6%. The company is leaning on its international business and internal cost savings to get there while North America recovers, whenever that happens.

PepsiCo is essentially waiting for gas to get cheaper before it expects things to turn around at home.Patrick/Getty Images

What analysts say about PepsiCo after consumer spending warningRBC Capital Markets analyst Nik Modi wasn’t buying the recovery story. “While there have been some signs of progress, rate of improvement has stalled given the inflationary pressures, challenging consumer’s value equations,” he wrote in a note cited by Transport Topics. He also said PepsiCo would likely keep losing beverage share to Coca-Cola and Keurig Dr Pepper.Activist investor Elliott Investment Management has been pushing PepsiCo to cut prices further on some products and bring in cheaper pack sizes. The February cuts were already a significant move. Cutting prices 15% on flagship brands and still not getting volume back raises questions about whether price is even the main problem right now.When gas is taking a bigger piece of the household budget, people aren’t doing the math on whether Doritos are worth $3.50 versus $4.00. They’re just buying less of everything that isn’t essential. That’s a tougher environment for price cuts to fix.What PepsiCo’s warning says about American consumer spending right nowPepsiCo moves product through every major retail format in the country, at every price point, selling to essentially every income group. The data Laguarta is drawing on when he says the consumer is worse than anticipated is real transaction data from millions of purchases across thousands of locations.The convenience-store and gas-channel slowdown is a pretty good read on how people feel day-to-day. These are $3 and $4 decisions made on instinct. When people stop making them, it usually means they’re watching every dollar pretty carefully.Gas prices have started coming off their late May peak. If that continues into the summer, PepsiCo’s domestic picture should improve. If it doesn’t, the gradual recovery Schmitt described gets pushed out further, and what PepsiCo is seeing in its numbers right now may serve as a preview of what many other consumer-facing companies report when their own Q2 calls come around.Related: As consumers struggle, Costco sets a troubling record

Following an August 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump, the Department of Labor proposed a rule on March 30, 2026, creating a safe harbor for plan fiduciaries who add private equity, private credit, and other alternative assets to 401(k) lineups. The change could affect more than 90 million Americans in defined-contribution plans, the agency confirmed.The real exposure is likely to arrive in target-date funds, the all-in-one portfolios that automatically shift your asset mix as you age, and a slice of your paycheck could flow into opaque, illiquid holdings without you making a single active choice.Private equity returns have trailed the S&P 500 across multiple time horizonsThe central argument for adding private equity to retirement accounts is that it delivers superior long-term returns that justify its higher costs. Recent data from Pestakeholder, however, challenge that premise with private market funds returning roughly 7.08% in 2024 compared with 25.02% for the S&P 500. Over the period from 2022 through the third quarter of 2025, an MSCI index of U.S. private equity funds delivered an annualized return of just 5.8%, compared with 11.6% for the S&P 500.Alicia Munnell, founding director and current senior adviser at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, warns private equity’s opacity introduces avoidable risk into retirement portfolios.Private equity is not a transparent investment…It adds unnecessary risk to retirement savingResearchers at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College examined whether private equity allocations improved outcomes for state and local pension plans between 2001 and 2022. Those plans produced a long-term annualized return of roughly 6%, nearly identical to a simple 60-40 stock-and-bond portfolio, the center’s 2024 study concluded.Fees that could quietly erode your 401(k) balanceThe average expense ratio for equity mutual funds stood at 0.40% at the end of 2025, while index equity exchange-traded funds averaged 0.14%, according to the Investment Company Institute.Retail-oriented private equity evergreen funds charged a median expense ratio of 3.76%, excluding sales charges that can add an additional 5%, the Private Equity Stakeholder Project found.More Retirement:Dave Ramsey raises red flag on major IRA, Roth IRA decisionSocial Security’s $30 trillion hole sparks tax debateIRS raises 401(k) limits but most workers lag behindThat figure is 130 times higher than a Vanguard S&P 500 ETF charging 0.03% annually, the organization noted. Over a 30-year career, even a one-percentage-point increase in annual fees can reduce a retirement balance by six figures. One academic study estimated that investors pay between $0.05 and $0.26 in fees for every dollar committed to a private market fund, producing an annualized fee drag of 5% to 8% of gross returns, the Financial Analysts Journal reported.

High investment fees can quietly shrink your 401(k), leaving you with significantly less money by the time you retire.Miljan Živković/Getty Images

Illiquidity and opaque valuations add layers of risk for workersPrivate equity investments typically lock up capital for five to seven years, according to Pitchbook data. More than a third of workers have taken a loan or early withdrawal from a 401(k) or similar plan, Transamerica Institute’s 2025 survey found, and private equity holdings could create complications that do not exist with publicly traded funds.Unlike publicly traded stocks priced continuously through real transactions, private equity holdings are valued periodically based on fund manager estimates. That system can mask true losses for months, creating a portfolio that appears stable on paper while its underlying holdings deteriorate.Robert Morris, founder of private equity firm Olympus Partners, warned that allowing 401(k) plans to invest in private markets “bodes to be the successor to the 2008 mortgage crisis,” cautioning that retail investors would assume substantial risk for returns unlikely to exceed a basic equity index fund.Why the private equity industry wants access to your retirement accountThe industry is sitting on a backlog of roughly 32,000 unsold portfolio companies valued at about $3.8 trillion, according to Bain & Co.’s 2026 Global Private Equity Report.Global fundraising fell by 35% in the first quarter of 2025, Bloomberg reported, and major university endowments, including Yale and Harvard, explored selling private equity stakes at discounts to net asset value.”The push for private assets into retirement plans is entirely supply-driven,” George Webb, chief executive of Pension & Wealth Management Advisors, told Bloomberg.Americans for Financial Reform described the effort as a search for new capital to replace institutional investors that the industry is steadily losing.Workers’ defined contribution accounts represent a $14 trillion pool that grows automatically with every paycheck, according to Investment Company Institute data. For an industry facing declining fundraising and growing skepticism, that captive stream offers a lifeline no voluntary investor pool can replicate.What the proposed DOL safe harbor means for 401(k) saversJessica Sclafani, global retirement strategist at T. Rowe Price, cautioned during the firm’s 2026 outlook briefing that “any private asset allocation must earn its place in the portfolio by offering unique net-of-fee investment benefits.” The DOL’s proposed rule, however, would shield employers from liability even if they select the most expensive option considered, Americans for Financial Reform warned.Almost half of American households have no retirement account savings at all, and the median balance for those in the bottom three income groups was under $40,000 in 2022, Federal Reserve data showed. Munnell and Americans for Financial Reform argue that lower-balance savers are least equipped to absorb higher fees or the multi-year lockups that come with private-market holdings. Adding private equity to 401(k) plans without stronger evidence of net-of-fee benefits, they contend, could compound the challenges those workers already face.Related: How to Tap Your 401(k) at 55 Without a Penalty