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Why we love this deal

It’s no secret that Labor Day offers some of the best discounts of the year on big-ticket items, with deals comparable to only those of Black Friday. Generally, we think about snagging savings on furniture, appliances, and premium fashion during this holiday sales event, but with Walmart’s Beauty Event, happening now until Friday, September 4, it’s also the perfect time to stock up on high-end hair tools from Dyson, dermatologist-approved skincare, and luxury fragrances for less.

One of our favorite deals is on the bestselling and highly rated Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Summer Vibes Eau de Toilette, which is currently 49% off at Walmart. Instead of paying the regular price of $70, you can score the generous 3.3-ounce bottle for just $36. This limited-edition release is no longer in production, so once it sells out, this beloved floral and woody fragrance with notes of bergamot, peach, and cedar will be gone forever. 

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Summer Vibes Eau de Toilette, $36 (was $70) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

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Why do shoppers love it?

Over 800 shoppers have given this designer perfume a perfect five-star rating. One shopper called it, “The most beautiful-smelling perfume ever.” The eau de toilette was designed by French perfumer Olivier Cresp, the nose behind many iconic scents. The lightweight fragrance is said to capture the feeling of a romantic escape to an Italian coast by blending the fresh notes of Calabrian bergamot with sweet, ripe peaches and a soothing woody base. The earlier reviewer continued to rave, “It smells so expensive, and it lasts long. I get so many compliments — it’s such a beautiful fragrance.”

Related: Walmart has a 18-karat white gold tennis bracelet for 88% off

The light and airy scent is perfect for wearing to the office, dinner with friends, or whenever you want to feel fancy, even if that’s just running to the post office. As one shopper explained, “It’s not overpowering, just a beautiful scent.” You’ll want this scent in your collection, and not just because of its fantastic fragrance. It comes in a beautiful glass bottle that you’ll want to display on your shelf. The classic majolica print gives a nod to the Italian seaside with a rich Capri blue reminiscent of the Blue Grotto waters. The same reviewer praised the design: “The bottle is a work of art.”

Details to know 

Size: 3.3 ounces.

Fragrance type: Eau de toilette.

Notes: Bergamot, peach, and cedar.

Average shopper rating: 4.5 out of five stars.

This specific formula is designed for women, but the Light Blue Summer Vibes was also released in a men’s version. The Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme Summer Vibes comes in a slightly larger 4.2-ounce bottle, available for $42 at Walmart.

Shop more deals

Dolce & Gabbana The One Eau De Parfum Spray, $55 (was $75) at Walmart

Versace Bright Crystal Eau De Toilette, $47 (was $76) at Walmart

London by Burberry Eau De Parfum, $34 (was $53) at Walmart

Take advantage of Walmart’s Beauty Event deals by adding the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Summer Vibes Eau de Toilette to your shopping cart while it’s on sale for just $36. Once this fragrance sells out, it will be gone for good, so don’t miss your chance to make it part of your collection. 

The American economy is growing, but the footing looks a lot less comfortable.  

GDP expanded at a 1.5% annualized pace in Q2, down from 2.1% in Q1, while July payrolls dropped by 23,000 and unemployment held near 4.1%, as reported by CNBC.

Yet private domestic demand jumped to 4.2%, as reported by Investing.com, suggesting that the engine hasn’t stalled. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon argues a bigger story is developing beneath these mixed signals.

Consumers are at the heart of that dichotomy.

Personal income increased by 0.4% in July, but real spending was mostly flat, the saving rate tanked to 3%, and retail sales fell 0.6%. Inflation also remains sticky, with the PCE index running at 3.7% above last year, as reported by Reuters.

Then we have the enormous AI investment cycle. Companies continue to borrow heavily for funding infrastructure, raising questions about whether the boom might eventually create a credit problem or lead to a painful reset.

Solomon’s remains unexpectedly constructive. 

In a CNBC interview, he talked about how he sees enough strength beneath the surface to look past the current risks.

His more striking argument is that a familiar technology might unleash an “extraordinary” productivity boom that could potentially revamp America’s long-term growth potential. 

Why Solomon sees a stronger U.S. economy beneath the noise

Solomon argues that even though the current headwinds might slow down the economy, he doesn’t believe they have broken its engine.

That distinction effectively shapes how he interprets every major risk ahead. 

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“Generally speaking, you know, the consumer is still pretty resilient,” Solomon said. “The economy is performing well.” 

It’s important to note that consumer spending remains the biggest source of U.S. activity. If households continue spending while labor conditions cool off, the economy could absorb weaker patches without tipping into a contraction.

The second pillar is the investment cycle.

Solomon pointed to an “enormous investment cycle” contributing to growth and activity, a nod to the heavy spending surrounding AI, data centers, and related infrastructure. According to him, the capital buildout is supporting demand today, even before the promised productivity gains arrive.

Corporate earnings reinforce the argument.

Solomon called the numbers coming in as “extraordinary,” describing it as “a big tailwind for the market and for the economy.” Rising profits offer businesses greater capacity to invest, hire, service debt, and absorb higher borrowing costs.

The broader data support that argument. 

U.S. corporate profits from current production shot up by $400.9 billion in Q2, which is more than five times the $74.4 billion increase recorded in Q1.

Moreover, FactSet’s latest analysis showed that the Magnificent 7 stocks delivered 118.5% earnings growth in Q2, while the other 493 S&P 500 companies posted blended growth of 31.8%, their strongest pace since late 2021. 

Nevertheless, Solomon didn’t predict a frictionless outlook, either. 

He acknowledged “bumps and headwinds” from the Middle East, arguing that the trade policy and tariffs remain “a headwind to some degree.” Nevertheless, he sees these as obstacles that the economy can efficiently work through.

Perhaps the long-term case is a lot more ambitious. 

As AI moves into enterprises, Solomon forecasts an “extraordinary” productivity boom that could potentially create “a fundamentally higher growth rate.” 

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon believes the current headwinds impacting the economy haven’t broken its engine.Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images

AI productivity boom is showing up, but only in pieces

Solomon’s AI optimism isn’t entirely built on promise. 

We’re seeing some early evidence that the technology is saving time, elevating less-experienced workers and spreading quickly. The bigger question, though, is whether those isolated gains could become an economy-wide acceleration.

The bull case starts with the numbers.

U.S. nonfarm business productivity rose 2.2% year over year in Q2 2026. Since late 2019, it has risen at a 2.1% annualized rate, above the 1.5% pace of the previous business cycle. Though it’s unfair to attribute the lion’s share of that improvement to AI, the timing is consistent with an emerging contribution.

Moreover, workplace evidence is a lot more direct.

St. Louis Fed data showed that 39.2% of employed adults used generative AI at work by Q2, up substantially from 28.2% in Q3 2024. AI-assisted hours increased to 6.3% of total work time, while reported time saved reached 2.2%.

Separately, an NBER field study revealed that AI raised customer-support productivity nearly 14%, with the biggest gains among less-experienced workers.

That said, task-level efficiency still hasn’t produced a visible macroeconomic boom. Productivity rose only 1.4% annualized in Q2, behind its long-run 2.1% pace. Manufacturing productivity grew just 0.5% annually during the current cycle, underscoring that the gains remain concentrated in cognitive services.

Diffusion remains another constraint.

Census data show that just 17% to 20% of U.S. businesses used AI through early May 2026. A Danish study covering 25,000 workers found chatbots saved nearly 3% of time but had no significant effect on earnings or recorded hours.

On top of that, MIT economist Daron Acemoglu estimates that AI might raise total factor productivity by no more than just 0.66% over a decade, or even less than 0.53% if more difficult tasks are considered.

What Solomon’s outlook means for investors 

Solomon’s comments offer investors more reason to stay constructive, but it’s wise not to ignore valuation or execution.

The pillars he talks about can extend the cycle, but a lot of that optimism is priced into years of AI-powered growth. That said, it’s imperative to distinguish between the spending beneficiaries and productivity beneficiaries.

Chipmakers, data-center operators, and power suppliers are monetizing the buildout now. However, it remains critical for their customers to prove that their AI spending will translate into lower costs, higher growth, or wider margins. If those returns emerge, AI could effectively broaden out earnings beyond infrastructure leaders. 

Balance sheets also matter. Solomon feels that there’s little systemic credit risk because many of the largest borrowers generate a ton of cash flow. 

A useful example is Google parent Alphabet (GOOG) stock. Despite a massive $44.9 billion capex in Q2, primarily for AI infrastructure, it generated $185.7 billion in trailing 12-month operating cash flow. It also maintained $242.5 billion in cash and securities, along with $98.2 billion in long-term debt.

That could reduce near-term danger, but it doesn’t eliminate misallocation. Investors need to continue monitoring free cash flow after considering capital spending, debt growth, interest coverage, and whether AI sales can scale more quickly than depreciation and financing costs.

Perhaps the macro signal is productivity. If we see sustained output-per-hour growth over the pre-pandemic trend, it would support higher profits without reigniting inflation, potentially paving the way for strong growth alongside easier monetary policy.

The obvious conclusion is selective optimism. Favor companies already converting AI into measurable sales, margins or customer savings, while treating distant productivity promises cautiously. 

Related: Scott Bessent has surprising answer for U.S. debt fears

A deal potentially worth $120 billion would normally be the kind of announcement investors celebrate.

For Marvell Technology (MRVL), it produced the opposite reaction.

Shares of the chip designer dropped more than 8% to $221.60 in early trading Aug. 28, putting the company on pace to lose more than $17.4 billion in market value.

The company performed well. Management raised its revenue forecast, according to Reuters. Analysts lifted price targets. Marvell has one of the biggest new artificial intelligence opportunities in the semiconductor industry in a custom-chip deal with Alphabet (GOOGL) subsidiary Google.

But Wall Street dumped the shares.

The reason provides a useful lesson for ordinary investors chasing the AI boom: A giant contract is not the same thing as giant revenue today.

The Google opportunity will be much larger in FY 2029, Marvell CEO Matt Murphy said in a post-earnings call. Marvell’s previous guidance through fiscal 2028 also included some of the Google-related revenue.

So investors who had expected the $120 billion headline to immediately translate into dramatically higher forecasts found that part of the payoff is years away.

And when a stock trades at nearly 59 times forward earnings, waiting becomes expensive.

Marvell’s $120B number has a timing problem

Marvell has emerged as one of Wall Street’s biggest beneficiaries of the rush to build custom AI chips.

Big tech companies are increasingly designing their own custom semiconductors to boost performance and cut the enormous costs of AI computing.

Reuters reported that Big Tech’s AI spending is expected to exceed $740 billion this year. That spending surge helped Marvell shares nearly triple in 2026 before the latest selloff. Those gains also altered investors’ expectations for the company.

Exceeding expectations simply wasn’t enough.

The new custom-chip arrangement for Marvell with Google could generate as much as $120 billion in revenue through fiscal 2033, Reuters reported. That sounds like a huge amount compared to Marvell’s current business.

Related: Buffett’s Berkshire is doubling down on Google

But Murphy told investors that the company’s existing custom revenue targets through fiscal 2028 already included some Google revenue.The much bigger contribution is expected to begin in fiscal 2029.

That was the key difference in the post-earnings debate.

Expectations were higher mostly because of the Google deal, Morgan Stanley analysts said, and its contribution was largely already priced into earlier company guidance. Thus, Wall Street wasn’t discovering a whole new $120 billion opportunity after earnings.

Investors were getting additional information about when a known opportunity would actually be reflected on the financial statements.

Marvell is growing fast, but Wall Street wanted faster

The selloff is even more striking considering that Marvell’s underlying growth outlook is not weak at all.

The company expects revenue growth of about 45% for fiscal 2027.

Revenue is projected to reach around $18 billion in fiscal 2028, aided by continued growth in its data-center business.

Those are big numbers for many semiconductor companies. But for Marvell, they ran counter to expectations that had grown even faster than the business itself.

That’s an increasingly important distinction for the AI business.

Investors aren’t asking if AI semiconductor companies will grow anymore. They are asking themselves whether those companies can grow faster than the assumptions already baked into their share prices.

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That is a particularly high bar given the valuation of Marvell.

Marvell was trading at 58.41 times its forward earnings. Competitor Broadcom (AVGO) trades at 32.15x. That means Marvell trades at an earnings multiple some 82% above Broadcom’s forward multiple.

Investors could justify such a premium if they believe Marvell’s future earnings will grow much faster.

But it also allows for less disappointment.

When a stock trades at nearly 60 times earnings, a good quarter can still be a bad day if the next wave of profits is later than investors expected.

Investors can learn something from Marvell’s plunge

The lesson here extends well beyond semiconductor stocks. Suppose a company announces a gigantic contract. The first number investors naturally focus on is the total potential value. With Marvell, that number is up to $120 billion.

But there are several other questions that matter just as much:

How many years will the revenue be spread across?

How much was already included in Wall Street forecasts?

When does the largest contribution actually begin?

What profit margins will the work generate?

How expensive is the stock before the new revenue arrives?

Marvell’s selloff is a case study in what happens when investors pay a lot of attention to the first number and then get less exciting answers to the rest. That’s a far cry from a $120 billion opportunity that extends through fiscal 2033 to $120 billion of incremental revenue coming in over the next several quarters.

And management has now said that the Google business doesn’t become meaningfully more important until fiscal 2029.

That doesn’t necessarily make the opportunity any less valuable for long term holders. But for a market that has nearly tripled Marvell’s stock this year, it alters the timing of the payout.

Analysts still see a far bigger earnings opportunity

What’s remarkable about the selloff is that Wall Street isn’t suddenly giving up on Marvell.

At least eight brokerages raised their price targets after the results, Reuters reported.

The median analyst target increased to $275. That was around a 13.8% gain from Marvell’s previous close.

Melius Research was also bullish on the longer-term opportunity, according to Reuters.

Marvell’s analysts said its custom-chip business, potential business with Microsoft, and further growth in AI connectivity could eventually result in a big expansion of earnings. They wrote, “$20 in EPS power before the end of the decade look[s] realistic.”

That figure offers another way for investors to see why Marvell merits such a lofty valuation.

The market is not necessarily valuing the company on what it makes today. It’s valuing Marvell at what its AI business could look like in a few years. That can lead to explosive gains when expectations rise. Even a slight change in the timeline can also result in violent sell-offs.

Marvell’s $120 billion promise is testing investor patience.Bloomberg / Getty Images

The AI boom has created an expectations problem

A bigger problem is surfacing in the semiconductor industry.

Hundreds of billions of dollars are being invested in AI infrastructure by the big tech companies.

Chip designers relying on that spending are posting huge growth rates. And investors have rewarded some of those businesses with fantastic valuations. But eventually those stocks run into a mathematical problem. The better the story, the more future success is baked into the shares.

Marvell’s stock has more than tripled before falling Friday, according to Reuters. Revenue is expected to increase by 45% in fiscal 2027. It pulls in roughly $18 billion in revenue in fiscal 2028. It has a $120 billion Google opportunity through fiscal 2033.

Those aren’t the numbers of a company that has lost its AI chance. Still, the stock plunged more than 8%. That raises serious concerns for investors about the state of the AI trade. Wall Street increasingly wants growth, and growth sooner than expected.

Marvell’s Google deal may still pay off, just not fast enough for everyone

So it’s the fiscal 2029 timetable that investors might want to pay closer attention to than the $120 billion headline.

If Google’s contribution lives up to Marvell’s expectations, the company may eventually have an excuse to explain much of the optimism already priced into the stock.

Melius Research thinks the Google relationship, Microsoft prospects, and connectivity business could produce roughly $20 in earnings per share by the end of the decade.

This wave of price-target increases shows analysts remain broadly constructive.

But Marvell’s selloff reveals the flipside of owning an expensive AI stock.

A company can win a giant customer. It can raise its forecasts. It can project 45% annual revenue growth.

And Wall Street can still wipe out more than $17 billion of its market value because investors had expected the good news sooner.

Perhaps that’s the most valuable number in Marvell’s earnings story for the average investor.

The company didn’t lose its Google opportunity in a day.

Investors just found out some of the $120 billion future they thought they were buying is further away than they thought.

Related: Ackman just walked away from Google

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Home security is increasingly important in a world where economic uncertainty and global conflict have been on the rise. Regardless of whether you already have security lights or a doorbell camera, there’s no substitute for dedicated home security cameras. What’s more, they’re now often available in solar-powered form, so you don’t even have to worry about finding an outlet or drawing power from your home electrical grid to get that same peace of mind. If you already have solar-powered string lights for your yard, then you know just how convenient it can be to have self-powered devices keeping your yard bright and safe.

Thankfully, Amazon sells some of the best solar-powered security cameras, and they often go on sale. We’re obviously all looking to save a few bucks these days, considering the effects of inflation, job losses, and fuel prices. Not only are Amazon’s sale prices something to behold, but even a number of its regular-priced security cameras could be considered great deals. If you fancy yourself a smart shopper, then the Aosu D1 Classic Dual Security Cameras are probably on your radar. If they weren’t, then they should be.

Aosu D1 Classic Dual Security Cameras

Courtesy of Amazon

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The Aosu D1 Classic Dual Security Cameras are a great way to keep an eye on your entire property right from your smartphone or tablet. This 2-pack of solar-powered cameras includes wireless connectivity, 3-megapixel color night vision, and a multi-view interface on a single screen. What’s more, this model doesn’t require a monthly subscription, unlike many of its competitors. During the daytime, you get standard 2K resolution, so you’re sure to not miss a thing. As an added bonus, each camera has four built-in LED lights for improved nighttime viewing.

Benefits of solar security cameras

There are lots of upsides when it comes to solar security cameras for the home. Easy installation, low-cost operations, and increased security are three of the main advantages. Most solar-powered security cameras operate on a completely wireless model. That means not only do they not require a tether to the wall to connect a power source, but they also use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to connect to your home-based devices and your smartphone. That gives you an incredible amount of freedom for positioning your cameras. Every home is different, so being able to place cameras where you need them most is incredibly convenient.

Because they’re solar-powered, you also won’t have to worry about your cameras using up additional electricity. Electronics have become such a big part of our daily lives that having a device that requires no grid usage whatsoever is a real treat. The last thing any of us wants to do these days is add a few more dollars to our monthly electricity bill. Solar security cameras avoid that problem altogether.

Overall security is vastly improved with the help of these types of cameras. You can have complete control over what areas of your home are visible on camera. Night vision lenses mean that you can see almost as well when your home is at its most vulnerable, which is nighttime. Thanks to the solar-powered design, you don’t even have to be concerned that you’ll miss out on footage if there’s a power outage. The cameras should be able to run 24/7 uninterrupted despite environmental changes.

More solar-powered security cameras

If the Aosu D1 Classic Dual Security Cameras aren’t exactly what you need, then the list below is sure to have something more suitable for you. Amazon’s selection of solar-powered security cameras is second to none in both its variety and affordability. Browse the listings below and put one in your cart that you think will give you the peace of mind that we all deserve when it comes to home security. 

Aosu 3K Solar-Powered Security Camera

Courtesy of Amazon

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Eufy 3K Solo Security Camera

Courtesy of Amazon

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Vivideye Wireless Solar-Powered Security Camera

Courtesy of Amazon

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Reolink 2K Cellular Wireless Security Camera

Courtesy of Amazon

Check price at Amazon

TheStreet Shopping is your guide for shopping insights and advice. We look beyond the price tag to find the best value in home, tech, and wellness gear based on product features and real-world use. Read more about our Editorial Standards and How We Choose Our Shopping Deals.

With the last 30 years of technological advances completely upheaving how people all over the world shop for everything from kitchen appliances to clothes, even discount and outlet stores can have trouble staying in business.

More than 100 years after it was established out of Seattle in 1920, outdoor clothing and recreation gear Eddie Bauer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2026.

British shoe retailer and high street mainstay Russell & Bromley also entered administration proceedings, which is the British equivalent of bankruptcy for a business, with total debts of more than £59 million ($79 million USD) in January 2026 and has since closed more than 40 stores all over the country.

Leading Labels shuttering 15 stores, launches liquidation sales

Launched in 1993 out of the United Kingdom’s East Midlands region, discounter retailer Leading Labels sold brands like Calvin Klein, Wrangler and Crew Clothing at different outlets malls across the country. While operating a peak of 30 stores several years ago, Leading Labels is now preparing to close the remaining 15 after entering administration in May 2026.

The Companies House, the government agency in charge of incorporating and dissolving businesses in the UK, issued Leading Labels a notice saying that the company would be “struck off the register and dissolved not less than two months from the date shown above” back in March 2026. It had, according to published records, outstanding debts that were overdue since November 2026. A few of the overdue accounts date back to 2024.

Related: U.K. and Ireland crack down on some entry rules for travelers

Jeremy Bleazard of West Yorkshire-based XL Business Solutions Limited was appointed liquidator on May 26, according to local news outlet The Gazette.

With no change in the company’s financial status since then, the remaining operating Leading Labels stores are now in the middle of liquidation sales to sell off any remaining inventory. Some of the locations include stores in Carlisle, Norwich, Evesham and Ipswich. Stores are shuttered for good on a rolling basis as each runs out of stock.

Leading Labels was a British outlet store chain that operated since 1993.Leading Labels

“Discounts typically deepen as a liquidation progresses and stock thins out”

 “Discounts typically deepen as a liquidation progresses and stock thins out, so ranges, sizes and the best-known brands sell through quickly,” a website established to advertize the sales reads. Once a store’s stock is gone, that branch closes for good.”

The full list of inventory that can still be purchased is also available on the chain’s online website; while liquidation sales are usually done exclusively through physical stores, Leading Labels has also been selling off remaining items online.

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The company has not commented on its financial situation or what has led to its liquidation. Leading Labels had a loyal customer base built over several decades but, as with many outlet chains in the 2020s, lost the cost-cutting edge as rising operational costs and high inflation led to many periodically raising prices to a point that stopped making them competitive.

Other outlet brands that shuttered large numbers of stores since the start of 2026 include, in the U.S., Grocery Outlet and Saks Off Fifth.

Related: Global fashion giant closes 21 stores, exits key market

The good times for stock market investors may soon be over, at least for now, according to Helene Meisler, a technical analyst who studied in the 1980s under legendary technician Justin Mamis and later worked at Goldman Sachs.

Meisler has studied the markets for over 40 years, helping professional money managers better understand the markets’ inevitable machinations. In Meisler’s latest alert, she highlights a short-term signal that stock market traders ought not ignore.

The CBOE volatility index, or VIX, has fallen into complacency, a signal that investors may have gotten too comfortable with the S&P 500’s relentless rise from its summer low. The VIX’s daily sentiment index, or DSI, has touched the mid-teens, a yellow flag in Meisler’s view that may signal a short-term sell-off.

Meisler highlights a warning sign lurking in the VIX

Over the years, Meisler has come to rely on various technical indicators to gauge when investors become overly pessimistic, suggesting it’s time to buy, or optimistic, suggesting a good time to lock in some profit.

The VIX is one of those indicators. The volatility index measures how much investors are willing to pay for protection over the coming 30 days based on S&P 500 option prices. If investors are getting antsy, they’re willing to pay more for protection, causing the VIX to rise. If they’re complacent, the VIX drops.

Also read: Morgan Stanley delivers bold pre-earnings verdict on Broadcom

Most of the time, the VIX stays pretty neutral. It only really attracts widespread media and investor attention when it, or measures such as the Daily Sentiment Index, or DSI, reach extremes.

“The Daily Sentiment Indicator (DSI) for the VIX finally broke under 15 and moved to 13. A flashing red light would be a single-digit reading, but I consider a sub-15 reading a flashing yellow light,” wrote Meisler in a post on TheStreet Pro.

Created in 1987 by market analyst Jake Bernstein, the DSI is considered a leading indicator because it measures changes in the futures market to gauge sentiment. When DSI is above 85 or below 15, it often points to an impending top or a bottom.

Bloomberg / Getty Images

Meisler VIX worry gets conviction from other technical indicators

Meisler says a single-digit DSI is a red alarm and an ideal signal for a reversal, suggesting the indicator is signaling risk rather than a guaranteed drop. Everyone, myself included, who has tracked the markets for a few decades, knows there are no guarantees when it comes to calling short-term tops or bottoms.

That said, there is other evidence that stocks may be setting up for a dip, namely the VIX put/call ratio, and the National Association of Active Investment Managers (NAAIM) Survey.

Meisler says that the 21-day moving average of the VIX put/call ratio dipped below 0.40, something that happened as recently as twice in 2024.

“In January 2024, we got a few days of downside as the S&P lost 100 points over the course of four trading days, about two percent. However, in July of 2024, the S&P embarked on a ten percent drawdown,” wrote Meisler.

It’s also telling that the NAAIM Survey shows professional money managers particularly bullish enough to have begun buying stocks on margin, something that can correlate with short-term market tops.

Meisler says the NAAIM index is currently 102.66 (readings above 100 indicate buying on margin), and the last time that happened was July 2024.

What investors should do given the VIX signal

Most investors shouldn’t read too much into the stock market’s short-term pops and drops. Dips are incredibly common, with 5% pullbacks happening in 93% of calendar years since 1980, according to Fidelity. Yet stocks have always eventually rebounded, suggesting that overreacting to short-term fears hasn’t been a profitable decision over time.

However, short-term traders and position traders, who actively manage money, can consider this signal a good reminder to lock in some profits to raise a bit of cash that can be redeployed later.

That could be a savvy move given the old Wall Street adage, “sell Rosh Hashanah, buy Yom Kippur.”

The data suggests only modest declines between the two holidays, making the adage more reflective of seasonal weakness than anything else. Still, we could start to hear more chatter about it soon if the VIX is right that we’re about to see a lift in volatility amid a pullback.

“If that adage is to come to pass, it means we should start to see some weakness in the market in the next week or so,” wrote Meisler.

When a restaurant chain files Chapter 11 bankruptcy or suddenly closes dozens of locations, that tends to be a major news story. Red Lobster and Hooters’ struggles, for example, have been incredibly well documented across the news media, and the internet.

Some chains, however, suffer a slow demise and those situations tend to be off the media radar. Local news covers individual shutdowns, but the overall arc of a chain going from a growth story into a slow death spiral often gets missed.

That’s what has largely happened with Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina, a once-thriving chain

The brand, which closed its location at 722 Pacific Ave. in Glendale, according to KTLA, now has a single Long Beach, California location left.

It’s a long, slow story of decline that has left the chain on the edge of disappearing completely.

Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina has been in steady decline

The Glendale location shared a now-removed Instagram post thanking its customers.

“This place has been more than just a restaurant — it’s been home to so many memories, celebrations, and friendships,” the Instagram post read. “We are beyond grateful for every guest who walked through our doors and became part of our family.”

That shutdown happened a couple of months after two other California locations, Downey and Costa Mesa, shut down with little fanfare.

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Like many chains, Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina’s troubles date back to the 2008 financial crisis, although it had shrunk from its peak of 40 restaurants before that.

“At the time, it was owned by Real Mex Restaurants, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011. That year, Acapulco reduced its footprint from 32 locations to just 18 locations,” according to Orange County Business Journal.

The struggles and slow attrition continued after that.

Mexican food has actually grown its share of the overall market.Shutterstock

Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina hurt by industry woes

Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina has suffered in recent years from the same issues dragging down other chains.

“In an environment where cumulative inflation has driven costs up by nearly a third since 2019, it is virtually impossible for a unit to remain viable after losing 30% or more of its peak sales,” Victor Fernandez, Black Box Intelligence vice president of insights and knowledge told Restaurant Dive. “For the 3% of Full-Service restaurants that have seen sales drop by more than 50%, the question for 2026 isn’t if they will close, but when.”

Fernandez wasn’t specifically addressing Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina, but the chain has lost locations steadily since its heyday.

Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina: A closure timeline

1960: Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina opened its first location in Pasadena, California, according to an SEC filing.

2003: Acapulco had 39 restaurants, making it the third-largest full-service casual Mexican restaurant chain in California, the chain shared in an SEC filing.

2004: Acapulco had 40 locations, including 39 in California and one in Oregon, according to an SEC filing.

2011: Real Mex Restaurants, Acapulco’s parent company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Acapulco subsequently went through a major footprint reduction, according to Orange County Business Journal.

2026: Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina had fallen to just one remaining location, compared with nearly 40 restaurants at its peak reported Inc.

Mexican remains a popular category

While competition has been intense, Mexican restaurants have grown their overall market share from 6.1% in 2015 to 7.7% in 2025, according to an analysis of Technomic data.

In addition, McKinsey’s “What US consumers want from restaurants in 2026” shows that Mexican restaurants offer consumers the value that they’re looking for in the current economy.

“One bright spot among limited-service restaurants (LSRs) is Mexican restaurants, where purchase frequency increased the most on a year-over-year basis and the number of items purchased decreased less than other types of LSRs,” McKinsey reported.

There may be a clear reason for that.

“This could be because Mexican LSRs are seen as better value for money, and the players that have done best in the past year have focused on offering greater convenience for diners and driving operational innovation,” according to the report.

Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina, however is not an LSR, and that may impact how consumers viewed the chain from a value point of view.

Over the past year, On the Border, a similar full service concept to Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy and closed all of its locations. In addition, El Torito, Abuelo’s, and Chuy’s all saw significant closures over the past 12 months.

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Oracle (ORCL) has been one of the roughest large-cap tech names to hold in 2026.

The stock is down about 23% year to date and sits roughly 56% below its record high of $345.72, set on Sept. 10, 2025. 

That drop turned a steady, profitable software company into one of the most volatile megacaps on the market.

Now one analyst is telling clients the worst may already be priced in.

On Aug. 26, Citi reiterated a Buy rating and a $330 price target on Oracle, a level that would more than double the stock from where it recently traded. 

The bank also placed Oracle on a 90-day positive catalyst watch.

If you own Oracle, or you have been watching it fall and wondering whether it is a bargain or a trap, Citi’s argument is worth understanding before you act.

Why Citi thinks Oracle’s sell-off went further than the business justifies

The analyst behind the call is Tyler Radke, Citi’s co-head of U.S. software equity research. He covers the biggest names in enterprise software, so his read on Oracle carries weight with institutional investors.

Radke’s core point is simple. He believes the stock dropped for mechanical reasons, not because the underlying business broke.

He pointed to the summer’s collapse, when Oracle lost more than half its value within roughly 30 to 40 trading sessions, bottoming at a low of $114.50 in late July. 

He called that a “four to five standard deviation move” against Oracle’s normal volatility, according to Yahoo Finance.

In plain terms, a move that large and fast is statistically rare, and Radke reads it as panic selling rather than a considered repricing of the company.

The technical pressures Citi says are starting to fade

Radke pointed to a few forces that pushed Oracle down and that he now expects to ease.

Credit spread widening: As worries grew about Oracle’s rising debt, the cost to insure its bonds climbed, which pressured the equity.

Aggressive share issuance: Oracle has been selling new stock through an at-the-market program to help fund its data center buildout. An at-the-market program lets a company sell fresh shares directly into the open market at current prices, which adds supply and can cap rallies.

Forced selling tied to sentiment: Negative headlines fed selling that built on itself.

Radke told CNBC he wants Oracle to tell investors it is finished with that equity issuance. Once management signals that, he argued, a major source of selling pressure disappears.

That is the crux of the “buy the dip” case. Remove the forced selling, and the stock can trade on its fundamentals again.

Oracle’s headquarters and data center campus have become a focal point as the company pours billions into AI infrastructure.Mesut Dogan / Getty Images

What the business actually looks like underneath the stock

Oracle’s fundamentals are genuinely strong in some places and worrying in others.

On the growth side, the numbers are large. Oracle reported finishing fiscal 2026 with a remaining performance obligations backlog of $638 billion, up 363% year over year. Cloud infrastructure revenue grew 93% in the quarter.

Backlog matters because it represents contracted future revenue. 

A backlog that size gives Oracle unusual visibility into sales for years to come. But the buildout funding those contracts is expensive.

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Oracle plans another round of layoffs before September

Oracle’s total liabilities jumped from $147.4 billion to $218.7 billion in a single year, and one credit rating agency has already downgraded the company. 

Free cash flow has turned deeply negative as data-center spending accelerates, and that tension sits at the center of Radke’s call. 

He blames technical selling for the drop while also acknowledging that Oracle’s credit rating is close to falling below investment grade, and those two things are connected.

How the AI infrastructure boom feeds Citi’s confidence

Radke’s optimism draws on what is happening across the wider AI economy.

Demand for AI computing power has stayed strong at other cloud providers, and Citi expects that demand to support Oracle’s pricing and margins on newly signed contracts.

Oracle has become one of the main places companies rent large amounts of computing capacity for AI work, which puts it in the same conversation as fast-growing names like CoreWeave (CRWV) and chip supplier Nvidia (NVDA).

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For Oracle, that shift changes how investors should think about the stock. 

It no longer trades purely as a legacy database and software company. It now trades as an AI infrastructure company, with all the growth and all the spending risk that label carries.

How Oracle stacks up against the market this year

A quick comparison shows how much Oracle has lagged the market this year.

Year to date: Oracle is down about 23%, while the S&P 500 has posted gains over the same stretch.

From the peak: Oracle sits roughly 56% below its September 2025 record high, a far deeper drawdown than most large-cap tech peers.

Against AI peers: Nvidia has climbed this year on strong earnings, while Oracle moved in the opposite direction.

That underperformance is exactly why Citi sees a setup. When a quality company falls much further than the market and its peers, the recovery can be sharp if sentiment turns.

What still has to happen before the $330 target looks realistic

A $330 target is a bold call, and Radke has been clear that it depends on Oracle earning it.

Two things need to line up.

First, management needs to confirm the share issuance program is done, which removes the supply that has been capping rallies.

Second, Oracle needs its next major update to reassure investors on funding. 

The company’s investor day at the end of October is the event Radke flagged as the real catalyst, because its management could show that new deals carry higher upfront payments and need less new financing.

Oracle’s next earnings report is expected in early to mid-September, according to 24/7 Wall St, which gives investors an earlier checkpoint.

What Oracle’s slide means for your money

Before putting money into a heavily indebted, high-spending tech stock, make sure your own financial base is solid, with an emergency fund in place and high-interest debt handled.

A company spending this aggressively can keep falling well before it reaches any long-term price target, and the debt load raises the stakes if AI demand cools.

Radke’s target is also far above the Wall Street average of $257.79, which tells you his call sits at the bullish end rather than the consensus.

The bottom line for readers is this. Citi’s argument gives Oracle bulls a clear, testable thesis, and the next two months will show whether the forced selling really is over or whether the debt worries win out. 

If you are considering the stock, watch the September earnings report and the October investor day closely, size any position with the credit risk in mind, and treat the $330 figure as a best case rather than a base case.

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When times get tight consumers, at least the ones who still have discretionary income, still indulge themselves, but they find more affordable ways to do that.

A vacation may become a staycation and a night at Ruth’s Chris could turn into an evening at Chili’s. Maybe you opt to watch that new movie a few months later at home instead of splurging on a theater, but in most cases, people still find a way to treat themselves.

That trend has benefited Costco, according to comments from CFO Gary Millerchip during the chain’s third-quarter earnings call.

“Self care and wellness items performed extremely well during the quarter, including fragrances and hair and skin products in the health and beauty and small appliances departments,” he said.

Those strong results did not stop at everyday items.

“We also saw members wanting to splurge on higher value self care items where the quality and value is compelling. For example, we experienced almost 50% sales growth in saunas and massage chairs during the quarter,” he added.

Now, Costco has quietly added a trendy new beauty product to its shelves nationwide at a time when Ulta and Target have ended their partnership, and Sephora has been hurt by Kohl’s struggles.

Costco adds South Korean beauty brand

APR has brought its flagship Medicube brand to the warehouse.

“Medicube’s Zero Pore Pad 2.0, a skincare product designed to cleanse pores, will be available across the retailer’s U.S. stores,” CNBC reported.

The brand entered Ulta Beauty in August of 2025, Target in April, and Walmart in June of this year.

“APR is riding a broader K-beauty boom in the U.S. South Korea’s cosmetics exports are estimated to have reached a record $7 billion in the first half of 2026, up 27.3% from a year earlier, according to the country’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The U.S. was the top destination, accounting for $1.45 billion, or 20.7% of total exports,” CNBC reported.

APR explained the Medicube product on its website.

“Dual textured facial pads infused with Salicylic Acid(BHA) + AHA + patented pore care ingredients to help exfoliate dead skin cells, clear sebum, and minimize the look of pores,” the company shared.

Costco grows its beauty lineup (and sales)

Mintel beauty and personal care expert Clare Hennigan shared what she called a look “Inside My Algorithm” in a post on her company’s website.

“While Costco has long carried beauty products (I distinctly remember my sisters and me receiving the jumbo multi-pack of Neutrogena Makeup Remover every Christmas during my teen years!), the warehouse club has gradually expanded its beauty assortment over time — tapping into K-beauty trends and increasing its prestige offerings,” she wrote.

She also shared some numbers that show the warehouse club has significant reach in the space and has been reaching higher-income shoppers.

21% of U.S. beauty and personal care shoppers have purchased products at a warehouse club store in the past year, a figure that rises to 25% among households with an income of $100k or more. 

Some of the chain’s growth in the space, she noted, has been driven by social media.

“Both TikTok and Reddit are hot spots for Costco content. The subreddit ‘r/Costco’ boasts an impressive 1.5 million members, far surpassing other retailer subreddits like ‘r/samsclub’ (63k), ‘r/aldi’ (275k), and ‘r/walmart’ (362k), highlighting the strength of its online community and the virality of beauty deals,” she wrote.

Millerchip sees self-care and beauty as areas of affordable indulgence for members.

“I mentioned some of the self care items that we are selling in health and beauty and small appliances. They are really the areas where I see, you know, members taking advantage of some opportunities to treat themselves at great values,” he said.

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Consumers prize value, Hennigan wrote, sharing some Mintel data.

“When consumers are asked what factors influence where they shop for BPC products, the most common response is ‘affordability’ (57%), followed by ‘a wide range of products’ (45%). As the cost-of-living crisis continues, affordability will likely play an even larger role in influencing shopping behaviors. Expect even more premium/luxury brands to offer limited edition, Costco-exclusive value sets to appeal to warehouse shoppers,” she wrote.

Costco has slowly grown its beauty and self-care business.Shutterstock

Costco’s beauty changes are being noticed

Phoenix, Ariz., dermatologist Dr. Karan Lal, who is a Costco member, told New Beauty in 2024 that he noticed a shift as the big-box warehouse club retail store upped its beauty game in a big way.

“They have some really good skin care right now,” Lal said. “Personally, I think it’s great for families, because you can get some good deals on great products.”

Discover Night CEO Kalle Simpson, whose company focuses on nighttime beauty, believes that Costco knows exactly which beauty products to stock.

“Costco has a great pulse on what their customer is interested in; allowing us to provide unique beauty offerings that surprise and delight,” she told Beauty Matter.

The warehouse club is using beauty and self-care to turn the treasure hunt into an increasingly premium experience.

“Costco is quietly expanding its role in beauty while attracting a growing mix of brands across skincare, wellness, suncare, and K- and J-beauty. Rather than functioning as a traditional wholesale outlet, Costco appears to be positioning itself as a different kind of beauty channel altogether,” Beauty Matter’s Tatiana Pile wrote.

Costco fills a market need

Costco is meeting a growing trend.

Beauty spending in 2026 is being reshaped less by outright cutbacks and more by precision, according to the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer Sentiment Spring 2026 Report.

Consumers are still willing to spend, but they expect something in return.

“Across the category, 43% of consumers have simplified their beauty routines, but simplification is not translating into blanket downtrading. Instead, spending is concentrating,” the study showed.

Data from Circana backed up the concept that consumers are spending on beauty, but being careful with their dollars.

“Mass market beauty continues to gain momentum in the U.S. as consumers seek high-performing products at accessible price points,” Circana reported.

The research showed that shoppers are looking for value.

“In skincare, masstige brands — or those offering premium benefits at mass prices — are delivering double-digit growth, enabling mass skincare to outperform prestige in terms of both dollar and unit sales. These results reflect a broader consumer shift toward efficacy without premium pricing, with mass retailers increasingly offering elevated options that meet these expectations,” according to the research firm.

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A laptop arrived late. What was on it made things worse. And now Apple is asking a federal court to move faster, arguing that evidence in its lawsuit against OpenAI is being actively destroyed.

Apple filed a new brief on Aug. 31, escalating its legal battle against the ChatGPT maker. The filing accuses OpenAI of withholding key evidence and alleges that a former Apple engineer sent instructions to an OpenAI colleague to destroy documents. The colleague confirmed she would comply, Bloomberg reported.

What Apple’s new court filing says about OpenAI

The brief was filed Monday, Aug. 31, in support of Apple’s motion for expedited pretrial fact-finding in its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI.

Apple’s lawyers said OpenAI only recently provided a critical piece of evidence: an Apple-issued MacBook that former engineer Chang Liu had been using since leaving the company.

Initial forensic analysis of the laptop found that Liu and colleagues at OpenAI “were well aware” of his continued unauthorized access to Apple’s third-party cloud storage providers. The filing alleges Liu also “sent instructions for destroying evidence to an OpenAI colleague who confirmed she would comply.”

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Apple also claimed Liu “used a tool in his work at OpenAI that has the same name as an internal Apple engineering application used for Apple development work.”

The company’s lawyers wrote that the laptop “shows Apple is not conducting ‘fishing expeditions’ but that its trade secrets are being used and evidence is being destroyed,” Bloomberg reported.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Why Chang Liu is central to the Apple-OpenAI lawsuit

Liu left Apple for OpenAI in January 2026. He is one of more than 400 former Apple employees who have gone to work for the AI company.

That number is central to Apple’s original complaint, which accused OpenAI of actively recruiting Apple workers and encouraging them to share confidential information, components, drawings and other materials related to unreleased products while taking steps to cover its tracks.

Apple’s filing states Liu “not only downloaded a confidential Apple circuit schematic but also used it in his work” at OpenAI, Bloomberg reported.

Downloading proprietary schematics is one thing. Using them in your new employer’s work is another. Apple’s lawyers are making that distinction count.

OpenAI has maintained throughout that it followed industry-standard recruiting practices. On the specific issue of Liu’s access to Apple’s cloud storage, OpenAI published text message excerpts and argued he was simply helping a former colleague at Apple, not exfiltrating data.

Apple integrated ChatGPT into its devices through a partnership announced at its developer conference.Adam/Getty Images

How the Apple-OpenAI relationship collapsed

The two companies had a working relationship not long ago. Apple integrated ChatGPT into its devices through a partnership unveiled at its developer conference. That collaboration began to fray over the past year as OpenAI moved more aggressively into hardware.

The turning point was OpenAI’s decision to bring in Jony Ive. Ive was Apple’s design chief for decades. He is the person responsible for the physical form of the iPhone, the Mac, and much of what people associate with Apple’s look.

He left in 2019. OpenAI hired him to lead hardware. Apple noticed.

The first device from the Ive-OpenAI collaboration, Bloomberg reported, will be a doughnut-shaped smart speaker, roughly the size of a hockey puck, with moving parts designed to give it personality. OpenAI is building hardware products that will compete directly with Apple in categories Apple has owned for two decades.

What Apple is asking OpenAI for and what happens next

Apple wants money, and it wants OpenAI to stop. The company is asking the court for monetary damages. It also wants a court order forcing OpenAI to halt the alleged misuse and destroy any Apple materials still in its possession.

Earlier in August, Apple made a separate move. It asked a federal judge to immediately issue that stop order, without waiting for the full case to play out. That request is still pending.

The judge is scheduled to hear arguments on Oct. 1 on the motion for expedited fact-finding. It’s this motion in support of which Apple filed the Monday, Aug. 31, brief.

Expedited fact-finding would compress the timeline. Instead of waiting for discovery to unfold over months or years, the way standard litigation usually does, OpenAI would have to hand over documents and sit for depositions much sooner.

That matters because of where OpenAI is right now. The company is building hardware. It is raising money. It is preparing, eventually, to go public.

A wave of forced early document production arriving during that window could be disruptive in ways that go beyond the legal fees.

For investors watching Apple stock, the case is a reminder that the company’s competitive response to OpenAI’s hardware ambitions is not limited to building better products. Apple is also using the courts.

How aggressively that strategy plays out over the next few months depends, in large part, on what the judge decides on Oct. 1.

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