Earnings Blowouts Spark Euphoria, Guidance Fuels Optimism, and Profit Warnings Crush Clean Energy

Wall Street saw a tale of two earnings seasons. Massive profit beats and upbeat guidance sent select growth names soaring, while disappointing outlooks and margin pressure triggered steep sell-offs across clean energy and industrial players.

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U.S. stocks were mixed on Thursday as a sharp drop in Nvidia weighed heavily on the tech sector, pulling the Nasdaq lower despite the company posting strong earnings. However, the Dow managed to hold steady as investors rotated into other sectors and software stocks rebounded, while markets also monitored developments in U.S.-Iran nuclear talks.

eBay Inc (NASDAQ: EBAY) is cutting roughly 800 jobs, about 6% of its full-time workforce, as it restructures operations around new priorities. The layoffs come just one week after the company announced a $1.2 billion acquisition of Depop, the secondhand fashion platform popular with Gen Z shoppers.

The timing is not coincidental. eBay is clearing room to invest in the direction it believes the business needs to go.

Three Rounds of Cuts in Three Years

This is the third major round of layoffs since 2023. About 500 roles were cut in 2023, when post-pandemic spending slowed. Another 1,000 were cut in 2024 when labor costs outpaced growth. Now 800 more are going as the company reshapes itself around new strategic bets.

You look at that pattern, and it tells a consistent story. eBay has been trimming steadily to fund a transformation that keeps getting bigger with each move.

Depop Changes the Identity

The $1.2 billion Depop acquisition signals where eBay sees its future. Secondhand fashion is one of the fastest-growing categories in e-commerce, driven by younger consumers who value sustainability and discovery over brand-new products.

eBay is not cutting for survival. It is cutting to redirect. If you still think of eBay as an auction site from the early internet era, this is the company actively trying to rewrite that perception one strategic bet at a time.

PepsiCo Inc (NASDAQ: PEP) just got a reality check from new consumer data. 60% of Americans drank Coca-Cola in the past year compared to 48% for Pepsi. That 12-point gap might not sound dramatic, but in a market this mature and this competitive, it is a significant distance to close.

Pepsi is not failing. But in the category it helped define, it is clearly running second on home turf.

The Brand Battle Has Shifted

PepsiCo has been investing heavily in snacks, sports drinks, and energy drinks through its broader portfolio. The cola itself sometimes gets less strategic attention than the empire built around it.

That may be intentional. But if your core product keeps losing ground in the world's biggest consumer market, it raises questions about whether the brand is being managed or slowly deprioritized.

Second Place Still Pays, but the Trend Matters

PepsiCo remains a massive global business. Nobody is writing it off. But the direction of the gap matters more than the gap itself. If the distance keeps widening, it gets harder to call this a rivalry and easier to call it a lead.

You think of Pepsi and Coke as equals, and this data quietly suggests that story may need updating.

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Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling 4.3 million pickup trucks and SUVs in the United States due to a software error that can cause trailer brakes and exterior lights to fail. That is not a niche problem. Those are the vehicles that generate the bulk of Ford's revenue.

Ford says it knows of 407 related incidents, but no crashes so far. The fix will be delivered via an over-the-air software update.

The Core Lineup Is Exposed

The F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in America. The F-250 anchors the commercial and heavy-duty side of the lineup. When a single software flaw affects every major product line simultaneously, it raises serious questions about how it managed to survive six years of production.

Ford has been fighting a quality perception issue for years. Warranty costs have been elevated, and recalls have been frequent across both gas and electric vehicles. Each new recall chips away at the trust the brand needs to compete.

Software Is the New Vulnerability

Modern vehicles run on code as much as they do on engines. This recall is due to a software module losing communication with the trailer system, disabling the brakes and lights. The fix is digital, but the risk was very physical.

You can update software remotely, but the damage to brand confidence does not come with a patch. For a company investing billions in its next-generation vehicles, proving it can get the basics right on its current lineup has never been more important.

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Sezzle Inc [SEZL] $84.63 (+35.15%)

Sezzle surged after delivering a strong earnings beat, with EPS of $1.21 topping estimates by 26% and revenue exceeding expectations for the fourth straight quarter.

GigaCloud Technology Inc [GCT] $46.98 (+33.05%)

GigaCloud jumped after reporting a massive earnings beat, with EPS of $1.04 crushing estimates by 60% alongside stronger-than-expected revenue growth.

Ibotta Inc [IBTA] $26.70 (+30.04%)

Ibotta soared after beating revenue expectations and issuing stronger-than-expected Q1 guidance, easing concerns over its year-over-year sales decline.

Eos Energy Enterprises Inc [EOSE] $6.74 (-39.44%)

Eos Energy tumbled after posting a much wider-than-expected quarterly loss and missing revenue estimates by more than 36%, extending its streak of earnings disappointments.

Energy Recovery Inc [ERII] $10.43 (-35.30%)

Energy Recovery plunged after reporting flat year-over-year revenue that missed expectations by a wide margin, alongside weaker-than-expected earnings and EBITDA.

Array Technologies Inc [ARRY] $7.28 (-33.82%)

Array dropped after issuing weaker-than-expected 2026 guidance and reporting sharply lower margins, overshadowing a modest revenue beat.

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— Adam G.
Elite Trade Club

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