Benzinga Market Movers: Beyond Meat, Intel, Newmont — Inflation Data Raises Expectations for Rate Cuts
Market Overview: Markets experienced gains this week due to softer-than-expected inflation figures, with major indexes reaching all-time highs, while strong earnings from the auto sector also contributed to the bullish sentiment.
Bullish Stocks: Notable stock performances included Beyond Meat, which surged over 24% after a debt swap reduced bankruptcy risk, Intel, which reported strong Q3 earnings driven by AI demand, and Alphabet, whose shares rose after Anthropic expanded its use of Google Cloud technologies.
Bearish Stocks: Newmont Corp's stock declined despite beating Q3 expectations due to production concerns, while AST SpaceMobile's shares fell after announcing a convertible note offering that raised dilution fears among investors.
Clean Energy Performance: The Invesco WilderHill Clean Energy ETF outperformed both the VanEck Semiconductor ETF and NVIDIA, rising 44% year-to-date, despite challenges posed by the Trump administration's policies on clean energy.
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- Record Earnings and Cash Flow: Newmont reported record cash flows in Q1 2026, yet the gold price fell into a bear market in June, causing a 14.9% drop in share price, indicating heightened market concerns over future profitability.
- Stock Price Volatility: With production declines and rising costs, Newmont's stock only rose 10% in the first half of 2026, reflecting a sharp shift in investor sentiment towards the gold market, potentially prompting more investors to take profits ahead of the upcoming Q2 earnings report.
- Production Guidance Downgrade: Management has guided for attributable gold production to decrease from 5.9 million ounces in 2025 to 5.3 million ounces in 2026, primarily due to planned mining sequences and lower ore grades at key sites, which will further exacerbate market concerns about profitability.
- Rising Cost Pressures: Newmont's all-in sustaining costs are projected to rise significantly from $1,358 per ounce in 2025 to $1,680 this year, and this cost pressure combined with gold price volatility may lead to greater downside risks for its stock in the future.
- Quarterly Performance Review: GDX dropped 21% in Q2 2026, falling from $96 in early April to $75 by June 30, yet it remains up 50% over the past year, indicating a potential rebound for gold miners.
- Operational Leverage Effect: When gold prices rise from $2,000 to $3,000, miners' free cash flow significantly increases, demonstrating that miners' profitability amplifies during gold price increases and declines.
- Acquisition Activity Signal: Genesis Minerals' $3.9 billion bid for Vault Minerals indicates that producers view gold resources as cheap and their cash flows as durable, reflecting confidence in the industry's future.
- Investment Strategy Recommendation: GDX should be treated as a satellite position in a portfolio, with gold exposure recommended at 5% to 10%, as miners' operational leverage offers potential upside during gold price increases but also carries high volatility risks.
- Central Bank Trend: Central bank gold purchases are expected to continue driving long-term demand, particularly as rising U.S. debt levels encourage these institutions to diversify their reserves by increasing gold holdings.
- Investment Demand Surge: In 2025, a surge in gold investment demand led to a 65% increase in gold prices, and while jewelry demand declined due to higher prices, the robust investment interest underscores gold's appeal as a safe-haven asset.
- ETF Demand Fluctuation: In Q1 2026, ETF demand decreased by 65 metric tons, indicating that investors may liquidate positions during price volatility, although improved central bank demand suggests ongoing market uncertainty.
- Price Sensitivity Impact: Fluctuations in gold prices not only affect investor sentiment but may also stimulate a rebound in jewelry demand, particularly during price declines, further supporting market stability and long-term growth potential.
- Gold Price Volatility: In the first half of 2026, gold experienced significant volatility, with a spike in late January followed by a sharp decline to below $4,100, reflecting a mid-single-digit decline year-to-date and indicating market instability.
- Investment Demand Shift: The 65% surge in gold prices in 2025 was primarily driven by increased investment demand; however, a 65-ton decrease in ETF demand in Q1 2026 suggests that investors began liquidating positions amid price volatility, potentially leading to further market adjustments.
- Central Bank Buying Trend: Despite the drop in ETF demand, net central bank demand improved in Q1, particularly with increased purchases from China, indicating a continuation of the long-term structural trend that may support gold prices moving forward.
- Future Outlook: While there are near-term downside risks, the long-term outlook remains bullish as ongoing central bank purchases and price declines are likely to stimulate jewelry demand, suggesting that investors should consider buying during significant market weakness to capitalize on future price increases.
- Stock Volatility: Newmont (NEM) experienced a 14.9% drop in June, primarily due to falling gold prices and rising production costs, which triggered a sudden shift in investor sentiment, erasing an earlier 10% gain.
- Gold Market Correction: Despite gold reaching an all-time high of $5,608.35 per ounce in January 2026, it has since plummeted over 25% since June, contrasting sharply with persistent inflation and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
- Production Outlook Downgrade: Management has guided for a decline in attributable gold production to approximately 5.3 million ounces in 2026 from 5.9 million ounces in 2025, while all-in sustaining costs (AISC) are expected to rise significantly to $1,680 per ounce, raising concerns about profitability.
- Strong Financial Position: Despite these challenges, Newmont exited Q1 with a robust net cash position of $3.2 billion and has authorized an additional $6 billion for share buybacks, demonstrating resilience in a volatile gold market and positioning itself as a top stock to buy on dips.
- Market Divergence: On Thursday, the S&P 500 closed unchanged, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.14% to a new all-time high, and the Nasdaq 100 fell 1.61%, indicating a split in market sentiment, particularly due to the ongoing weakness in chip stocks impacting the broader market.
- Employment Data Impact: US nonfarm payrolls rose by 57,000 in June, significantly below the expected 113,000, although the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to a one-year low of 4.2%, suggesting a stronger labor market than anticipated, which may influence the Fed's interest rate decisions.
- Chipmaker Declines: Chipmakers faced another sell-off on Thursday, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF dropping over 5%, and SanDisk and KLA Corp falling more than 14% and 12%, respectively, reflecting growing market concerns over the sustainability of the AI buildout boom.
- Oil Price Decline Impact: WTI crude oil prices fell to a fresh 4.25-month low as UAE ramped up shipments by 30% in June, restoring exports to pre-war levels, a trend that may further lower inflation expectations and affect market sentiment.









