Apple, Western Union, Palo Alto, and Others Featured in CNBC's 'Final Trades'
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Nov 07 2025
0mins
Should l Buy WU?
Source: Benzinga
Joseph Terranova's Trade: Joseph Terranova from Virtus Investment Partners selected Apple Inc. as his final trade, highlighting its fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $102.47 billion, which surpassed analyst expectations.
Bryn Talkington's Trade: Bryn Talkington of Requisite Capital Management chose the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Health Care ETF as her final trade, noting a slight decline in its share price.
Jason Snipe's Trade: Jason Snipe from Odyssey Capital Advisors picked Palo Alto Networks, which is expected to report earnings of 89 cents per share for its fiscal first quarter 2026, reflecting growth from the previous year.
Jenny Van Leeuwen Harrington's Trade: Jenny Van Leeuwen Harrington of Gilman Hill Asset Management selected Western Union, which recently reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings and saw a significant increase in its share price.
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Analyst Views on WU
Wall Street analysts forecast WU stock price to fall
11 Analyst Rating
0 Buy
7 Hold
4 Sell
Moderate Sell
Current: 9.160
Low
7.00
Averages
9.00
High
10.00
Current: 9.160
Low
7.00
Averages
9.00
High
10.00
About WU
The Western Union Company is a provider of cross-border, cross-currency money movement, payments, and digital financial services, empowering consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments. Its segments include Consumer Money Transfer and Consumer Services. The Consumer Money Transfer segment facilitates money transfers, which are primarily sent from its retail agent and owned locations worldwide or through Websites and mobile devices. Its money transfer service is provided through one interconnected global network. This service is available for international cross-border transfers and, in certain countries, intra-country transfers. The Consumer Services segment includes the Company’s bill payment services, money order services, retail foreign exchange services, media network, prepaid cards, lending partnerships, and digital wallets. The Company provides its services primarily through a network of agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- User Growth Trend: According to Deloitte, India's e-commerce market experienced a compound annual growth of 23% from 2020 to 2025, with projections indicating it will reach $250 billion by 2030, highlighting both user growth and increased spending per shopper.
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- Quick Commerce Model: Amazon's quick commerce service, Amazon Now, sees a 25% month-over-month order growth, with Prime members tripling their shopping frequency, underscoring the significance of rapid delivery in meeting the demands of consumers in smaller cities.
See More
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- Export Decline: India's textile exports from April 2025 to February 2026 totaled $29.5 billion, a slight drop from $29.8 billion the previous year, indicating the fragility of recovery in an industry aiming for $100 billion in exports by 2030.
- Rising Costs: The Iran war has driven raw material and packaging costs up, with polyester prices increasing over 40% since the conflict began, complicating companies' ability to pass costs onto customers and impacting production and profitability.
- Weak Demand: Although tariff relief from the U.S. provided temporary respite, industry leaders warn that a prolonged war could dampen U.S. consumer demand, leading to declining sales and rising inventories, posing significant challenges for retailers.
- Production Cuts: Companies like Filatex have already reduced production by 25% and are awaiting demand recovery, with widespread concerns that failure to pass on costs could lead to larger-scale production cuts, further affecting employment and economic growth.
See More
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- Foreign Capital Exodus: Amid the turmoil of the Iran war, Indian markets experienced a record foreign investor sell-off exceeding $12 billion in March, resulting in a more than 10% drop in the Nifty 50 index, highlighting significant concerns over future economic growth prospects.
- Diminished Growth Outlook: India's Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran warned that rising energy costs and supply chain disruptions pose considerable downside risks to the forecasted 7.0%-7.4% growth for FY 2027, with expectations of a significant widening of the trade deficit exacerbating fiscal pressures.
- Government Intervention: In response to economic strains, the Indian government implemented two key measures, including limiting banks' currency-hedging positions and cutting excise duties on petrol and diesel by 10 rupees per liter, which will significantly impact tax revenues and potentially hinder government spending capabilities.
- Weak Job Market: While India's consumption narrative continues to attract foreign investment, the lack of white-collar job creation undermines this story, with reports indicating that only a small percentage of graduates secure stable employment within a year of graduation, posing a long-term challenge to economic growth.
See More
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- Solana Market Performance: With a market cap of $50 billion, Solana has shown remarkable growth in decentralized finance (DeFi), surpassing Ethereum in monthly trading volume and ranking second only to Ethereum in Total Value Locked (TVL), despite Ethereum potentially dropping over 20% in 2026.
- Stablecoin Innovation: Western Union launched a new Solana-based dollar stablecoin in October, solidifying Solana's position as the go-to blockchain for new stablecoin launches, which not only enhances its market recognition but may also attract more users to its ecosystem.
- Ecosystem Revenue: According to a report by 21Shares, Solana's blockchain ecosystem generated nearly $3 billion in revenue over the past 12 months, demonstrating the sustainability and growth potential of its business model, even as its price remains below historical highs.
- Investor Confidence: Despite Solana's current price of $89, which is a 70% discount from its all-time high of $294 in January 2025, its rapid growth potential distinguishes it in the competition between Ethereum and Solana, drawing increased attention from investors.
See More
Ethereum Faces Competition as Solana Rises
- Market Pullback Impact: Amid the recent pullback in the crypto market, Ethereum is projected to decline over 20% in 2026, with Solana, Cardano, and Avalanche down 27%, 21%, and 22% respectively, indicating significant challenges for the entire Layer-1 blockchain sector.
- Rise of Solana: With a market cap of $50 billion, Solana has emerged as a key competitor to Ethereum, showing strong growth in decentralized finance (DeFi) as it surpasses Ethereum in monthly trading volume and ranks second in Total Value Locked (TVL), a critical metric for DeFi strength.
- Stablecoin Market Share: Solana is rapidly becoming the go-to blockchain for new stablecoin launches, exemplified by Western Union's October launch of a Solana-based dollar stablecoin, which enhances the convenience of international money transfers and strengthens its market position.
- Ecosystem Revenue Growth: According to a report by 21Shares, Solana's blockchain ecosystem generated nearly $3 billion in revenue over the past 12 months, and despite its current price of $89 being 70% lower than its all-time high of $294 in January 2025, it indicates significant undervaluation potential.
See More
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- Cryptocurrency Market Potential: The blockchain market is projected to exceed $11 trillion by 2030, representing a staggering 58,000% increase from the current $19 billion, providing significant investment opportunities for long-term investors, particularly in the context of asset tokenization.
- Ethereum's Market Dominance: As the first cryptocurrency to introduce smart contracts, Ethereum currently holds nearly 60% of the tokenized asset market share, with traditional financial institutions like JPMorgan and BNP Paribas leveraging its platform for tokenized fund issuance, highlighting its extensive applicability in finance.
- Solana's Technical Edge: Solana processes transactions over 2,000 times faster than Ethereum at a fraction of the cost, attracting attention from traditional financial giants like Visa and Western Union, indicating its importance in stablecoin and tokenized stock trading.
- Chainlink's Foundational Role: As an information bridge, Chainlink ensures the accuracy and compliance of smart contracts, partnering with major financial institutions to support market price trading of tokenized stocks, underscoring its critical role in the blockchain ecosystem.
See More
