Stock Futures Rise as Investors Focus on Interest Rate Changes
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 20 2026
0mins
Source: Newsfilter
- Market Impact from Rates: The 30-year U.S. Treasury yield reached 5.197%, the highest since July 2007, triggering a stock sell-off and raising concerns about potential interest rate hikes, leading to the S&P 500's third consecutive day of declines, which has investors worried about the sustainability of the bull market.
- Target's Sales Recovery: Target reported a 5.6% increase in same-store sales for Q1, surpassing Wall Street expectations, and raised its full-year revenue outlook, resulting in a premarket stock price increase, indicating the company's efforts to attract shoppers and reverse a sales slump are gaining traction.
- Google's AI Innovations: At its annual developer conference, Google announced the rollout of Gemini 3.5 Flash, a cost-effective AI model, and showcased upcoming audio smart glasses, highlighting the company's ongoing innovation in both AI and hardware sectors.
- Stellantis' Turnaround Strategy: Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa is set to unveil a plan to revitalize the Jeep and Ram brands tomorrow, despite facing challenges like declining market share and the fallout from its pivot away from electric vehicles, leading investors to remain cautious about the company's ability to return to profitability.
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Analyst Views on AMZN
Wall Street analysts forecast AMZN stock price to rise
44 Analyst Rating
41 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 274.000
Low
175.00
Averages
280.01
High
325.00
Current: 274.000
Low
175.00
Averages
280.01
High
325.00
About AMZN
Amazon.com, Inc. provides a range of products and services to customers. The products offered through its stores include merchandise and content it has purchased for resale and products offered by third-party sellers. The Company’s segments include North America, International and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It serves consumers through its online and physical stores and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. Customers access its offerings through its websites, mobile apps, Alexa, devices, streaming, and physically visiting its stores. It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablet, Fire TV, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero, and develops and produces media content. It serves developers and enterprises of all sizes, including start-ups, government agencies, and academic institutions, through AWS, which offers a set of on-demand technology services, including compute, storage, database, analytics, and machine learning, and other services.
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.
Amazon Faces Market Pressure After Blue Origin Launchpad Explosion
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- Increased Market Competition: With SpaceX's Starlink already far ahead in satellite deployments, any delay for Amazon will slow its progress in high-value markets, intensifying competitive pressures in the low-Earth orbit satellite sector.
- Limited Financial Impact: Analysts note that while the incident may not have immediate financial repercussions for Amazon, the increased schedule risk and launch diversification concerns could negatively affect market perceptions and stock performance.
- Increased Dependency: Amazon had counted on up to 24 New Glenn launches to support its satellite constellation rollout, and the explosion may force it to rely on other, generally more expensive launch service providers like ULA and Ariane, increasing operational costs.
See More
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- Improved Investor Sentiment: With the improvement in market sentiment, investor interest in high-risk assets has increased, potentially leading to a shift of funds from the bond market to the stock market, enhancing the upward momentum of equities.
- Economic Recovery Expectations: The optimism surrounding the Iran deal not only boosts stock market performance but may also promote recovery in related sectors, particularly in energy and technology, further driving economic growth.
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- Position Change: This transaction reduced Elwood's stake in Wix.com from 3.2% to zero, with a net position change of $5.41 million, indicating concerns over market volatility and the company's profitability.
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- Microsoft New Investment: Ackman initiated a position in Microsoft this quarter, purchasing over $2 billion worth of stock, which now accounts for about 15% of his portfolio; despite a 13% rise in stock price, it remains attractive compared to Amazon, indicating its relative value.
- Cloud Computing Competition: Both Amazon and Microsoft are making significant investments in cloud computing, with Amazon planning to spend $200 billion on data centers this year, while Microsoft's Azure revenue grew 40% year-over-year, showcasing their competitive strength in the market.
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See More
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- Microsoft New Investment: Ackman made a significant move by purchasing over $2 billion worth of Microsoft stock this quarter, which now accounts for about 15% of his portfolio; although the stock has risen 13% since April, it still presents an attractive opportunity compared to Amazon, suggesting potential value.
- Cloud Business Comparison: Amazon's AWS revenue grew by 28% year-over-year, while Microsoft's Azure saw a 40% increase, indicating Microsoft's faster growth in the cloud sector; additionally, Microsoft is cheaper on a price-to-operating-cash-flow basis, making it a more appealing investment choice.
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See More
Amazon Faces Market Pressure After Blue Origin Launchpad Explosion
- Launch Schedule Disruption: The explosion at Cape Canaveral severely damaged the launchpad, impacting Amazon's plan to deploy 48 low-Earth orbit satellites, which may delay its deployment timeline and affect its competitiveness in the global market.
- Increased Market Competition: With SpaceX's Starlink already far ahead in satellite deployments, any delay for Amazon will slow its progress in high-value markets, intensifying competitive pressures in the low-Earth orbit satellite sector.
- Limited Financial Impact: Analysts note that while the incident may not have immediate financial repercussions for Amazon, the increased schedule risk and launch diversification concerns could negatively affect market perceptions and stock performance.
- Increased Dependency: Amazon had counted on up to 24 New Glenn launches to support its satellite constellation rollout, and the explosion may force it to rely on other, generally more expensive launch service providers like ULA and Ariane, increasing operational costs.
See More
Stock Market Reaches New Highs on Iran Deal Hopes
- Market Highs: The stock market reached new highs driven by optimistic expectations surrounding an Iran deal, reflecting investor confidence in future economic recovery, which may attract more capital inflows into the market.
- Tech Giants Performance: Nvidia and Tesla, among five trillion-dollar companies nearing buy points, indicate potential investment opportunities in these tech stocks as the market rebounds, further propelling overall market gains.
- Improved Investor Sentiment: With the improvement in market sentiment, investor interest in high-risk assets has increased, potentially leading to a shift of funds from the bond market to the stock market, enhancing the upward momentum of equities.
- Economic Recovery Expectations: The optimism surrounding the Iran deal not only boosts stock market performance but may also promote recovery in related sectors, particularly in energy and technology, further driving economic growth.
See More
Elwood Capital Fully Exits Wix.com Position
- Liquidation Trade: Elwood Capital disclosed in an SEC filing that it fully liquidated its 52,033 shares in Wix.com during Q1 2026, with an estimated trade value of $4.35 million, reflecting a pessimistic outlook on the company's future performance.
- Position Change: This transaction reduced Elwood's stake in Wix.com from 3.2% to zero, with a net position change of $5.41 million, indicating concerns over market volatility and the company's profitability.
- Performance Metrics: Despite Wix.com reporting a 14% year-over-year revenue increase to $541 million in Q1 and achieving an annual recurring revenue of $1.9 billion, it still posted a GAAP net loss of $57.5 million, highlighting ongoing profitability challenges.
- Market Reaction: Wix.com's stock price has plummeted 63% over the past year, significantly underperforming the S&P 500's 28% gain, which may dampen investor confidence further, and Elwood's exit could exacerbate negative sentiment around the stock.
See More
Analysis of Billionaire Investment Trends
- Amazon Increase: Ackman added approximately 1.8 million shares of Amazon in Q1, increasing his stake by 19%, making it Pershing's second-largest holding, reflecting strong confidence in its cloud computing business, even as the stock rose nearly 30% since April.
- Microsoft New Investment: Ackman initiated a position in Microsoft this quarter, purchasing over $2 billion worth of stock, which now accounts for about 15% of his portfolio; despite a 13% rise in stock price, it remains attractive compared to Amazon, indicating its relative value.
- Cloud Computing Competition: Both Amazon and Microsoft are making significant investments in cloud computing, with Amazon planning to spend $200 billion on data centers this year, while Microsoft's Azure revenue grew 40% year-over-year, showcasing their competitive strength in the market.
- Investment Recommendation: Although Amazon's stock has risen, its valuation based on operating cash flow remains within a normal range, allowing investors to buy confidently, while Microsoft is considered a better investment due to its lower valuation and faster growth rate.
See More
Billionaire Investor Bill Ackman's Latest Moves
- Amazon Increase: Ackman added approximately 1.8 million shares of Amazon in Q1, boosting his stake by 19%, making it the second-largest holding in his fund; despite a nearly 30% rise since April, the stock remains within its normal valuation range, indicating it could still be a buy for investors.
- Microsoft New Investment: Ackman made a significant move by purchasing over $2 billion worth of Microsoft stock this quarter, which now accounts for about 15% of his portfolio; although the stock has risen 13% since April, it still presents an attractive opportunity compared to Amazon, suggesting potential value.
- Cloud Business Comparison: Amazon's AWS revenue grew by 28% year-over-year, while Microsoft's Azure saw a 40% increase, indicating Microsoft's faster growth in the cloud sector; additionally, Microsoft is cheaper on a price-to-operating-cash-flow basis, making it a more appealing investment choice.
- Investor Confidence: Ackman's simultaneous investments in both Amazon and Microsoft reflect his confidence in these companies; while analysts have not included Amazon in their top stock picks, it is still viewed as a solid investment option, encouraging investors to consider buying at this time.
See More
Stocks Hit Record Highs Again, Driven by Tech Gains
- Market Performance: Last week, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose over 1% and 2%, respectively, marking the S&P 500's ninth consecutive week of gains and the Nasdaq's eighth out of the last nine weeks, reflecting strong investor confidence in the market.
- Tech Stock Surge: Snowflake's quarterly earnings exceeded expectations and included a $6 billion AI compute deal with Amazon, leading to a more than 36% single-day stock price increase, which reignited enthusiasm across the tech sector and boosted stocks like Dell and Broadcom significantly.
- Cybersecurity Stock Volatility: Zscaler's disappointing earnings report resulted in its worst single-day performance, negatively impacting peers CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks; however, Okta's strong earnings report led to a 30% stock price jump, indicating ongoing demand in the cybersecurity sector.
- Middle East Situation's Market Impact: Despite mixed signals from the Middle East, rumors of peace progress between Iran and the U.S. spurred market gains, although the White House dismissed the reports, investor optimism still supported the stock market's upward trajectory.
See More
