More Shoppers, More Sales 🛍️

Discount retailer Ross Stores $ROST ( ▼ 2.43% ) jumped 8.63% in after-hours trading on Thursday after posting strong financial earnings results.

Financials: Ross Stores reported earnings of $2.66 per share in the past quarter and revenue of $6.3 billion. Both were better than expected.

Details: Sales jumped 13%. The company also opened 47 new stores during the quarter.

Powering the Story: Comparable store sales, a key metric, increased 10%. The company said the growth was primarily driven by customer traffic.

Outlook: Ross Stores also raised its financial outlook on Thursday. It now expects comparable store sales to grow 6% to 7% in the third quarter and 4% to 5% in the fourth quarter.

Quote: “Our performance was fueled by our compelling merchandise offerings, engaging marketing initiatives, and continued enhancements to the in-store experience.” - CEO Jim Conroy.

Early Bird’s Nest Egg Gains: Many department stores and mall-based specialty chains are losing traffic, but Ross’s off-price model gives consumers a reason to visit physical stores: Recognizable brands, immediate availability, and prices typically 20%–60% below department- and specialty-store regular prices.

Final Thoughts: The stock had already climbed 25% this year.

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Notables

Notable Earnings Today: BJ's Wholesale (NYSE: BJ), Buckle (NYSE: BKE), Ke Holdings (NYSE: BEKE).

Notable IPOs Today: Devonian Health Group Inc. (NYSE American: DHGR).

Notable Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns Ending Today: Mylo Medical (Netcapital).

Notable Economic Events Today: S&P Global Manufacturing PMI / S&P Global Services PMI / S&P Global Composite PMI (9:45 a.m. ET).

XRP's CLARITY Act Optimism

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The digital asset XRP $XRP ( ▲ 20.6% ) surged about 14% in price on Thursday and is up 28% in the past week over renewed optimism in cryptocurrency.

Powering the Story: On Thursday, President Trump urged Congress to pass the CLARITY Act, with XRP thought leaders among industry participants associated with the push.

Background: The CLARITY Act is a proposed bill designed to establish a clear regulatory market structure for cryptocurrencies and digital assets, although it’s met with some controversy.

Details: XRP’s policy sensitivity means perceived progress toward a clearer regulated framework can prompt an outsized move, as we witnessed this week.

Final Thoughts: Despite the recent move, XRP’s price is down nearly 30% in 2026 due to a weaker crypto market.

Spotify’s $1.5 Billion Stock Buyback

Music streaming service provider Spotify Technology $SPOT ( ▼ 0.05% ) ticked up 0.55% in after-hours trading on Thursday after adding $1.5 billion to its stock buyback to boost the stock price.

Details: With $723 million remaining under the previous buyback, the new current buyback total is about $2.223 billion.

Final Thoughts: Spotify’s stock is down about 7% this year due to mixed financial results and slowing user-growth expectations.

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