Stock Market Plan 2023, So Far

Today is Monday, July 17, 2023.

The Early Bird Index today is 58.20.

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Stock Market Plan 2023, So Far

Following the strong start to the stock market in 2023, certified financial planner Bryan Kuderna breaks down the best and worst stock sectors of the year in a new episode of the Early Bird podcast.

Technically Strong: Technology and communication stocks performed very well in the first half of 2023 and recovered from a challenging 2022. Kuderna attributed this growth to the influence and profitability of big tech companies.

Out of Gas: Meanwhile, oil stocks had a terrible start to the year. Kuderna says that some oil stocks may have been overvalued after performing so well in 2022.

Advice: Kuderna says that he favors long-term investing. He also says that some investors may want to consider rebalancing as we head into the second half of the year.

Final Thoughts: What does Kuderna have to say about the financial and healthcare sectors in 2023? Find out by listening to a new episode of the Early Bird podcast.

Notables

Notable Earnings Today: Guaranty Bancshares (NYSE: GNTY), First Bank (NYSE: FBK), CrossFirst Bankshares (Nasdaq: CFB), Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE: ELS), Home Bancorp (Nasdaq: HBCP).

Notable IPOs Today: Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. II Class A Ordinary Share (Nasdaq: IPXX).

Notable Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns Ending Today: Azure Printed Homes (Republic), Otherwise Brewing (MicroVentures), Sweet Almond (Honeycomb), Pure Culture Beauty (Republic), The Functional Chocolate Company (Mainvest), Spybaby Bridal (Honeycomb), Hudson’s on the Bend (Honeycomb).

Notable Economic Events Today: NY Empire State Manufacturing Index (8:30 a.m. ET).

Microsoft Keeps ‘Call of Duty’ on PlayStation

Photo by Fábio Magalhães / Unsplash

As Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) completes its long-awaited acquisition of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI), the company announced Sunday that it signed a binding agreement to keep the popular video game Call of Duty on PlayStation.

Details: Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, announced the news in a Tweet on Sunday, writing that the company looks forward “to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.”

Background: The announcement comes as the deal for Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard passed another hurdle late last week. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is now unable to appeal the acquisition. Microsoft must complete the deal by Tuesday in order to avoid a hefty termination fee. The deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation might have been done to please regulators. Microsoft still has to get approval for the deal in the U.K.

Stock Price: Shares of Microsoft are up 44% in 2023 and are up by 2% in the last 30 days.

Final Thoughts: Microsft has been on fire this year due to this acquisition and because of its artificial intelligence technology. Can the stock continue this incredible growth at the same level in the second half of the year?

XRP Keeps Surging in Price

The cryptocurrency XRP continued its post-federal ruling surge with a 5% jump on Sunday, higher than most other cryptos that day.

Price: XRP has nearly doubled in price over the last week and is now up big since the start of the year.

Final Thoughts: Like most altcoins, XRP’s price can be volatile and erratic at times.

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Trends to Watch

Beyond Clothing: H&M Now Wants to Sell You Makeup, Sofas and Crocs (The Wall Street Journal)

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