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Volcon Inc is an all-electric, off-road powersports vehicle company developing and building electric two and four-wheel motorcycles and utility terrain vehicles, also known as side-by-sides, along with a complete line of upgrades and accessories. The company's products include motorcycle and UTV products that are all-electric and designed for off-road use.

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Deutsche Bank has significantly raised&nbsp;its stock price target for&nbsp;MP Materials Corp.&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MP#NYSE">MP</a>) following&nbsp;a strategic investment from the&nbsp;Defense Department and a substantial contract with&nbsp;Apple Inc.&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>).
What Happened: Deutsche Bank has more than tripled its stock price target for MP Materials, a rare-earth miner. The company&#8217;s shares are now projected to rise to $67, a substantial increase from the previous target of $20. This new target suggests an 11.18% upside from the closing price of $60.26 per share on Thursday, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/17/mp-materials-defense-department-pentagon-apple-rare-earth-critical-mineral.html">reported</a> by&nbsp;CNBC.
The Pentagon&#8217;s strategic investment in MP Materials and Apple&#8217;s $500 million deal to purchase rare earth magnets from the company have significantly reduced the company&#8217;s operational risks, according to Deutsche Bank analyst&nbsp;Corinne Blanchard.
Blanchard stated, &#8220;The&nbsp;stock has now priced in&nbsp;the catalyst, and other potential&nbsp;catalysts are on the medium-term,&#8221; as she maintained the hold rating on MP.
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://benzinga.com/news/topics/25/07/46483073/bill-gates-says-elon-musk-was-super-mean-after-he-shorted-tesla-stock-but-hes-super-mean-to-so-many-p" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Gates Says Elon Musk Was &#8216;Super Mean&#8217; After He Shorted Tesla Stock — &#8216;But He&#8217;s Super Mean to So Many People&#8217;</a>
Why It Matters: The rare earth minerals industry has been under the spotlight due to the U.S. government&#8217;s efforts to reduce its reliance on Chinese supply. This has led to a surge in the stock prices of companies in the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/movers/25/07/46429330/why-usa-rare-earth-usar-stock-is-skyrocketing-today">domestic critical minerals sector</a>, such as&nbsp;USA Rare Earth Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/USAR#NASDAQ">USAR</a>)
Despite the challenges, experts believe that the U.S. has&nbsp;multiple options to establish a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/04/45005825/us-has-tons-of-solutions-to-secure-rare-earth-production-if-china-halts-exports-experts-say-but-warn-of-significant-challenges">domestic supply chain</a> for rare earths&nbsp;within the next five years to replace China&#8217;s global monopoly. This includes substitutes for the seven restricted rare earths and the majority of the 17 rare earth elements and 50 critical minerals being present in the U.S.
As the U.S. faces a critical vulnerability in its supply chain concerning <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/07/46214341/china-showed-its-death-grip-on-rare-earths-during-trump-tariff-war-but-craig-shapiro-says-this-2-billion-plan-will-secure-us-supply-heres-how">rare earth supply</a>, economist&nbsp;Craig Shapiro&nbsp;asserts that this situation is fixable, and at a surprisingly manageable cost. This is evident in the recent developments at MP Materials, which have positioned the company as a strategic asset for the U.S.
Price Action: Apple closed Thursday at $210.02, slipping 0.06%, and edged up 0.10% in after-hours trading. MP Materials finished the day at $60.26, rising 2.92%, with an additional 0.56% gain after hours, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">data from Benzinga Pro</a>.
Read Next:&nbsp;
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/07/46479649/xrp-smashes-all-time-high-as-bitcoin-reclaims-119000-and-dogecoin-ethereum-continue-climb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">XRP Smashes All-Time High As Bitcoin Reclaims $119,000 And Dogecoin, Ethereum Continue Climb</a></li>
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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock

Markets

AAPL

USAR

Apple's $500 Million Rare Earth Deal With MP Materials Pushes Deutsche Bank To Triple Price Target — Analyst Says Catalyst 'Priced In'

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/xrp/usd">XRP</a>) Labs, has hailed the passage of the GENIUS Act as a &#8220;transformational legislation&#8221; that marks a historic turning point for the U.S. financial sector, drawing parallels to the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010.
What Happened: In a post on X, Garlinghouse celebrated the bill's 308-122 House approval, noting it ends a 15-year gap since the last major financial regulation, positioning the U.S. as a leader in innovative financial technology, particularly stablecoins.
The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins or GENIUS Act, set for signing by President Donald Trump on Friday afternoon at the White House, establishes a regulatory framework for stablecoins—cryptocurrencies pegged to assets like the U.S. dollar.
Garlinghouse, whose company's XRP Ledger underpins the XRP cryptocurrency, recently hit a new all-time high of $$3.84, sees this as a boon for Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin.
He thanked bipartisan leaders, including Rep. French Hill and Speaker Johnson, for their support, reflecting the bill's unexpected cross-party backing.
Garlinghouse's comparison to Dodd-Frank, enacted post-2008 financial crisis, underscores the GENIUS Act's significance.
While Dodd-Frank aimed to stabilize traditional finance, the new legislation targets the crypto boom, with the stablecoin market projected to reach $1.6-$3.7 trillion by 2030, <a href="https://commonwealthchamber.com/citi-eyes-stablecoin-launch-as-it-predicts-3-7t-market-by-2030/#:~:text=The%20bank's%20research%20arm%2C%20Citi,are%20exploring%20crypto%20custody%20solutions.">per</a> Citigroup. 
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/07/46463595/dan-ives-picks-5-stocks-for-2nd-half-of-2025-nvidia-palantir-microsoft-and-more-golden-age-of-tech-is-here-with-ai-revolution">Dan Ives Picks 5 Stocks For 2nd Half Of 2025: Nvidia, Palantir, Microsoft And More: &#8216;Golden Age Of Tech Is Here With AI Revolution&#8217;</a>
Why It Matters: Apart from Garlinghouse, SEC Chair Paul Atkins also deemed the passage of the GENIUS Act, also known as the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/07/46484988/us-house-passes-crucial-crypto-bills-from-sec-chair-paul-atkins-to-coinbase-ceo-brian-armstrong-heres-how-everyone-reacted">stablecoin bill</a>, a &#8220;historic milestone&#8221; for crypto entrepreneurs and market participants. 
Brian Armstrong, CEO of America's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/COIN#NASDAQ">COIN</a>), described the development as "huge" and stated that the industry is "incredibly close to having a clear regulatory framework."
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Huge! GENIUS ready to be signed into law. CLARITY heading the senate next. We are getting incredibly close to finally having clear rules for crypto to grow this industry in the United States of America. <a href="https://t.co/8Bv23pcJAX">https://t.co/8Bv23pcJAX</a>
&mdash; Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) <a href="https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1945945103085998581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HOOD#NASDAQ">HOOD</a>) CEO Vlad Tenev said it&#8217;s &#8220;a good day for innovation&#8221; in America, taking a step closer to making cryptocurrency the backbone of the financial system.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">It&#39;s a good day for innovation in America. A federal framework for stablecoins gets us one step closer to making crypto the backbone of the global financial system. By enabling faster payments and streamlining settlement, the U.S. now has the opportunity to lead. &#x1f1fa;&#x1f1f8; <a href="https://t.co/KJtsOBmFKW">https://t.co/KJtsOBmFKW</a>
&mdash; Vlad Tenev (@vladtenev) <a href="https://twitter.com/vladtenev/status/1945942543906271350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Concerns over Trump-backed ventures and a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/25/07/46459302/elizabeth-warren-says-trump-backed-genius-clarity-bills-dont-address-his-corruption-or-stop-terrorists-from-using-crypto-to-blow-up-our-entire-economy">potential conflict of interest</a> have heightened scrutiny of the bills, with senior Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) among the most vocal opponents. 
Price Action: During the publication of this article, XRP was trading at $3.53 per coin, whereas Bitcoin (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/btc/usd">BTC</a>) was trading at $$119,830.53 per coin. On the other hand, Ethereum (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/eth/usd">ETH</a>) was at the $3,646.94 level.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/07/46460380/johnson-johnson-credits-tariff-delays-for-strong-earnings-while-jim-cramer-pegs-it-on-lower-than-thought-levies">Johnson &amp; Johnson Credits Tariff Delays For Strong Earnings, While Jim Cramer Pegs It On &#8216;Lower Than Thought&#8217; Levies</a></li>
</ul>
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo: Shutterstock

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COIN

HOOD

Ripple CEO Hails GENIUS Act As 'Transformational Legislation,' Compares It To Dodd-Frank Act: 'This Moment Is A Historic One'

Elon Musk's Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) has announced a set of new offers on various vehicles in its lineup as the EV giant grapples with <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/large-cap/25/07/46475391/tesla-cybertruck-bet-not-paying-off-ford-gm-outsell-ev-giant">lackluster sales figures</a> in the U.S.
Check out the current price of <a href="https://benzinga.com/quote/tsla">TSLA stock here</a>.
What Happened: The EV giant took to social media platform X on Thursday to announce a new offer on Tesla vehicles in the U.S. "Up to $10k in interest on your auto loan is now deductible," the official Tesla North America handle said in the post.
The company added that this offer can be availed on top of the $7,500 EV credit that's valid until 30 September.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Attention Americans Up to $10k in interest on your auto loan is now deductible You can stack this with the $7,500 federal tax credit Combined with zero gas &amp; almost no maintenance, a Tesla saves you more $$$ in the long run, too
&mdash; Tesla North America (@tesla_na) <a href="https://twitter.com/tesla_na/status/1945932560170656222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Besides this, the company is also offering other incentives for customers on vehicles like the Model 3, Model Y and the Cybertruck, according to a post shared by influencer Sawyer Merritt on Thursday.
Incentives for the Cybertruck include a free 20" wheel upgrade, only applicable on lease purchases of the EV pickup truck. Tesla is offering a free upgrade on the Model Y's eligible new inventory, as well as 3.49% APR and lease starting from $349/month.
The Model 3 also gets offers from the automaker. The incentives include a free upgrade like the Model Y as well as 18 months of free supercharging on cash purchases of the Model 3.
The sedan also gets " 0% APR for up to 60 months is available with the purchase of FSD (Supervised); 2.49% APR without the purchase of FSD (Supervised)," the post suggests.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">BREAKING: Tesla has just introduced a bunch of new promos for new orders of the Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck in the US. Here&#39;s everything that&#39;s new: Model 3: • 18 months of free Supercharging. For cash purchases only. • One free upgrade on eligible new inventory. Only for… <a href="https://t.co/dMOw6oaPGL">pic.twitter.com/dMOw6oaPGL</a>
&mdash; Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) <a href="https://twitter.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1946066730109079698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Why It Matters: The news comes as the EV incentives, like the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46289556/trumps-tax-bill-axes-the-7500-ev-credit-heres-how-you-can-still-claim-it">$7,500 federal credit</a> on electric vehicles, were axed by the Trump administration as the Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law.
However, Tesla sales <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46436501/ev-prices-drop-2-8-in-june-as-incentives-surge-amid-tumbling-tesla-sales">are still down in the U.S.</a> as the company experienced a 6% YoY decline in domestic sales, but remained the segment leader with a 44% market share.
The U.S. decline comes after the automaker released data showcasing a <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46239998/dan-ives-hails-teslas-better-than-expected-q2-deliveries-says-fireworks-come-early-for-elon-musk-led-ev-giant">better-than-expected performance</a> in Q2 2025, as Tesla achieved 384,212 deliveries, largely driven by the Model Y and the Model 3.
The company also recently entered the Indian market with the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/asia/25/07/46360439/elon-musk-led-teslas-india-entry-kicks-off-with-first-showroom-in-mumbai-launch-set-for-july-15">Model Y being sold in India</a> for $70,000 in the base-spec Rear-Wheel Drive trim from the company's maiden outlet in Mumbai.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="206" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034919/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-1-1024x206.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-990953" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034919/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-1-1024x206.jpg 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034919/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-1-300x60.jpg 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034919/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-1-768x155.jpg 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034919/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-1-1536x310.jpg 1536w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034919/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-1.jpg 1563w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
Tesla offers Satisfactory Momentum and Quality, while scoring well on the Growth metric, but offering poor Value. For more such insights, sign up for <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound">Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings</a> today!
Check out more of Benzinga&#8217;s Future Of Mobility coverage by<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/mobility"> following this link.</a>
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46485120/gary-black-thinks-uber-benefits-most-as-autonomous-driving-technology-develops-says-tesla-could-undercut-other-ride-hailing-companies-by-mastering-unsupervised-autonomy">Gary Black Thinks Uber &#8216;Benefits Most&#8217; As Autonomous Driving Technology Develops, Says Tesla Could Undercut Other Ride-Hailing Companies By &#8216;Mastering Unsupervised Autonomy&#8217;</a></li>
</ul>
Photo courtesy: VTT Studio / Shutterstock.com

Tech

TSLA

As Trump Axes EV Incentives, Elon Musk's Tesla Announces New Offers Amid Sluggish US Sales

The current artificial intelligence (AI) frenzy could potentially trigger a market crash more severe than the dot-com bubble burst of 1999, according to a leading economist.
What Happened: Torsten Sløk, Chief Economist at Apollo Global Management, voiced his concerns about the inflated valuation of AI technology in a recent research note, as reported by <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/07/17/ai-bubble-vs-dot-com-stocks-apollo-economist-torsten-slok/">Fortune</a>.
Sløk noted, &#8220;The difference between the IT bubble in the 1990s and the <a href="https://fortune.com/2024/12/02/ai-optimists-are-behaving-like-investors-who-got-burned-in-great-depression-and-dot-com-bubble-vanguard-chief-economist-warns-stock-markets/">AI bubble</a> today is that the top 10 companies in the S&amp;P 500 today are more overvalued than they were in the 1990s."
Heavy investment in AI has resulted in a disconnection between stock prices and earnings for companies such as Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>).
Sløk presented a chart comparing the 12-month forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios of the S&amp;P 500's top 10 companies with those of the rest of the index and the overall S&amp;P 500, indicating a bubble potentially even larger than during the dot-com era.
Despite the S&amp;P hitting new records and approaching its all-time high, Sløk contends that the rally is largely driven by gains in the top 10 stocks. He warns that investors are getting caught up in the hype and paying inflated prices as if these companies&#8217; promises are guaranteed, which could ultimately trigger a major market crash.
Sløk cautioned that the 1990s showed us not all promises can — or will — be fulfilled. He also noted that although many of these top companies are profitable, their fundamentals do not justify the multiples.
SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="https://benzinga.com/news/topics/25/07/46483073/bill-gates-says-elon-musk-was-super-mean-after-he-shorted-tesla-stock-but-hes-super-mean-to-so-many-p" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bill Gates Says Elon Musk Was &#8216;Super Mean&#8217; After He Shorted Tesla Stock — &#8216;But He&#8217;s Super Mean to So Many People&#8217;</a>
Why It Matters: Sløk is not the only prominent figure to have raised concerns about the AI bubble. Earlier this year,&nbsp;Alibaba&nbsp;(NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>) Chairman&nbsp;Joe Tsai&nbsp;warned about a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44469333/alibabas-tsai-sounds-alarm-on-signs-of-ai-bubble-people-are-building-data-centers-on-speculation">potential bubble</a> in the AI data center construction sector. He cautioned that the rapid expansion of data centers could surpass the early demand for AI services.
In a similar vein, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella compared the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/02/43838071/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-warns-of-dot-com-like-ai-bubble-pushes-for-measuring-ai-impact-with-gdp-growth-self-claiming-agi-milestone-is-just-nonsensical-benchmark-hacking">current AI frenzy </a>to the dot-com bubble and pushed for measuring AI&#8217;s impact with GDP growth. Billionaire investor Ray Dalio also raised alarms over the soaring valuations of U.S. AI stocks, warning of a potential bubble fueled by <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/01/43259076/billionaire-investor-ray-dalio-sounds-alarm-on-potential-ai-stock-bubble-akin-to-dotcom-crash-very-similar-to-where-we-were-between-1998-or-1999">high prices</a> and interest rate risks.
Despite these warnings, the AI sector continues to attract significant attention. Tech analyst&nbsp;Dan Ives&nbsp;recently&nbsp;listed his top five picks for the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/07/46463595/dan-ives-picks-5-stocks-for-2nd-half-of-2025-nvidia-palantir-microsoft-and-more-golden-age-of-tech-is-here-with-ai-revolution">second half </a>of 2025, reiterating that the &#8220;golden age of tech&#8221; was here with the AI revolution at the forefront.
On a year-to-date basis, First Trust Nasdaq AI and Robotics ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ROBT#NASDAQ">ROBT</a>), Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IGPT#NYSE">IGPT</a>) and Global X Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BOTZ#NASDAQ">BOTZ</a>) surged 9.72%, 9.48% and 2.75%, respectively.
READ MORE: 
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/07/46466497/why-nvidia-still-looks-like-a-bargain-at-a-4-trillion-market-cap">Why Nvidia Still Looks Like A Bargain At A $4 Trillion Market Cap</a></li>
</ul>
Image via Shutterstock
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

BABA

BOTZ

IGPT

MSFT

NVDA

ROBT

'Overvalued' AI Stocks Like Nvidia, Microsoft May Trigger Market Crash Worse Than The Dot-Com Bubble, Economist Warns

The Donald Trump administration is reportedly preparing a sweeping executive order aimed at curbing <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/03/37763969/elon-musk-says-woke-ai-like-google-gemini-can-be-deadly-it-will-do-whatever-it-can-potentially-even">perceived liberal bias</a> in artificial intelligence models used by government contractors.
What Happened: The White House plans to require AI companies receiving federal contracts to ensure their models are politically neutral, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/white-house-prepares-executive-order-targeting-woke-ai-e68e8e24?mod=tech_lead_pos2">reported</a> the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter.
The upcoming executive order is part of a broader agenda led by Trump's top tech advisers, David Sacks and Sriram Krishnan, both of whom have raised concerns about "woke" outputs from popular AI systems.
The order targets what administration officials view as left-leaning bias in AI-generated content, including controversial depictions of historical figures and politically charged responses to prompts.
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/04/45090992/mark-zuckerberg-warns-of-serious-disadvantage-as-chinas-data-center-blitz-could-let-deepseek-leapfrog-us-ai-labs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mark Zuckerberg Warns Of ‘Serious Disadvantage' As China's Data-Center Blitz Could Let DeepSeek Leapfrog US AI Labs</a>
For instance, Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>) (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOGL#NASDAQ">GOOGL</a>) Google Gemini model previously <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/02/37256429/gemini-ai-takes-a-timeout-google-halts-image-generation-after-historical-figure-controversy">came under fire</a> for generating racially diverse images of Nazis and depicting George Washington as Black.
The executive order would apply to any AI firm seeking federal contracts, potentially forcing major tech players to adjust how they train and fine-tune large language models.
Political neutrality could become a requirement for AI used in federal agencies, marking a significant regulatory shift, the report said.
This order is expected to be part of a broader AI initiative from the Trump administration, which includes promoting U.S. chip exports, streamlining data center permitting and expanding energy production to support AI infrastructure.
Why It's Important: With major firms like Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSFT#NASDAQ">MSFT</a>), Google, Anthropic and Elon Musk's xAI vying for government AI contracts, the executive order could have a profound impact on how models are developed and deployed.
While it may appeal to conservative <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/06/46162898/elon-musk-stopped-believing-in-mars-dream-as-a-political-project-in-2024-says-peter-theil-amid-woke-ai-and-socialist-government-fears">critics of &#8220;woke AI,&#8221;</a> it's likely to raise alarms across Silicon Valley, where developers warn that political constraints could hamper innovation.
Earlier this year, companies like Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc., both significant government contractors, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/25/02/43737860/coca-cola-pepsico-adjust-dei-policies-following-trump-executive-order-report">adjusted their diversity, equity, and inclusion</a> strategies in response to an executive order issued by Trump.
Last month, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's decision to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/legal/25/06/45990612/trump-administration-illegally-slashed-over-1-billion-in-nih-grants-mostly-linked-to-dei-federal-judge-rules-report">revoke over $1 billion</a> in NIH research grants—mainly affecting diversity-focused studies—was unlawful.
Read Next:&nbsp;
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</ul>
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock

Government

News

Media

GOOG

GOOGL

Trump White House To Crack Down On 'Woke AI' With Executive Order Targeting Political Bias In Government-Contracted Chatbots And Models: Report

<h3>Companies Reporting Before The Bell</h3>
• Charles Schwab (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SCHW#NYSE">SCHW</a>) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.08 per share on revenue of $5.67 billion. 
• 3M (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MMM#NYSE">MMM</a>) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $2.01 per share on revenue of $6.08 billion. 
• Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HBAN#NASDAQ">HBAN</a>) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.36 per share on revenue of $1.98 billion. 
• American Express (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AXP#NYSE">AXP</a>) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $3.86 per share on revenue of $17.70 billion. 
• Autoliv (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ALV#NYSE">ALV</a>) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $2.00 per share on revenue of $2.61 billion. 
• SLB (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SLB#NYSE">SLB</a>) is likely to report quarterly earnings at $0.74 per share on revenue of $8.50 billion. 
• Sify Technologies (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SIFY#NASDAQ">SIFY</a>) is likely to report quarterly loss at $0.01 per share on revenue of $161.00 million. 
• Truist Finl (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TFC#NYSE">TFC</a>) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.93 per share on revenue of $5.01 billion. 
• Regions Finl (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RF#NYSE">RF</a>) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.56 per share on revenue of $1.86 billion. 
• Comerica (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CMA#NYSE">CMA</a>) is likely to report quarterly earnings at $1.23 per share on revenue of $846.29 million. 
• Ally Financial (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ALLY#NYSE">ALLY</a>) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.79 per share on revenue of $2.03 billion. 
<h3>Companies Reporting After The Bell</h3>
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Earnings

ALLY

HBAN

SCHW

SIFY

Earnings Scheduled For July 18, 2025

Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SLB#NYSE">SLB</a>) will release earnings results for the second quarter, before the opening<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/SLB/earnings"> bell on Friday, July 18.</a>
Analysts expect the Westlake, Texas-based company to report quarterly earnings at 75 cents per share, down from 85 cents per share in the year-ago period. Schlumberger projects to report quarterly revenue at $8.51 billion, compared to $9.14 billion a year earlier, according to data from <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a>.
On April 25, SLB reported worse-than-expected first-quarter 2025 results.
SLB shares gained 0.2% to close at $34.67 on Thursday.
Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/22/09/28888638/exclusive-study-finds-benzinga-analyst-ratings-data-yields-market-beating-strategie">Analyst Stock Ratings</a> page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.
Let's have a look at how Benzinga's most-accurate <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/slb/analyst-ratings">analysts have rated the company</a> in the recent period.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Barclays analyst David Anderson maintained an Overweight rating and cut the price target from $48 to $47 on July 10, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 60%.</li>
<li>Susquehanna analyst Bascome Majors maintained a Positive rating and cut the price target from $46 to $44 on July 1, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 63%.</li>
<li>JP Morgan analyst Arun Jayaram maintained an Overweight rating and cut the price target from $46 to $44 on June 30, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 61%.</li>
<li>Jefferies analyst Lloyd Byrne maintained a Buy rating and slashed the price target from $54 to $53 on June 26, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 72%.</li>
<li>Wells Fargo analyst Roger Read maintained an Overweight rating and cut the price target from $46 to $43 on June 5, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 63%.</li>
</ul>
Considering buying SLB stock? Here&#8217;s what analysts think: 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/slb/analyst-ratings"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="574" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18042208/image-239-1024x574.png" alt="" class="wp-image-991006" style="width:603px;height:auto" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18042208/image-239-1024x574.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18042208/image-239-300x168.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18042208/image-239-768x431.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18042208/image-239.png 1143w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
Read This Next: 
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/short-ideas/25/07/46465973/top-2-defensive-stocks-that-are-ticking-portfolio-bombs-2">Top 2 Defensive Stocks That Are Ticking Portfolio Bombs</a> </li>
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Photo via Shutterstock

Price Target

Pre-Market Outlook

Analyst Ratings

Trading Ideas

SLB To Report Lower Q2 Earnings; These Most Accurate Analysts Revise Forecasts Ahead Of Earnings Call

Former Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) bull Ross Gerber is pushing back against a reported partnership between rideshare service Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UBER#NYSE">UBER</a>) and automaker Lucid Group Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LCID#NASDAQ">LCID</a>).
What Happened: On Thursday, in a post on X, Gerber referred to the partnership as being driven by external pressure, rather than market logic.
&#8220;Uber is partnering with Lucid to launch some sort of robotaxi of its own,&#8221; Gerber says, referring to the company&#8217;s plans to deploy 20,000 or more Lucid vehicles over the next six years. 
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46463253/elon-musks-tesla-achieving-full-autonomy-would-be-good-for-society-but-bad-for-insurance-companies-says-warren-buffett-if-accidents-get-reduced">Elon Musk&#8217;s Tesla Achieving Full Autonomy Would Be &#8216;Good For Society&#8217; But Bad For Insurance Companies, Says Warren Buffett: &#8216;If Accidents Get Reduced…&#8217;</a>
Gerber, however, believes that this is &#8220;basically a forced marriage from the Saudis to get Uber to buy their cars,&#8221; since the Middle-Eastern state&#8217;s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been the majority stakeholder in the U.S.-based automotive startup since 2019.
He calls this an obvious &#8220;weak response&#8221; to the growing competition from Tesla and Waymo by Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GOOG#NASDAQ">GOOG</a>), as competition intensifies in autonomous ridesharing.
<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Uber is partnering with lucid to launch some sort of robotaxi of its own. Basically a forced marriage from the Saudis to get uber to buy their cars. Obviously this is a weak response to the competition from Waymo and one day, tesla.
&mdash; Ross Gerber (@GerberKawasaki) <a href="https://twitter.com/GerberKawasaki/status/1945839241642082395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
Why It Matters: Shares of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/movers/25/07/46470514/lucid-stock-is-trading-higher-thursday-whats-going-on">Lucid Motors surged</a> 36.24% following the announcement of this partnership on Thursday, and it is currently trading at $3.12 per share. 
According to the company&#8217;s interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, the deal validates the company&#8217;s technology and its suitability for autonomous ridesharing.
Investor Gary Black posted on X, saying that <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46485120/gary-black-thinks-uber-benefits-most-as-autonomous-driving-technology-develops-says-tesla-could-undercut-other-ride-hailing-companies-by-mastering-unsupervised-autonomy">Uber benefits the most</a> as autonomous tech advances, as it would allow the company to &#8220;eliminate the cost of a driver from the cost of ridership, which could lower the price by half and significantly expand TAM [Total addressable market].&#8221;
<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24UBER&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$UBER</a> continues to outperform <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24TSLA&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$TSLA</a> (YTD <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24UBER&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$UBER</a> +51%, TSLA -21%) as the race for autonomy heats up. The investment thesis for <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24UBER&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$UBER</a> is that UBER benefits most as autonomous tech advances since it allows UBER to eliminate the cost of a driver from the cost of ridership, which… <a href="https://t.co/xmoEU7g3Pj">pic.twitter.com/xmoEU7g3Pj</a>
&mdash; Gary Black (@garyblack00) <a href="https://twitter.com/garyblack00/status/1945962122359259351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
Price Action: Uber shares were down 0.28% on Thursday, trading at $90.50, and are up 0.59% after hours.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="149" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18032317/Screenshot-2025-07-18-at-12.53.04-PM-1024x149.png" alt="" class="wp-image-990906" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18032317/Screenshot-2025-07-18-at-12.53.04-PM-1024x149.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18032317/Screenshot-2025-07-18-at-12.53.04-PM-300x44.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18032317/Screenshot-2025-07-18-at-12.53.04-PM-768x112.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18032317/Screenshot-2025-07-18-at-12.53.04-PM.png 1524w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
According to Benzinga&#8217;s Edge Stock Rankings, Uber scores high on Momentum and Growth, and has a favorable price trend in the short, medium and long terms. How does it compare with Lucid, Tesla and Alphabet? Click <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound">here</a> to find out.
Read More: 
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/insights/short-sellers/25/07/46449855/what-does-the-market-think-about-uber-technologies">What Does the Market Think About Uber Technologies?</a></li>
</ul>
Photo courtesy: DenPhotos / Shutterstock.com

LCID

UBER

Uber-Lucid Robotaxi Deal 'A Forced Marriage' By The Saudis, Says Ross Gerber — Slams It As A 'Weak Response' To Waymo, Tesla

The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SCHW#NYSE">SCHW</a>) will release earnings results for the second quarter, before the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/schw/earnings">opening bell on Friday, July 18.</a>
Analysts expect the Westlake, Texas-based company to report quarterly earnings at $1.07 per share, up from 73 cents per share in the year-ago period. Charles Schwab projects to report quarterly revenue at $5.64 billion, compared to $4.69 billion a year earlier, according to data from <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a>.
On April 17, Charles Schwab reported better-than-expected first-quarter financial results.
Charles Schwab shares gained 2% to close at $93.10 on Thursday.
Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/22/09/28888638/exclusive-study-finds-benzinga-analyst-ratings-data-yields-market-beating-strategie">Analyst Stock Ratings</a> page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.
Let's have a look at how Benzinga's most-accurate <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/schw/analyst-ratings">analysts have rated the company</a> in the recent period.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Piper Sandler analyst Patrick Moley maintained a Neutral rating and raised the price target from $80 to $92 on July 15, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 89%.</li>
<li>Morgan Stanley analyst Michael Cyprys maintained an Overweight rating and raised the price target from $83 to $117 on July 15, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 68%.</li>
<li>JMP Securities analyst Devin Ryan maintained a Market Outperform rating and boosted the price target from $94 to $106 on July 14, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 85%.</li>
<li>Wells Fargo analyst Michael Brown maintained an Overweight rating and increased the price target from $87 to $102 on July 11, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 69%.</li>
<li>Barclays analyst Benjamin Budish maintained an Overweight rating and boosted the price target from $89 to $106 on July 10, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 81%.</li>
</ul>
Considering buying SCHW stock? Here&#8217;s what analysts think: 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/SCHW/analyst-ratings"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="581" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18035906/image-238-1024x581.png" alt="" class="wp-image-990970" style="width:689px;height:auto" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18035906/image-238-1024x581.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18035906/image-238-300x170.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18035906/image-238-768x436.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18035906/image-238.png 1075w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
Read This Next: 
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</ul>
Photo via Shutterstock

Charles Schwab Earnings Are Imminent; These Most Accurate Analysts Revise Forecasts Ahead Of Earnings Call

As the stock market has been scaling new records despite President Donald Trump&#8216;s ongoing tariff disputes, this expert points out a new &#8220;feedback loop&#8221; fueled by TACO &#8211; &#8216;Trump Always Chickens Out&#8217; trade on Wall Street that has kept the equities near their all-time highs.
What Happened: According to Justin Wolfers, a professor at the University of Michigan and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, there&#8217;s an ongoing problem with the &#8220;Wall Street → White House → Wall Street feedback loop.&#8221;
In a video excerpt shared via his X account, Wolfers highlights that Trump listens to the Wall Street &#8220;very, very closely.&#8221; He explains, back in April, Trump &#8220;announced an absolutely horrible policy, Wall Street tanked, and then he backed off. That&#8217;s what led to the while TACO &#8211; Trump Always Chickens Out remark.&#8221;
Building on this example from April, Wolfers continues to stress that Wall Street believes that Trump always chickens out, but &#8220;we don&#8217;t know about always, we know that he has done it once,&#8221; he adds.
Thus, Wolfers infers that &#8220;Wall Street believes that he is going to chicken out and therefore Wall Street is not tanking. Because Wall Street is not tanking, Trump&#8217;s not chickening out.&#8221;
This comes as Trump has threatened the possibility of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/25/07/46427360/peter-schiff-gives-trumps-30-tariff-threat-on-mexico-eu-a-reality-check-america-relies-on-deficits-t">30% blanket tariffs</a> on European Union and Mexican goods starting Aug. 1. He had also threatened sweeping <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/macro-economic-events/25/07/46334793/trump-sends-lula-a-letter-imposing-50-tariffs-calls-bolsonaro-trial-a-witch-hunt-brazils-president-hits-back-will-not-accept-any-form-of-tutelage">50% tariffs</a> on imports from Brazil.
Wolfers further highlights that this time, Trump may actually &#8220;charge these tariffs,&#8221; underscoring that &#8220;making policy by listening to Wall Street is a bad idea.&#8221;
He also adds that &#8220;Most American corporations are starting to see some pressure on their profit margins, and so if he&#8217;s not gonna hear from Wall Street, hopefully at least he&#8217;ll be listening to big businesses.&#8221;
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Here&#39;s the problem with the Wall Street→White House→Wall Street feedback loop: When it works: Trump picks a bad policy, Wall Street tanks, then Trump TACO&#39;s. But we&#39;re at a new loop: Trump picks a bad policy, Wall Street thinks he&#39;ll TACO so doesn&#39;t tank, Trump doesn&#39;t TACO. <a href="https://t.co/CXe1WyjTzn">pic.twitter.com/CXe1WyjTzn</a>
&mdash; Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinWolfers/status/1945965943303123390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/07/46463595/dan-ives-picks-5-stocks-for-2nd-half-of-2025-nvidia-palantir-microsoft-and-more-golden-age-of-tech-is-here-with-ai-revolution">Dan Ives Picks 5 Stocks For 2nd Half Of 2025: Nvidia, Palantir, Microsoft And More: &#8216;Golden Age Of Tech Is Here With AI Revolution&#8217;</a>
Why It Matters: TACO Trade is an acronym that gained prominence in May 2025 after many threats and reversals during the trade turmoil initiated by Trump with his administration&#8217;s &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs.
Earlier, experts like Nigam Arora have also cautioned investors against the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/06/45909542/taco-traders-unfazed-but-prudent-investors-pay-attention-to-trumps-latest-plan-and-iran-cooler-p">TACO trend</a>. He said in June that &#8220;prudent investors should be prepared for a scenario of President Trump not chickening out.&#8221; 
While the new Aug. 1 deadline for tariffs nears, it remains to be seen if Trump will chicken out once again.
Price Action: The SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPY#NYSE">SPY</a>) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QQQ#NASDAQ">QQQ</a>), which track the S&amp;P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, ended higher on Thursday. The SPY was up 0.61% at $628.04, while the QQQ advanced 0.81% to $561.80, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a> data.
On Friday, the futures of the S&amp;P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones indices were higher.
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/07/46439852/aapl-stock-would-soar-if-it-buys-this-says-jim-cramer-continued-buybacks-will-do-nothing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AAPL ‘Stock Would Soar&#8217; If It Buys This, Says Jim Cramer: ‘Continued Buybacks Will Do Nothing&#8217;</a></li>
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Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

Politics

TACO Paradox: Justin Wolfers Explains 'New Loop' — Wall Street Is Not Tanking Expecting Trump To 'Chicken Out', But He's 'Not Chickening Out' Because Wall Street Isn't Tanking

The Trump administration will give Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to the personal data of nearly 79 million Medicaid enrollees, a trove that includes names, addresses, birth dates, race and ethnicity, and Social Security numbers, according to an agreement obtained by The Associated Press.
What Happened: Homeland Security officials <a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-medicaid-trump-ice-ab9c2267ce596089410387bfcb40eeb7">tell</a> AP that the deal with the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services will help verify that undocumented immigrants are not using the program, even though federal law already bars most from full Medicaid coverage.
ICE analysts may query the database only on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and cannot download files, but critics fear the information will guide large‑scale raids.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-trump-administration%E2%80%99s-unprecedented-move-allow-ice?">seeking</a> an immediate court order to block the hand‑over, calling it an &#8220;unprecedented&#8221; privacy breach that will deter families from seeking medical care. Nineteen states, including New York and Oregon, joined an earlier lawsuit arguing the plan violates the Medicaid Act and the Tenth Amendment.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/07/46485331/trump-plans-executive-order-to-add-crypto-to-401k-menus-8-7-trillion-retirement-market-poised-for-bitcoin-ethereum-and-takeover-funds-report">Trump Plans Executive Order To Add Crypto To 401(k) Menus—$8.7 Trillion Retirement Market Poised For Bitcoin, Ethereum And Takeover Funds: Report</a>
Advocates note that emergency Medicaid already covers anyone needing life‑saving treatment regardless of status and warn that the new cross‑check amounts to a deportation dragnet. "It is devastating to think that individuals may not seek essential medical care because they are afraid that if they do so, they may be targeted by this Administration,&#8221; Bonta said.
Why It Matters: The Medicaid pact surfaces the same week Politico revealed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/legal/25/07/46439064/irs-engineers-build-secret-tool-so-ice-can-bypass-legal-review-and-pull-real-time-immigrant-address-data-report">quietly building software</a> that would let ICE pull taxpayer addresses and phone numbers on demand — a project privacy lawyers say could upend long‑standing limits on sharing return data.
The report reveals that the IRS tool was green‑lit after the agency ousted its acting general counsel for resisting a similar request covering 7.3 million records.
The twin data flows could merge into what Bonta refers to as a "mass‑deportation machine" just as the White House pushes to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/25/06/45943800/trump-orders-ice-to-launch-the-single-largest-mass-deportation-program-in-history-targeting-los-angeles-chicago-and-new-york">remove 3,000 people</a> per day.
Read Next:
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</ul>
Image via Shutterstock

Legal

Trump Admin Grants ICE Access To 79 Million Medicaid Records — California AG Rob Bonta Calls It 'Unprecedented' Privacy Breach

American Express Company (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AXP#NYSE">AXP</a>) will release earnings results for the second quarter, before the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/AXP/earnings">opening bell on Friday, July 18.</a>
Analysts expect the New York-based company to report quarterly earnings at $3.86 per share. It reported $4.15 per share in the previous year. American Express is also projected to report quarterly revenue of $17.7 billion. Compare that to $16.33 billion a year earlier, according to data from <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a>.
On June 17, the company's board declared a regular quarterly dividend of 82 cents per common share.
American Express shares gained 1.1% to close at $315.35 on Thursday.
Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/22/09/28888638/exclusive-study-finds-benzinga-analyst-ratings-data-yields-market-beating-strategie">Analyst Stock Ratings</a> page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.
Let's have a look at how Benzinga's most-accurate <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/GBX/analyst-ratings">analysts have rated the company</a> in the recent period.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>JP Morgan analyst Richard Shane maintained a Neutral rating and raised the price target from $260 to $342 on July 11, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 66%.</li>
<li>Morgan Stanley analyst Betsy Graseck maintained an Equal-Weight rating and increased the price target from $250 to $311 on July 10, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 61%.</li>
<li>Keefe, Bruyette &amp; Woods analyst Sanjay Sakhrani maintained an Outperform rating and raised the price target from $360 to $371 on July 9, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 61%.</li>
<li>Truist Securities analyst Brian Foran maintained a Buy rating and increased the price target from $375 to $340 on July 9, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 68%.</li>
<li>Citigroup analyst Keith Horowitz maintained a Neutral and raised the price target from $300 to $327 on July 2, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 77%</li>
</ul>
Considering buying AXP stock? Here&#8217;s what analysts think: 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/axp/analyst-ratings"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="606" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034247/image-237-1024x606.png" alt="" class="wp-image-990937" style="width:596px;height:auto" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034247/image-237-1024x606.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034247/image-237-300x178.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034247/image-237-768x454.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18034247/image-237.png 1117w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
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Photo via Shutterstock

Top Wall Street Forecasters Revamp American Express Expectations Ahead Of Q2 Earnings

President Donald Trump has asked for the release of more documents associated with the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and has also threatened to take legal action against The Wall Street Journal.
What Happened: President Trump has called for the release of additional documents connected to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
This comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that in 2003, Epstein's then-assistant, Ghislaine Maxwell, gathered letters from Donald Trump and dozens of Epstein's other associates to compile a birthday album for him.
In a social media post on Thursday night, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to &#8220;produce&nbsp;any and all pertinent Grand&nbsp;Jury testimony, subject to Court&nbsp;approval!&#8221; Bondi confirmed that she is prepared to ask the court to unseal the grand jury transcripts on Friday.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="607" height="204" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18024023/image-234.png" alt="" class="wp-image-990827" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18024023/image-234.png 607w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18024023/image-234-300x101.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 607px) 100vw, 607px" /></figure>
Trump also threatened legal action against The Wall Street Journal and its parent company, News Corp (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NWSA#NASDAQ">NWSA</a>), for publishing what he called a &#8220;false, malicious, and defamatory&#8221; article. He claimed to have informed the Journal&#8217;s editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, and News Corp&#8217;s chair emeritus,&nbsp;Rupert Murdoch, that the letter in question was fake.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="612" height="273" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18023932/image-233.png" alt="" class="wp-image-990825" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18023932/image-233.png 612w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18023932/image-233-300x134.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" /></figure>
SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="https://benzinga.com/news/topics/25/07/46476163/elon-musk-promised-us-trillions-in-cuts-now-we-are-down-to-9-billion-says-fox-news-host" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8216;Elon Musk Promised Us Trillions In Cuts. Now, We Are Down To $9 Billion,&#8217; Says Fox News Host</a>
Why It Matters: This development comes amid the Trump administration&#8217;s struggle to control the backlash around the Epstein files.
It was reported that the administration is grappling with the fallout from its decision to withhold documents concerning Epstein, with the White House considering <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/25/07/46460597/trump-administration-weighs-special-prosecutor-releasing-new-epstein-documents-to-contain-maga-backlash-report">various strategies</a>, including the release of new documents and the appointment of a special prosecutor.
However, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified that the President &#8220;would not&#8221; recommend a special prosecutor.
Trump&#8217;s allies have been pushing&nbsp;for the release of additional&nbsp;Epstein-related documents, a promise Trump made during his 2024 presidential campaign. The Justice Department&#8217;s recent statement that no additional documents warrant public disclosure has sparked outrage among Trump&#8217;s supporters.
Furthermore, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) CEO Elon Musk&#8216;s <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/07/46475554/why-is-donald-trump-ignoring-elon-musks-call-for-phase-2-of-the-epstein-files">recent post</a> questioning the whereabouts of further Epstein disclosures has reignited tensions over transparency in high-profile political and tech circles. Despite Musk&#8217;s public promise, traders remain unconvinced that Trump will follow through.
READ MORE: 
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/25/07/46409029/trumps-remarks-on-hesitation-to-release-epstein-files-were-omitted-from-initial-2024-fox-interview-you-dont-want-to-affect-peoples-lives-if-its-phony-stuff-in-th">Trump&#8217;s Remarks On Hesitation To Release Epstein Files Were Omitted From Initial 2024 Fox Interview: &#8216;You Don&#8217;t Want To Affect People&#8217;s Lives If It&#8217;s Phony Stuff In There&#8217;</a></li>
</ul>
Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

NWSA

Trump Directs Pam Bondi To Release More Epstein Documents 'Subject To Court Approval,' Threatens Legal Action Against WSJ Over Epstein Letter

After the debut of Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) in India with a maiden outlet in the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/asia/25/07/46360439/elon-musk-led-teslas-india-entry-kicks-off-with-first-showroom-in-mumbai-launch-set-for-july-15">country's financial capital</a>, Mumbai, Elon Musk's ambitions to expand his presence in the Indian market got a boost as Starlink received regulatory approval to begin operations in the country.
Check out the current price of <a href="https://benzinga.com/quote/tsla">TSLA stock here</a>.
What Happened: Starlink was handed a license by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, in what was the final regulatory hurdle for the space-based satellite internet company, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
However, challenges still lie ahead for Starlink, which would have to develop domestic sites in India to store data, required by Indian law for national security reasons, as well as infrastructure to connect to the LEO satellites, the report suggests.
Indian law also requires Starlink to shut off access to the internet using its services whenever the government issues a request to the company, the report outlines.
Why It Matters: Tesla's entry into the country marks a significant milestone for Musk, as the billionaire had been <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/tech/25/04/44833951/elon-musk-led-teslas-model-y-spotted-testing-in-mumbai-ahead-of-india-debut">eyeing the Indian market</a> for a while. With the debut, Tesla will initially sell the Model Y in <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/asia/25/07/46360439/elon-musk-led-teslas-india-entry-kicks-off-with-first-showroom-in-mumbai-launch-set-for-july-15">India for $70,000</a> for the base-spec Rear-Wheel Drive variant.
Elsewhere, Starlink <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/03/44268506/elon-musk-led-spacex-inks-agreements-with-indias-top-telecom-providers-expands-addressable-market-by-over-850-million-users">signed agreements</a> with Bharti Airtel as well as Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms Ltd., the country's two top telecom networks, to offer internet services in the country.
Meanwhile, Tesla's annual shareholder meeting is set to take place on November 6th, with experts like Wedbush Securities' analyst Dan Ives suggesting that <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46359669/teslas-annual-shareholder-meeting-set-for-november-6th-dan-ives-says-elon-musks-pay-package-in-the-spotlight">Musk's $56B pay package</a> would likely be in focus.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="206" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18021145/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-1024x206.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-990814" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18021145/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-1024x206.jpg 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18021145/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-300x60.jpg 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18021145/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-768x155.jpg 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18021145/TSLA-JUL-18-2025-1536x310.jpg 1536w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18021145/TSLA-JUL-18-2025.jpg 1563w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
Tesla offers Satisfactory Momentum and Quality, while scoring well on the Growth metric, but offering poor Value. For more such insights, sign up for<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound"> Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings</a> today!
Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/mobility"> following this link.</a>
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Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

SPACE

Elon Musk's India Ambitions Get Major Boost As Starlink Gets Approval Following Tesla's Mumbai Debut

Wall Street strategist Tom Lee said Thursday that the astronomical jump in Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSTR#NASDAQ">MSTR</a>) shares was due not just to the rise in Bitcoin (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/btc/usd">BTC</a>) but also to the financial maneuvers it adopted.
What happened: In an X thread, Lee highlighted how the stock of the Michael Saylor-led firm skyrocketed from $13 to over $450 after switching to a Bitcoin treasury strategy five years ago.
The Head of Research at Fundstrat said that out of the 35x spike, 11x was due to Bitcoin's price surging from $11,000 to $118,000, while the treasury strategy contributed an additional 25x rise.
"Treasury strategy far more significant than token price gain," Lee said.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">&#x1f9f5; 1/ On DAT&#x2A; and BTC/ETH Treasuries &#x2A;post has consent from <a href="https://twitter.com/saylor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@saylor</a> CASE STUDY: <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24MSTR&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$MSTR</a> created the template for crypto treasury. &#8211; since 2020 start of <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24BTC&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$BTC</a> strategy, <a href="https://twitter.com/MicroStrategy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MicroStrategy</a> &#8211; stock gain from $13 to $455 QUESTION? How much is due to BTC rise vs treasury strategy… <a href="https://t.co/Xc4FJPzA4x">pic.twitter.com/Xc4FJPzA4x</a>
&mdash; Thomas (Tom) Lee (not drummer) FSInsight.com (@fundstrat) <a href="https://twitter.com/fundstrat/status/1945914730469609961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
See Also:<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44621245/gold-backed-cryptos-match-yellow-metals-highs-following-trumps-liberation-day-shock"> </a><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/07/46407683/bitcoin-treasury-companies-play-like-ponzi-built-on-a-pyramid-says-peter-schiff-economist-warns-wild-centralized-speculation-eroding-btcs-foundation">Bitcoin Treasury Companies&#8217; Play Like &#8216;Ponzi Built On A Pyramid,&#8217; Says Peter Schiff; Economist Warns &#8216;Wild Centralized Speculation&#8217; Eroding BTC&#8217;s Foundation</a>
Why It Matters: Strategy has pioneered Bitcoin's corporate adoption, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/06/45837005/strategy-buys-another-110-million-in-bitcoin-now-holds-582000-btc">building its reserve</a> with proceeds from common stock, preferred stock, and convertible bond issuances. The firm held a stash of more than 600,000 BTC, worth $72 billion as of this writing, <a href="https://bitcointreasuries.net/">according </a>to <a href="http://bitcointreasuries.net">bitcointreasuries.net</a>.
Lee said Strategy employed these strategies to increase the Bitcoin held per share, also known as the &#8220;Bitcoin Yield,&#8221; as described by the firm. Year-to-date, this yield has grown 20%.
Notably, Lee recently took over as chairman of BitMine Immersion Technologies (AMEX:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BMNR#AMEX">BMNR</a>), a Bitcoin mining firm that will transition to an Ethereum (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/eth/usd">ETH</a>)-focused treasury company, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/25/07/46187962/ethereum-the-next-big-thing-in-banking-tom-lee-thinks-so-and-wants-this-small-cap-company-he-chairs-to-front-run-the-likes-of-goldman-sachs-jpmorgan">adopting ETH as its primary reserve asset</a>.
Price Action:&nbsp; At the time of writing, Bitcoin was exchanging hands at $120,621.13, up 1.57% in the last 24 hours, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard?_gl=1&#x2A;380nj0&#x2A;_ga&#x2A;MTEyOTAyOTcxMy4xNzEzMzY0NTYy&#x2A;_ga_V7ZK73W7N0&#x2A;MTcxNDk4MzIzMi42LjEuMTcxNDk4OTE0Ni4wLjAuMA..">data from Benzinga Pro</a>. 
Shares of Strategy were up 0.64% in after-hours trading after closing 1% lower at $451.34&nbsp; during Thursday's regular trading session. The stock has risen over 55% year-to-date.
MSTR recorded a very high Momentum score as of this writing. If you are looking to filter out similar high-momentum stocks for your portfolio, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound">Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings</a> might be of some help.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-2#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="977" height="187" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18020632/image-232.png" alt="" class="wp-image-990809" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18020632/image-232.png 977w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18020632/image-232-300x57.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18020632/image-232-768x147.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 977px) 100vw, 977px" /></a></figure>
Read Next:&nbsp;
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/07/46484988/us-house-passes-crucial-crypto-bills-from-sec-chair-paul-atkins-to-coinbase-ceo-brian-armstrong-heres-how-everyone-reacted">US House Passes Crucial Crypto Bills — From SEC Chair Paul Atkins To Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Here&#8217;s How Everyone Reacted</a></li>
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Photo courtesy: PJ McDonnell / Shutterstock.com

BMNR

MSTR

Tom Lee Says Michael Saylor-Led Strategy's 35x Surge Wasn't Just Bitcoin — Treasury Moves 'Far More Significant' Than Token Price Gain

3M Company (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MMM#NYSE">MMM</a>) will release earnings results for the second quarter, before the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/MMM/earnings">opening bell on Friday, July 18</a>.
Analysts expect the Saint Paul, Minnesota-based company to report quarterly earnings at $2.01 per share. It reported $1.93 per share in the previous year. 3M is also projected to report quarterly revenue of $6.05 billion. Compare that to $6.25 billion a year earlier, according to data from <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a>.
On May 13, the company's board declared a dividend on the company&#8217;s common stock of 73 cents er share for the second quarter.
3M shares gained 0.9% to close at $159.04 on Thursday.
Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/22/09/28888638/exclusive-study-finds-benzinga-analyst-ratings-data-yields-market-beating-strategie">Analyst Stock Ratings</a> page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.
Let's have a look at how Benzinga's most-accurate <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/mmm/analyst-ratings">analysts have rated the company</a> in the recent period.
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Barclays analyst Julian Mitchell maintained an Overweight rating and raised the price target from $164 to $170 on July 9, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 75%.</li>
<li>Wells Fargo analyst Joe O'Dea maintained an Overweight rating and increased the price target from $150 to $170 on July 1, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 64%.</li>
<li>JP Morgan analyst Stephen Tusa maintained an Overweight rating and raised the price target from $140 to $167 on May 16, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 68%.</li>
<li>B of A Securities analyst Andrew Obin maintained a Buy rating and increased the price target from $175 to $179 on March 6, 2025. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 73%.</li>
<li>UBS analyst Damian Karas upgraded the stock from Neutral to Buy and raised the price target from $130 to $184 on Nov. 13, 2024. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 63%</li>
</ul>
Considering buying MMM stock? Here&#8217;s what analysts think: 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="567" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18025743/image-235-1024x567.png" alt="" class="wp-image-990859" style="width:610px;height:auto" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18025743/image-235-1024x567.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18025743/image-235-300x166.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18025743/image-235-768x425.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18025743/image-235.png 1125w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
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Photo via Shutterstock

3M Gears Up For Q2 Print; Here Are The Recent Forecast Changes From Wall Street's Most Accurate Analysts

<ul>
<li>Transaction includes US onshore wind energy business, comprising 10 operating wind assets with a total generating capacity of 1.3GW net&nbsp;</li>
<li>Deal expected to conclude by end of the year and follows a competitive bidding process</li>
<li>Delivering on plan to further simplify and focus bp as part of the $20bn divestment programme announced in February.</li>
</ul>

BP To Divest US Onshore Wind Business To LS Power Under $20B Asset Sale Strategy

On Thursday, Wedbush Securities' Matt Bryson said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSM#NYSE">TSM</a>) stellar <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/earnings/25/07/46462634/nvidia-supplier-taiwan-semiconductor-on-a-roll-profit-explodes-with-strong-margin-growth">second-quarter earnings</a> leave little doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) demand remains red hot — a promising signal for Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) and the broader tech sector.
What Happened: In a conversation <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/video/tsmcs-surge-reveals-ai-demand-144112245.html">with</a> Yahoo Finance following TSMC's earnings release, Bryson said that the report reinforces the strength of AI-related demand.
"It tells us again that AI demand is really, really strong, and there's just no change there," said Bryson, managing director of equity research at Wedbush.
He added, "With TSM telling you things are looking good this year, I think things look good for Nvidia."
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/06/45740017/tsmc-ceo-tells-trump-100-billion-us-chip-expansion-will-take-time-amid-tariff-pressures-surging-ai-demand">TSMC CEO Tells Trump $100 Billion US Chip Expansion Will &#8216;Take Time&#8217; Amid Tariff Pressures, Surging AI Demand</a>
When asked if he has seen signs of a slowdown in AI demand, Bryson stated that he's been to California and Taiwan — the supply chain is seeing demand lift. Moreover, there's still a shortage of new Blackwell chips, he added, referring to Nvidia's AI GPUs.
Why It's Important: TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker and a key supplier to Nvidia and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>), reported second-quarter revenue of $30.07 billion, up 38.6% year-over-year, beating expectations.
In U.S. dollar terms, revenue growth hit 44.4% year-over-year, driven largely by advanced chips used in AI applications.
TSMC has projected third-quarter 2025 revenue between $31.8 billion and $33.0 billion, compared to the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/calendars/guidance">analyst consensus</a> of $32.7 billion. The company anticipates a gross margin in the range of 55.5% to 57.5% and an operating margin between 45.5% and 47.5%.
Price Action: TSMC shares rose 3.38% on Thursday, closing at $245.60, before dipping slightly by 0.043% in after-hours trading, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a>.
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that TSMC continues to show consistent upward momentum across short, medium and long-term periods. While its growth indicators remain strong, the stock&#8217;s value rating is relatively lower. <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-4/#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound">Additional performance insights are available here</a>.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/premium/ideas/benzinga-edge-4/#:~:text=Turn%20Market%20Chaos,when%20markets%20rebound"><img decoding="async" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18014745/Screenshot-2025-07-18-at-11.14.39%E2%80%AFAM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-990791" /></a></figure>
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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Jack Hong / Shutterstock.com

Equities

Wedbush Analyst Says TSMC Blowout Earnings Confirm AI Demand Is 'Really, Really Strong' — Bullish Signal For Nvidia And Big Tech

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed some improvement in the overall market sentiment, while the index moved to the &#8220;Extreme Greed&#8221; zone on Thursday.
U.S. stocks settled higher on Thursday, with the S&amp;P 500 surging to a fresh closing record during the session.
PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PEP#NASDAQ">PEP</a>) shares climbed more than 7% following better-than-expected earnings. United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UAL#NASDAQ">UAL</a>) shares added over 3% after the airline topped earnings estimates.
On the economic data front, U.S. initial jobless claims declined by 7,000 from the previous week to 221,000 in the recent week, compared to market expectations of 235,000. U.S. retail sales rose 0.6% month-over-month in June, topping market expectations of a 0.1% increase. U.S. export prices increased 0.5% month-over-month in June, while import prices rose 0.1% in June.
Most sectors on the S&amp;P 500 closed on a positive note, with financial, information technology and consumer staples stocks recording the biggest gains on Thursday. However, health care and real estate stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.
The Dow Jones closed higher by 230 points to 44,484.49 on Thursday. The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.54% to 6,297.36, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.75% at 20,885.65 during Thursday's session.
Investors are awaiting earnings results from American Express Co. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AXP#NYSE">AXP</a>), 3M Co. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MMM#NYSE">MMM</a>) and Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SLB#NYSE">SLB</a>) today.
What is CNN Business Fear &amp; Greed Index?
At a current reading of 75.1, the index moved to the &#8220;Extreme Greed&#8221; zone on Thursday, versus a prior reading of 73.8.
The Fear &amp; Greed Index is a measure of the current market sentiment. It is based on the premise that higher fear exerts pressure on stock prices, while higher greed has the opposite effect. The index is calculated based on seven equal-weighted indicators. The index ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 represents maximum fear and 100 signals maximum greediness.
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S&P 500 Hits Fresh Closing Record Amid Upbeat Earnings: Investor Sentiment Improves, Fear Index Moves To 'Extreme Greed' Zone

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