Things They Don't Teach In School

 

This Was Reason for the Blood on the Street (Wall Street) On Friday

 

Daily Mass Readings and Reflection Friday, July 24th, 2026

First Reading: (Jeremiah 3:14–17)

Responsorial Psalm: (Jeremiah 31:10–12b, 13)

Response: The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Alleluia: (Luke 8:15)

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: (Matthew 13:18–23)

Reflection

Today's Gospel invites us to examine not the quality of God's Word but the condition of our hearts. The seed is always good because it is the Word of God. The difference lies in the soil that receives it.

Jesus explains four responses to God's Word.

The first is the hardened heart. Like seed that falls along the path, the Word never takes root because it is not understood or welcomed. The evil one quickly steals it away before it can transform the person.

The second is the shallow heart. These are people who receive God's Word with enthusiasm and joy, but their faith has no deep roots. When trials, suffering, or persecution come, they quickly abandon the Gospel. Their commitment depends on convenience rather than conviction.

The third is the distracted heart. The seed begins to grow, but it is choked by worldly concerns, anxiety, material possessions, ambition, and the constant distractions of daily life. The Word remains present but becomes unfruitful because other priorities occupy first place.

Finally, there is the good soil. These are the men and women who hear God's Word, understand it, persevere through difficulties, and allow it to shape their lives. Their faith produces abundant fruit according to the gifts God has given them.

The Gospel also reminds us that Jesus Himself was rejected. He was opposed by many, including some from His own hometown, the religious leaders who valued legalism over mercy, and even His own disciples, who were often slow to understand His mission. Yet Jesus never stopped sowing the seed of God's Kingdom.

We are called to imitate His perseverance. Rather than judging how much fruit others produce, we should focus on making our own hearts fertile soil. God does not expect the same harvest from everyone. Some bear thirtyfold, others sixtyfold, and still others a hundredfold. What matters is that we faithfully cultivate the gifts He has entrusted to us.

May we ask the Lord for hearts that are receptive, faithful, and fruitful, so that His Word may flourish within us and bring abundant blessings to others.

Amen

Watching For Earnings Call Tonight July 23rd 2026

Based on historical earnings reactions, current setups, and what the market is rewarding/punishing right now.

The market's current mood: Investors are punishing:

• weak guidance,
• margin compression,
• heavy capex,
• any AI story that isn't producing cash flow.

They're rewarding:

• revenue acceleration,
• free cash flow,
• raised guidance.

Highest Expected Volatility

INTC (Intel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Expected move: ±12–18%

Options are reportedly pricing roughly a 15% move, above Intel's recent historical average earnings reaction. Investors are focused on:

• 18A manufacturing progress
• AI/data center growth
• Foundry business execution
• Gross margins

Bull case

• Revenue above ~$14.4B
• Strong margins
• Positive foundry commentary

Bear case

• Foundry losses widen
• AI story disappoints
• Weak Q3 outlook

My expectation: Slight beat, volatile conference call. Stock direction likely determined by guidance more than earnings.

SMMT (Summit Therapeutics) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Expected move: ±10–20%

This trades more on:

• Ivonescimab updates
• Trial data
• Regulatory commentary

Not really an earnings stock. Any clinical update can overwhelm financial results.

APPF (AppFolio) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Expected move: ±8–15%

AppFolio has a strong record of beating expectations.

Last quarter:

• EPS beat
• Revenue grew 20%+ YoY.

With software names, investors want:

• subscription growth
• operating leverage
• AI monetization

Expectation: One of the higher probability beats tonight.

DECK (Deckers Outdoor) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Expected move: ±8–12%

Historically one of the strongest operating companies in retail.

Market focus:

• HOKA growth
• Inventory levels
• Full-year guidance

If HOKA remains >20% growth, stock likely rallies.

Potential Positive Surprises

SAP ⭐⭐⭐⭐

SAP has become one of the market's favorite enterprise software names because of:

• cloud transition
• AI integration
• recurring revenue growth

Recent acquisitions show management is aggressively investing in AI and enterprise data infrastructure.

Expectation: Beat-and-raise more likely than miss-and-cut.

HIG (Hartford)

Insurance has been one of the market's strongest earnings groups.

Things investors like:

• pricing power
• higher investment income
• reasonable valuation

Expectation: Low drama quarter.

SSNC (SS&C Technologies)

Quiet compounder.

Investors will watch:

• recurring revenue
• margins
• wealth-management software demand

Historically tends to have smaller earnings reactions.

Potential Negative Surprise Risk

DLR (Digital Realty)

The AI/data-center theme has driven expectations sky-high.

Good earnings may already be priced in.

Risk:

• slower leasing
• capex concerns
• weaker guidance

RNG (RingCentral)

The market has become skeptical of UCaaS/cloud communications names.

Must show:

• enterprise growth
• stable retention
• AI monetization

Anything less can hurt the stock.

MXL (MaxLinear)

Historically volatile semiconductor name.

Investors want:

• inventory normalization
• networking demand improvement

Could easily move 10%+ either way.

Regional Banks

ASB

COLB

FIBK

GBCI

These typically trade on:

• Net Interest Margin
• Loan growth
• Credit quality
• Deposit trends

Current environment favors banks if:

• credit remains clean
• NIM stabilizes

I'd rank:

1. COLB
2. FIBK
3. GBCI
4. ASB

for probability of positive reaction.

Energy / Commodity Names

OVV (Ovintiv)

Watch:

• production guidance
• shareholder returns
• oil price outlook

Likely tied more to commodity commentary than earnings.

NEM (Newmont)

Gold miner.

If gold remains strong:

• cash flow
• production
• AISC costs

matter most.

Could be one of tonight's more interesting calls.

REITs

REXR

Industrial REIT.

Watch:

• occupancy
• rent spreads
• Southern California demand

Usually moderate earnings reaction.

ORC

Mortgage REIT.

Mostly interest-rate sensitive.

Higher volatility than most REITs.

Small-Cap Wildcards

OPTT

Very speculative.

Small earnings numbers matter less than:

• contracts
• backlog
• financing

Could move double digits.

EBC

RHI

Typically, guidance-driven. RHI is often viewed as an employment/economy indicator.

My "Most Likely Winners Tonight"

1. SAP
2. APPF
3. HIG
4. SSNC
5. DECK

Biggest Upside If They Beat

1. INTC
2. SMMT
3. APPF
4. DECK
5. MXL

Biggest Blow-Up Risk

1. INTC
2. SMMT
3. MXL
4. RNG
5. DLR

If I were trading purely on historical post-earnings reactions and current sentiment, INTC, APPF, DECK, SAP, and SMMT are the names I'd have on the screen immediately after the close. Their conference-call commentary is likely to matter more than the headline EPS number. 

Wealth Creates Options

The Talking Heads Podcasters Needs This One

 

Mass Readings with Reflections for Thursday July 23rd, 2026

First Reading: (Jeremiah 2:1–3, 7–8, 12–13)

Reflection

God remembers Israel's first love-their trust and dependence upon Him. Yet the people gradually drifted away. The tragedy was not merely breaking rules; it was abandoning a relationship.

The image of the "source of living waters" is one of the most powerful in Scripture. God offers life, grace, mercy, and truth. Yet people choose broken substitutes-wealth, power, pleasure, prestige, or self-sufficiency.

The Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 36:6–1)

Response: "With you is the fountain of life, O Lord." 

Gospel Acclamation: (Matthew 11:25)

Reflection

God's deepest truths are not reserved for the powerful, educated, or influential. They are revealed to the humble-those who approach Him with childlike trust.

Saint Bridget embodied this spiritual simplicity despite her noble background.

Gospel: (Matthew 13:10–17)

Reflection

Jesus teaches in parables because spiritual truth requires more than intelligence. It requires openness of heart.

Many heard Jesus' words, but only some truly listened.

The danger Jesus identifies is not ignorance but hardness of heart.

Knowledge can increase humility, but it can also increase pride. That is the danger.

Faith begins when we acknowledge our limitations and allow God to lead us beyond what we can fully comprehend.

As Saint Bernard expressed:

"I believe though I do not comprehend."

This is the path walked by Saint Bridget and every saint.

On Saint Bridget of Sweden

Saint Bridget (1303-1373), wife, mother, widow, mystic, and patroness of Europe, experienced both worldly success and deep personal suffering.

After her husband's death, she dedicated herself entirely to prayer, penance, service to the poor, and obedience to God's will. Her life demonstrates that holiness is not escaping the world but allowing God to transform us within it.

She teaches us:

• Humility over pride
• Faith over certainty
• Prayer over self-reliance
• Eternal vision over worldly distractions

Daily Mass Readings and Reflection on July 22nd, 2026

First Reading (Option I): Song of Songs 3:1–4b

"I found him whom my heart loves."

First Reading:  (2 Corinthians 5:14–17)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 63:2, 3–4, 5–6, 8–9)

Response: For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way? I saw the glory of the risen Christ; I saw his empty tomb.

Alleluia.

Gospel: (John 20:1–2, 11–18)

Reflection

Today's Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene invites us to reflect on a simple yet profound question: How much do you love God?

Mary Magdalene is often misunderstood. Scripture does not identify her as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, nor as the sinful woman who anointed Jesus' feet in the house of the Pharisee, nor as the woman caught in adultery. Rather, Mary Magdalene was a woman from Magdala who had been delivered by Jesus from seven demons (Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9). Transformed by His mercy, she became one of His most devoted followers.

Her life reveals what it truly means to love God with all one's heart, mind, soul, and strength.

First, after experiencing Christ's healing, she left behind her former life and became a faithful disciple. God's mercy changed her completely, making her a living example of the new creation described by St. Paul.

Second, Mary Magdalene did not merely follow Jesus; she generously supported His ministry with her own resources (Luke 8:1–3). Genuine love for God always expresses itself in generous service.

Third, when many fled in fear, Mary remained at the foot of the Cross. Her love was courageous and steadfast, remaining faithful even in the darkest hour.

Finally, she was the first to visit the tomb before dawn, driven by love stronger than fear. Because she sought Christ with all her heart, she became the first witness of His Resurrection. Pope Francis fittingly called her the "Apostle to the Apostles," for it was she who first proclaimed to them, "I have seen the Lord."

Like the bride in the Song of Songs, Mary sought the One whom her heart loved until she found Him. Like the psalmist, her soul thirsted for God above everything else.

Today, she asks each of us:

• Do I truly thirst for God?

• Do I seek Him even when life is dark and uncertain?

• Am I willing to give Him my time, my talents, my resources, my heart, my mind, my strength, and my will?

The greatest evidence of our love for Christ is not simply what we say, but how faithfully we follow Him each day.

May Saint Mary Magdalene teach us to seek Jesus with unwavering devotion, remain faithful through every trial, and boldly proclaim Him to the world with joyful hearts.

Saint Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles, pray for us. Amen.

Daily Mass Readings and Reflection for Tuesday, July 21st, 2026

First Reading: (Micah 7:14–15, 18–20)

Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 85:2–4, 5–6, 7–8)

Response: Lord, show us your mercy and love.

Alleluia: (John 14:23)

Alleluia, alleluia.

"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him."

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: (Matthew 12:46–50)

Reflection:

The prophet Micah gives us one of the most beautiful descriptions of God's mercy found anywhere in Scripture:

"Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression... He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy."

Human beings often find it difficult to forgive. When we are deeply hurt, we may distance ourselves from those who have offended us. Sometimes we refuse to listen to their apologies or even allow them into our presence. Such reactions make reconciliation difficult because the offender fears rejection.

God is not like that.

Whenever we fall into sin, God does not close His heart to us. He does not greet us with anger or shame us for our failures. Instead, He patiently waits for us to return, always ready to forgive. His mercy creates a welcoming path back to Him.

This is why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is such an extraordinary gift. In confession, we do not simply meet a priest-we encounter Jesus Christ Himself, who never tires of forgiving those who sincerely repent.

Sadly, many Catholics stay away from confession. Some are embarrassed to confess their sins. Others worry that the priest will think less of them. Some become discouraged because they repeatedly struggle with the same weaknesses and wonder whether there is any point in confessing them again.

The answer is always yes.

No faithful priest judges a sincere penitent. Bound by the sacred seal of confession, he acts only as an instrument of Christ's mercy. More importantly, Jesus never grows tired of welcoming us home. Every sincere confession brings healing, grace, and the strength to begin again.

One of the greatest tragedies today is that many people go for months-or even years-without celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation, yet continue to receive Holy Communion. God's mercy should never be taken for granted. His patience is not permission to remain in sin but an invitation to conversion.

Micah reminds us that God delights in mercy. He casts our sins into the depths of the sea, never to hold them against us again. His forgiveness is complete, His compassion is constant, and His love never fails.

Today, take a moment to reflect:

• When was my last good confession?

• What keeps me from approaching God's mercy?

• Do I trust that God truly forgives every sin I sincerely confess?

• Is there a need for repentance that I have been postponing?

God's mercy is one of the greatest treasures of our faith. Do not allow fear, shame, or discouragement to keep you away from His loving embrace. Instead, see His mercy as an invitation to return to Him with confidence.

May we never take God's patience for granted but respond to His loving mercy with sincere repentance, renewed faith, and a firm desire to walk more closely with Him each day. 

Amen.

Back to Mad Money: Jim Cramer, AI, and the Great Rotation: July 20th 2026

There was a time when Jim Cramer was part of my daily evening routine.

Back in college, I rarely missed an episode of Mad Money. I remember driving between Newburgh and White Plains for work, listening to the show on the on google podcast (defunct), trying to absorb every lesson about investing, market psychology, and how Wall Street really works. Those were good days. Whether I agreed with him or not, Cramer always made me think, and more importantly, he made investing exciting. Mad energy.

Over the years, life became busier. College, hospital shifts, work related travels, covid when he took a terrible stance and everything else gradually replaced my evening ritual. Somewhere along the way, I stopped listening.

Tonight, I decided to tune back in-this time through the Mad Money podcast.

It felt strangely familiar.

The energy. The market commentary. The rapid-fire analysis. The conviction.

It brought back memories of those drives through the Hudson Valley, learning about stocks while chasing night shifts.

Stay Mad.

The Big Picture

Tonight's episode wasn't about picking the next hot AI stock.

Instead, Cramer delivered one of his clearest messages in months:

The AI infrastructure trade has become overcrowded. It's time to be selective, rotate into higher-quality businesses, and wait patiently for the speculative excesses to wash out before buying aggressively again.

His argument wasn't that artificial intelligence is over.

Quite the opposite.

He believes AI remains one of the greatest investment themes of our generation. What concerns him is valuation, speculation, leverage, and an overwhelming supply of new AI-related stocks flooding the market.

He repeatedly emphasized that investors should own the strongest companies while avoiding lower-quality speculative names until the dust settles.

Cramer Stocks Mentioned

Ticker	Company	Cramer's Take
INTC	Intel	One of his highest-conviction ideas. National strategic asset. Triple play: AI CPUs, foundry business, and advanced chip packaging. He actually hopes the stock falls further so he can buy more.
NVDA	Nvidia	Still the undisputed AI leader. Customers continue demanding Nvidia chips, and no Chinese competitor comes close. He remains bullish despite criticizing management for not buying back more stock.
AMD	Advanced Micro Devices	Excellent company and Nvidia's closest competitor, but he prefers Intel because of portfolio overlap.
AAPL	Apple	Ignore the AI pessimism. Apple's ecosystem remains incredibly sticky. He likes that Apple lets Alphabet spend billions on AI while benefiting from it indirectly.
GOOGL	Alphabet	Spending aggressively on AI infrastructure. Long-term winner, although raising massive amounts of capital has pressured the stock.
ORCL	Oracle	Concerned about enormous AI spending and deteriorating credit metrics. Oracle now needs to prove these investments will generate meaningful returns.
MU	Micron	Excellent company, but memory stocks became overheated. Waiting for a larger correction before buying.
SK Hynix	SK Hynix	Great company that became a speculative favorite. Long-term AI beneficiary but vulnerable to sentiment-driven selling.
AVGO	Broadcom	High-quality AI semiconductor company. Owns it and likes CEO Hock Tan's competitive mindset.
MRVL	Marvell Technology	Positive on management but already has enough semiconductor exposure.
ARM	ARM Holdings	Outstanding chip designer with excellent long-term prospects.
GS	Goldman Sachs	One of his preferred non-tech investments while AI volatility continues.
WFC	Wells Fargo	Likes large financials over speculative technology.
FDX	FedEx	A high-quality industrial business that's easier to understand than AI speculation.
HON	Honeywell Aerospace	Attractive aerospace exposure during the AI correction.
GE	GE Aerospace	Believes the selloff was irrational despite record Airbus engine orders.
AZO	AutoZone	Told a caller not to sell. Attractive valuation and ongoing share repurchases.
NFLX	Netflix	Disappointing quarter, but massive buybacks make it attractive around 19x earnings. Suggests building a position gradually.
DELL	Dell	Strong AI server company unfairly punished in the selloff.
HPE	Hewlett Packard Enterprise	Another quality AI infrastructure company caught in sector weakness.
CSCO	Cisco	AI networking beneficiary dragged lower with the entire group.
GLW	Corning	Owns it. Excellent networking business that has sold off sharply.
CIEN	Ciena	Quality networking company suffering from indiscriminate selling.
ASML	ASML	The highest-quality semiconductor equipment maker with an effective monopoly in EUV lithography.
AMAT	Applied Materials	AI capital equipment company caught in the correction.
KLAC	KLA	Same thesis as Applied Materials.
LRCX	Lam Research	Another quality semiconductor equipment name in the AI selloff.
TER	Teradyne	Semiconductor testing leader that's been dragged down with the sector.
WDC	Western Digital	Memory-related selloff.
STX	Seagate	Memory-related selloff.
CAT	Caterpillar	Long-term winner benefiting from AI data center construction.
BE	Bloom Energy	AI power infrastructure beneficiary that became overheated.
PWR	Quanta Services	AI infrastructure builder correcting after a huge run.
STRL	Sterling Infrastructure	Another AI construction winner experiencing profit-taking.
CRWV	CoreWeave	Highly speculative AI infrastructure company. Too much supply in the market.
NBIS	Nebius	Strong company but still speculative.
CLS	Celestica	Excellent business after an incredible run. Natural profit-taking underway.
CMG	Chipotle	Likes it. Start with a small position before earnings.
SOFI	SoFi	Thinks fintech needs consolidation before becoming attractive.
LYFT	Lyft	CEO David Risher is executing well. Worth starting a position.
CLSK	CleanSpark	Prefers owning Bitcoin directly rather than Bitcoin miners.
ZIM	ZIM Integrated Shipping	Comfortable holding despite acquisition uncertainty.
FSLR	First Solar	Cheap valuation but technically a very weak chart.
CAKE	Cheesecake Factory	Surprisingly bullish. Thinks the market underestimates the company.
ASTS	AST SpaceMobile	Very speculative. Wait for lower prices.
GM	General Motors	Extremely inexpensive and consistently profitable. Positive long-term.
MMM	3M	Likes CEO Bill Brown and believes a breakout is coming.
NVS	Novartis	Strong healthcare company worth buying on weakness.
SCHW	Charles Schwab	Watching earnings carefully. Some competitive concerns but still constructive.

The Biggest Takeaway

The biggest lesson from this episode wasn't about buying or selling a particular stock.

It was about discipline.

Cramer isn't abandoning artificial intelligence. He's reminding investors that even the greatest secular trends experience periods of excessive speculation.

His strategy is simple:

• Avoid chasing overheated names.

• Own the highest-quality businesses.

• Rotate temporarily into industrials, financials, healthcare, and aerospace.

• Keep cash available.

• When the speculative selling finally exhausts itself, buy the strongest AI companies-not the weakest.

Whether or not you agree with every recommendation, the framework is logical.

Sometimes the best investment decision isn't finding the next hot stock.

It's waiting patiently until great companies become great values.

Maybe that's why listening to Mad Money again felt so familiar.

Some lessons never get old.

Stay Mad with Jim Cramer