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I've been trading for over 50 years.
And in all that time, the market has never stopped surprising me. New technologies, new products, new manias — the surprises are the job.
But here's what HASN'T changed in half a century: The same 4 scheduled events keep blowing up the same beginner trades, year after year after year. Different decades, different stocks, identical losses.
Not surprises. Scheduled events. Published in advance. Free to look up.
The traders who last learn to check those dates before every trade — it becomes as automatic as looking both ways at an intersection. The ones who don't... keep learning the same lesson at full price.
I finally put all 4 in one short report: What each event is, why it detonates options positions, and the 5-Minute Check that sweeps them all.
The Options Landmine Calendar. Normally $29.97. Free today.
Download it free here before your link expires.
Good Trading,
Bill Poulos
P.S. After 50+ years, I can tell you the most frustrating losses aren't the surprises. They're the ones that were on the calendar the whole time. Get the report free.
Alphabet Is Planning a New AI Chip. Here's Why It Matters Ahead of Earnings
Written by Ryan Hasson. Date Posted: 7/21/2026.
Key Points
- Alphabet is reportedly developing a new AI chip, Frozen v2, designed to run Gemini models more efficiently.
- The report highlights why investors will be watching Google Cloud capacity, revenue growth and AI infrastructure spending closely in Q2 earnings.
- Alphabet’s custom silicon strategy could strengthen its AI position if management shows that demand is converting into revenue.
- Special Report: Everyone wanted SpaceX. Smart money wants this.
Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is in the midst of one of its most consequential weeks of the year, and it started with a bang. On Monday, July 20, reports emerged that the company is developing a new AI chip, internally dubbed Frozen v2, designed to run its Gemini models far more efficiently. The stock closed more than 1% higher on the news and is now up nearly 13% year to date. With Q2 earnings due Wednesday, July 22, after the close, the timing of the report could hardly be more relevant.
What Alphabet’s Frozen v2 AI Chip Could Mean for Gemini
The chip represents a genuinely different approach to AI silicon. Rather than building general-purpose processors that load models into memory and shuttle data back and forth, Frozen v2 would permanently embed parts of Gemini's architecture directly into the silicon. That would reduce the number of calculations and the amount of data movement required to answer a query. Google engineers reportedly estimate that the chip could serve six to 10 times as many tokens per unit of power as the company's newest TPUs, with deployment targeted as soon as 2028.
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The Wall Street Journal is already raising the alarm about a potential market crash, and Weiss Ratings research points to the first half of 2026 as a particularly rough stretch for certain holdings.
Some of America's most popular stocks could take serious damage as a radical market shift plays out. Analysts at Weiss Ratings have identified five names you may want to remove from your portfolio before this unfolds.
If any of these are in your portfolio, now is the time to review your positions.
See the 5 stocks to avoidThere are trade-offs, however. Hardwiring the model into the chip means it would only work with future Gemini versions if Google keeps the underlying architecture intact. Production volumes are expected to fall well short of TPU levels, and Google reportedly views the project partly as a trial run. Even as an exploratory effort, though, its ambition is clear.
Why Google’s AI Compute Crunch Matters for GOOGL Stock
The report revealed something investors should watch closely. Google is facing an internal AI computing capacity crunch severe enough to fuel internal discussions and tensions, and it has prompted Google Cloud to decline deals with outside customers. That’s not a typo. The constraint on Google's cloud growth right now is not demand; it is supply. That is consistent with everything management has said this year, from the $80 billion capital raise to fund infrastructure to the $180 billion to $190 billion capital expenditure (CapEx) guidance. A chip that serves up to 10 times more tokens per watt would directly address that bottleneck and the single largest cost line in the AI era: inference.
How Google’s TPU Strategy Strengthens Alphabet’s AI Advantage
Serving efficiency is where the AI race is heading. Google already processes more than 16 billion tokens per minute through its models, and every improvement in tokens per watt flows directly into Google Cloud's margins and CapEx efficiency. The TPU franchise has also quietly become a strategic asset in its own right, with Meta (NASDAQ: META) signing a multiyear agreement for TPU access, Anthropic pledging to draw on multiple gigawatts of TPU capacity, and all 17 U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories among its users. Frozen v2 extends that silicon advantage into another generation.
The Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) connection makes the story even bigger. In early June, reports indicated that Google would rely on Intel to manufacture more than 3 million TPUs in 2028, reportedly the largest order Intel's foundry business has ever received. Then, on July 16, the two companies announced an expanded partnership that deploys Gemini Enterprise across Intel's workforce and brings agentic AI tools directly into Intel's chip design process. The agreement builds on an April deal that put Intel's Xeon 6 processors into Google's cloud. Google's custom silicon ambitions and Intel's manufacturing comeback are becoming increasingly intertwined, with American-made AI chips as the common thread.
Alphabet Earnings Put Google Cloud Growth and AI Spending in Focus
All of this comes two days before the next major catalyst. Alphabet reports Q2 2026 results on Wednesday after the close, with analysts expecting earnings per share (EPS) of approximately $2.86 on revenue of roughly $116.5 billion, up nearly 21% year over year. Google Cloud is the key number to watch after growing 63% last quarter and reporting a $462 billion backlog. In light of Monday's report, any management commentary on capacity constraints deserves extra attention. A company turning away cloud customers because of insufficient computing capacity has more demand than it can monetize. That is a high-quality problem, but investors will want to hear how management plans to address it.
The consensus among 55 analysts is Moderate Buy, with a price target of $414.11, implying double-digit upside. Monday's chip report was a reminder of why the bull case continues to thrive: Alphabet remains the only company designing frontier models, custom silicon and hyperscale infrastructure under one roof. Wednesday’s results and management commentary will show whether the numbers continue to support that case.
Strait of Hormuz Tensions Spike Tanker Trade: These 2 Stocks Are Set to Benefit
Authored by Dan Schmidt. Article Posted: 7/19/2026.
Key Points
- Tanker shipping companies operating VLCCs have benefited from the Iran war as elevated rates and rerouted voyages boost revenue despite lower overall shipping volumes.
- Frontline PLC reported 67% year-over-year revenue growth in fiscal Q1 2026, with more than 80% of its VLCC days already booked for the second quarter.
- DHT Holdings posted nearly 135% year-over-year revenue growth and maintains low debt, though its 14.75% dividend yield carries risk with a 124% payout ratio.
- Special Report: Everyone wanted SpaceX. Smart money wants this.
During the Iran war, the market’s most reliable winners haven’t been extractors or refiners. Instead, the companies setting the market’s pace have been tanker owners, particularly those operating Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs).
Each VLCC can haul around 2 million barrels of crude oil per voyage. Before the conflict began, more than 100 of them would transit the Strait of Hormuz on a normal day. But these are not normal days.
ALERT: Drop these 5 stocks before the market opens tomorrow! (Ad)
The Wall Street Journal is already raising the alarm about a potential market crash, and Weiss Ratings research points to the first half of 2026 as a particularly rough stretch for certain holdings.
Some of America's most popular stocks could take serious damage as a radical market shift plays out. Analysts at Weiss Ratings have identified five names you may want to remove from your portfolio before this unfolds.
If any of these are in your portfolio, now is the time to review your positions.
See the 5 stocks to avoidThe day-to-day updates surrounding the war in Iran are enough to give even the steadiest investor a headache. If you haven’t been following the news closely, sit down, grab a glass of water (and maybe some Dramamine), and dive into the latest recap:
July 8: President Trump cancels the ceasefire as the United States strikes 80 Iranian defense targets in response to claimed attacks on commercial shipping vessels.
July 9: Iran claims attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
July 11: Iran claims the Strait of Hormuz is closed indefinitely.
July 12: The United States strikes an additional 140 Iranian targets.
July 13: President Trump reinitiates the U.S. blockade and proposes a 20% fee on cargo in exchange for safe passage for tankers transiting Hormuz.
July 14: Trump cancels plans to impose a 20% toll on Hormuz traffic.
July 15: Trump considers expanding operations in Iran, including the seizure of Kharg Island.
Got all that? Good, there’s a quiz in 20 minutes—before it changes again.
For most companies in the energy sector, relentless unpredictability is a recipe for underperformance. But rampant disruption is actually beneficial to shipping tanker companies, which can charge higher rates when routes and timelines are uncertain. Rates are measured in tonne-miles, or cargo multiplied by distance. Longer voyages increase the fees tankers charge clients, on top of a hefty war premium. Rates haven’t yet spiked to March levels, but they remain elevated and are accelerating again.
VLCCs can have breakeven rates as low as $15,000 per day, so elevated rates sustained over an extended period can provide a huge boost to shipping company stocks, even if total volumes are much lower. Many Gulf ships have been rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, causing rates to spike by 30% to 50% to offset longer voyages. Many of these companies are using the higher rates efficiently to boost their bottom lines.
With the tanker trade back in full force, investors might want to consider this pair of stocks, each with a high-quality fleet and a potential catalyst on the horizon.
Frontline: Largest Fleet With an Array of Trading Routes
Frontline PLC (NYSE: FRO) operates one of the largest global shipping fleets, with a variety of VLCC, Aframax and Suezmax vessels.
The company serves trading routes across the Middle East, Asia, the Americas and Europe. This strategic positioning makes it highly sensitive to rate-market volatility.
This was apparent in the company’s Q1 2026 earnings report, released in late May, which showed that revenue had spiked 67% year over year (YOY).
More than 80% of its VLCC days were already booked for Q2 at the time of the release, and the Q2 report is scheduled for Aug. 31.
Support at the 50-day moving average has been strong for FRO shares throughout the conflict, although the stock remains stuck around the same price it reached in March. The 50-day moving average continues to hold, and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) hints that upward momentum may be developing.
DHT Holdings: The Steady Compounder With a Healthy Balance Sheet
Not only do the VLCCs owned by DHT Holdings Inc. (NYSE: DHT) have some of the lowest breakevens in the industry, at around $15,000 per day, but the company itself has almost no debt—rare for a shipper—and pays a strong dividend.
Using a mix of spot and time charters, DHT transports crude oil from the Gulf to refiners in Asia, North America and Europe.
Despite having more than 50 VLCCs trapped in the Strait of Hormuz in fiscal Q1 2026, the company still reported YOY revenue growth of nearly 135%.
One point of contention is the dividend, which looks increasingly risky at 14.75%, with a payout ratio of 124%.
Like many of its VLCCs, DHT shares have been stuck in neutral, trading in a tight range after spiking during the buildup to the war. The stock recently bounced off the lower end of this range, while signals from the RSI and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator show bullish momentum accelerating once again.
The company’s next earnings release, covering fiscal Q2 2026 results, is scheduled for Aug. 5, and investors will be eagerly awaiting an update on the condition of the VLCC fleet.
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