NEW EPISODE: What happens when you strip away the hype and put some of the market’s most beloved stocks under a cold, analytical microscope? In this episode of In the Money with Amber Kanwar, Amber is joined by Sam LaBell, Portfolio Manager at Veritas Asset Management, for a brutally honest reality check on what investors own — and why some of those positions may be riskier than they look.
Score keeping is never a good idea in a marriage. But this morning my husband put some positive points on the board dealing with the 4am wet-the-bed situation with our youngest and still waking up on time to make breakfast and get the girls off to school. Feeling grateful. Please remind me of this when he is on a five day ski trip in a few days.
Here are five things to know this morning:
Tariff me not: Tech stocks are back in the drivers seat this morning powering the gains while healthcare keeps the Dow under pressure. In commodities, gold is taking a breather, silver is falling after a wild session yesterday and natural gas is under pressure. Micron is supporting the tech trade this morning after announcing a plan to invest $24 billion in Singapore to increase production of memory chips. The stock is up 4% in the pre-market (I own). Investors are ignoring tariff threats directed at South Korea this time. US President Donald Trump said that because the country hasn’t enacted the trade agreement from the summer, he will raise tariffs from 15% to 25%. This isn’t roiling markets today as we’ve seen this play one too many times. Indeed the South Korean ETF (EWY) is up 3% in the pre-market. Ahead of us we’ve got Mag 7 earnings this week (Meta, Microsoft, Tesla and Apple) and the Fed rate decision tomorrow.
Code blue: UnitedHealth Group is plunging 15% in the pre-market after posting its first annual sales drop in 30 years and warned that revenue for 2026 would be lower than expected. The results came right after the Trump administration announced plans to keep Medicare Advantage rates roughly flat. Medicare Advantage is a bundled health insurance that is paid by the government to private insurers for them to manage and administer. That the government is going to keep rates flat came as a big surprise as the expectation was for a 5% lift. It is a hit to UnitedHealth which derives over 30% of its revenue from Medicare. UNH isn’t the only one hit. Shares of Humana (-17%) and CVS (-10%) are also down on the news. I own UNH and CVS.
Vroom Vroom: General Motors is popping nearly 5% after profit topped expectations, the cost of tariffs was less than expected, and it offered a rosy outlook. Despite tariffs and a tough consumer environment, General Motors expects profit to be $2 billion higher in 2026 thanks to sales of pricier vehicles. They are also saying that their constant charges on their EV business will “significantly smaller” in 2026. While the tariff headlines and the EV restructuring activities remain a lingering headache to the bottom-line,” wrote Dan Ives of Wedbush, “GM continues to navigate this difficult environment flawlessly.” GM boosted its dividend and authorized a new share buyback plan.
Sign here please: UPS is struggling in the pre-market despite better than expected sales and profit. The stock cratered to an 11 year-low in September and has posted a 30% recovery since then. Tariffs and a difficult macro backdrop have taken their toll with sales and profit down from a year ago. Still, the shipping and logistics company issued a sales and profit forecast that was higher than expected. But the implied profit forecast doesn’t suggest growth in 2026. In effort to control the controllables, UPS announced it would cut about 30,000 jobs in an ongoing cost cutting plan.
Clean up on Aisle 2: Metro may come under pressure after the grocery chain missed profit and food sales expectations. Food inflation might be considered a tailwind, but these businesses are under political pressure not to grow their food sales above the pace of inflation. Nevertheless, the company still boosted its dividend 10%. Metro also had operational hiccups like an outtage at one of their frozen warehouses which have now been fixed.
Don’t miss our next episode! Taking macro questions at questions@inthemoneypod.com
