👉 Energy Up +19.4% YTD

In partnership with

👉 Week in Review — Too Long; Didn’t Read:

Key Earnings Announcements:

• CrowdStrike added +$1 billion in net new ARR during 2025.

• Broadcom guided to +42% growth next quarter.

• Costco plans to open 28 new warehouses in 2026.

Investor Events / Global Affairs:

• The U.S.–Iran war sent oil above $90 and triggered the Dow's worst week since April.

• Apple unleashed its biggest product week of 2026.

• Broadcom's $100 billion AI forecast electrified the semiconductor trade.

Economic Updates:

• The U.S. economy unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs in February — the worst print in months.

• ISM data showed manufacturing and services both expanding, and jobless claims held steady.

👉 Portfolio Updates

Energy has been the center of attention this week as crude oil prices spiked 36%. If you’ve been building an energy position in your own portfolio like I have in mine, you’re likely seeing this play out for yourself. My shares of USO are up 42%, VDE up 7%, XLE up 8.5%, XOM up 4.5%, and OXY up 19.5% — all in about a month.

On the flip side, the US stock market (as well as a handful of international markets) is taking a beating. It’s becoming more and more obvious that we’re entering a “capital preservation” phase — meaning the market isn’t rewarding risk anymore.

As you can see from the Sector Radar section on wallstreetfavorites.com, Energy is the best performing sector of the S&P 500 year-to-date — with names like VLO, MPC, and APA up a ton this year.

This is important to take note of, especially as we think about prior market cycles. When energy, consumer staples (consumer defensive), and healthcare are the best-performing sectors of the market, we’re nearing the end of a market cycle. See the image below.

No one can predict the future, but I would imagine the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 will continue to experience “distribution” toward their respective 200-day moving averages. International markets (barring WW3) will bode well, and we’ll continue to see a flight toward safety and mission-critical commodities (gold, copper, fertilizer, etc.).

If you felt discouraged by seeing names like Palantir, Robinhood, and many others up hundreds of percentage points in a relatively short period of time — wanting to build a position but not wanting to chase their stock prices higher — you just might be getting an opportunity to do so soon!

Microsoft is a name I’ve recently started nibbling at now that it’s closer to its 200-week moving average. I’ve already purchased hundreds of shares of Amazon at or around $200 per share, and I continue to DCA into international index funds as I believe they’ll outperform the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 in 2026 (again, barring WW3).

If you’re someone who bought into countless high-beta growth stocks that peaked in October or November, and you’re asking yourself, “Should I load the boat now that shares are down 40%?,” I always lean toward waiting and watching — dollar-cost averaging is your friend here.

With energy up so much in the last few weeks, it’ll be important to keep an eye on inflation — I don’t think people understand what’s around the corner.

👉 Best and Worst ETF Performers of the Week

Stop Drowning In AI Information Overload

Your inbox is flooded with newsletters. Your feed is chaos. Somewhere in that noise are the insights that could transform your work—but who has time to find them?

The Deep View solves this. We read everything, analyze what matters, and deliver only the intelligence you need. No duplicate stories, no filler content, no wasted time. Just the essential AI developments that impact your industry, explained clearly and concisely.

Replace hours of scattered reading with five focused minutes. While others scramble to keep up, you'll stay ahead of developments that matter. 600,000+ professionals at top companies have already made this switch.

Join them today, for free.

👉 Key Earnings Announcements:

CrowdStrike added +$1 billion in net new ARR during 2025, Broadcom guided to +42% growth next quarter, and Costco plans to open 28 new warehouses in 2026.

• CrowdStrike (CRWD)

Key Metrics

Revenue: $1.3 billion, an increase of +23% YoY

Operating Loss: -$6.9 million, compared to -$79.3 million last year

Profits: $40.8 million, compared to -$86.7 million last year

Earnings Release Callout

“FY26 was CrowdStrike's best year yet, capped by a blockbuster Q4 where we set new records across the business...

We achieved $5.25 billion in ending ARR—the fastest and only pure-play cybersecurity software company to achieve this milestone—driven by a record $1.01 billion of net new ARR. The voice of the market is clear: customers are consolidating on the Falcon platform.”

My Takeaway

• Broadcom (AVGO)

Key Metrics

Revenue: $19.3 billion, an increase of +29% YoY

Operating Income: $12.8 billion, an increase of +31% YoY

Profits: $7.4 billion, an increase of +34% YoY

Earnings Release Callout

“Broadcom achieved record first-quarter revenue on continued strength in AI semiconductor solutions. Q1 AI revenue of $8.4 billion grew 106% year-over-year, above our forecast, driven by robust demand for custom AI accelerators and AI networking. Our AI revenue growth is accelerating, and we expect AI semiconductor revenue to be $10.7 billion in Q2.”

My Takeaway

• Costco (COST)

Key Metrics

Revenue: $69.6 billion, an increase of +9% YoY

Operating Income: $2.6 billion, an increase of +10% YoY

Profits: $2.0 billion, an increase of +14% YoY

Earnings Release Callout

“We are seeing our digital enhancements dramatically improve efficiency and the overall member experience. These innovations allow us to handle increased volume without adding proportional staffing costs. As always, we are taking those operational savings and directly reinvesting them back into our employees, lowering prices on the floor, and funding our business expansion.”

My Takeaway

👉 Investor Events / Global Affairs:

The U.S.–Iran war sent oil above $90 and triggered the Dow's worst week since April, Apple unleashed its biggest product week of 2026, and Broadcom's $100 billion AI forecast electrified the semiconductor trade.

• Iran War Sends Oil Past $90 and Rattles Global Markets

The U.S.–Israeli military conflict with Iran dominated markets this week, sending Brent crude above $90 per barrel for the first time since 2024 — its biggest weekly gain in futures trading history. The escalation, which began last weekend with coordinated strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, intensified as Iran launched retaliatory missile barrages at Israel and Gulf nations, threatened to torch ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and forced production cuts in Kuwait and partial shutdowns across Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The market reaction was swift and brutal. The Dow shed 3% on the week — its worst performance since April — while the S&P 500 fell 1.3% and the Nasdaq dropped 1.6% on Friday alone. The Dow slipped into negative territory for 2026, and safe-haven assets surged as investors rotated out of equities. Energy stocks were the clear outlier, with the sector benefiting from the crude spike while technology, financials, and industrials all posted steep declines.

The geopolitical risk premium is now the dominant market variable. Iran's foreign minister publicly rejected negotiations this week, telling NBC that Tehran "has not asked for a ceasefire," while President Trump hinted at potential talks but warned the conflict could last weeks. For investors, the path of energy prices and the risk of regional spillover will dictate near-term direction — and the combination of surging oil and a weakening labor market puts the Fed in an extraordinarily difficult position heading into its March 17–18 meeting.

• Apple Unleashes Biggest Product Week of 2026

Subscribe to GRIT Premium to read the rest.