FinksDaily
Sponsored by Myosana Therapeutics
🎈 Helium crunch
Good morning. Job interviews used to test how well you think. Now they test whether you exist at all. With 59% of managers suspecting candidates faked their way through with AI (opens in a new tab), some employers now ask candidates to wave a hand in front of the camera. While that test is designed to catch deepfakes, others are checking IP addresses to catch candidates lying about where they’re logging in from — wary of remote-work schemes that funnel wages to North Korea. The job market got competitive. So did proving you’re human.
Top Idea
Natural Gas Is Back on Wall Street’s Radar. Here’s Where the Opportunity Is Building
AI’s energy boom is giving natural gas a second act. Hotter summers, record LNG exports, and data centers hungry for reliable electricity are creating fresh pressure on supplies. Wall Street is catching on, putting a once-overlooked corner of the energy sector back in play.
Fueling the grid: Goldman Sachs sees an opening in natural gas stocks after the sector fell 12% (opens in a new tab) from its mid-May peak. The bank now expects data centers to add 10–11B cubic feet of daily gas demand by 2030, up from its previous estimate of 7–8B. That stronger outlook has put midstream energy players Williams Companies, Kinder Morgan, and Kodiak Gas Services among its top picks, with all three rated Buy.
- Williams posted Q2 revenue of $3.05B, beating analyst estimates, with Goldman expecting its natural gas pipeline network to benefit from rising data center demand.
- Kodiak Gas is trading at levels Goldman believes give little value to its power business, while major project announcements expected later this year could provide further upside.
The Oil Spike Wall Street Keeps Sleeping On
Gas may be getting the attention, but oil could be where the bigger surprise is brewing. Fund managers Leigh Goehring and Adam Rozencwajg argue (opens in a new tab) that today’s relatively calm market is hiding growing supply pressure. Global diesel inventories are running dangerously low, refineries across Russia, China, and the Middle East are producing less fuel, and US shale growth could soon turn negative.
- Brent crude is trading below $90 despite earlier forecasts for triple-digit prices, but Goehring expects oil to stay above $100 for much of 2027.
- Canadian oil sands offer longer-lasting production, with Canadian Natural Resources and Suncor Energy among the managers’ top picks.
Putting it together: Gas and oil are moving on different timelines, but the forces behind them are starting to line up. LNG exports have climbed (opens in a new tab) since Freeport returned from maintenance, while total US gas demand is running 17.8% above last year. That gives natural gas a more immediate tailwind, while tighter oil supplies could take longer to show up in prices. For investors, both are worth watching as the energy market heads into 2027.
(opens in a new tab)Sponsored by Myosana Therapeutics
One Delivery Technology Could Open Doors to Multiple Disease Applications
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disease that causes muscles to weaken over time, often taking away the ability to walk and eventually affecting the heart and breathing muscles. There is still a major need for treatments that can address more of the disease.
Myosana Therapeutics is developing a technology to deliver the full-length gene that muscle cells need to make dystrophin (opens in a new tab), the protein missing in Duchenne, directly to skeletal and heart muscle.
Our non-viral delivery technology (opens in a new tab) carries genetic material into skeletal muscle and heart cells.
DMD is our first target and the focus of our work today. If we can successfully validate the delivery technology there, we could have a foundation for pursuing additional diseases with the same core technology (opens in a new tab).
Myosana Therapeutics is currently raising funds through Regulation Crowdfunding (opens in a new tab).
Large-Cap Recap
The Growing Global Helium Supply Crunch
Global helium supply faces a multi-year crisis as regional conflict has stalled major infrastructure in Qatar, forcing prices higher. While Dollar Tree struggles with balloon shortages, the deeper impact hits essential medical and semiconductor sectors. Investors are turning toward gas suppliers like Linde and Air Products & Chemicals to hedge against scarcity, while cryogenic specialists like Chart Industries gain traction. Avoid confusing the physical gas shortage with unrelated assets like the Helium Network token. [Read (opens in a new tab)]
Retailers Take Divergent Paths With Tariff Refund Windfalls
US importers have received more than $160B in tariff refunds following recent Supreme Court rulings, and retailers are putting the money to work in very different ways. Walmart and E.l.f. Beauty are using the extra cash to lower prices as shoppers remain cautious, while Lowe’s is directing its windfall toward profits and shareholder returns. Williams-Sonoma took another route, sharing its $200M refund with vendors and employees. The payouts may provide a short-term earnings boost, but investors will need to account for tougher comparisons once that extra cash runs out. [Read (opens in a new tab)]
Bitcoin Stages A Comeback As Fiscal Concerns Mount
Bitcoin is showing signs of life again, rallying roughly 30% since mid-August after months of retail apathy. Institutional demand has stepped back in, with Strategy recently resuming purchases through a $369.7M bitcoin buy. Helping the rebound is a more favorable macro backdrop, including Treasury bond repurchases that have injected liquidity into markets. Whether that momentum lasts is another question. Seasonal weakness is approaching, putting the focus on what can keep buyers coming back. [Read (opens in a new tab)]
Market Pulse
Tesla, Inc.
TSLAThe EV maker’s shares rose after Elon Musk outlined plans to rapidly expand Tesla’s solar production capacity for AI data centers.
Pinterest, Inc.
PINSThe social media company’s shares fell after CFO Julia Donnelly resigned to join an early-stage startup, adding fresh leadership uncertainty.
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
TTWOThe video game publisher’s shares fell as Grand Theft Auto VI leaks raised concerns around its crucial upcoming release.
Markets & Economy
Trump pushes refiners to lower gas prices: President Trump will meet US refiners and fuel distributors to discuss expanding capacity and easing prices at the pump. The White House is seeking near-term steps as more Venezuelan crude reaches US facilities. [Read (opens in a new tab)]
Mortgage rates hit their highest since June 2025: The average 30-year fixed rate climbed to 6.87% as renewed tensions with Iran pushed oil prices and bond yields higher. Rising borrowing costs are adding pressure to an already strained housing market. [Read (opens in a new tab)]
Gold heads for best month since February: Gold gained nearly 10% in August despite a late pullback after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh revived rate-hike concerns. Geopolitical tensions and central-bank buying continue to support the broader rally. [Read (opens in a new tab)]
Business & Tech
Trump expands drug pricing deals to 26 firms: Nine more pharmaceutical companies joined most-favored-nation pricing agreements, extending the administration’s push to lower branded drug costs. The new signatories also committed to expanding US manufacturing. [Read (opens in a new tab)]
Apple’s new CEO faces an AI test: John Ternus takes over Apple with the company near a $5T valuation but lagging in AI. His challenge is reviving innovation while managing supply constraints, China exposure, and pressure on App Store revenue. [Read (opens in a new tab)]
California utilities sink on wildfire liability fears: PG&E fell sharply after lawmakers failed to add new investor protections against wildfire costs. Edison International and Sempra also slid as analysts warned liability risks remain open-ended. [Read (opens in a new tab)]
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Digit of the Day
Bullish Sentiment Hits 55.5% As Fed Turns Hawkish Into September
Investor optimism ticked up slightly (opens in a new tab), right as the calendar turns to September. Per our latest Bear & Bull survey, 55.5% of readers called themselves bullish heading into the month — historically the stock market’s least forgiving stretch (opens in a new tab). That confidence held even as Fed Chair Kevin Warsh turned hawkish at Jackson Hole, sending September rate-hike odds surging from 35% to 60%.
- The S&P 500 rose in seven of the past 12 months, with the index climbing 2.6% in August while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 rose ~2.4% during the same period.
- However, gains were concentrated, as Nvidia and Micron drove a third of 2026’s S&P 500 earnings growth — with the top 10 stocks responsible for two-thirds.
Forward-looking: Even so, Big Tech isn’t the only one cashing in. Overall S&P 500 per-share earnings jumped 53% (opens in a new tab) in Q2, fueled by AI and federal spending, tariff refunds, and resilient consumer demand. Target, Best Buy, and Dollar General all posted stronger sales, and more companies raised full-year guidance than cut it. Apollo’s chief economist says the good times can continue “as long as the AI boom continues,” but warns that if AI spending fails to justify itself, “we will be having a different conversation.”
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