Stifel Bits

Summary

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the company's artificial intelligence spending push as a massive industry bet during the Q2 2026 earnings call.
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day generated $360 million in U.S. opening weekend ticket sales, setting a record for the highest-grossing domestic opening weekend.
• A Costco rotisserie chicken priced at $4.99 appeared on a New York Times list of 25 objects revealing aspects of modern American identity.
• U.S. GDP grew at an annualized rate of 1.5% in the second quarter of 2026.
• Spending on nano influencers with fewer than 5,000 followers is projected to reach 19.9% of total U.S. influencer marketing spending, up from 3.1% in 2021.
• Microsoft added $450 billion in market value in a single day following its earnings beat, marking the largest one-day dollar gain for any U.S. company.
• The S&P 500 Momentum USD Index returned -11.04% in July, its worst monthly performance since the Great Financial Crisis.
• The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at its late-July meeting while ceasing forward guidance.
• Longer-term Treasury yields have drifted higher as investors recalibrate without central bank direction.
• The world's third-smallest country officially changed its name from Nauru to Naoero to reflect the Indigenous spelling.
• Younger generations are increasingly using the phrase "search it up" instead of "Google it."
• Fremont, California ranked first in a city evaluation based on emotional well-being, physical health, financial stability, community connections, and environmental quality.
• Tim Cook will step down as Apple CEO on September 1 after 15 years, handing the role to hardware chief John Ternus.
• Spotify surpassed 300 million premium subscribers 1.5% and is developing AI tools for creating remixes using real artists' voices.
• McDonald's is streamlining its value strategy to address overlapping deals that strained operations 1.5% and weighed on U.S. sales.
• The AI-focused hedge fund Situational Awareness reportedly holds roughly $8 billion after starting July near $30 billion.