Don't download my free "Simple Options Trading For Beginners" book if:

❌ You enjoy spending 8 hours a day staring at charts

❌ You think trading should be complicated to be profitable

❌ You like the adrenaline rush of risking your retirement on one trade

❌ You believe the "experts" who say you need to master 50 strategies

But if you're tired of all that...

If you'd rather spend 10 minutes a night on your trades and the rest of your time actually living your life...

Then this free book might be the most important thing you read this year.

It contains the exact techniques I stumbled onto after losing a small fortune trying everything else.

The same techniques that now let me trade from my summer home in Michigan (or my winter home in Florida), spend afternoons with my family, and sleep peacefully at night.

You'll discover:

• The "boring" technique that consistently outperforms complex strategies.
• Why most options education actually makes you a worse trader.
• How to know within 10 minutes if a trade is worth taking.

It normally sells for $29.97, but right now it's free.

Get your copy here (if you actually want simpler trading).

Good Trading,
Bill Poulos

P.S. Once I switch this back to $29.97, that's where it stays. Download your free copy here before that happens.

Mondelez Rips Higher on a Q1 Beat as Cocoa Pressure Finally Starts to Crack

Author: Chris Markoch. Posted: 4/30/2026.

Mondelez International (NASDAQ: MDLZ) rose more than 5% after delivering strong first-quarter earnings.

The report arrived as oil prices climbed, a move that pushed investors toward value stocks.

The #1 stock to buy BEFORE the June S-1 filing (Ad)

When the SpaceX IPO launches, most retail investors will be locked out. The banks, funds, and insiders get in early - while everyone else waits on the sidelines.

But one small infrastructure supplier - a critical piece Musk can't scale the Colossus network without - is still trading well under institutional radar. A new briefing reveals the name and ticker at no cost.

Get the SpaceX infrastructure stock name and ticker here

At 32x trailing earnings, some investors might argue MDLZ isn't a value stock. However, forward earnings of about 20x suggest it could be a value play.

The results point to resilient demand, and one of the largest headwinds to earnings appears to be easing. That suggests current estimates for earnings growth (around 11.8%) may be too low.

Strong Earnings Beat Highlights Margin Pressure and Growth Catalysts

Mondelez reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.67, topping estimates of $0.61. Revenue was $10.08 billion, above the $9.76 billion expected. Year-over-year, revenue rose about 8% from $9.31 billion in Q1 2025, but adjusted EPS declined 9.4% from $0.74 in the prior-year quarter.

That might suggest the familiar price/volume dynamic affecting many consumer-facing stocks. But two important distinctions point to potential further growth.

Cocoa Prices Are Coming Down

In some cases, companies cite explanations for weak results that don't pass scrutiny — or, in Mondelez's case, the taste test. Here the explanation is plausible: the single biggest factor weighing on adjusted EPS was higher cocoa prices.

Cocoa prices spiked early in 2025 but have been declining over the past year. Management expects that trend to continue through 2026, which would create room for earnings to grow regardless of consumer trends.

Mondelez reiterated its 2026 guidance: organic revenue growth of flat to +2% and adjusted EPS growth of flat to +5% at constant currency. The company also forecasts roughly $3 billion in free cash flow (FCF).

That guidance could prove conservative if consumer demand in the United States and China catches up to what’s happening in emerging markets.

Emerging Markets Have a Sweet Tooth

A highlight of the earnings report was stronger sales in emerging markets across all categories. The Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region led with 11.3% organic growth.

But the headline figure hides the most important point: growth in emerging markets is volume-driven — consumers are buying more, not just paying higher prices.

Many consumer staples companies have relied on pricing rather than volume, so Mondelez's volume-led growth is notable.

Emerging markets account for about 40% of Mondelez’s revenue. Developed markets, which represent the majority, are showing signs of improvement. The company said it is nearly finished negotiating with EU retailers and expects prices to be in line with plans. Mondelez also reported stabilization in European chocolate and improvement in North America.

Why Investors May Want to Be Careful

Despite the strong post-earnings pop, MDLZ remains roughly midrange in its 52-week band. The consensus price target of $67 implies only about 7% upside to the 52-week high.

Technically, MDLZ has moved above its 50-day simple moving average (SMA) but is approaching overbought readings on the relative strength index (RSI), which raises the risk of a near-term pullback.

The caution isn't only technical. CEO Dirk Van de Put noted that U.S. consumer confidence has been shaken by the Iran war. On the earnings call, he said lower-income consumers are focusing on cheaper items and being selective about when and what they buy.

That's not new, and consumer sentiment can shift quickly. For now, investors appear to view Van de Put's comments as backward-looking and not materially affecting the company's performance.

A larger concern is Mondelez's cash generation. FCF plunged year-over-year from $815 million to $155 million in the quarter, while the company paid $600 million in dividends. If FCF rises with earnings, the dividend may be sustainable, but with a payout ratio near 106% of trailing 12-month earnings, it warrants monitoring in future quarters.

Apple’s Earnings Make $300 Look Like a Matter of When, Not If

Author: Sam Quirke. Posted: 5/1/2026.

Shares of Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) moved higher in Thursday’s after-hours session following its fiscal Q2 earnings report, setting the stock up for a potential move back toward last December’s highs. This quarter landed a little differently than many past beats.

Not because the results were wildly unexpected—Apple has a strong track record of beating expectations—but because the report reinforced a growing sense that the stock has substantial upside. At around $270, Apple is still trading well below where many analysts think it should be, and this latest report helps clarify what’s been holding the stock back and why that may be changing.

A Record Quarter That Reinforces the Bull Case

The #1 stock to buy BEFORE the June S-1 filing (Ad)

When the SpaceX IPO launches, most retail investors will be locked out. The banks, funds, and insiders get in early - while everyone else waits on the sidelines.

But one small infrastructure supplier - a critical piece Musk can't scale the Colossus network without - is still trading well under institutional radar. A new briefing reveals the name and ticker at no cost.

Get the SpaceX infrastructure stock name and ticker here

There was plenty to like in Apple’s report. The company beat expectations on both revenue and earnings and called it its best March quarter ever. Achieving that level of performance at Apple’s scale speaks to the strength of its underlying business.

The iPhone segment again did much of the heavy lifting, with revenue holding up well despite a challenging macro backdrop. Services continued to shine, hitting another all-time high and reinforcing its role as one of Apple’s most important long-term growth drivers.

This is the key point: Apple isn’t relying solely on single-product cycles or one-off tailwinds. Like Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN), it’s generating consistent growth across multiple areas of its ecosystem with a predictability few companies can match. All things considered, this was a textbook Apple quarter and a reminder that the company remains one of the highest-quality businesses in the market.

Management Is Signaling Confidence Loud and Clear

For investors still unsure whether this is a stock worth owning, there were reasons to be impressed beyond the headline numbers. Apple’s management announced a fresh $100 billion share buyback and boosted its dividend, continuing a long track record of returning capital to shareholders.

The scale and consistency of these moves matter: they reflect confidence in Apple’s cash-flow generation and outlook. Given that the stock was trading near October levels before the report, it underscores how undervalued the shares could be.

Strong Guidance Adds to the Momentum

Apple’s forward guidance added another reason for optimism. Not only did the company report solid growth for the quarter, it’s also expecting steady revenue growth in upcoming quarters—projections that sit comfortably ahead of many investors’ expectations.

Demand remains healthy, the ecosystem continues to perform, and there’s no immediate sign of a slowdown that would derail the story. Additional tailwinds are forming as well: excitement about upcoming product cycles and broader leadership developments—most notably the news that John Ternus is replacing Tim Cook as CEO—are supporting sentiment and adding potential upside for the stock.

Apple has reminded investors why it deserves a premium: it combines scale, profitability, and consistency in a way few others can. Put together, the outlook looks quite favorable. Apple isn’t just delivering strong results; it’s positioning itself for what could be a very strong year.

The Upside Potential Is Real

There’s a sense that recent price action left upside on the table. The stock had gained roughly 6% in the month before earnings, but that return lagged the S&P 500 over the same period. Investors may have been waiting for this report to conclude before committing fully—don’t be surprised if the stock moves quickly into catch-up mode.

That view is supported by a broader market that’s in risk-on mode, with the S&P 500 posting its best April since 2020. And with firms such as Wedbush recently setting a $350 price target for Apple, a return to $300 in the coming weeks appears quite achievable.