Alan Knuckman:

Krispy Kreme Joins the Meme-Stock Party. Tech and Crypto Strength May Be Fueling the Wave, Analyst Says

Krispy Kreme Inc. has joined Opendoor Technologies Inc. and Kohl's Corp. in the latest meme-stock wave as shares of the doughnut maker skyrocket amid a wild week for the names.

Shares of heavily-shorted Krispy Kreme (DNUT) were soaring 34.4% in premarket trading on Wednesday, after ending Tuesday's session up almost 27%. Kohl's (KSS) stock surged as much as 105.3% on massive trading volume Tuesday before paring gains, just a day after Opendoor (OPEN) rose more than 120% intraday, lifted by a surge in volume and activity in options contracts.

The latest surge in Krispy Kreme's stock underscores how meme-stock dynamics remain alive and well, driven more by investor enthusiasm and positioning than corporate performance, said Capital.com analyst Daniela Sabin Hathorn.

"First, retail trading forums and social platforms have once again become engines of crowd momentum," she wrote. "Second, these stocks are all heavily shorted, setting the stage for violent short squeezes when buying pressure ramps up."

Lastly, the analyst highlighted the current market environment where tech stocks are strong and crypto markets are rebounding. This, she says, has encouraged a "risk-on mindset, emboldening retail traders to dive into speculative plays."

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James Altucher:

Amazon Is Acquiring an AI Wearable That Listens to Everything You Do

Amazon's latest move in the AI space is an acquisition. The company is purchasing a startup called Bee, which makes a wearable and an Apple Watch app that can record everything the wearer says.

Amazon said that the deal has not closed and that the terms of the acquisition are confidential. Although the company did not provide specific numbers, it added that all Bee employees received offers to join Amazon.

Bee presents its platform as a personalized AI assistant that passively learns from its wearer by listening to all of their conversations and activities. While the wearable does have a button to mute recording, it can theoretically observe every single thing the owner does or says.

The app can then summarize daily activities, suggest to-do items or recall previously discussed details. Bee's website also gives examples of using the assistant for personal growth, such as tracking successes or possible improvements as a parent.

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Davis Wilson:

Waymo Is Crushing Tesla in the Robotaxi Race

The future of getting from A to B without touching the steering wheel is finally here. And it’s a fight between two of Silicon Valley’s biggest names.

On one side: Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving division that has spent over a decade perfecting robotaxis and just crossed 100 million driverless miles on public roads. On the other: Tesla, with Elon Musk promising a future where your car earns money for you while you sleep.

In Austin, Texas, the battleground is clear. Tesla finally launched its long-delayed robotaxi service in late June, giving select influencers and shareholders access to its camera-only, Full Self-Driving (FSD)-powered Model Ys. At first, Tesla’s service area was tiny. Then it expanded.

Waymo, meanwhile, doubled its coverage in Austin from 37 square miles to 90 square miles, spanning most of the city and linking up with Uber for easy hailing. That’s more than double Tesla’s 42-square-mile footprint, and Waymo’s cars are available to the general public, not just hand-picked Tesla fans.

On paper, Tesla has the potential to catch up thanks to its massive data engine and vertically integrated fleet. But today, Waymo is winning, by a lot.

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