Benzinga's Bulls And Bears Of The Week: Apple, Bitcoin, Microsoft, Robinhood, Walmart And More

• Benzinga has examined the prospects for many investor favorite stocks over the past week.
• Last week's bullish calls included big tech stocks and a rare earth materials producer.
• Cryptocurrency and the leading electric vehicle maker were among the bearish calls seen.

The past week was another rough one on Wall Street, with the tumult in Afghanistan giving investors something new to worry about, in addition to the ongoing concerns about the Delta variant, China, inflation, Federal Reserve policy, and even gasoline prices and possible cryptocurrency regulation.

In fact, the Fed minutes release took some of the blame for the week's selling, though markets did not tumble far from all-time highs (thanks largely to big tech). No doubt, Fed Chair Powell will reveal more on intended policy changes in the coming week's Jackson Hole speech.

The markets ended the week in the red, led by the 1% or so retreat in the Dow Jones industrial average. We haven't yet seen the 10% correction that many think is overdue. With the strong second-quarter earnings reports no longer helping support the markets, will Powell's speech signal the end of the buy-the-dip sentiment?

Benzinga continues to examine the prospects for many of the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

In "Why Apple Is A 'Top Tech Name' To Own Right Now," Shanthi Rexaline reveals why imminent Apple Inc AAPL hardware releases and less regulatory risk than its peers has one top analyst positive on the stock.

Also read Apple iPhone Sales In China Picking Up Pace, Expect Continued Strength With iPhone 13 Launch, Says Analyst.

Microsoft Corporation MSFT is not only a great stock, but a great market leader. So says Adam Eckert's "Why Microsoft Is 'One Of The Pillars Of The Market'." What gives the company its advantages?

"Largest US Pension Fund Trimmed Positions In Apple, Facebook, Google, Tesla In Q2 And Loaded Up Heavily On These 2 Stocks" by Rachit Vats examines why one huge investor prefers Walmart Inc WMT to big tech and momentum stocks.

Walmart Earnings: Tough Comparisons Vs. 2020 As Focus Turns To E-Commerce offers a close look at the retail giant's second-quarter results.

In Wayne Duggan's "Why Splunk Is A 'Top Pick'," discover why Splunk Inc SPLK is still a top pick for one key analyst even though the stock has struggled over the past year. What bullish catalysts does it have before the end of the year?

Chris Katje's "MP Materials: Rare Earth Mining Company Is The Thing Behind The Thing For EVs, Other Sectors" discusses MP Materials Corp MP, the largest rare earth materials producer in the United States.

The Bears

"Putting Crypto In Your Retirement Account Might Be A Bad Idea, Analysts Think" by Adrian Zmudzinski explores why increasing mainstream recognition does not mean Bitcoin BTC/USD is always an appropriate investment.

Be sure to check out If Bitcoin Bulls Are Right, Environmental Damage Would Be Disastrous: Report as well.

A famed short seller has bet against Tesla Inc TSLA and one of its biggest bulls, ARK Invest, according to "Michael Burry Bets Heavily Against Tesla, Cathie Wood's Ark Funds In Latest Options" by Chris Katje.

For more on the EV maker, see Tesla Bull Vs. Tesla Bear: Tesla AI Day Key Takeaways From Analysts.

In "Why This Virgin Galactic Analyst Just Cut Their Price Target By Nearly 40%," Wayne Duggan looks at why meme stock Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc SPCE is likely to continue to struggle in the near term.

Adam Eckert's "Jim Cramer Says Robinhood Has Become A 'Dogecoin Gateway'" shows what the CNBC stock investing guru took away from the Robinhood Markets Inc HOOD second-quarter report.

In Tyler Bundy's "Is Snowflake's Stock Doomed After A Cross Below Support?," find out why the Snowflake Inc SNOW chart indicates sentiment in the stock may be turning bearish on signs that growth is slowing.

At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.

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