Right now, I have about $25,000 sitting in a high-yield savings account earning 4.50% interest. If I lost my income tomorrow, that cash pile would help cover my family's bills, groceries, and other expenses without going into debt.

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But is it enough to protect me in a recession? What's the ideal savings number to help us ride out a lengthy rough patch?

A six-month buffer is ideal

If you lost your job today, how long would it take to find another one?

In a strong economy, it could be fairly quick. You might land a new gig within a month or two, or pick up some freelance or side work to keep money flowing.

But during a recession, when layoffs spike and hiring slows, finding work could take much longer.

In fact, during the 2007-2009 Great Recession, the median unemployment period was 25.2 weeks (nearly six months), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And when jobs are scarce, even gig work can dry up.

That's why personal finance expert Robert Brokamp recommends folks lean toward a larger savings cushion:

Basically, saving six months of expenses gives you more time to find a job if the economy goes south.

Here's what six months of savings looks like at different spending levels:

Where to keep your emergency savings

This part matters more than most people think.

Keeping your emergency fund in a safe place that's easy to access is important. But you also want to earn maximum interest on your cash.

That's why a high-yield savings account (HYSA) is the best spot. HYSAs earn about 10 times the national average APY. And today's top accounts are offering rates up to 4.40%.

HYSAs are also FDIC insured, up to $250,000 per depositor. So you can relax knowing your money is federally protected, even if the bank you're with goes out of business.

A barebones budget can help

My wife and I usually spend about $6,000 to $7,000 per month. So, at our normal spending rate, our $25,000 emergency fund would last us around three to four months.

But here's the thing. If I actually lost my job and couldn't find work right away, we could tighten up our spending quite a bit. We could pause travel, cut subscriptions, and put a temporary freeze on non-essentials. That would shrink our monthly spending significantly, maybe to $4,500 per month. Our emergency fund would last us closer to six months then.

This stripped-down version of our expenses is called a barebones budget. It's a super useful tool to have in your back pocket.

Pro tip: Some banks offer built-in budgeting tools that help you track your spending and flag unnecessary expenses that can be cut fast.

Tips to build up your recession fund faster

If you don't have a full six months of savings currently, here are a few moves that can get you there faster:

1. Set up automatic transfers. Each payday, move a bit of money from your checking account into savings. Then you'll be stashing money without even thinking about it.
2. Save any windfalls. Bonuses, tax refunds, or birthday cash from grandma…put it all right toward your savings goal.
3. Cut back temporarily. Skipping one dinner out per week could save you $200 a month or more. Believe me, the sacrifice will be worth it when you're sitting on a full emergency fund.
4. Get the highest APY you can. Park your savings in an HYSA with one of the best available APYs. All that interest helps your fund grow faster.

Progress feels slow at first, but momentum builds fast.

Recessions are unpredictable. Having a solid cash cushion means you don't need to panic-sell investments or swipe a credit card when life gets rocky.

So whether your number is $5,000 or $50,000, start stacking that fund today. The peace of mind is worth every penny.

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We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from Motley Fool Money is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Joel O'Leary has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Barclays Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

When Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) hit a new all-time high of $111,970 on May 22, many investors were convinced that the world's most popular cryptocurrency was about to go on another epic run. But that hasn't been the case.

In fact, Bitcoin pulled back to $105,000, and could even fall below $100,000 again. Should investors be concerned?

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Bitcoin's volatility

For much of its history, Bitcoin has been a very risky and volatile asset. In its early days, volatility was sky-high, and the price of Bitcoin tended to move up and down in jagged spikes.

However, Bitcoin is becoming less volatile over time. All you have to do is look at a chart of Bitcoin's volatility over the past decade. The change in volatility in recent years is striking.

According to data from CoinGlass, a cryptocurrency information site, Bitcoin's 30-day volatility during the previous crypto bull market rally of 2020-2021 ran as high as 9%. However, Bitcoin's volatility has been declining over the past two years. In May 2025, Bitcoin's 30-day volatility dipped below 2%.

Image source: Getty Images.

This might be surprising, especially given this year's news cycle around trade, tariffs, and U.S. macroeconomic policy. Most investors likely assume that Bitcoin has been wildly volatile over the past five months, but that simply hasn't been the case.

And there's a good reason for this: Bitcoin is going increasingly mainstream. The more institutional investors and corporations line up to buy Bitcoin, the less volatile it will become over time. Short-term, speculative money is being crowded out by long-term, buy-and-hold money.

Thus, there's less reason to be worried about Bitcoin's recent pullback than there might have been in the past. By now, everyone realizes that Bitcoin is not going to zero. The prudent strategy now is to view Bitcoin as a long-term investment that will soar in value over the next decade.

Buy the dip

If anything, the pullback in Bitcoin is a signal to buy more, at a lower price. In crypto parlance, this is known as buying the dip. Any time Bitcoin falls by 10% or more, the thinking goes, you should scoop up Bitcoin at a new bargain price.

And, by and large, that is what has been happening this year. The easiest way to see this is with investor inflows into the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). While there was a brief period in April when Bitcoin inflows slowed to a halt and then reversed, money is once again flowing into the Bitcoin ETFs.

One big narrative that has emerged in 2025 is the willingness of both retail and institutional investors to buy the dip in Bitcoin, even at fantastically high prices. The reason is simple: In 10 of the past 13 years, Bitcoin has been the best-performing asset on the planet.

Even after massive market declines, like we saw in 2022, Bitcoin has always bounced back, better than before. In January 2023, Bitcoin was in the doldrums, trading for less than $17,000. Investors were warning that this was finally the end for Bitcoin. Just two years later, Bitcoin topped $100,000. The historical resilience of Bitcoin can't be dismissed anymore.

How much higher can Bitcoin go this year?

The good news is that Bitcoin might soar much higher in 2025. According to data from online prediction markets, Bitcoin has a 61% chance of hitting $125,000 this year. It has a 30% chance of hitting $150,000 this year. And it has a 12% chance of reaching $200,000 in 2025.

That basically lines up with what major Wall Street investment firms were predicting earlier in the year. In January, a popular prediction to make was that Bitcoin would double in value, to hit $200,000 this year.

All of this leads me to think that Bitcoin investors shouldn't be worried about the recent pullback. As long as money continues to flow into the spot Bitcoin ETFs, the overall upward trajectory should continue. While there's no guarantee that Bitcoin will double in price this year, there's a good chance it will hit yet another all-time high within the next six months.

Should you invest $1,000 in Bitcoin right now?

Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

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Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

It's time to see if Chewy (NYSE: CHWY) shareholders will be given a treat for a job well done. The popular online retailer of pet supplies and other essentials reports its fiscal first-quarter results on Wednesday morning. There are a lot of mixed signals out there in the world of pet stocks.

Brick-and-mortar retailer Petco Health & Wellness saw its stock plummet 23% on Friday after offering up a disappointing financial report. The stock has shed nearly 85% of its value over the past year. Chewy's momentum is marching to a more upbeat drum. The shares may be just shy of where they were five years ago, but the e-tailer's stock has more than doubled over the past year.

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Unlike Petco, expectations are high for Chewy this week. Let's take a closer took at what investors should expect heading into this telltale quarterly update.

Let's take Chewy for a walk

Chewy came through with a blowout fiscal fourth quarter three months ago. Net sales soared 15% for the holiday quarter that ended on Feb. 2, its strongest year-over-year growth in three years. After six periods of single-digit top-line growth, it finally returned to double-digit growth. The strong showing was enough to lift full-year sales growth to 6%.

There's a catch, of course. Given the nuance of Chewy's fiscal year, there was an extra week in the fourth quarter as well as for the entire fiscal year. If you back that out -- the extra 8% more days for the quarter and 2% more for the year -- revenue would've climbed just 4% in fiscal 2024. The 15% quarterly jump would be pared back to the high single digits. It was still a strong beat, particularly on the bottom line where Chewy is earning its upticks.

The year ended on some positive notes. After its active customer count dipped in the two previous years, that audience widened to 20.5 million, tacking on 431,000 in net adds for the year. It's still lower than the 20.7 active accounts it was serving at the end of fiscal 2021, but a welcome reversal after sliding to 20.4 million and then 20.1 million in the two subsequent years.

Customers are also spending more. Net sales per active customer clocked in at $578, a decent step up from $555 in fiscal 2023 and $496 the year before that. Autoship -- the platform that allows customers to receive discounts on advance orders placed for regular intervals -- now accounts for 80.6% of total sales on the platform. Authoship sales rose 10% last year, well ahead of the overall growth rate of just above 6%.

Image source: Getty Images.

It's feeding time

Chewy's own guidance for the quarter in late March calls for $0.30 to $0.35 in earnings per share on $3.06 billion to $3.09 billion in net sales. Ahead of Wednesday's report before the market opens, analysts are perched near the high end of that range. The consensus estimates see Chewy's earnings per share rising 10% to $0.34 with the top line rising 7% to $3.08 billion.

A lot has happened since pet stocks initially soared early in the pandemic. Savvy investors caught on that folks sheltering in place and working from home would lead to a spike in pet and cat adoptions. In theory, the business should be booming as the puppies and kittens that folks took in five years ago are much larger and hungrier furry companions today.

Chewy has been aggressively buying back stock, a smart move in retrospect given the rising shares over the past year. The stock may not seem cheap at 39 times forward earnings -- and a still steep multiple of 32 if we look out to fiscal 2026 -- for a stock growing its business in the single digits. Thankfully it does seem to be turning the corner in terms of growing its active customer base again. It will still have to deliver a blowout performance with the shares soaring over the past year. All treats must be earned, after all.

Should you invest $1,000 in Chewy right now?

Before you buy stock in Chewy, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Chewy wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Rick Munarriz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Chewy. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW) stock jumped a lucky 7.7% Monday morning after the company gave an update on its plan to acquire privately held Edge Autonomy, "a leader in providing innovative autonomous systems, advanced optics, and resilient energy solutions" (i.e., drones).

As you may recall, Redwire announced in January that it will buy the maker of Penguin unmanned aerial vehicles for $925 million, payable in $150 million cash plus $775 million in Redwire stock.

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Image source: Getty Images.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

That's still the basic plan, but this morning Redwire announced that the purchase will actually be made with $160 million in cash (so $10 million more) and $765 million in shares of Redwire common stock (so $10 million less). Furthermore, $100 million of the "cash" portion of the price will be "paid" in the form of an unsecured promissory note from a Redwire subsidiary.

Is this good news or bad news for Redwire?

Why would Redwire make this change, and is it good news or bad news for the stock?

Well, consider that Redwire stock cost less than $15 before the Edge acquisition was announced but is worth nearly $20 today. Consider too that the Redwire stock being paid to Edge is still valued back near its January price -- $15.07 per share. So Edge is already making out like a bandit, receiving shares worth almost $20 when it expected to get shares worth less than $15. Owners of the private company have already made a tidy profit.

It makes sense that Redwire now wants to pay less in shares and more in cash. The adjustment is modestly good news for the stock -- probably not worth a 7% share price bump, but still good news.

Should you invest $1,000 in Redwire right now?

Before you buy stock in Redwire, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Redwire wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Shares in uranium fuel and nuclear energy services company Cameco (NYSE: CCJ) were up 11.7% by 11 a.m. ET today. The move comes as the market digests the news that Westinghouse Electric's adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) will be higher than previously expected in 2025.

That matters to Cameco investors because their company owns 49% of Westinghouse, with the rest owned by Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP), which also rose sharply today. Cameco expects its share of the increase in adjusted EBITDA expectations to be $170 million. "This expected increase will be taken into consideration in determining the 2025 distribution payable by Westinghouse to Cameco," according to the press release.

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The increase is related to two nuclear reactors at a power plant in Central Europe. The good news doesn't stop there, because Cameco expects Westinghouse to also benefit from providing fuel services to the plant.

A brighter outlook

The $170 million figure is notable for a company that reported approximately $1.1 billion in adjusted EBITDA for 2024.

Image source: Getty Images.

It's also important because it further confirms the improving momentum behind investment in nuclear energy as a solution to the challenge of obtaining a reliable source of energy while meeting net-zero emissions targets. As Cameco notes, Westinghouse's expected EBITDA growth over the next five years is 6%-10%. Meanwhile, Cameco's core uranium fuel and nuclear power products and services businesses are set to grow sales at a similar rate.

All of this adds up to an exciting growth outlook for an industry that was written off far too easily in the past.

Should you invest $1,000 in Cameco right now?

Before you buy stock in Cameco, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Cameco wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Renewable Partners and Cameco. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Telecom and satellite company EchoStar (NASDAQ: SATS) is reportedly considering a bankruptcy filing to protect its spectrum licenses. Investors are not taking the threat lightly, sending EchoStar shares down as much as 15% at the open and down 8% as of 11 a.m. Eastern.

Image source: Getty Images.

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A preemptive filing on the horizon?

EchoStar is a satellite television and communications company currently focused on growing a nationwide cellular business. The company owns Boost Mobile, the nation's fourth-largest wireless carrier, and is building out the network using its spectrum holdings.

But regulators appear to be growing impatient with the company's progress. Reports surfaced last month that the Federal Communications Commission has opened an investigation into EchoStar's compliance with federal requirements to build out a nationwide 5G network according to milestones set in 2019.

EchoStar responded with evidence that it is indeed building out the network as required, but the spectrum resources are valuable and coveted by several companies. Included in that list is SpaceX, whose chairman, Elon Musk, has complained about EchoStar's progress and demanded the spectrum be opened to other users, including SpaceX's Starlink.

Late Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported EchoStar is considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing as a way to shield its spectrum licenses from the threat of revocation. In theory, a filing would leave decisions about the spectrum up to a judge, not regulators.

Given EchoStar's structure, it is not entirely out of the question that shareholders would get something out of a bankruptcy. But it is a very high-risk bet. In bankruptcy, equity holders have the least protection, and shares are often zeroed out.

Is EchoStar a buy?

EchoStar declined to comment on the bankruptcy rumors, and a filing is far from certain. Political winds change direction quickly, and it is possible recent events in Washington could cause the FCC not to prioritize the EchoStar spectrum.

If the company does file, debt holders are likely to capture a lot of the value of the reorganized company.

There's a lot of risk to EchoStar right now, but also a lot of potential value if the company is allowed to continue on its path toward building Boost Mobile. Investors considering buying in should be prepared for further turbulence and limit EchoStar to a small part of a well-diversified portfolio.

Should you invest $1,000 in EchoStar right now?

Before you buy stock in EchoStar, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and EchoStar wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Lou Whiteman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

So-called "flying taxis" are going mainstream, and investors are rushing into shares of the early market leaders.

Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY) stock traded up as much as 14.9% at the market open and were up 8.6% as of 10:30 a.m. ET after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to "unleash" development of the company's new flying machines.

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Image source: Joby Aviation.

Markets taking shape

Joby is one of a handful of aerospace companies racing to bring electric aircraft capable of vertical takeoffs and landings, or eVTOLs, to market. It takes time for new designs to win Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval, but if all goes well, Joby and rival Archer Aviation could have air taxis in the air as soon as next year.

Late Friday, investors got a look at the potential market for the eVTOLs once they are approved for takeoff. President Trump signed an executive order aimed at "unleashing American drone dominance," which included a mandate that the Department of Transportation advance eVTOLs.

Within 180 days, according to the order, Transportation is to select "at least" five pilot projects that plan to begin eVTOL operations, including advanced air mobility, medical response, cargo transport, and rural access.

Is Joby stock a buy?

There is still a lot that must go right for Joby, including winning FAA certification and proving it can manufacture its aircraft at scale. And Joby already had several customers lined up, including a high-profile deal announced last week with Saudi Arabia to distribute its aircraft there.

Still, the executive order points to the potential of these aircraft to disrupt existing technologies.

Joby carries a market capitalization of more than $7 billion, a lot for a pre-revenue company. But the potential is there. For investors excited about the technology and willing to carry some risk in a diversified portfolio, Joby looks like the leader of the eVTOL pack.

Should you invest $1,000 in Joby Aviation right now?

Before you buy stock in Joby Aviation, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Joby Aviation wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Lou Whiteman has positions in Joby Aviation. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Nio (NYSE: NIO), a leading producer of electric vehicles (EVs) in China, posted its first-quarter earnings report on June 3. Its revenue rose 21.5% year over year to 12.03 billion yuan ($1.66 billion), but its net loss widened from 5.18 billion yuan ($720 million) to 6.75 billion yuan ($930 million). It missed analysts' expectations on both its top and bottom lines.

Nio's stock rose slightly after that report, but it's still down about 27% over the past 12 months. Let's see if it will finally stabilize and bounce back over the following year.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Image source: Nio.

Is Nio's business stabilizing?

Nio's core brand sells a wide range of electric sedans and SUVs. It also recently launched two sub-brands over the past year: its Onvo brand for cheaper and family-oriented SUVs and its Firefly brand of compact cars. It differentiates itself from its competitors with batteries which can be quickly swapped out at its swapping stations. It's also expanding in Europe to diversify its business away from China.

The Chinese EV maker delivered its first vehicles in 2018. Its annual deliveries soared 81% in 2019, 113% in 2020, and 109% in 2021. Its annual vehicle margin also improved from negative 9.9% in 2019 to a record high of positive 20.1% in 2021 as it scaled up its business and ramped up its production.

However, Nio's deliveries only rose 34% in 2022 and 31% in 2023, while its vehicle margin shrank to 9.5% in 2023. It mainly attributed its slowdown to tough competition, a persistent pricing war in China's EV market, macro headwinds, and adverse weather conditions.

But in 2024, its deliveries rose 39% to 221,970 vehicles as its vehicle margin expanded to 12.3%. On a quarterly basis, its deliveries grew rapidly again throughout the entire year as its vehicle margins rose sequentially:

Data source: Nio. YOY = Year-over-year.

What are Nio's catalysts and challenges?

Nio's growth accelerated again as it delivered more premium ET-series sedans and Onvo SUVs in China, grew its domestic market share, and continued its expansion across Europe. Nio also further differentiated itself from China's other EV makers by developing its own intelligent-driving chips and SkyOS vehicle operating system. Its margins stabilized as it sold a higher mix of higher-end sedans, reduced its production costs, and streamlined its expenses.

However, Nio still faces pressure from bigger competitors like BYD, which delivered 4.27 million vehicles in 2024 (including 1.76 million battery-powered EVs), and Tesla, which delivered 657,102 cars in China during the year. Both of those competitors have been aggressively reducing their prices.

That competition, along with the expansion of its new Onvo and Firefly sub-brands, could compress Nio's vehicle margins and prevent it from ever breaking even. Its ongoing investments in its batteries and battery-swapping networks could exacerbate that pressure.

On the bright side, the European Union is reportedly considering replacing its tariffs on Chinese EVs with minimum price limits. That change could make it easier for Nio to stay competitive in Europe. It's also in talks to sell a controlling stake of its battery division, Nio Power, to the Chinese battery maker CATL. That move would streamline its business and reduce its operating expenses, but it probably won't fully offset its other soaring expenses.

Where will Nio's stock be in one year?

For now, analysts expect Nio's revenue to rise 34% in 2025 and 33% in 2026. Those are high growth rates for a stock which trades at just 0.7 times this year's sales. By comparison, BYD and Tesla trade at 1.1 and 9.4 times this year's sales, respectively.

Assuming Nio meets analysts' top-line estimates and trades at a more generous two-times forward sales, its stock could potentially surge about 500% by 2026 Q1. If the trade tensions between the U.S. and China finally wane, Nio could deliver even bigger gains as it's valued more closely to Tesla and other higher-growth automakers. Nio is still a speculative stock, but it could have more upside potential than downside potential at its current levels.

Should you invest $1,000 in Nio right now?

Before you buy stock in Nio, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nio wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends BYD Company. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

When thinking of the most powerful brands on the planet, Apple and Coca-Cola might immediately come to mind. I wouldn't be surprised if Nike (NYSE: NKE) gets brought up as well.

The leader in athletic footwear and apparel has a storied history, to be sure. However, it has hit a major rough patch. The share price, which is down 39% in the past five years, reflects underlying fundamental issues with the business.

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But opportunistic investors hunting for strong returns could see a turnaround play here. Can this consumer discretionary stock double a $1,000 investment over the next five years?

Image source: Getty Images.

Nike's strategic missteps

Nike generated $11.3 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2025 (ended Feb. 28). That figure was down 9% year over year and also 9% lower than the same period in fiscal 2023. What's more, earnings per share (EPS) tanked 30%. These financial metrics are wildly disappointing.

With the benefit of hindsight, it becomes very clear what mistakes Nike made to get to this point. The business relied too much on classic footwear franchises, which contributed to a lack of product innovation that drove a loss of customer excitement.

On the distribution front, Nike leaned heavily on going direct to the consumer, mainly in e-commerce, alienating retailing partners in the process. And this opened up shelf space to up-and-coming rivals, particularly in the important running category.

Fashion is a tough industry to crack. Companies have to work hard to cater to the constantly changing tastes that consumers have. For example, the rise of the athleisure trend was a boon for Lululemon Athletica while spawning new businesses like Alo Yoga and Vuori. It seems more recently, there is growing interest in looser-fitting clothes. Change is the only constant.

It is surprising, though, that Nike has taken such a big hit financially. After all, this company has been around for decades, leading the global sportswear market. It should have a better pulse on consumer trends than any business in the industry. But even the best can still run into problems.

It's time to focus on the brand

Nike possesses one of the world's most iconic brands. I don't believe anyone would disagree here. This brand is precisely what makes up the company's economic moat. It provides a key asset for Nike to focus on.

CEO Elliott Hill, who was brought in last year to orchestrate a successful turnaround, is focusing on the right strategic priorities. It's all about getting back to product innovation and meeting customers where they are. Nike recently started selling its products on Amazon again after taking a six-year break from the dominant online marketplace.

For what it's worth, Nike still has a leading market share in the worldwide sportswear industry. Its brand, high-visibility athlete endorsements and league partnerships, broad distribution capabilities, and marketing prowess give it the tools it needs to succeed.

Nike's path to doubling your money

Nike shares are near the cheapest they've been in the past decade, trading at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 20.9. Expectations are understandably low, but that introduces upside potential.

Investors must believe that Nike will get back on track sooner rather than later. And by this, I mean it starts to register solid revenue and EPS growth. Making real progress could take some time, but this is the formula for investment success.

I wouldn't be surprised if the stock can double in five years, turning $1,000 into $2,000 by the end of the decade. A cheap starting valuation, coupled with improving fundamentals, can drive huge share-price gains. However, I still think this remains a very risky investment opportunity as the uncertainty is high.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

• Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $367,516!*
• Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $38,712!*
• Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $669,517!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join Stock Advisor, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See the 3 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Apple, Lululemon Athletica Inc., and Nike. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Not too many Wall Street analysts have name recognition, but Wedbush's Dan Ives is one of the best-known commentators and AI cheerleaders.

Ives is a frequent guest on CNBC and other financial news outlets, as well as social media, typically wearing a bright-colored jacket and a loud shirt. He's known for his bullish commentary on stocks like Nvidia and Palantir. In fact, Ives recently said that Palantir would hit a market cap of $1 trillion within three years.

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Now, the Wedbush analyst has taken the next logical step, creating an exchange-traded fund (ETF). On Wednesday, Wedbush Fund Advisers launched the Dan Ives Wedbush AI Revolution (NYSEMKT: IVES), which trades on the New York Stock Exchange and is based on his picks and research in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.

The ETF holds 30 stocks, ranging from semiconductors to hyperscalers to cybersecurity, robotics, and other industries. Ives says he is more focused on themes and disruptive impact, rather than valuation, and the ETF features many of the best-known names in AI.

What's in the IVES ETF?

The top 10 holdings in the IVES ETF are as follows:

That list shouldn't come as a big surprise. It includes the "Magnificent Seven" and three other well-known AI stocks, Broadcom, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Palantir. Combined, those stocks make up nearly half of the fund.

Of the remaining stocks, there are several cloud software and cybersecurity names like ServiceNow, Palo Alto Networks, Salesforce, Adobe, Snowflake, and Zscaler.

Among the lesser-followed stocks it owns are Innodata, Elastic, and Pegasystems, which are all relatively small positions in the fund. Each stock is at least 1% of the fund.

As of June 4, the fund had net assets of $26.4 million, and its expense ratio is 0.75%, meaning investors will pay $0.75 out of every $100 invested in the fund to Wedbush to manage it.

Why it matters for investors

The launch of the IVES ETF matters to investors for a few reasons. First, if the fund serves as a big draw, bringing billions into the fund, it will funnel that money to the stocks it holds, helping them rise further.

The fund is also contributing to a greater proliferation of AI ETFs, potentially making it easier to invest in AI stocks.

We're about 2.5 years into the AI boom, which kicked off with the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, and some AI ETFs have been created. However, the formation of AI ETFs has generally lagged in the sector, and many of the funds that purport to track AI stocks don't invest in the household names that investors might expect an AI ETF to hold.

For instance, the Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF holds little-known stocks like ABB, Keyence, and Fanuc, which are focused on robotics and automation, among its top five holdings.

The IVES ETF gives investors exposure to the more traditional AI stocks that have become associated with the AI boom.

Image source: Getty Images.

Is the IVES ETF a buy?

If you backtested the IVES ETF over the last year or two, it would have outperformed the S&P 500. The ETF doesn't get credit for that, but the top holdings are many of the stocks that Ives has been publicly bullish on during that time.

If the AI boom continues, the IVES ETF is likely to be a winner as it offers exposure to a range of stocks driving the "AI revolution."

With an expense ratio of 0.75%, the IVES ETF is more expensive than most ETFs, but on par with actively managed funds. For investors looking for easy exposure to a range of AI stocks, investing a bit of money into the IVES ETF is a good way to do it.

Should you invest $1,000 in Wedbush Series Trust - Dan Ives Wedbush Ai Revolution ETF right now?

Before you buy stock in Wedbush Series Trust - Dan Ives Wedbush Ai Revolution ETF, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Wedbush Series Trust - Dan Ives Wedbush Ai Revolution ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Jeremy Bowman has positions in Amazon, Broadcom, Meta Platforms, Nvidia, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Abb, Adobe, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Snowflake, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Tesla, and Zscaler. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom, Elastic, Fanuc, Palo Alto Networks, and Pegasystems and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Shares of Sezzle (NASDAQ: SEZL) were sizzling in May. They skyrocketed an eye-popping 106.7% for the month, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The primary driver was the digital payment platform's strong first-quarter results.

Sizzling growth

Sezzle reported strong financial results across the board in May. The buy now, pay later (BNPL) company's gross merchandise volume (GMV) jumped 64.1% to $808.7 million. That helped fuel a 123.3% increase in revenue, which reached a new quarterly high of $104.9 million. That represented 13% of its GMV, up from 11.5% in the fourth quarter. The company benefited from higher user engagement and its WebBank partnership.

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Image source: Getty Images.

Meanwhile, the company's transaction costs declined from 4.3% to 3.8% of GMV. Driving the improvement were better-than-expected credit performance, effective payment processing strategies, and reduced interest costs from the improved terms of its new credit facility.

The combination of surging revenue and improving margins enabled the company to more than quadruple its net income to $36.2 million, or 34.5% of its revenue. The continued growth in profitability enabled Sezzle to produce $58.8 million in cash flow from operations, up from $38.6 million in the fourth quarter. That boosted the company's cash position to $120.9 million against $70.8 million of outstanding principal on its $150 million credit facility.

The company's strong showing gave it the confidence to raise its 2025 guidance. It now sees revenue growing 60% to 65% this year, up from its prior view of 25% to 30%. It also raised its net income outlook to $120 million for the year.

Sezzle also continues to launch innovative products to enhance its ability to serve consumers and merchants. It's beta testing its Pay-in-5 offering to provide borrowers greater flexibility at checkout. It also launched several enhanced shopping tools and expanded its merchant network.

Does Sezzle still have room to run after May's epic rally?

Shares of Sezzle have been scorching hot over the past year, rocketing over 800%. That has driven up its valuation. The fintech stock now trades at nearly 15 times sales and over 40 times its forward P/E ratio. That's definitely a premium valuation. The S&P 500 currently trades at 22.5 times forward earnings, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 index fetches more than 28 times its forward earnings.

However, Sezzle is growing much faster than the average company. That could continue for quite a while, given the company's massive total addressable market opportunity. Sezzle currently controls less than 1% of North America's total BNPL market ($257 billion), which is only 2% of North America's total commerce transaction value. Because of that, it's a compelling BNPL stock if you want to capitalize on this massive growth opportunity. While the stock might cool down after its scorching rally, it could have a lot more room to run in the long term as Sezzle continues expanding.

Should you invest $1,000 in Sezzle right now?

Before you buy stock in Sezzle, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Sezzle wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Matt DiLallo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Sezzle. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Coupang (NYSE: CPNG) is often referred to as the "Amazon of South Korea." It's a fast-growing e-commerce store that is following a strategy similar to its U.S. counterpart by offering a range of services like food delivery (Coupang Eats) and entertainment (Coupang Play) to supplement its online retail business.

The thing is, Coupang is not trying to be the next Amazon. It started out years ago as an eBay-like marketplace. Even though Coupang was profitable, founder and CEO Bom Kim didn't like the direction in which the company was headed and decided to completely restructure the business into what it is today.

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Since 2018, the company has grown revenue from $4 billion to $31 billion on a trailing-12-month basis. It dominates the Korean e-commerce market. While it's uncertain how far Coupang might be able to expand beyond South Korea over the long term, the stock is offering a reasonable valuation that may undervalue its prospects in existing markets.

Image source: Getty Images.

Solid momentum in 2025

On a currency-neutral basis, Coupang has delivered consistent growth of 20% or more since its initial public offering in 2021. It entered 2025 with continued momentum, with revenue up 21% year over year in the first quarter, excluding currency changes.

Coupang has built a strong advantage with its logistics infrastructure that can deliver orders overnight to customers living in high-density population centers. This has kept competitors like Amazon at bay, allowing Coupang to gain over 23 million customers, and it's still growing. Its active customer count grew 9% year over year last quarter.

Moreover, Coupang is seeing its free cash flow and margins improve as it scales investments and grows revenue. It generated $1 billion in free cash flow on a trailing-12-month basis, which is a notable improvement over the negative free cash flow reported just a few years ago. Investments in technology, automation, and robotics are benefiting its ability to deliver packages faster while reducing costs.

Investors should expect Coupang's free cash flow to increase over the next several years, which could benefit the stock.

Why the stock is a long-term buy

Coupang has a solid lead in South Korea, but investors need to know if its strategy will work outside of its home market. On that score, there are early signs that Coupang could be successful expanding in select international markets.

The e-commerce giant entered Taiwan in 2021 and continues to expand. It recently launched its WOW membership program there, bringing free shipping and other benefits for a subscription fee. The continued investment in Taiwan indicates management is seeing high returns on capital spending.

But it's also important to know that the South Korean retail market alone is worth $500 billion. Coupang controls a very small percentage of the combined market in both countries, providing plenty of long-term growth potential.

What makes the stock appealing is that its valuation doesn't require sky-high growth for investors to earn good returns. The stock's price-to-sales multiple of 1.7 is fair for its current pace of growth.

Given its growth trajectory and opportunities ahead, investors buying the stock today could double their investment in five years, assuming Coupang can continue growing revenue around 15% per year and the stock trades at the same price-to-sales multiple. If Coupang continues to show more potential for international growth, the upside could be quite significant over the next few decades.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

• Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $367,516!*
• Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $38,712!*
• Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $669,517!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join Stock Advisor, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

See the 3 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Ballard has positions in Coupang. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool recommends Coupang. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

In today's video, I discuss recent updates affecting Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and other semiconductor companies. To learn more, check out the short video, consider subscribing, and click the special offer link below.

*Stock prices used were the after-market prices of June 6, 2025. The video was published on June 8, 2025.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now?

Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nvidia wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Jose Najarro has positions in Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Jose Najarro is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through their link they will earn some extra money that supports their channel. Their opinions remain their own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool.

It was the end of an era at Walt Disney's (NYSE: DIS) Florida resort over the weekend. Muppet*Vision 3D, an attraction that entertained visitors to Disney's Hollywood Studios for more than 34 years, closed after its final guest performance on Saturday night. It's the latest long-running experience to get shuttered at Disney World.

Earlier this year, guests saw its Test Track adrenaline booster ride close down. Animal Kingdom also surrendered some of its capacity in 2025, nixing a few original experiences including the TriceraTop Spin flat ride and the It's Tough To Be a Bug 3D show inside the park's signature Tree of Life focal point.

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The closures will continue, with the Magic Kingdom gated attraction in Florida getting in on the clearance sale. Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat, along with the Rivers of America that both experiences cross, will run dry after July 6. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland will pause the following month, for less than infinity, to see if it can go beyond with its intergalactic target blasting ride.

The endings don't end there. Two of Disney World's most thrilling rides, Dinosaur and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, will close early next year.

There's never a good time to take down a handful of high-volume attractions, but Disney knows what it's doing. It's shuttering a lot of experiences to use the space as a fresh easel for its next generation of experiences. You probably don't want to bet against the House of Mouse.

Disney's leisure business has some surprising momentum right now. The media stock giant came through with a blowout fiscal second-quarter report last month, and Disney's theme parks business was the biggest reason for the stock's 24% surge in May. Its domestic parks and experiences business delivered a 9% increase in revenue through the first three months of this calendar year. Disney's operating profit came through with a 13% gain. The company's announcement of plans for a new licensed theme park in Abu Dhabi also turned heads.

This is a sharp contrast to how its largest rival Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) fared in the same three months. It experienced a 5% top-line slide for its theme park operations with a sharp 32% drop in the segment's adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA).

Unlike Disney's high-flying shares, Comcast stock rose a mere 1% in May. That's a stunning contrast, and one to monitor now that Comcast opened its Epic Universe theme park a few miles away from Disney World.

Image source: Disney.

There will be a lot of closures this year through early 2026, but this should be a case of addition through subtraction. Disney knows it will upset some fans with retiring some long-running attractions, but it's betting on making things better. In late 2023, it boosted its goal of investing $30 billion on its theme parks and cruise ships business over the next decade to a cool $60 billion.

Almost everything closing now will be replaced by experiences that should be even more popular. In the case of Test Track and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, the two rides will return with enhancements. Test Track's redo promises nods to the original attraction it took over. Buzz Lightyear's makeover is about looking ahead, updating the moving laser shooting gallery with detachable blasters, targets that are more responsive after being hit, and different-colored lasers so you don't get lost in a sea of red dots as before.

The other attractions will open as new experiences. You won't have to wait long for the updated Test Track and a Zootopia-themed takeover for It's Tough To Be a Bug. They will both make their debut later this year. The refreshed Buzz Lightyear dark ride will reopen next year, while the Muppets will take over for Aerosmith as hosts of the soon-to-be former Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Tropical Americas will replace DinoLand at Animal Kingdom in 2027 with an Indiana Jones attraction, Disney's first Encanto-themed ride, and a one-of-a-kind carousel.

The timeline gets fuzzier after that. The closure of Muppet*Vision 3D over the weekend will clear the way for an area themed to Pixar's Monsters franchise, including a suspended roller coaster. The resurfacing of Frontierland's throwback attractions will be replaced by a Cars-themed land, and eventually the long-overdue area dedicated to Disney's signature villains.

In short, Disney has stocked the pond with years of attendance-boosting attractions. When it doubled the segment's budget to $60 billion, the entertainment behemoth mentioned that 70% of that should go to increasing capacity. The balance will go to infrastructure and tech improvements. This is a lot of money, averaging $6 million a year. You have to go back to pre-pandemic times for the last time Disney posted an annual profit larger than $6 million. However, Disney knows you have to keep raising the bar and rejuvenating guest experiences to keep folks coming back.

Should you invest $1,000 in Walt Disney right now?

Before you buy stock in Walt Disney, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Walt Disney wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Rick Munarriz has positions in Comcast and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Comcast. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

By now, my hunch is that you've caught on to some of the major things influencing the stock market this year. As a refresher, mixed economic data, uncertainty surrounding policies from the Federal Reserve, and of course President Donald Trump's tariff agenda have combined to make a series of clouds shading what direction the markets might move next.

But even amid all of this uncertainty, some industries have proven resilient throughout the year. Within the broader technology sector -- which itself has had a tough year so far -- the communication services industry has held up relatively well. If you're unfamiliar with communication services, these are businesses that touch areas such as advertising, entertainment, and internet content consumption.

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When you think about these categories, my guess is your mind rushes straight to Netflix -- and for good reason. As of the closing bell on June 5, shares of Netflix have gained 40% so far this year. That absolutely crushes the breakeven returns of the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite.

While Netflix remains a quality business, there is another streaming stock that has been quietly outperforming the competition. With shares up nearly 60% year to date, Spotify Technology (NYSE: SPOT) might be a company to put on your radar.

Below, I'll detail why streaming stocks have outperformed the broader market this year. From there, I'll cover why I think Spotify could be Wall Street's next big stock-split stock and explain how this process works for investors.

Why are streaming stocks crushing the market in 2025?

Perhaps the biggest factor weighing on growth stocks at the moment is how President Trump's tariff policies will shake out. Tariffs are taxes that are placed on goods imported or exported from the country. Usually, tariffs are used as a negotiation tactic in order to change policies with trade partners. While there can be strategic value to implementing tariffs, they can also lead to periods of higher costs (inflation) for businesses.

Unlike many companies in the technology landscape, streaming businesses don't have much to worry about when it comes to tariffs. For the most part, streamers rely on the consumption of digital content such as movies, television, music, or audiobooks. Given these companies don't have much in the way of physical manufacturing or rely on imported or exported goods, streaming is a relatively tariff-resistant business -- making them particularly attractive investments right now.

Image source: Getty Images.

Why I see Spotify as a prime stock-split candidate

The chart below illustrates Spotify's stock price since its initial public offering (IPO). As investors can see, shares of the streaming giant are hovering near all-time highs.

SPOT data by YCharts

Sometimes when a stock price starts to rise in an exponential fashion, investors will shy away from buying. Said another way, a high share price can be perceived as an expensive stock and investors will begin looking for alternatives.

Considering that Spotify has never split its stock, combined with its climbing share price, I see the company as an interesting stock-split candidate.

How do stock splits work?

Stock splits are a simple form of financial engineering. For argument's sake, let's say Spotify announced a 10-for-1 stock-split. How would this work? Essentially, Spotify's share price of $710 would be split tenfold. In other words, Spotify's split-adjusted stock price would be about $71. At the same time, however, the company's outstanding shares would rise by tenfold.

Given the stock price and the outstanding shares change by the same multiple, the market capitalization of Spotify would remain unchanged.

Should you buy Spotify stock right now?

If the valuation of the company doesn't change, what is the point of a stock split? As I alluded to above, when share prices go higher investors often perceive the stock as expensive -- regardless of what valuation multiples might suggest.

Given a stock split results in a seemingly lower (or less expensive) share price, they often result in a new cohort of investors pouring in and buying the stock. Ironically, this activity can actually fuel the market cap of the company higher on a post-split basis. This means that even if you own more shares at what appears to be a lower share price following a split, you might actually be investing in the company at a higher valuation.

With that in mind, let's explore whether Spotify is a good stock to buy right now -- regardless of whether or not the company chooses to split its stock.

SPOT PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts

Per the comparable company analysis pictured above, Spotify trades at a notable premium compared to other streaming and entertainment companies on a forward earnings basis.

In my view, Spotify is a pricey stock right now and the current momentum in share price has led to some notable valuation expansion. Normally, I would not chase at these levels -- as I'd view the stock as overvalued. However, given how sensitive the capital markets are right now on the tariff rhetoric and Spotify's proven resiliency in this environment, I'd consider scooping up shares on any dips that might occur.

In the long run, I see Spotify as a best-in-class opportunity in the streaming landscape and a stock deserving of a premium.

Should you invest $1,000 in Spotify Technology right now?

Before you buy stock in Spotify Technology, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Spotify Technology wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025

Adam Spatacco has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Netflix and Spotify Technology. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Shares of Deckers Outdoor (NYSE: DECK) continue to tumble. The parent company of footwear brands including UGG, HOKA, Teva, and Ahnu has fallen roughly 50% since peaking early this year at over $200 per share.

It never feels good to buy a stock that continues to go down. It's only human to want to buy winners. The reality is that all companies face adversity at times; the trick is knowing when the company is working through minor bumps or if there are serious problems underneath the surface.

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So, I took a peek into the business to see which side of the coin Deckers Outdoor lands on. Here is whether you should invest $1,000 into Deckers stock today.

Image source: Getty Images.

Core brands continue to lead the way despite some industry headwinds

Deckers Outdoor's two primary brands are UGG, a California lifestyle brand most known for its boots, and HOKA, a premium running shoe brand. Together, UGG and HOKA combined for $4.76 billion of the company's $4.99 billion total sales in fiscal 2025.

The good news is that both brands continue to perform well. Sales of UGG and HOKA increased 13.1% and 23.6%, respectively, in fiscal 2025. But Q4 sales growth was much lower, just 3.6% for UGG and 10% for HOKA in Q4. In other words, sales momentum has dramatically slowed.

Slowing growth isn't ideal, but there is a fair amount of evidence that Deckers is dealing with industrywide headwinds rather than internal issues. Uncertainty regarding tariffs has complicated the supply chain for footwear companies, which primarily manufacture outside of the United States. Deckers manufactures most of its products in Vietnam.

Management estimated that the company's cost of goods sold may increase by $150 million in fiscal 2026 due to tariffs, and is unsure how that may impact consumer demand. The company declined to offer financial guidance for the upcoming year.

The stock's decline may have created a buying opportunity -- though risks exist

Shoes are a discretionary spend for most consumers, so economic uncertainty can easily disrupt business. However, it could be a buying opportunity for the stock if these challenges are temporary and the brands themselves remain strong with buyers.

Deckers is holding up far better in this operating environment than Nike, which reported a 9% year-over-year sales decline in its most recent quarter. I think it's a positive sign that HOKA is Deckers Outdoor's fastest-growing brand, while Nike, the industry leader, is struggling.

If you zoom out, the HOKA brand's recent growth is no fluke. The brand's sales have skyrocketed from just $352 million in fiscal 2020.

Deckers is also well-equipped to navigate a challenging business climate, with a debt-free balance sheet and nearly $1.9 billion in cash on hand. Management re-upped the company's share repurchase program in Q4 as well, bringing its authorized buybacks to $2.5 billion, or 15% of its current market capitalization. That's going to do wonders in establishing a solid floor for earnings-per-share growth.

Whether it's sneakers or apparel, fashion brands are a popularity contest. The risk in these stocks is that the brands lose their appeal. Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Should you invest $1,000 in Deckers Outdoor stock today?

Things could always change in the future, but Deckers Outdoor seems poised for a bounce-back once the economic landscape improves. Consumer sentiment has taken a clear hit amid the uncertainty in recent months.

The negativity is weighing on shoppers, and the stock's steep decline could be as simple as the market lowering growth expectations. Earlier this year, analysts were anticipating approximately 15% annualized long-term earnings growth from Deckers. Those estimates have dropped to just 6.4% today.

Deckers traded at a price-to-earnings ratio of 37 in January, but that has plunged to just 17. Even modest sales growth coupled with those massive buybacks should generate the mid-single-digit earnings growth analysts now expect, and there could be significant upside potential if growth eventually reaccelerates and drives that valuation higher again.

The stock can always go lower, but the long-term risk-to-reward dynamic looks attractive here, making Deckers Outdoor a fine buy-and-hold candidate to park $1,000 in.

Should you invest $1,000 in Deckers Outdoor right now?

Before you buy stock in Deckers Outdoor, consider this:

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Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Deckers Outdoor and Nike. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Shares of Korean e-commerce giant Coupang (NYSE: CPNG) rallied 20% in May, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence .

Coupang reported first quarter earnings in the early part of the month, and while results may have looked mediocre on the surface, they were actually much better than advertised.

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Stocks in general also generally climbed in May, as April's trade tensions eased somewhat, adding an additional tailwind.

Coupang promises 20% growth this year

In its first-quarter report, Coupang grew revenue 11%, which missed expectations, although earnings per share of $0.06 beat expectations by $0.01. Yet while that headline revenue figure "missed," that was likely due to a massive currency effect. In constant currency of largely the Korean won, Coupang's growth was actually 21%.

Coupang's main products segment, largely reflecting its Korean e-commerce services, grew 6% to $6.9 billion and 16% in constant currency, with customers up 9% from last year. Meanwhile, Coupang's smaller Developing Offerings, which include international e-commerce, the Eats delivery platform, Play, Fintech, and luxury e-commerce platform Farfetch, grew 67% to $1.0 billion, or 78% in constant currency.

Management also showed its confidence by authorizing a $1 billion share repurchase program.

The two big positives were one, management's projection for 20% revenue growth in constant currency for the full year, which means it's optimistic the current growth cadence will continue despite economic uncertainty. Second, Coupang showed impressive margin expansion in the quarter. In Q1, gross margins expanded 2.1 percentage points, with product segment gross margins up 3.0 percentage points, while adjusted EBITDA margins expanded 0.88 percentage points and product EBITDA margins grew 0.81 percentage points.

E-commerce stocks usually suffer from low margins, so that margin expansion was a big positive sign.

Image source: Getty Images.

Coupang continues to execute, but the stock looks expensive

After its recent run, Coupang's market cap has rallied to over $51 billion, or over 200 times earnings and 130 times this year's earnings estimates. While the company appears to be dominating the Korean e-commerce market, it looks like investors are anticipating some of its other developing offerings to become big businesses as well.

That being said, this past quarter showed promising execution and margin expansion from Coupang's team. So, it's not a surprise to see the stock higher, as consumer-oriented stocks largely recovered from the April tariff-related malaise.

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Just when some were thinking the artificial intelligence (AI) trade was dead, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and other big tech stocks knocked their earnings reports out of the park. The fact is that investment in AI technology, data centers, and other infrastructure is booming with no end in sight.

Just last week, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced plans to invest another $10 billion in new data centers in North Carolina. Big Tech companies are expected to spend $325 billion this year, a significant increase over the $223 billion invested in 2024. Far from being over, investment in AI is just getting started.

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As you can see below, the AI market is poised to experience significant growth through the end of the decade, and likely well beyond.

Statista

Here are two companies every tech investor should have on their radar.

Nvidia is still king

Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) are critical infrastructure for data centers, and the big tech companies are battling to acquire as many as possible. For example, Elon Musk's xAI supercomputer initially started with 100,000 units, doubled this number to 200,000, and rumors suggest it plans to grow to 1,000,000 units in the future.

Projects like the one mentioned above for Amazon also require untold thousands of GPUs, and there are many of these projects in progress across the U.S. and the world. The incredible demand is not slacking and is the reason that Nvidia's results continue to dazzle.

Image source: Getty Images.

Nvidia's data center revenue grew 73% year over year in the recently announced fiscal first quarter of 2026, reaching $39 billion, while total sales increased to $44 billion, representing 69% growth. As shown below, Nvidia's revenue and cash flow growth over the last few years is nothing short of incredible.

NVDA Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts

There is no indication that the growth won't continue in earnest. Nvidia expects $45 billion in sales for Q2 of fiscal 2026, representing a 50% year-over-year increase. The percentages decrease due to the laws of larger numbers; however, Nvidia will add $15 billion in total sales from Q2 of fiscal 2025 to Q2 of fiscal 2026 by achieving its target.

Nvidia stock currently trades with a price-to-earnings ratio of 46, well below its three-year average of 80. This drops to just 34 on a forward basis. While the exponential gains of the last few years may be over, Nvidia stock will still likely outpace the market, given the high demand for its products and its superior growth rate.

Don't sleep on Amazon's prospects

Pop quiz, investors. What is the biggest challenge that AI faces? If you said managing, processing, and securing data, you are correct! In fact, as shown below, all of the largest challenges center around data in one form or another.

Statista

This means that cloud providers, like Amazon Web Services (AWS), the largest cloud services provider on Earth, have massive growth runways as AI adopters seek data services. AWS is the straw that stirs Amazon's drink, as it accounts for the majority of its profits. In Q1, AWS provided 63% of Amazon's $18.4 billion in operating profits. Sales reached $29 billion, driven by robust 17% year-over-year growth, and the operating margin was impressive at 39%, demonstrating that AWS has excellent pricing power.

Amazon's other revenue streams also posted strong results. Digital advertising stood out with 19% year-over-year growth to $14 billion in Q1 sales. Overall, Amazon achieved 9% total sales growth, with total revenue reaching $156 billion. Net income increased to $17 billion from $10 billion in the same period last year.

The results are simply too good to be ignored. Amazon stock is historically undervalued, despite its stock price being on a general upward trajectory, as shown below.

AMZN data by YCharts

AWS will thrive in the age of artificial intelligence, and so will Amazon. This appears to be an excellent opportunity for investors to purchase shares that are at least fairly valued, and possibly undervalued.

The AI industry is growing rapidly, and these industry titans will continue to benefit tremendously. Economic policy, such as tariffs, remains a wild card that investors should keep an eye on; however, the economy is proving quite resilient, and companies like Nvidia and Amazon are excellent long-term investments that will appreciate long after the tariff drama has run its course.

Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now?

Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this:

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Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

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*Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025

John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Bradley Guichard has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

It's been a strange year for the crypto market. After a hot start to 2025, every major cryptocurrency continues to be whipsawed by the constant ups and downs of tariffs and global trade.

What can investors expect in the second half of the year? According to the new Motley Fool Money 2025 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey, investors remain bullish on the future prospects of crypto, especially Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC). Let's take a closer look.

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Bitcoin could double in value in 2025

Bitcoin has been front and center throughout the year. Even with the volatility of the current tariff situation, investors remain very bullish about the cryptocurrency's prospects.

Image source: Getty Images.

According to the Motley Fool Money 2025 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends survey, 68% of U.S. adults who currently hold crypto in their portfolio think that Bitcoin could hit $200,000 by the end of 2025. Based on its current price of $105,000, that suggests that Bitcoin could double in value over the next six months.

Even U.S. adults who don't own crypto in their portfolios are surprisingly bullish about Bitcoin. For example, 25% of them also think that Bitcoin could hit $200,000 by the end of 2025. Another 49% are undecided. Only 26% think it's unlikely.

As a result, investors are likely to continue to buy the dip for the rest of the year. Anytime Bitcoin loses 10% or more of its value, they'll view it as a buying opportunity. And, indeed, this is what we've already seen in the first half of the year, with money continuing to flow into the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from retail investors.

Solana and XRP could rally if new ETFs are approved

Currently, only Bitcoin and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) have spot ETFs. However, one big story of the year has been the potential for other major cryptocurrencies to get spot ETFs of their own. Two that are often mentioned are Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) and XRP (CRYPTO: XRP).

These new spot ETFs could be a game changer. They make buying crypto as easy as buying your favorite tech stock. You can open up an app on your phone, hit a button, and get exposure to Bitcoin instantly. According to the Motley Fool Money crypto survey, "I don't understand how to buy it" remains one of the major barriers to investing in crypto, and spot ETFs help solve this problem.

That leads me to think there will be a rally in Solana and XRP later in the year. That's when the SEC is scheduled to sign off on new spot ETF applications for both cryptos. As soon as these start trading, it could lead to a wave of new investor money flowing into them.

Ethereum may continue to underperform

Ethereum is still the world's second-largest cryptocurrency, and continues to be an important part of the White House's crypto strategy. So why does Ethereum continue to lag the market? Even after a mini-rally in May, Ethereum is still down 20% for the year.

By parsing the data and responses in Motley Fool Money's crypto survey, I might have uncovered the answer: Investors just don't like Ethereum. They can't figure out what to do with it, and it doesn't generate the sort of big, splashy news headlines that can grab their attention.

According to the survey, 36% of respondents who don't own crypto said they "don't know what to do with it." Overall, only 11% of respondents said they understood how crypto works. Bitcoin is easy to explain -- it's "digital gold." But what, exactly, is Ethereum?

Moreover, survey respondents appeared to show a clear preference for big, splashy news headlines. For example, as soon as Bitcoin hit the $100,000 price level, it immediately helped to pull in investors who might have otherwise ignored crypto. Bitcoin hitting $100,000 is the type of headline that's tailor-made to float across the chyron of a TV.

Or, take the example of Elon Musk joining the Trump administration earlier this year. Even though Musk had no direct role in the White House's crypto policies, the overwhelming sentiment of survey respondents was that just having him aboard would somehow be good for crypto.

Ethereum hasn't been able to deliver anything close to a splashy $100,000 news headline or a high-profile public figure like Elon Musk. The biggest news this year has been a new blockchain upgrade in May. As a result, investors just aren't interested. Ethereum may continue to underperform the market until a new narrative emerges.

What happens next for crypto?

In the crypto market, sentiment can change on a dime. Now that Musk has left the White House, for example, will investors become more or less bullish on crypto? And how long are investors willing to wait for Bitcoin to double in value, if it shows signs of stumbling over the summer?

That being said, the new Motley Fool Money crypto survey is a great temperature check on what crypto investors are thinking right now. Using the survey response data, it's possible to put together some compelling narratives about where Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP might be headed in the second half of 2025.

Should you invest $1,000 in Bitcoin right now?

Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025

Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The stock market has been on a roller coaster ride since the start of the year.

After a rocky January, when AI stocks got dinged by DeepSeek's news of a cheaper reasoning model, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) returned to an all-time high in February. Then, President Trump's tariff discussions put many investors on edge as he announced plans for taxes on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China. That went into overdrive at the start of April, when Trump enacted significantly higher-than-expected tariffs on practically every country in the world. The announcement produced one of the worst two-day market crashes in history.

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But after walking back the implementation of most of the tariffs (for now) and investors acclimating to this uncertain environment, the stock market has mostly recovered. In fact, the S&P 500 index just did something in May for the first time since 1990, and historically, it signals a big move in stocks over the next 12 months.

Here's what investors need to know.

Image source: Getty Images.

A historic month for the stock market

The S&P 500 climbed 6.15% in the month of May. That's the first time the benchmark index climbed more than 6% in the month of May since 1990 and just the seventh time May's performance has topped 5% since 1985, according to Carson Investment Research's Ryan Detrick.

Data by YCharts.

While investors who missed the chance to buy the dip in April may be bemoaning the stock market's rapid comeback, history suggests they may still have an opportunity to buy. In each of the last six instances when the S&P 500 return topped 5% in May, it went on to produce an average return of nearly 20% over the next 12 months. So much for "Sell in May and go away."

In fact, Detrick's data shows that none of the six instances ended with a negative return over the next 12 months despite the market's penchant for reverting to the mean. That said, investors who bought after the 9.2% rally in May of 1990 did have to sit through a three-month period from July through October when stocks fell almost 20%. Ultimately, however, those investors saw the index climb about 8% for the year after the May rally.

The month of June is already off to a strong start as of this writing. But if investors can expect 20% gains in the index for the next year, there's still a lot more growth to come.

Here's what investors can really expect

While Detrick's data shows the market tends to keep climbing higher after abnormally strong Mays, investors shouldn't put too much weight into the historical data.

First of all, the sample size is minuscule. Six data points over 40 years don't give enough information for the basis of a financial decision.

Second of all, every market is different. The 1990 rally was fueled by falling interest rates. Indeed, the rate on the 30-year Treasury bond fell all the way from 9% to 8.6%. By contrast, the 2025 rally was fueled by easing trade tensions. In both cases, many investors expressed concerns about market valuations amid the rally. Indeed, the CAPE ratio returned to its high levels, and stocks look even more expensive after analysts adjusted their forward earnings expectations lower. Still, it's unlikely the next 12 months will look anything like the 12 months from June of 1990 through May of 1991.

As such, individual stock investors should remain vigilant in their efforts to find good investments. As investor Peter Lynch said, "Buy the right stocks at the wrong price at the wrong time and you'll suffer great losses." But if you find a good opportunity, history suggests you could end up with a strong return over the next year.

For passive investors, you're playing a different game. There's no need to pay attention to history. You should be fully invested in your index fund of choice at all times. Trying to time the market based on recent results is a surefire way to underperform the index over the long run.

May's rally was a welcome reprieve from the crash we saw in April. History suggests more strong months may be ahead, but I caution investors from reading too much into how similar May rallies have played out in the past.

Should you invest $1,000 in S&P 500 Index right now?

Before you buy stock in S&P 500 Index, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and S&P 500 Index wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025

Adam Levy has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.