Benzinga Bulls And Bears: Eli Lilly, Okto, McDonalds — And Israel-Iran Conflict Sparks Oil Surge

Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors' favorite stocks over the last week — here's a look at some of our top stories.

Escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East — especially the Israel‑Iran conflict — and unexpectedly soft U.S. inflation data produced choppy market action this week. The S&P 500 pulled back from all‑time highs as oil jumped above $70, marking its largest weekly gain in years.

Energy stocks led sector gains amid rising oil, while gold and silver rallied on demand for havens. Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) stood out, climbing 20% after strong earnings. The U.S. dollar dipped to a three-year low against major currencies.

Looking ahead, investors are watching the Federal Reserve's upcoming meeting and U.S.–China trade discussions. Any change in rate guidance or geopolitical escalation could significantly sway market sentiment in the near term.

Benzinga provides daily reports on 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

"Zepbound put Eli Lilly on top — now its next big move could supercharge the stock", by Surbhi Jain, reports that JPMorgan sees continued upside for Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) as strong Zepbound prescription growth positions the company for even greater gains from upcoming Orforglipron data, with the franchise projected to generate $79 billion in sales by 2030.

"Trump's nuclear play fuels Oklo's 566% stock boom — and the ride may be far from over", by Surbhi Jain, reports that Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) shares surged 566% over the past year, fueled by Donald Trump's executive order accelerating nuclear development and a Pentagon microreactor contract, while bullish technicals suggest momentum may continue despite overbought signals.

"Nvidia's Jensen Huang sparks quantum stock frenzy", by Erica Kollmann, reports that Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang declared quantum computing has reached an "inflection point," sparking sharp rallies in quantum stocks like Quantum Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:QUBT) and Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI).

For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:

Oracle Q4 Earnings: Revenue, EPS Beat Estimates, Cloud Infrastructure Growth Expected To Accelerate With Demand ‘Skyrocketing'

RH Stock Surges On Q1 Earnings Beat Despite ‘Worst Housing Market' In 50 Years

US Listed Chinese Tech And EV Stocks Slide As Trump Confirms China Trade Deal

The Bears

"McDonald's just got hammered by weight‑loss drugs — twice", by Piero Cingari, reports that McDonald's Corp. (NYSE:MCD) could lose as much as 28 million annual visits — equal to $481.5 million in revenue — due to appetite‑suppressing GLP‑1 drugs, prompting a rare double downgrade to Sell as analysts warn of a potentially cumulative 10% hit to sales.

"Bitcoin probably won't fix GameStop's troubles", by Chris Katje, reports that Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter maintains an Underperform rating on GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME), warning that its Bitcoin investment could add valuation volatility while its core video game business shows "no potential for a rebound."

"Short seller says AppLovin is ‘desperate and doomed,' shares slide", by Surbhi Jain, reports that a noted short seller labeled AppLovin Corp. (NASDAQ:APP) "desperate and doomed" — citing inflated marketing costs and slowing user growth — prompting a sharp share price decline.

For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:

GitLab Stock Drops After Q1 Report, Q2 Revenue Guidance Below Estimate

Steel Stocks Slide On Potential US-Mexico Tariff Deal: Report

Stock Of The Day: Is NRG Energy Losing Steam? Chart Pattern Signals Trouble Ahead

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Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.