Clear market notes built around the JSE, the rand, and what matters locally.

2026-08-10 10:30 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective

Both Lowe's and Home Depot have underperformed the market due to macroeconomic headwinds including elevated interest rates and inflation. However, Lowe's presents a better buying opportunity as it trades at a 26% valuation discount to Home Depot (forward P/E of 16.5 vs 22.3), despite demonstrating faster earnings growth from fiscal 2020-2025 and comparable future growth expectations.

Axe note: Lowe's trades cheaper than Home Depot but shows faster earnings growth, making it an interesting value play for cautious investors.

2026-08-10 10:22 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective

The article recommends three stocks as buy-and-hold investments that can weather market volatility: Costco, an all-weather retailer with consistent growth; Royal Caribbean, a cruise operator with strong demand and healthy margins; and Sirius XM, a satellite radio company with improving earnings and a solid dividend yield.

Axe note: Even if markets shake, these stocks offer stability and income in uncertain times.

2026-08-10 10:15 • The Motley Fool Positive Axe Cap view: Selective

While AI data center power demand dominates headlines, Bloom Energy is capitalizing on an overlooked opportunity: providing rapidly deployable fuel cell power solutions to AI hardware manufacturers and advanced manufacturing facilities. With ~250 MW of contracted capacity for AI infrastructure companies and major partnerships with Oracle ($2.8 GW) and Brookfield Asset Management ($25 billion), Bloom is positioning itself as the standard for on-site power in the broader AI infrastructure ecosystem beyond just data centers.

Axe note: Fuel cell power solutions could become a key enabler for AI infrastructure globally, with limited local exposure but notable FX and sector implications.