The Trading Post | 07.18.25

July 18, 2025

Good morning,

Chevron slaps Exxon with an arbitration win, TSMC and Netflix post monster earnings, the Fed hints at cuts while pretending it’s not political, industrials are suddenly sexy, and crypto just moonwalked past $4 trillion like it forgot what gravity is.

Skip the hours of market research and let AI do the heavy lifting with Wealth Builders HQ's free collection of 10 professionally-crafted trading prompts. 

Let’s jump in.

Pre-Market Performance

As of 07.18.25 market close.

Market News

  • Chevron wins $53B Hess fight vs. Exxon. Arbitration clears path to finalize the deal and secure Guyana oil riches. CVX up 3.9% premarket. WSJ

  • TSMC posts $13.5B profit, raises outlook. AI chip boom drives 61% YoY earnings jump. Investing

  • Netflix beats revenue, hikes forecast. Streaming is alive and well, despite all your canceled subscriptions. CNBC

  • Fed's Waller floats July cut. Markets at record highs. Powell still “totally independent.” Trump definitely not pressuring him, nope. Fortune

  • Crypto hits $4 trillion. Bitcoin breaks $120K, Ethereum at $3,600, XRP flies as Congress greenlights GENIUS Act. TradingView

A Message From Wealth Builders HQ

Supercharge Your Trading Research with AI 

The markets move fast, and manual research can eat up precious trading hours. That's why the team at Wealth Builders HQ developed something game-changing: 10 AI-powered trading prompts that deliver institutional-quality market analysis in minutes, not hours. 

These aren't generic ChatGPT questions. Each prompt was crafted by veteran traders and coaches with over 100 years of combined market experience. They're designed to extract the exact information you need to make better trading decisions across stocks, options, and futures. 

What you'll get: 

  • Market sentiment analysis for key stocks and sectors 

  • Critical Fed updates and economic indicator insights 

  • High-probability trading opportunity identification 

  • Unusual options activity alerts 

  • Emerging sector analysis 

  • Earnings impact assessments 

Whether you're analyzing market sentiment before the open, spotting unusual options flow, or identifying emerging sector rotations, these prompts save you hours of research while delivering actionable insights. 

The best part? They're completely free.  

All trading involves risk of loss. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always confirm information from AI-generated research.  

Earnings We’re Watching

  • 3M Company (MMM) - Friday (BMC) 

  • Ally Financial (ALLY) - Friday (BMC) 

  • American Express Co. (AXP) - Friday (BMC) 

  • Charles Schwab Corp. (SCHW) - Friday (BMC) 

Trade Ideas

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufactu (TSM), Union Pacific Corporation (UNP), Baidu, Inc (BIDU), Capital One Financial Corporation (COF)

Linde Plc - Ordinary Shares (LIN), Eli Lilly and Company (LLY), Class A Subordi (SHOP), Direxion Tech Bull 3x Shares (TECL)

Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc (CRWD), Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS), Hess Corporation (HES), iShares Russell 2000 Index Fun (IWM)

Baidu, Inc (BIDU), Capital One Financial Corporation (COF), Coinbase Global, Inc (COIN), Salesforce.com (CRM)

Want to learn how we trade these? Learn the setup we call the “High Volatility Switchback” trade.

Get these ideas delivered to your inbox daily with Trade With Rob. It’s 100% free. Sign up here.

Daily Moment of Zen

❝

There is a time to go long, a time to go short, and a time to go fishing.

Howard Marks

Why It Matters:

Not every moment is a trading moment. Sometimes the smartest move is to step away and not force a trade. The market doesn’t care about your boredom or need for action. Go outside. Touch grass. Let setups come to you. Better to miss a mediocre trade than force a dumb one. And hey, the fish aren’t nearly as volatile.