Bloomberg Stock Movers
2026-08-26 · Hosted by — · Bloomberg / iHeartMedia
Executive Summary
Nvidia is the most actively traded pre-market stock ahead of its earnings after Wednesday's close, with investors focused less on whether it beats and more on Jensen Huang's commentary about AI demand, customer capital spending, and future outlook. Revenue is expected to nearly double from a year ago. Salesforce also reports after the close, with attention on its recently acquired AI startup Finn and how it will shape the company's AI strategy; shares were slightly lower pre-market amid broader software sector weakness.
Key Stories & Changes
1. Nvidia Earnings: The AI Trade Barometer
Most actively traded stock in pre-market trading ahead of results after Wednesday's close
Revenue expected to nearly double from a year ago
Focus is on commentary, not just numbers: Jensen Huang's remarks on AI demand, customer capital spending, and future outlook are seen as the key market-moving factor
2. Salesforce Earnings Preview
Reports second-quarter results after the close; sales expected to have increased 11%
Analysts focused on the recently acquired AI startup Finn (acquired in July) and details on how it will boost Salesforce's AI strategy
Shares slightly lower pre-market, attributed to broader software sector weakness and possible pre-results positioning
The Finn acquisition was met with mixed reviews when first announced
3. Intuit Slumps on Weak Guidance
INTU: Intuit — -11% pre-market — Beat on Q4 results but 2027 outlook below estimates; Bloomberg Intelligence calls it a "broad-based deceleration" signal
ZM: Zoom — Down — Sales outlook in line with estimates but disappointed investors hoping for an AI-driven uplift; shares up ~17% YTD on prior optimism
BSX: Boston Scientific — -3% — Disclosed an ongoing, globally disruptive cybersecurity incident affecting order processing and shipping; full impact and timeline unknown
4. Barclays on Intuit
Barclays analyst note: the report "features a lot of new information that isn't favorable," summarizing the driver behind the pre-market decline
Trends Identified
1. Earnings Reactions Increasingly Driven by Forward Commentary, Not Results
Both Nvidia and Salesforce previews emphasize that investors are looking past the reported numbers to management's forward-looking AI commentary and guidance, a pattern reinforced by Intuit's and Zoom's declines despite in-line or beat results, both driven by disappointing outlooks.
2. Software Earnings Facing a Higher Bar on AI Monetization
Intuit, Salesforce, and Zoom are all being judged specifically on how AI initiatives translate into forward guidance and strategic differentiation, suggesting the market has moved past simply rewarding AI feature announcements toward demanding measurable monetization. ---
Sentiment Analysis
Overall Market Sentiment: Cautious Ahead of Catalysts
Pre-market trading reflected disappointment in early reporters (Intuit, Zoom) and heightened anticipation for Nvidia and Salesforce later in the day.
Risk Factors Highlighted
Software sector deceleration: Intuit's below-consensus 2027 outlook is being read as a signal of broader disruption across software.
AI monetization scrutiny: Companies making AI acquisitions or feature announcements (Salesforce's Finn, Zoom's AI suite) face a rising bar to demonstrate concrete guidance impact.
Cybersecurity operational disruption: Boston Scientific's ongoing incident has an unknown scope and timeline, creating risk to order processing and shipping continuity.
Broader software market weakness: Cited as a contributing factor to Salesforce's pre-market weakness independent of company-specific news.
This episode was covered in today's [The Market Signal — 2026-08-26](https://marketsignal.beehiiv.com/p/the-market-signal-2026-08-26), a cross-source synthesis of multiple podcast reports.