• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
NewslettersBull Sheet

Gold is nearing a 7-year high. But it can’t keep pace with Big Tech

By
Bernhard Warner
Bernhard Warner
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Bernhard Warner
Bernhard Warner
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 19, 2020, 5:20 AM ET

This is the web version of the Bull Sheet, Fortune’s no-BS daily newsletter on the markets. Sign up to receive it in your inbox here.

Good morning, Bull Sheeters. It’s a risk-on day. Markets are climbing on the news that Beijing will likely do whatever it takes—injecting stimulus where needed—to cushion the coronavirus blow.

So, let’s go right to the question: who’s up, who’s down today?

Markets update

Equities are leading the way, as I type. The Asian and European markets are up across the board, as are the U.S. futures. Elsewhere, crude is up, the dollar is down.

Yesterday, the markets sunk on worrying news out of Apple and HSBC. Today, so far, the company news flow looks fairly tame.

The dominant narrative remains coronavirus. The latest outbreak data suggests the situation could—knock wood—be stabilizing. Yes, the global infection tally has topped 75,000, and the death toll has surpassed 2,000. But the number of infections in the past 24 hours—an important number to watch—was under 2,000.

We’re only one month into this outbreak so expect plenty of twists and turns in the weeks to come.

Gold standard?

One of the big headlines this morning involves gold. It’s trading near a seven-year high, a rally fueled by coronavirus concerns. The shiny metal is up 5.6% so far this year, which is to be expected when you get sky-is-falling market jolt in the form of a contagion that shuts down factories in the world’s second biggest economy and threatens to disrupt the global supply chain.

But you know what’s performing even better than the yellow stuff?

Answer: Tech… as you’ll see in today’s chart.

***

Yesterday was a fine illustration of the unsinkable nature of tech stocks. The Apple sales-warning late on Monday sent the global markets lower. Nasdaq though didn’t miss a beat, eking out a gain yesterday.

Since the start of 2020, the Nasdaq is up an impressive 7.7%, That’s a run that’s nearly twice as strong as that of the dollar (as measured in Euro-dollar FX trade) and the benchmark of benchmarks, the S&P 500.

Tech stocks are by no means a safe haven, and yet investors keep pouring into these shares when the news turns bad (and more so when it looks good)—and that’s despite abundant warnings that the valuations don’t quite add up. Meanwhile, every daily gain on the Nasdaq represents a new all-time high, drawing the index ever closer to 10,000.

If there’s a theme to draw from the markets so far in 2020 it’s that investors aren’t going to give up easily on growth stocks.

The bulls continue to carry the day, and they’re long tech.

Bernhard Warner
@BernhardWarner
Bernhard.Warner@Fortune.com

Today's reads

Mixed bag. Walmart, the world’s biggest company by revenue, has invested tens of billions of dollars into e-commerce in the last few years, aiming to protect its market share from Amazon, Fortune’s Phil Wahba reports. That showed on Tuesday, when the retail giant reported a 22nd straight quarter of U.S. comparable sales growth in a row, helped by e-commerce business rising 30%. Here's the bad news: That strong digital growth is coming at great cost and is not getting a boost from categories where Walmart has made big bets, namely toys and apparel.

Meet your landlord. What do the Cosmopolitan and Bellagio hotels on the Las Vegas Strip have in common with Stuyvesant Town, the largest apartment complex in Manhattan? They’re all owned by investment funds controlled by Blackstone Group, the private equity giant, writes Fortune’s Shawn Tully. Over the past decade, Blackstone has relentlessly expanded in real estate, to the extent that today it ranks, by Fortune’s estimates, as the world’s largest commercial real estate company.

Back to work. Sort of. Chinese policymakers ordered factories back to work on Feb. 10, following the prolonged Lunar New Year shutdown imposed in an attempt to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus. But more than a week later, production lines remain eerily silent as millions of workers remain under restricted movement. Factories—including those owned by giants like Tesla, Airbus, Toyota and General Motors—are starting to reopen but are a long way from returning to full capacity, reports Fortune’s Eamon Barrett.

Market candy

Jobs with benefits. Which workplace perk do you value most? Fortune’s just-published 2020 ranking of the 100 Best Companies to Work For finds that the top-ranked firms offer benefits such as subsidized gyms (78%), subsidized child care (42%), and even fully paid health care (12%). Finance and insurance firms dominate, occupying 21 places, reports Lance Lambert. The chart-topping firms are Hilton, Ultimate Software, Wegmans Food Markets, Cisco, and Workday.

About the Author
By Bernhard Warner
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Newsletters

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Newsletters

Jenn Hyman reflects on the highs and lows of running Rent the Runway for almost two decades
NewslettersMPW Daily
Jenn Hyman reflects on the highs and lows of running Rent the Runway for almost two decades
By Emma HinchliffeMay 15, 2026
2 days ago
Andrew Feldman, co-founder of Cerebras
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Cerebras soars almost 70% by market close in a true blockbuster IPO
By Allie GarfinkleMay 15, 2026
3 days ago
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (left) and Apple CEO Tim Cook in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 4, 2025. (Photo: Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
OpenAI may take legal action against Apple over Siri’s ChatGPT integration
By Andrew NuscaMay 15, 2026
3 days ago
State Farm CEO is betting big on AI—and contemplating the company’s future in California
NewslettersCEO Daily
State Farm CEO is betting big on AI—and contemplating the company’s future in California
By Diane BradyMay 15, 2026
3 days ago
The AI boom sidelined sustainability. Two researchers want to change that
NewslettersEye on AI
The AI boom sidelined sustainability. Two researchers want to change that
By Sharon GoldmanMay 14, 2026
3 days ago
‘Be delusional enough to call yourself something the world hasn’t called you yet’: What powerful women told the class of 2026
NewslettersMPW Daily
‘Be delusional enough to call yourself something the world hasn’t called you yet’: What powerful women told the class of 2026
By Sydney LakeMay 14, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
Economy
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
9 hours ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
Success
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.