Independent research on the U.S. markets, Baptista Research

Baptista Research

Independent research on the U.S. markets

Baptista Research is an independent financial research house focused on the U.S. markets. We provide equity research as well as credit research reports on the top-listed U.S. companies with most of our focus on technology, consumer goods and services, automobiles, industrials, oil and gas, pharma, and healthcare. Our research has served more than 3000 institutional investors including mutual funds, hedge funds, banks, family offices, and various buy-side firms. We operate a research subscription service where institutions, as well as retail investors, can have priority access to all our research. We also have a wide distribution of our research reports across some of the top global financial platforms. Apart from equity research and credit research, we also provide advisory services with respect to mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity/ venture capital fundraising, valuation reports, and investment management services for corporates.
Baptista Research is owned and managed by Ishan Majumdar, an ex-Venture Capitalist/ Investment Banker, a Chartered Accountant, and a Masters’ degree holder in Management from HEC Paris. Ishan has nearly a decade of experience in Mergers and Acquisitions, Leveraged Buyouts (LBOs), Venture Capital Investing, Corporate Strategy, and Valuation in front-office roles at the likes of BNP Paribas CIB, Credit Agricole CIB, Groupe Danone, and TIW Private Equity. He has worked on and closed multiple acquisition deals, leveraged buyouts, and start-up investment transactions.

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>Carnival Corporation & plc reported strong financial results for the fourth quarter of 2025, concluding a year marked by record-setting performance across key metrics including revenues, yields, operating income, and EBITDA.</li><li>The company recorded net income exceeding $3 billion for the full year, representing a 60% increase over 2024 and surpassing initial guidance by more than 30%.</li><li>This growth was driven by a yield improvement of over 5.5% and effective cost management that limited unit cost increases to 2.6%, despite pressures from higher dry dock expenses, inflation, and costs associated with a new destination, Celebration Key in Grand Bahama.</li></ul>

Carnival Corporation & plc reported strong financial results for the fourth quarter of 2025, concluding a year marked by record-setting performance across key metrics including revenues, yields, operating income, and EBITDA.The company recorded net income exceeding $3 billion for the full year, representing a 60% increase over 2024 and surpassing initial guidance by more than 30%.This growth was driven by a yield improvement of over 5.5% and effective cost management that limited unit cost increases to 2.6%, despite pressures from higher dry dock expenses, inflation, and costs associated with a new destination, Celebration Key in Grand Bahama.

Carnival Corporation: Booking Surge Continues Into 2026—But Is Yield Normalization a Hidden Risk?

<ul><li>CSX Corporation's third quarter results present a nuanced picture of the company's current operations, underlying challenges, and future prospects.</li><li>During the call, CSX’s leadership highlighted several operational successes, yet acknowledged ongoing market challenges.</li><li>The company's operational performance has notably improved, with train velocity reaching its highest level since early 2021, and dwell time and daily cars online showing significant reductions.</li></ul>

CSX Corporation's third quarter results present a nuanced picture of the company's current operations, underlying challenges, and future prospects.During the call, CSX’s leadership highlighted several operational successes, yet acknowledged ongoing market challenges.The company's operational performance has notably improved, with train velocity reaching its highest level since early 2021, and dwell time and daily cars online showing significant reductions.

CSX Corporation Doubles Down on Growth With Massive Network Expansion Projects; What Lies Ahead?

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>We remain bullish (as of 4/21/26) on the SPX, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ), and Russell 2000 (IWM), and we recommended buying the pullback in our June 9 U.S. Macro Vision.</li>
<li>The IWM has begun to lead, hitting new all-time highs yesterday while SPX and QQQ consolidate below their early-June highs.</li>
<li>A new wrinkle is that the DXY is showing signs of breaking out, a risk-off signal. This gives us reason for pause, and suggests a potentially longer consolidation period.</li>
</ul>


We remain bullish (as of 4/21/26) on the SPX, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ), and Russell 2000 (IWM), and we recommended buying the pullback in our June 9 U.S. Macro Vision.
The IWM has begun to lead, hitting new all-time highs yesterday while SPX and QQQ consolidate below their early-June highs.
A new wrinkle is that the DXY is showing signs of breaking out, a risk-off signal. This gives us reason for pause, and suggests a potentially longer consolidation period.


U.S. Dollar (DXY) Breakout a Reason for Concern?; Monitoring Semiconductors (SOXX) And Micron (MU)

S&P Small Cap 600 Index / Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>Our outlook remains bullish and the significant end-of-year rally that we have been expecting since mid-October is in full swing; continue to ride the trend higher.</li>
<li>Our election day Compass report (11/5/24) was titled "Buy the Pullback," and last week's Compass (11/19/24) was similarly titled "Buy the Pullback Again" </li>
<li>We continue to expect significant upside into year-end and the early part of 2025, with small- and mid-caps leading the way, and for index support at 20-day MAs.</li>
</ul>


Our outlook remains bullish and the significant end-of-year rally that we have been expecting since mid-October is in full swing; continue to ride the trend higher.
Our election day Compass report (11/5/24) was titled "Buy the Pullback," and last week's Compass (11/19/24) was similarly titled "Buy the Pullback Again" 
We continue to expect significant upside into year-end and the early part of 2025, with small- and mid-caps leading the way, and for index support at 20-day MAs.


Continue to Ride the Trend Higher; Upgrading Discretionary to Overweight; Overweight Mid/Small-Caps

<ul>
<li>Our outlook remains bullish following the S&amp;P 500's multi-month base breakout above 5670, alongside constructive market dynamics which have significantly improved over the past week.</li>
<li>Last week's 11/5/24 report titled "Buy the Pullback" discussed how we were buyers, expecting a strong end-of-year rally to start that day or the following day (day after the election)</li>
<li>The strong rally officially started on election day, and all that is left to do is ride the trend higher into year-end and the early part of 2025</li>
</ul>


Our outlook remains bullish following the S&amp;P 500's multi-month base breakout above 5670, alongside constructive market dynamics which have significantly improved over the past week.
Last week's 11/5/24 report titled "Buy the Pullback" discussed how we were buyers, expecting a strong end-of-year rally to start that day or the following day (day after the election)
The strong rally officially started on election day, and all that is left to do is ride the trend higher into year-end and the early part of 2025


Ride the Trend Higher; Significant End-Of-Year Rally Underway; Four Sector Upgrades, One Downgrade

United States

Carnival Corporation owns and operates cruise ships offering cruises to all major vacation destinations including North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Southern  Europe, South America and Asia/Pacific. The Company, through a subsidiary also owns and operates hotels and lodges.  Dually-listed company with CCL LN.

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Carnival Corp (CCL US)

Carnival Corporation: Booking Surge Continues Into 2026—But Is Yield Normalization a Hidden Risk?

Carnival Corporation & plc reported strong financial results for the fourth quarter of 2025, concluding a year marked by record-setting...

Baptista Research

CSX Corporation Doubles Down on Growth With Massive Network Expansion Projects; What Lies Ahead?

CSX Corporation's third quarter results present a nuanced picture of the company's current operations, underlying challenges, and future...

Baptista Research

U.S. Dollar (DXY) Breakout a Reason for Concern?; Monitoring Semiconductors (SOXX) And Micron (MU)

U.S. Dollar (DXY) Breakout a Reason for Concern?; Monitoring Semiconductors $SOXX and Micron $MU; Focus Turning Away from Technology/A.I.

Vermilion Research

Continue to Ride the Trend Higher; Upgrading Discretionary to Overweight; Overweight Mid/Small-Caps

Continue to Ride the Trend Higher; Upgrading Discretionary to Overweight $XLY $RSPD $XRT; Overweight Mid- & Small-Caps $IWM $IJR $IJH. Latest "Buy...

Vermilion Research

Ride the Trend Higher; Significant End-Of-Year Rally Underway; Four Sector Upgrades, One Downgrade

Ride the Trend Higher; Significant End-of-Year Rally Underway $SPX $QQQ $IWM; Four Sector Upgrades ($XLF to overweight, $XLY $XLI and $IYT to...

Vermilion Research

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