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>Frontline plc reported strong financial and operational results for the first quarter of 2026 amid complex geopolitical disruptions affecting global oil transportation.</li><li>The company achieved its most profitable quarter since 2004, driven primarily by significantly higher time charter equivalent (TCE) rates across its fleet segments.</li><li>VLCCs earned $103,500 per day on average during Q1, with even higher rates indicated for the second quarter, alongside Suezmax and LR2/Aframax ships achieving six-figure daily earnings.</li></ul>

Frontline plc reported strong financial and operational results for the first quarter of 2026 amid complex geopolitical disruptions affecting global oil transportation.The company achieved its most profitable quarter since 2004, driven primarily by significantly higher time charter equivalent (TCE) rates across its fleet segments.VLCCs earned $103,500 per day on average during Q1, with even higher rates indicated for the second quarter, alongside Suezmax and LR2/Aframax ships achieving six-figure daily earnings.

Frontline’s $103,500 VLCC Rates — A Mega Quarter Driven By Oil Disruption!

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

William Demant Holding A/S / Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>Our global intermediate-term outlook remains bullish on MSCI ACWI (in place since our 5/14/25 Compass). We also remain near-term bullish on MSCI ACWI since our 4/23/26 Int’l Compass.</li>
<li>No reason to be anything but bullish if ACWI-US is above its 2-month base at $158-$159, ACWX-US is above $76-$76.50, and EFA-US is above its 6-month base at $105-$105.50.</li>
<li>These levels are being tested now; we expect these levels to hold, and we would get more cautious if they break.</li>
</ul>


Our global intermediate-term outlook remains bullish on MSCI ACWI (in place since our 5/14/25 Compass). We also remain near-term bullish on MSCI ACWI since our 4/23/26 Int’l Compass.
No reason to be anything but bullish if ACWI-US is above its 2-month base at $158-$159, ACWX-US is above $76-$76.50, and EFA-US is above its 6-month base at $105-$105.50.
These levels are being tested now; we expect these levels to hold, and we would get more cautious if they break.


MSCI ACWI Testing Base Support; Focus on Non-A.I. Areas: Energy, Shipping, Healthcare,Software,Telco

<ul><li>Frontline plc reported strong financial performance for the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting a sharp increase in tanker freight rates and improving operating efficiency across its fleet.</li><li>The company generated profit of $228 million, or $1.02 per share, while adjusted profit reached $230 million, or $1.03 per share.</li><li>This marked a substantial increase from the prior quarter, primarily driven by higher time charter equivalent earnings, which rose from $248 million to $424.5 million.</li></ul>

Frontline plc reported strong financial performance for the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting a sharp increase in tanker freight rates and improving operating efficiency across its fleet.The company generated profit of $228 million, or $1.02 per share, while adjusted profit reached $230 million, or $1.03 per share.This marked a substantial increase from the prior quarter, primarily driven by higher time charter equivalent earnings, which rose from $248 million to $424.5 million.

<ul>
<li>ACWI-US remains above its 2-month base and EAFE(EFA-US) remains above its 5.5+month base, however, 2-week flag patterns have resolved to the downside, giving us reason for pause in the near-term.</li>
<li>We view Tuesday's price action as "a day to take notice" and suggests that the bounce in MSCI EM (EEM-US) and A.I. names since late-July has potentially run its course</li>
<li>We are much more neutral on EEM-US and A.I. names and see more choppiness ahead. We still see plenty of opportunity in non-A.I. names.</li>
</ul>


ACWI-US remains above its 2-month base and EAFE(EFA-US) remains above its 5.5+month base, however, 2-week flag patterns have resolved to the downside, giving us reason for pause in the near-term.
We view Tuesday's price action as "a day to take notice" and suggests that the bounce in MSCI EM (EEM-US) and A.I. names since late-July has potentially run its course
We are much more neutral on EEM-US and A.I. names and see more choppiness ahead. We still see plenty of opportunity in non-A.I. names.


Still Plenty of Opportunity in Non-A.I. Names; A.I. Bounce Over?; Buys: Energy, Healthcare, Shipping

VanEck Oil Services ETF / Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>We remain bullish (as of our 4/21/26 Compass) on the S&amp;P 500 (SPX), Nasdaq 100 (QQQ), and Russell 2000 (IWM).</li>
<li>As long as last Wednesday's (Aug. 12) bullish gaps remain unfilled and hold as support on semiconductors (SOXX, SMH), generative A.I. (CHAT), memory(DRAM), neoclouds(NCLD), and momentum(MTUM), bulls are in control</li>
<li>Specifically, we are bullish as long as price is above last Tuesday's highs on the aforementioned ETFs. On SPX, we will remain bullish as long as support at 7580-7629 holds.</li>
</ul>


We remain bullish (as of our 4/21/26 Compass) on the S&amp;P 500 (SPX), Nasdaq 100 (QQQ), and Russell 2000 (IWM).
As long as last Wednesday's (Aug. 12) bullish gaps remain unfilled and hold as support on semiconductors (SOXX, SMH), generative A.I. (CHAT), memory(DRAM), neoclouds(NCLD), and momentum(MTUM), bulls are in control
Specifically, we are bullish as long as price is above last Tuesday's highs on the aforementioned ETFs. On SPX, we will remain bullish as long as support at 7580-7629 holds.


Energy Improving; Levels to Watch on A.I. And Technology $SOXX $CHAT $DRAM $MTUM

Norway

Frontline PLC owns a fleet of very large crude carriers and tankers that transport crude oil and oil products between ports. The Company's vessels are managed by ship management companies. Frontline conducts activities worldwide.

Price Gauge
52-week Range	0.00 - 0.00
Market Cap (USDm)	0.00
P/E	0.00
Dividend (Yield)	0.00

Frontline (FRO US)

Frontline’s $103,500 VLCC Rates — A Mega Quarter Driven By Oil Disruption!

Frontline plc reported strong financial and operational results for the first quarter of 2026 amid complex geopolitical disruptions affecting...

Baptista Research

MSCI ACWI Testing Base Support; Focus on Non-A.I. Areas: Energy, Shipping, Healthcare,Software,Telco

MSCI $ACWI Testing Base Support ($158-$159 and $156.50); Focusing on Non-A.I. Areas. Actionable Themes: Energy, Marine Shipping, Services, Health...

Vermilion Research

Frontline Plc: $74

Frontline plc reported strong financial performance for the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting a sharp increase in tanker freight rates and...

Baptista Research

Still Plenty of Opportunity in Non-A.I. Names; A.I. Bounce Over?; Buys: Energy, Healthcare, Shipping

Still Plenty of Opportunity in Non-A.I. Names; A.I. Bounce Over?; Buys in Energy $XLE $FTI $CVE $CNQ, Health Care, and Marine Shipping. Tuesday's...

Vermilion Research

Energy Improving; Levels to Watch on A.I. And Technology $SOXX $CHAT $DRAM $MTUM

Energy $XLE $OIH $IEO Improving; Levels to Watch in A.I. and Technology Areas $CHAT $SOXX $MTUM $DRAM. Still bullish $SPX, but some reason for...

Vermilion Research

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)