$STX and $APP Are Stealing the Show While Everyone's Watching Oil Explode

$APP was the top gainer in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 on Monday, surging 6.8% after Wells Fargo bumped its price target to $560 from $543 — citing improving channel checks and, hilariously, the fact that buy-side sentiment on AppLovin was so negative it became a contrarian buy signal. Reddit's r/stocks crowd largely agrees: they've been calling APP underappreciated in a market obsessed with semis and ignoring high-margin ad-tech. X/Twitter was piling on too, with fintech accounts flagging the move in real time as it happened.

Meanwhile, $STX popped 5.6% after Morgan Stanley named it a top pick and raised its target to $582 from $468 — that's not a tweak, that's a statement. The thesis: AI-driven hyperscaler demand is pushing HDD pricing firmer into 2027, and the market is just now catching up. YouTube's Bloomberg Podcasts covered this across three separate videos, which is basically a standing ovation in financial media terms. $WDC also got the Morgan Stanley treatment with a target raise to $380, though it played second fiddle in the hype department.

With 40-50% of individual stocks sitting 20% below their one-year highs per Neuberger Berman's Joe Amato, finding anything green right now feels like spotting a parking spot in Manhattan — STX and APP found theirs.