Aug 20, 2026 · 7 min
Deere lifts guidance as crypto stocks ride Bitcoin’s surge
Deere Moves Higher, Moderna Pares Gains, Crypto Stocks Rally
The episode connects company-specific earnings and biotech speculation with a broader burst of enthusiasm for crypto-linked equities.
- 1Deere raised its outlook even as costly fertilizer and fuel weigh on agricultural equipment demand.
- 2Moderna’s melanoma-vaccine rally faded, with short interest potentially amplifying the initial move.
- 3Bitcoin’s rise after a White House crypto meeting lifted Strategy and Hyperliquid alongside renewed treasury-company enthusiasm.
Don't miss
Moderna’s sharp melanoma-vaccine rally gives way to a pullback as the discussion weighs short covering’s role.
The brief
Nathan Hager and Dan Curtis examine Deere’s stronger-than-expected earnings and raised guidance, while asking whether elevated fertilizer and fuel costs can derail an agricultural recovery.
Alibaba offers a less settled picture: revenue grew, but net income fell sharply and free cash flow turned negative as investors assessed its newly restructured business segments.
Moderna shares retreated after a melanoma-vaccine-fueled surge, raising the question of how much short covering, rather than fundamentals alone, drove the move.
Crypto-linked stocks rallied with Bitcoin after a White House meeting with industry executives, putting Strategy and Hyperliquid at the center of renewed treasury-company enthusiasm.
The episode closes by previewing a separate discussion of AI, rapid urbanization and the long-term planning required to build smarter cities.
What was said on this episode
10 statements · 8 positive · 1 mixed · 1 neutral
Higher grain prices may encourage farmers to increase equipment spending.
“grain prices have started to come back recently. They've been hitting multi-year highs, so this might help prompt farmers to spend more.”
Listen at 1:18
Selling AI tokens is currently more lucrative than selling AI subscriptions.
“the most lucrative part of AI right now is selling the tokens and not the subscriptions”
Listen at 2:19
Alibaba is relying increasingly on AI and cloud to drive future growth.
“Alibaba has increasingly bet on its AI and cloud business to drive future growth”
Listen at 2:25
Short covering amplified Moderna's melanoma-vaccine rally.
“there was also a lot of shorts getting squeezed”
Listen at 2:58
Large rallies can force short sellers to cover their positions.
“those large rallies can force short sellers to cover the positions”
Listen at 3:04
Short covering probably contributed to Moderna's share buying frenzy.
“probably adding a bit of the frenzy to the share buying yesterday”
Listen at 3:08
Bitcoin's rise is contributing to the rally in crypto treasury companies.
“Bitcoin's up 4% today, which is adding to the rally behind the crypto treasury company”
Listen at 3:46
Hyperliquid's stock is benefiting from Bitcoin's rise.
“this crypto stock's benefiting from the rise in Bitcoin”
Listen at 3:59
AI will accelerate and compress processes in smart-city systems.
“AI will allow in the smart city space to compress a lot of things. The speed will change.”
Listen at 4:57
Dubai has a long-term urban-planning vision uncommon worldwide.
“They have a long-term urban planning vision, which again, doesn't happen everywhere in the world.”
Listen at 5:25
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
Nathan Hager
John Deere
Bloomberg L.P.Books & mentions
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