Pre-rolled marijuana products are experiencing a surge in popularity, with sales exceeding $4.1 billion in 2023 and the first half of 2024, according to a study by Custom Cones USA. The study highlights the significant growth of pre-rolls, particularly infused pre-rolls, which have become the top-selling category. This trend is expected to continue as the cannabis market expands into new territories.
DraftKings is poised for a strong NFL season, with analyst Bernie McTernan of Needham reiterating a Buy rating and highlighting the company’s competitive advantages in promotional activity, app rankings, and market share. Despite FanDuel’s lead, DraftKings is gaining ground, particularly in the second quarter, with the potential for a strong third quarter driven by the return of NFL and NCAA Football.
Despite Microsoft’s push and the impending end of support for Windows 10 in October 2025, Windows 11 adoption remains sluggish. New data from Statcounter reveals Windows 10 still holds a commanding market share, double that of Windows 11. The slow adoption is attributed to Windows 11’s stringent hardware requirements and lack of compelling new features.
Analysts are optimistic about Target’s upcoming second-quarter earnings report, expecting the retailer to benefit from its focus on value and private-label items. Key metrics to watch include market share gains, store traffic, and average ticket size. Target’s Circle Week in July is expected to have driven a significant boost to store visits.
Walmart’s impressive second-quarter earnings have analysts singing the retailer’s praises. Analysts are highlighting the company’s market share gains across all income levels and the positive impact of initiatives like digital advertising and third-party marketplace services. This has led to improved gross margins and an optimistic outlook for the remainder of the year.
AMD’s strong performance in the server market continues, with its EPYC processors taking significant market share from Intel. The company also shows growth in the mobile and client PC markets, indicating a growing challenge to Intel’s dominance.
Microsoft’s push to migrate Windows 10 users to Windows 11 is gaining momentum. With the end-of-support date for Windows 10 looming in October 2025, Windows 11 has crossed the 30% market share threshold for the first time, according to Statcounter. This signifies a significant shift in user adoption, although Windows 10 still holds a substantial majority.
AMD’s market share in laptop processors continues to rise, reaching nearly 22% in the third quarter of 2024, while Intel’s share has dropped to 71.9%. Intel’s manufacturing delays and stability issues with its Raptor Lake CPUs have contributed to this decline. Intel is taking steps to address these challenges, including outsourcing production to TSMC and developing new nodes for its CPUs.
Despite resistance, Windows 11’s market share is slowly increasing, reaching 29.7% according to Statcounter. While still behind Windows 10’s 66.1%, the upward trend suggests a gradual shift. Microsoft’s efforts to encourage adoption, including charging for Windows 10 security upgrades and promoting Copilot+ PCs, seem to be playing a role. However, the transition to Windows 11 is expected to be a long and gradual process, especially with the October 14, 2025 end-of-life date for Windows 10 approaching.
A shift has occurred within the foldable smartphone market, with Samsung relinquishing its position as the leading brand to Huawei. Data from Counterpoint Research reveals that Huawei has emerged as the new leader, capturing a 35% share of the market, while Samsung’s share has dwindled from 58% to 23%. Motorola has also made significant strides, experiencing a remarkable 1,473% growth in shipments and securing 11% of the market. Honor, formerly a Huawei subsidiary, has also risen to prominence, increasing its market share from 3% to 12%. This fierce competition in the foldable market has relegated brands such as OnePlus, Google, and others to the category of “Others.” Interestingly, the trend has shifted towards larger-screen foldable smartphones, surpassing the popularity of clamshell foldables for the first time since 2021. As Samsung prepares to unveil its Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, and Motorola anticipates the release of new Razr models, the foldable smartphone market is poised for further developments and intensified competition in the latter half of 2024.
