Hot or Not, Stock Market Edition: 07/17/2026

Happy Friday. Two stocks earning their rallies, two losing Wall Street's confidence. Here's today's lineup: 

• Hot: Lithium giant Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) enjoys a commodity comeback; pipeline operator Western Midstream (WES) proves slow and steady still pays
• Not: Crypto exchange giant Coinbase (COIN) is trading rich while earnings sink; AI cloud player CoreWeave (CRWV) is being crowded out of its own party

P.S. Speaking of hot, here are 4 stocks for the next big digital boom

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🔥 HOT: Pipeline operator Western Midstream Partners (WES) is proving that boring businesses can be beautiful in energy. The company just closed its Brazos Delaware acquisition and switched on a second produced-water treatment facility, additions that layer more fee-based cash flow onto a distribution already yielding above 8%, among the richest in midstream. Shareholders have enjoyed the climb without the turbulence: the stock is up about 12% in the past3 months and shows signs of continuation, all while carrying a beta of just 0.68, meaning it has delivered those gains with far less volatility than the broader market 

The ratings match the steady profile. WES earns a B Zen Rating (Buy) and ranks #11 of 46 in the B-rated Oil & Gas Midstream industry, with B grades in Momentum, Safety, and Financials — a stock in an uptrend, low downside risk, and the balance sheet strength to keep funding its payout, which is precisely the mix income investors hope for. An 8% yield, acquisition-fueled growth, and low volatility rarely show up in the same ticker, and that's exactly what makes this one worth knowing. 

🥶 NOT: Crypto exchange giant Coinbase (COIN) is discovering how expensive a crypto slump can get; shares of the largest U.S. digital asset exchange have surrendered more than 60% from their 52-week high. The deterioration runs deeper than the chart: profit margins have compressed from over 20% to roughly 12% in a year, JPMorgan has trimmed its earnings estimates, and analysts expect this year's EPS to collapse nearly 90% before any recovery begins.

The Zen Ratings leave little room for interpretation. COIN holds an F (Strong Sell recommendation) and sits dead last, #10 of 10, in the Financial Data & Stock Exchanges industry. Its F grades for Growth, Momentum, and Sentiment reflect a shrinking business, negative price action, and evaporating analyst confidence, while the D for Safety adds elevated volatility to the mix. Name recognition counts for a lot in crypto, but it doesn't close the gap between today's price and what the fundamentals support. 

🔥 HOT: Lithium and specialty chemicals producer Sociedad Química y Minera (SQM) is finally getting paid for surviving the lithium winter. Prices  are climbing again, and the Chilean producer stands to capture the recovery in full, with analysts projecting revenue growth of nearly 60% in 2026. First-quarter results were strong enough to spark talk of a "sharp upgrade" to the company's fundamental story, and the market has been repricing accordingly: shares have roughly doubled from their 52-week low, while Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan both hold price targets nearly 40% above recent levels. 

The Zen Ratings say the rally rests on solid ground. SQM carries an A (Strong Buy), in the top 3% of our 4,600 stock universe, and ranking #3 of 51 in the B-rated Specialty Chemicals industry. What stands out is the balance: B grades across Value, Growth, Momentum, Financials, and AI indicate a sensible price, expanding earnings, a rising trend, and a sturdy balance sheet all at once. This suggests the recovery is built on genuinely improving business results rather than commodity hype alone. 

🥶 NOT: AI cloud infrastructure provider CoreWeave (CRWV) just watched its biggest fear walk through the door. Meta announced plans to enter the AI cloud market with its own "Meta Compute" offering, and CoreWeave shares sank double digits on the news … At present, the stock is down 14% in the past week alone, with 3-month losses piling in at 35%. The question investors are asking is a fair one: can a company that lost more than $1.5 billion over the past year outcompete tech giants with effectively unlimited budgets? The CEO doesn't appear eager to wait for the answer. He has sold hundreds of thousands of shares worth over $30 million in recent weeks, part of a broader pattern of net insider selling. 

Under the hood, the Zen Ratings flag serious trouble. CRWV rates an F (Strong Sell), ranking a dismal #124 of 128 in the Software Infrastructure industry. Its F grades for Sentiment and Financials signal skeptical smart money and a stretched balance sheet (debt-to-equity runs above 10) while D's in Value, Safety, and AI point to a rich price tag carrying elevated risk. The revenue growth is real, but with Meta now circling and management cashing out, the headlines are doing far more work than the balance sheet. 

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