News and analysis

Ripple (XRP) is up by 2.05% to $0.5398 this week, as it aims to catch up with the broader market. Bitcoin (BTC) has gained 3.3%, trading at $64,998. XRP, however, shows potential for closing this performance gap. The altcoin is currently trading near the support of an ascending triangle pattern that typically signals upside potential. This pattern has been forming for the past 14 weeks and appears to be nearing its completion.

If the pattern holds, XRP could rally toward the resistance level at $0.6300, representing a 17% increase. Furthermore, if it breaks through this resistance, the next target could be $0.7700, implying an additional 22% rise.

This opportunity has caught the attention of large investors, who are reportedly accumulating XRP. The market is also abuzz with discussions about a potential launch of an XRP-linked ETF, which could provide further momentum for the altcoin.

While Boeing (BA) stock is sinking well below $150 (nearly 43% down year-to-date), on damaged demand because of continuous safety investigations and strike impact, Airbus (AIR) is also on a stage of an almost 25% share price correction from its peaking values of March around €170. However, it has lost only less than 7% since the beginning of 2024 and won an enormous number of new orders when its major rival lost its chances. I already depicted all the details of Airbus 20% rally from January to March against Boeing's door plug fall and more failures. It actually began at almost the same, and even somewhat higher, price area than the Airbus attitude on charts. So, I personally bet again on Airbus' readiness to take-off once again very soon.

A more than +27% upside space for Airbus is in the picture you can see below. I saved it in the middle of the week, particularly this Wednesday's night, when Reuters reported from Paris that Airbus deliveries fell 9% to 50 planes fully finished in September vs the same month in 2024, but managed to book fresh demand for 235 jets. Well, Airbus shares already gained by nearly 2.5% for the next two days, including today, but 25% of free space is still here to go in the upward direction.

The total deliveries by Airbus so far are 497 jetliners, which is up 2% from 488 during a 9-month period in 2023. So, everything is O.K. for me. The manufacturer is going on slowly but safely, which is the most important thing when its rival is disgraced. Citing Reuters, Airbus is just "facing a sprint towards the finish line in the traditionally busy fourth quarter", when targeting 770 deliveries for the full year after reducing its former goal of 800 in summer. But this was not due to any demand problems, only shortages of engines and other parts were blamed. This may decrease the incoming money flow to Airbus in the current year, yet its assembly shops would have to deliver 273 aircrafts before Christmas to meet the target.

The number would be 11% up from Q4 2023, which is an argument number one in favour of the future rally in Airbus stock. It will happen at least on expectations the goal would be complete. An even more important argument number two is collecting excessive demand in the form of new orders for the whole next decade. The demand collection is already overheated, as for me, after Airbus confirmed it won orders for a total of 667 jets, including that 235 in September, or 648 after cancellations. Again, Airbus does not publish any target for orders, but Reuters cited "industry sources" saying Airbus is "informally aiming for about 1,100 orders". A huge amount suggests that Airbus will earn even more than many expected before, while Boeing could be written off as scrap, suffering a clear lack of customers in this small world.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is down 4.2% this week, trading at $0.0000170, underperforming the broader market where Bitcoin (BTC) has shed only 1.8% to $61,120. This decline comes after a strong 58% rally in September, characteristic of the coin's elevated volatility, which can be attractive for traders.

Currently, SHIB is trading near trend support, making it an interesting level to consider long trades, with a potential 27% upside toward $0.0000200. The project shows strength, backed by rising network activity and increased whale accumulation. Additionally, the accelerating SHIB incineration process is pushing prices higher. If the broader crypto market maintains positive momentum, SHIB could surpass its primary target and continue its upward trend.

The group of a few cruise stocks suddenly made a tremendous run up in their market values. The bullish momentum quickly intensified into a double-digit percentage growth in previously unwanted shares of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH), following an upgrade from Citi analysts to Buy from Neutral and more confident and detailed comments by Stifel wealth management and investment banking company on Carnival Corporation (CCL) prospects. Cruise traffic in September was "among the best on record", as North Americans kept spending more money on experiences and services than on discretionary goods, which led to record booking rates for affordable cruise voyages, City noted. "Norwegian's shift in strategy from quality at all costs to a more balanced yield/cost relationship gives us confidence that the considerable pricing power and the company's increased focus on costs 'can't help but bear fruit'," Citi said in a client's note, when raising its price targets on Norwegian Cruise to $30 from $20, Royal Caribbean to $253 from $204 and Carnival to $28 from $25, which was also more than 20% above its price level at the moment.

Carnival Corporation added 13.33% for the first four trading sessions of the week to cross an 18-month-long technical border at $20 per share. Potentially, this escapade action paves the way for a jump to the area above $27, where the peaks of September 2021 are waiting, if we consider CCL earnings beat with EPS (earnings per share) of $1.27 vs $1.17 in consensus estimates on $7.89 billion sales in the company's public release only two weeks ago. A great step forward, compared to near-zero profits during the previous three quarters on revenue within a 26.7% to 31.5% lower range between $5.4 billion to $5.78 billion. Carnival's actually improving financial performance amid elevated costs was not properly appreciated so far. Moving closer to the specifics of the business, its newest sailing next-generation cruise ship, the Sun Princess, is built in 2024 and ready for new destinations like Celebration Key, which helps to achieve higher occupancy.

Meanwhile, Stifel highlighted even better hopes for Carnival. When investigating its current bookings dynamics for 2025 and early 2026, with "no signs of a slowdown in demand or spending" for sea-based vacations despite more expensive tickets, they see a space for the cruise company's EPS to exceed $2.00 next year. So, the stock still looks currently undervalued to represent a chance for good mid-term investment, especially since its Royal Caribbean (RCL) rival is now soaring more than 40% higher than its pre-coronavirus peaking prices after rising another 5% for the last several days. Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines still keep a 60% discount in market value after pricing erosion since 2020.

William Blair, a global boutique with expertise in investment banking, issued an Outperform rating on the Carnival stock. Barclays and Goldman Sachs also raised their price targets for the cruise operators on "solid KPIs" (key performance indicators), while mentioning fuel prices among major risks for the segment. Cruise operators may grow capacity at a healthy 6% annual clip over the next three years, according to Citi. Some view that recent jumps in cruise stocks could be a "catch-up trade", yet City feels that growth in the segment has "more longevity".