The George Hotel in Inveraray entered administration in March
A historic family-run hotel in Argyll and Bute has been saved from going bust after a £3m rescue deal was agreed.
Forty three jobs at the George Hotel in Inveraray will be retained as a result of the takeover by Fyne Hospitality.
The George has been owned for 165 years by the Clark family, who listed it for sale last year. It then entered administration in spring this year.
New co-owner Charlie Maclachlan said he was delighted to take control of what he described as the beating heart of Inveraray, with the hotel situated on the banks of Loch Fyne.
Administrators Begbies Traynor said in March that the hotel had been struggling with “historic debts” which crippled the cash flow of the business.
About 60 roles were placed at risk when the hotel entered administration, and it currently employs 43 full and part time staff.
Mr Maclachlan, who will co-own the establishment with Sam Wignell, said the George was steeped in character.
Mr Wignell added: “Our vision is simple. Preserve the heritage, elevate the experience, and ensure The George remains a celebrated destination for generations to come.”
Begbies Traynor
Charlie Maclachlan, Thomas McKay and Sam Wignell have agreed a takeover deal
Thomas McKay, a partner at Begbies Traynor, said there had been 51 interested parties who explored taking over the hotel.
He added: “We want to thank the Clark family, who owned the hotel for seven generations, for their integrity throughout and their contribution not only to Inveraray, but their openness and help with a challenging trading and sale process.
“We are also grateful to the customers and local community for their fantastic support and their loyalty to the venue over the last few months, and of course to the George Hotel staff for their ongoing hard work during the process of administration and the uncertainty that brings.”
He also said the takeover was the best possible outcome for workers and the local area.
US prices continued to rise in July, according to key economic data released on Tuesday, as Donald Trump’s international tariffs shakeup started to impact consumer costs.
Prices were 2.7% higher last month compared with a year ago, according to the consumer price index (CPI), which measures the prices of a basket of goods and services. Though inflation dipped down in the spring, the annualized inflation rate jumped up 0.4% since April.
Though the inflation rate stayed stable between June and July, core inflation, which excludes the volatile energy and food industries, went up 3.1% over the last month – a higher pace than what was seen in June.
a chart of inflation numbers
Prices for takeout and restaurants jumped up 3.9% over the last year, pushing up overall food prices by 2.9%. Prices for used cars, housing and medical care also jumped up higher than the overall rate.
Overall energy prices were down 1.6% for the year, what probably stabilized the overall pace of inflation.
The report is the latest to show that the US economy is experiencing some turbulence from Trump’s unparalleled shakeup of US trading policy, despite insistence from Republicans that the economy is “firing on all cylinders”.
On top of a 10% universal tariff on all imports, Trump has set higher tariffs for dozens of countries, including the US’s top trading partners. On Monday, hours before a midnight deadline, Trump delayed enacting steep tariffs on China for another 90 days while negotiations continue.
Although many of these tariffs only went into effect 7 August, Trump’s 10% universal tariff, along with higher tariffs on certain industries like steel and aluminum, have been in effect since the spring.
Economists say that it takes time for tariffs to show up in consumer prices. Some retailers have been stocking up their inventory to delay the impact of tariffs and keep prices stable. But the jump in prices suggests that companies have started to pass down costs to customers, as leaders of companies like Walmart, Nike and Macy’s have said would happen.
Tariffs have also hit the labor market harder than economists had anticipated. Data released earlier this month dramatically revised down job figures that initially showed a healthy job market. The government had reported 291,000 jobs were added to the economy in May and June, but the revision brought the total down to 33,000.
The increase in prices and the shrinking labor market has thrown the US Federal Reserve into a tight spot. The Fed’s twin mandate is to maximise employment while keeping inflation in check.
Trump has lambasted the central bank, arguing it needs to cut rates interest rates in order to spur growth. But Fed officials have refrained from a rate adjustment, citing uncertainty about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on prices.
Trump has spent the last few months directing his ire at economic officials – first at the Fed, and now at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which collects and reports economic data. Just hours after July’s job figures report showed a sluggish month of job growth, Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of BLS. Citing no evidence, Trump claimed that the job figures “were RIGGEDOn Wednesday, he nominated economist EJ Antoni, longtime critic of the BLS, to oversee the department.
After the latest inflation figures were released, Trump claimed: “It has been proven, that even at this late stage, Tariffs have not caused Inflation, or any other problems for America, other than massive amounts of CASH pouring into our Treasury’s coffers.”
The president also, once again, attacked Fed chair Jerome Powell and suggested he might sue Powell over costly renovations to the Fed’s buildings.
“Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell must NOW lower the rate,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “I am, though, considering allowing a major lawsuit against Powell to proceed because of the horrible, and grossly incompetent, job he has done in managing the construction of the Fed Buildings.”
US inflation held steady in July despite import tariffs, bolstering bets that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates next month.
Latest official figures showed that consumer prices rose 2.7% in the year to July, the same pace as in June, as lower energy costs offset price rises for items such as coffee, tomatoes and tools.
Analysts said the relatively contained pace of price rises could bolster the case for the US central bank to lower borrowing costs to support the economy as job growth slows.
But an underlying inflation measure – which is seen as a better indicator of economic trends – showed prices rising at the fastest pace since February.
So-called core inflation, which strips out food and energy costs, rose by 3.1% which is the fastest pace in six months, according to Tuesday’s data.
Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management, said she still expected the Federal Reserve to lower borrowing costs in September to give the US economy a boost.
“There is some sign of tariff pass through to consumer prices but, at this stage, it is not significant enough to ring alarm bells,” she said.
However, she warned the decision could grow more complicated in the months ahead, as firms start to run out of goods that they had brought into the country before the tariffs went into effect.
The US Federal Reserve wants to see inflation at 2%.
With the pace above its target, the Fed has held interest rates this year despite pressure by President Donald Trump to cut borrowing costs, fearing that tariffs, which are taxes on imports, could cause prices to accelerate.
Trump has dismissed concerns that the measures will drive up prices or weigh on the economy.
He recently fired Erika McEntarfer, head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after the agency – which also compiled the inflation figures – reported weaker-than expected jobs data which provoked alarm about the president’s tariff policy.
On Tuesday, he repeated his call for interest rates to fall and revived threats against Jerome Powell, the central bank’s chair.
The president threatened to “allow” a “major lawsuit” to go ahead against Mr Powell linked to a refurbishment of Federal Reserve properties.
“Jerome “Too Late” Powell must NOW lower the rate,” Trump wrote on social media.
The Fed was established by Congress and has powers to set policy independent of the White House.
Rising prices
Lindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter, said the latest inflation data was “messy” with figures to support both sides of the debate over whether tariffs will lead to a significant increase in prices.
The report showed price jumps for the one month from June to July for typically imported items such as tomatoes, which rose 3.3%, and coffee, up 2.3%.
Over the same one-month period, prices for rugs and curtains climbed 1.2%, while tools and hardware rose 1.6%.
But many areas that pushed up inflation were in categories not directly affected by tariffs.
The price of air fares, for example, jumped 4% in the year to July while dental services rose 2.6%.
The price of clothing, one of the categories expected to be hardest hit from the new measures, rose just 0.1% over the month, cooling from June.
“In the short-term, markets will likely embrace these numbers because they should allow the Fed to focus on labor-market weakness and keep a September rate cut on the table,” said Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.
“Longer-term, we likely haven’t seen the end of rising prices as tariffs continue to work their way through the economy,” she added.
The average tariff rate in the US has surged this year, with a minimum tax of 10% in place for most goods since April and certain items, such as cars, hit with higher duties.
Since the latest measures went into effect this month, most goods entering the US are facing taxes of between 10% and 50%, depending on their origin.
Trump has, however, exempted key items including most imports from Canada and Mexico as well as other categories such as oil and smartphones.
Bilal Fibres Limited, a leading manufacturer and exporter of yarn, has announced significant corporate changes following a Board of Directors (BOD) meeting held today.
The company has outlined a series of decisions aimed at restructuring and expanding its operations, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
The company has proposed changing its name from Bilal Fibres Limited to Zuma Resources Limited. This change is contingent upon approval from the Companies Registration Office, Lahore (SECP), and the company’s shareholders.
The Board has approved an increase in the company’s authorized share capital from Rs. 150 million (15 million ordinary shares of Rs. 10 each) to Rs. 350 million (35 million ordinary shares of Rs. 10 each). This move is aimed at supporting the company’s growth and expansion plans.
The resignations of Mr. Muhammad Omer and Mr. Shahid Iqbal as Directors have been accepted. In their place, Mr. Sohaib Anwar and Ms. Saniya Akhter have been appointed as new Directors.
The company’s existing auditors, M/s Mushtaq & Company, Chartered Accountants, have resigned due to over-occupancy. The Board has approved the appointment of M/s A.H.W. Chartered Accountants to fill the casual vacancy.
The Chief Executive Officer has been authorized to call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to seek shareholder approval for the proposed name change and increase in authorized share capital.
The Tesla Diner has cut back its menu options, two weeks after opening. Reports indicate there are now just five sandwiches on the menu and several items, such as Epic Bacon, were removed. Hourse appear to have been reduced as well.
Tesla’s foray into the restaurant business is starting to mirror its vehicle selection.
Less than three weeks after opening, the charging station/restaurant has drastically scaled back its menu, removing several offerings. As of Aug. 5, reports Eater, there were just five sandwiches left on the menu, the same number of vehicles the company sells.
The number of sides has been similarly reduced to two, along with two flavors of pie, all of which are available to order from Tesla’s in-car infotainment system.
Gone are the market salad, the club sandwich, biscuits and red gravy, and hash-brown bites. Want a veggie burger? Nope. That’s history, too. And items that were formerly listed as “all-day breakfast” are now only served in the morning.
Epic Bacon, a bag of maple-glazed breakfast meat dusted with black pepper, is off the menu. So, too, are some fountain-drink options, like the Shirley Temple and Creamsicle.
What you can get now is a Tesla burger, hot dog, grilled cheese, tuna melt or a fried chicken sandwich. Also fries.
Tesla Diner chef Eric Greenspan told Eater the menu was scaled down because of “unprecedented demand” and it would be “forever evolving.”
Also evolving? The hours. Initially promoted as a 24/7 establishment, the Tesla Diner now operates from 6:00 a.m. until midnight, unless you’re charging or ordering from you Tesla. And there have been reports that non-Tesla owners were not allowed to charge their vehicles at the diner site.
Elon Musk has envisioned the Tesla Diner as something that could expand nationwide.
“If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, @Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes,” Musk wrote on social media.
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Tuesday’s cooler inflation print could mean it’s finally time to pivot into small caps and lower-quality stocks, according to Morgan Stanley. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the consumer price index showed a year-over-year increase of 2.7% in July , less than a Dow Jones consensus for 2.8% expansion. The report soothed stagflation fears and added to hopes that the Federal Reserve could actually cut more times this year than previously anticipated. The central bank is now projected to make three quarter percentage point cuts this year, up from two, according to the CME FedWatch Tool . If that outlook holds, as more traders are starting to expect, that could be a boon for small caps and lower-quality stocks — which have skipped out on this year’s gains by the larger caps. “What if we don’t see material signs of inflation pressure in the July CPI report? Bond market pricing of a September cut (currently at a ~90% probability) could rise further,” Mike Wilson, chief U.S. equity strategist at Morgan Stanley, wrote Monday — the day before the CPI report. “This has the potential to catalyze a more durable rotation to small caps and lower quality stocks should it play out.” In fact, the strategist said, it could mean a change in leadership. The S & P 500 is up more than 8% year to date and near all-time highs, as investors pile into larger companies with fortress balance sheets to weather headlines out of Washington and a choppy macroeconomic outlook. But an improving monetary policy outlook could be a boon to small caps and lower quality companies — which are sensitive to changes in interest rates. Wilson said he’s bullish over the next six-to-12 months because of a rebounding earnings and cash flow environment. Plus, if both asset classes start to catch up, there would be a sizable gap to close. The small cap Russell 2000 has only eked out a meager gain in 2025. And, even the equal-weighted broad market index is up only a little over 4%. Some names of companies with weak balance sheets and low returns on capital include Caesars Entertainment , United Airlines , and Dollar General , according to a recent screen from Goldman Sachs. “We think it makes sense for equity investors to stay nimble around this week’s CPI report as a leadership shift under the surface of the market could take hold depending on the result,” Wilson added.
Algorithms submitted for the AI Challenge hosted by RSNA have shown excellent performance for detecting breast cancers on mammography images, increasing screening sensitivity while maintaining low recall rates, according to a study published in Radiology.
The RSNA Screening Mammography Breast Cancer Detection AI Challenge was a crowdsourced competition that took place in 2023, with more than 1,500 teams participating. The Radiology article details an analysis of the algorithms’ performance, led by Yan Chen, PhD, a professor in cancer screening at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.
“We were overwhelmed by the volume of contestants and the number of AI algorithms that were submitted as part of the Challenge,” Prof. Chen said. “It’s one of the most participated-in RSNA AI Challenges. We were also impressed by the performance of the algorithms given the relatively short window allowed for algorithm development and the requirement to source training data from open-sourced locations.”
The goal of the Challenge was to source AI models that improve the automation of cancer detection in screening mammograms, helping radiologists work more efficiently, improving the quality and safety of patient care, and potentially reducing costs and unnecessary medical procedures.
RSNA invited participation from teams across the globe. Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and BreastScreen Victoria in Australia provided a training dataset of around 11,000 breast screening images, and Challenge participants could also source publicly available training data for their algorithms.
Prof. Chen’s research team evaluated 1,537 working algorithms submitted to the Challenge, testing them on a set of 10,830 single-breast exams—completely separate from the training dataset—that were confirmed by pathology results as positive or negative for cancer.
Altogether, the algorithms yielded median rates of 98.7% specificity for confirming no cancer was present on mammography images, 27.6% sensitivity for positively identifying cancer, and a recall rate—the percentage of the cases that AI judged positive—of 1.7%. When the researchers combined the top 3 and top 10 performing algorithms, it boosted sensitivity to 60.7% and 67.8%, respectively.
“When ensembling the top performing entries, we were surprised that different AI algorithms were so complementary, identifying different cancers,” Prof. Chen said. “The algorithms had thresholds that were optimized for positive predictive value and high specificity, so different cancer features on different images were triggering high scores differently for different algorithms.”
According to the researchers, creating an ensemble of the 10 best-performing algorithms produced performance that is close to that of an average screening radiologist in Europe or Australia.
The latest move in the enterprise AI chess match adds some nice options to the AWS toolkit while raising broader questions about the Microsoft–OpenAI relationship.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
AWS made a splash last week when it announced day-of-launch availability of two new open-weight models from OpenAI for use on Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker. This means that AWS customers can now use the models via these managed services, especially for building new functionality with AI agents. The move also represents the latest development in the ongoing competition among the big cloud service providers to bring the best of enterprise AI to their customers, although this one feels a little different because of the traditionally tight relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI.
The same day these new models launched, I had a chance to talk through this news with Shaown Nandi, who leads the technical deal team worldwide for AWS, and I want to share my takeaways from that conversation and my perspective on what it all means.
(Note: AWS is an advisory client of my firm, Moor Insights & Strategy.)
What ‘Open-Weight’ Means And Why It’s Important
Open-weight models have parameters that are visible to the people using them, though the underlying training data isn’t visible like it would be in a fully open-source model. Still, having access to the parameters means that AWS customers can fine-tune the models for their specific use cases. The two models just launched — gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b — are the first open-weight models that OpenAI has released since GPT-2, way back in 2019. In terms of intelligence level, OpenAI says that they are positioned between GPT-3 and GPT-4.
For AWS customers, these two new entrants join open-weight models from Meta, Mistral and other makers that are already supported on Bedrock. Customers will be able to run the new models, edit them and fine-tune them within the AWS toolset and infrastructure — without interacting with OpenAI directly.
You can bet that many of the use cases already being set in motion by AWS users involve agentic workflows. The two new models are text-based, not multi-modal, which makes them well-suited for agentic use cases like browsing the web or navigating software. Nandi also assured me that the new models will have full access to the same Bedrock infrastructure capability as any other model. (As usual with a model introduction like this, AWS is launching it region by region, in this case starting with the U.S. West.)
How AWS And OpenAI Benefit From This Linkage
First, this helps AWS continue its long tradition of (trying to) offer the widest range of choice to its customers. In fact, I see that outlook as being baked into the Amazon ethos, going all the way back to the company’s main web storefront. Nandi summarized his view of the AWS AI mindset when he told me, “Offering customers choice is something we’ve been ultra-focused on, probably since we launched Bedrock back in 2023.”
I talk with a lot of CIOs, CTOs and CEOs week in and week out — especially about their technology purchases and rationales — and I can confirm that these people want optionality, which AWS is definitely bringing with the new OpenAI models. When I shared this observation with Nandi, he pointed out that having the choice to work with any of the top AI models via AWS also provides “air cover” for executives’ AI decisions. Your board of directors wants to know that you’re working with the right providers; when you can tell them that you’re working with the biggest CSP using the biggest variety of open models, that’s a fruitful path into a conversation about what you’re enabling in terms of innovation and productivity.
So what’s in it for OpenAI? Nandi can’t speak for another company, of course, and OpenAI is well-known for not answering questions. But I can share an industrywide perspective that’s grounded in just how quickly the enterprise AI environment is shifting. All of the model creators — independents like OpenAI and hyperscalers like AWS alike — can see how fast things are changing. New models are dropping all the time, and disruptive events such as the debut of DeepSeek at the start of this year force everyone to reconsider the best ways to build and train models efficiently and cost-effectively.
OpenAI set off the AI gold rush when it launched ChatGPT late in 2022, but it’s hardly the only game in town now. It has compelling technology, but there are enterprise customers that are tooled for AWS rather than Azure, and if those customers can’t easily access OpenAI via AWS, they may turn to some other model provider. Conversely, being so readily available via Bedrock and SageMaker could benefit OpenAI in terms of building out its ecosystem, meeting customers where they already live — and simply moving fast.
How AWS Customers Stand To Benefit
The customers that are already getting under the hood of this thing are sure to be connecting existing applications to the new models to see how they perform. Naturally, they’ll be looking for ways to improve performance and drive costs down. According to the press release accompanying the launch, AWS says that the new models “are 10x more price-performant than the comparable Gemini model, 18x more than DeepSeek-R1 and 7x more than the comparable OpenAI o4 model.” I’d like to judge those numbers for myself against real-world field results; it’s early days yet, but I’m sure I’ll have more insights to validate or challenge these claims in the coming months.
Setting aside the potential cost advantages, there are significant operational benefits I have no question about. First, being able to access OpenAI models through AWS tools you’re already using means that you don’t need to have a commercial agreement with OpenAI. Nothing against OpenAI, mind you — just that it’s way simpler to call up one of these models in SageMaker or Bedrock and try it out for a proof-of-concept when you don’t also have to go through a vendor-onboarding process or a set of engineering steps to tap directly into OpenAI’s technical ecosystem.
That also extends to your AI devs who are doing the actual work. They don’t need to learn a new platform or test out how well it works with their existing tools, nor do they need to rebuild their applications. Rather, they can stay within their current tools to access the new models and get down to work. If I were the engineering leader running an AI shop already tooled out for AWS, I would welcome this.
Nandi confirmed that his customers have been calling for this. Every month or two, they see new models being launched in the market that they’re curious to try because they think it might save them money, improve latency or bring some other benefit. They like using Bedrock to try out new models — and to run existing models from Meta, DeepSeek, Amazon itself and so on. And yet, Nandi told me, “‘You’re missing OpenAI’ — that’s what they would say.” Now that gap has been addressed.
AWS, OpenAI And Microsoft
So what does this mean for Microsoft? The company is doing pretty well, to the tune of $101 billion in profit for the fiscal year that ended on June 30. As part of that success, AI has helped drive Azure revenue to $75 billion in the past year. (AWS is above $100 billion annually.) Azure also provides a range of OpenAI models — including hot-off-the-presses GPT-5 variants — that goes well beyond the two open-weight models AWS just launched.
That said, Microsoft’s long-running relationship with OpenAI is complex, and at times it has been vexed. I don’t want to read too much into the availability of a couple of slick new open-weight models via the biggest CSP AI platform in the world. Yet the lock-in that Microsoft enjoyed until last week for all things OpenAI was the first angle that popped into my head when I heard the AWS news.
At the moment — and surely for some years to come — there is plenty of AI business to go around. As Nandi pointed out during our conversation, “Agentic is super-early.” More than that, for all the enterprises building focused agents for different use cases, “They’re not looking for one general-purpose model for agents.” Rather, they want to find different models that supply the right price/performance for each use case. While they can do that with a single AI service provider — AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle, IBM — they probably won’t find it with a single AI model provider. AWS will of course be adding features to support the new open-weight OpenAI models in the weeks and months to come. And there’s no question these are nice additions to the AWS toolbox.
Maybe six months or a year from now, Microsoft’s loss of exclusivity with OpenAI in this instance won’t seem like a big deal. But I do wonder whether there could be a scenario where we look back on this as the first chink in the Microsoft–OpenAI armor.
Moor Insights & Strategy provides or has provided paid services to technology companies, like all tech industry research and analyst firms. These services include research, analysis, advising, consulting, benchmarking, acquisition matchmaking and video and speaking sponsorships. Of the companies mentioned in this article, Moor Insights & Strategy currently has (or has had) a paid business relationship with AWS, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft and Oracle.
Elon Musk on Monday threatened Apple with legal action over alleged antitrust violations related to rankings of the Grok AI chatbot app, which is owned by his artificial intelligence startup xAI.
“Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action,” Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform X.
Apple declined to comment on Musk’s threat.
“Why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your ‘Must Have’ section when X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics?” Musk said in another post.
Apple last year partnered with OpenAI to integrate its ChatGPT chatbot into iPhone, iPad, Mac laptop and desktop products. Musk at the time said: “If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.”
Prior to his legal threats against Apple, Musk had celebrated Grok surpassing Google as the fifth top free app on the App Store. When contacted by CNBC, xAI did not immediately respond to a request for further information on a potential lawsuit.
CNBC confirmed that ChatGPT was ranked No. 1 in the top free apps section of the American iOS store, and was the only AI chatbot in Apple’s “Must-Have Apps” section. The App Store also featured a link to download OpenAI’s new flagship AI model, ChatGPT-5 at the top of its “Apps” section.
OpenAI on Thursday announced GPT-5, its latest and most advanced large-scale AI model, following xAI’s release of its newest chatbot, Grok 4, last month.
Musk has an ongoing feud with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015. The billionaire stepped down from its board in 2018, four years after saying that AI was “potentially more dangerous than nukes.”
He is now suing the Microsoft-backed startup, and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging they abandoned OpenAI’s founding mission to develop artificial intelligence “for the benefit of humanity broadly.”
Robert Keele, who headed the legal department at xAI, announced last week that he had left the company to spend more time with his family. In his announcement, Keele also acknowledged “daylight between our worldviews,” referring to Musk.
In response to Musk’s antitrust threats against Apple, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in an X post: “This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn’t like.”
This is not the first time Apple has been challenged on antitrust grounds. In a landmark case, the Department of Justice last year sued the company over charges of running an iPhone ecosystem monopoly.
In June, a panel of judges also denied an emergency application from Apple to halt the changes to its App Store resulting from a ruling that the company could no longer charge a commission on payment links inside its apps, nor tell developers how the links should look.
— CNBC’s Kif Leswing and Lora Kolodny contributed to this article.
Crocs got hammered — down nearly 30% after the Thursday report — after cautious guidance tied to the macro backdrop overshadowed an earnings beat. Sure, uncertainty is everywhere right now, but such a flush on a name that still topped earnings looks overdone. Analyst views are mixed, yet even the downgrades (Stifel, Barclays, BofA, KeyBanc) carry price targets in the $80–$100 range — still above where CROX is trading. I’m not expecting fireworks here, but the setup I like only needs CROX to trade around $77 —about 50 cents from current levels — to deliver a 100% return on risk. Small move, defined risk, clear payoff. For CNBC readers: I’m opening up my options trade scanner for free —grab a few more trades like this while it’s live. I also break down these setups in detail in my book Mean Reversion Trading . To provide confirmation, I am using two technical indicators for this trade setup. MACD (moving average convergence divergence): One reliable way to spot potential reversals is the MACD indicator. The standard settings (12, 26, 9) are widely used but can be a bit laggy, so I often switch to MACD (5, 13, 5) for quicker reads. On CROX, the MACD line (blue) still hasn’t crossed above the signal line (yellow). With post-earnings setups — especially after a steep drop — patience pays. Waiting for confirmation (e.g., the bullish crossover or at least a turning histogram) helps avoid getting trapped in the wrong trade if the slide continues. RSI (relative strength index): The RSI is a straightforward momentum gauge and a handy reversal tell. Since it’s currently oversold, consider waiting for it to curl higher and reclaim 30 for added confirmation — helps avoid jumping in on a false start. The trade: CROX 76-77 bull call spread To get bullish on CROX, I’m using a bull call spread. With the stock around $76.56, the setup is simple: buy the $76 call (ITM) and sell the $77 call (OTM) as one package — defined risk and defined payoff. If price wiggles, you can scale by layering more spreads. For example, if CROX dips toward $73, add a $73–$74 call spread to take advantage of the pullback while keeping risk tight. Here is my exact trade setup: Buy $76 call, Sept. 12 expiry Sell $77 call, Sept. 12 expiry Cost: $50 Potential Profit: $50 If CROX finishes at or above $77 (the short strike) by expiration, the spread pays its full $1.00 value—turning a roughly $0.50 debit into a 100% return. Running 50 contracts risks $2,500 for a $2,500 max gain. As CROX rebounds, you can ladder in additional spreads to scale exposure methodically and capitalize on these occasional washouts. -Nishant Pant Founder: https://tradingextremes.com Author: Mean Reversion Trading Youtube, Twitter: @TheMeanTrader DISCLOSURES: None. All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL’S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer.
BEGBIES TRAYNOR
Begbies Traynor
