Stocks rise to a new record, and Linde's space business lands in the spotlight

CNBC

19 hours ago

Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Markets: Stocks are higher to start the week, with the S & P 500 and Nasdaq Composite hitting new all-time intraday highs during Monday's session. The latest move higher comes as the market continues to digest second-quarter earnings. The rally also coincides with a sharp drop in interest rates, with the yield on the 10-year Treasury down about 7 basis points to 4.362% in the session. Small but smart: Club name GE Vernova announced a deal on Monday to acquire Alteia SAS, a France-based software company that specializes in AI computer vision and machine learning. The power equipment company currently offers Alteia's software to customers through its GridOS portfolio, which is part of its broader electrification software business. Alteia's software provides customers with visual intelligence and is used to help utilities prevent disruptions to the grid and restore power. The deal — likely a small one because financial terms weren't disclosed — is expected to close Aug. 1. However, electrification is GE Vernova's fastest growing segment by revenue, and we are fans of any deal that keeps it a leading innovator in electric grid technologies. Watch this space: Industrial gas giant Linde announced Monday two new long-term agreements to supply the U.S. space industry. The first agreement sees Linde significantly expanding its facility in Mims, Florida, where it provides critical liquid oxygen and nitrogen to support rocket launches at nearby facilities. The company said this new capacity will start up in the first quarter of 2027. The second investment is a new air separation unit that Linde will build, own, and operate in the south Texas city of Brownsville. This project is expected to start in the first quarter of 2026 and deliver liquid oxygen, nitrogen, and argon, to space operations in the region. While Linde's press release did not disclose the name of its customer, it's worth noting that Elon Musk's privately held SpaceX has a huge presence in the Brownsville area, including its Starbase facility. We never really considered Linde a space play, but it turns out the company was involved in more than 100 successful rocket launches last year. It's another example of how Linde's industrial gases are critical to so many different applications. Shares of the company are up about 2% on Monday and trading near their highest levels of 2025. Up next: In a light night of earnings, NXP Semiconductor the only major company reporting after the closing bell. Before the opening bell on Tuesday, we'll see earnings from Danaher , Coca-Cola , Lockheed Martin , Philip Morris , RTX , DR Horton , General Motors , Keycorp , MSCI , Halliburton , and several others. On the data side, we'll see weekly mortgage applications and June existing home sales. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.