Tag Archives: Intel

Apple will not hold iPad Pro, ‘AirTags’ launch event on March 16

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman poured cold water on rumors of a special Apple hardware event supposedly scheduled for March 16, rumblings that began making the rounds late in the week on the back of unsubstantiated tweets.

Earlier this week, Twitter accounts “LeaksApplePro” and “FrontTron” claimed Apple was planning to release a new iPad Pro models, iPad mini and “AirTags” tracking hardware at a keynote event on March 16. South Korean publication Economic Daily News subsequently picked up and ran with the uncorroborated gossip in a report that has since been cited by numerous online outlets.

“LeaksApplePro” is not known to have insight into Apple’s business and has in the past made erroneous claims pertaining to new products and launch timelines. “FrontTron,” meanwhile, appears to focus on Samsung devices and is largely an unknown in the Apple world. While not a purveyor of inaccurate predictions like “LeaksApplePro,” “FrontTron” has no track record in the field.

On Friday, Gurman, a well-connected insider with solid Apple sources, put the nail in the coffin and confirmed on Twitter that there will be no event on March 16. While he fails to specify when the company intends to hold its typical spring event, Gurman notes “AirTags” will not be released on the 16th.

The apparently false Twitter “reports” were likely educated guesses based on legitimate reporting and historical launch dates.

Apple is anticipated to introduce new iPad hardware this spring in lockstep with its annual release cycle. Multiple reports point to an announcement sometime in March, though that date could be pushed back due to lingering development and supply chain delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.



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The carbon-fiber Vaio Z is the world’s lightest laptop with an Intel H-series chip

Vaio is known for making laptops that pack a surprising amount of power into unbelievably thin form factors. The Vaio Z may be the company’s most ambitious product yet. It contains up to Intel’s four-core Core i7-11357H — and at a starting weight of 2.11 pounds, it’ll be the lightest laptop ever to house an Intel H-series processor. (Though models you can buy in the US are 2.32 pounds.)

Part of the reason the Vaio Z is so light is that it’s the first laptop ever to be made of “contoured carbon fiber.” You’ll find carbon fiber in some of the nicest lightweight laptops on the market, including the Dell XPS line — it’s a sturdy and lightweight material. But those laptops utilize sheets of carbon fiber that are held together with metal or plastic parts. Vaio has actually contoured the material around the edges of the Z’s chassis, so it’s carbon fiber all around.

Vaio says the device has passed 26 “surface drop” tests, and will deliver up to 13 and a half hours of battery life. In terms of other specs, you can get up to 2TB of storage, 32GB of memory, Iris Xe integrated graphics, and either an FHD or a 4K 14-inch display. There’s a backlit keyboard, a webcam with a physical shutter, a full-size HDMI port, and two USB-C ports as well. The chassis is a clamshell, though you can fold the screen down to 180 degrees.

Of course, this all doesn’t come cheap. The Vaio Z starts at — I’m not joking — $3,579. So it won’t be a practical purchase for most people, but it’s still an impressive achievement and an interesting proof-of-concept. Keep an eye out for our full review in a few days, where we’ll dive into the performance you can expect for that price. You can preorder units now on Vaio’s website.

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Intel’s Anti-Mac Ad Campaign Highlights M1 Shortcomings

With the launch of the M1 Macs last November, Apple officially began its transition away from Intel’s chips, and it’s clear from Intel’s latest advertising campaign that the company is feeling threatened by Apple’s decision.


In ads shared on Twitter, Intel has been highlighting the shortcomings of Apple’s ‌M1‌ Mac lineup. An ad this week, for example, points out the gaming capabilities of Intel chips. Intel mentions Rocket League, a game that is not available on Apple’s platform.

An ad from last week highlighted by 9to5Mac points out the lack of a touchscreen on Apple’s Macs. “Only a PC offers tablet mode, touch screen and stylus capabilities in a single device,” reads Intel’s tweet.

Intel’s tweets link to a video from YouTuber Jon Rettinger demoing laptops equipped with Intel chips and comparing them to the ‌M1‌ Macs.

Apple’s ‌M1‌ chips received a lot of attention at launch due to their impressive speed and power efficiency, which is not matched by Intel chips. Earlier this week, Intel launched a series of “carefully crafted” benchmarks designed to prove that Intel’s 11th-generation processors are better than the ‌M1‌ chips, but the benchmarks were designed to favor Intel machines and were described by Apple columnist Jason Snell as “M1-unfriendly.”

Intel’s anti-Apple advertising is likely just getting started, as Apple plans to be largely free of Intel chips within a two year period. Apple is transitioning its entire Mac lineup to Apple silicon chips, with the MacBook Pro and iMac set to be refreshed next.



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Intel mocks Apple in new campaign highlighting things users can’t do on a M1 Mac

Intel had a strong partnership with Apple since 2005 and although Apple now has Mac computers with its own chips, there are still some Macs being shipped with Intel processors. However, as the M1 chip has been praised for its performance and efficiency, Intel is now mocking Apple in a new campaign that highlights things users can’t do on a M1 Mac.

The new campaign has been running on Twitter and other websites claiming that there are some tasks that only Windows PCs can do. In one of the new ads, Intel says that “only a PC offers tablet mode, touch screen and stylus capabilities in a single device,” which is similar to what Microsoft does in Surface ads.

Another ad in the campaign is even more aggressive by claiming that Macs are not ideal for engineers and games, as Windows has a broader catalog of software and games than macOS. It even mentions that “if you can launch Rocket League, you’re not on a Mac” since the game was discontinued for macOS last year.

In addition to the web ads, the campaign also includes a paid video with YouTuber Jon Rettinger in which he points out advantages of having a regular laptop instead of a M1 MacBook, such as standard USB ports, touch screen, eGPU support, and working with two external displays.

Last week, Intel shared a slideshow of benchmark results comparing its 11th generation “Tiger Lake” i7 processor against Apple’s M1 chip in an attempt to show that Intel processors are more powerful than a chip that Apple built for low-power, fanless computers.

In the meantime, Apple says that the transition from Intel processors to Apple Silicon Chips is expected to be completed by the end of 2022, when the company will no longer have any Mac computers running on Intel. With that said, it’s clear that Intel has nothing left to lose with this campaign against Apple — the company has already lost everything it could.

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Intel Downplays Apple’s M1 Chip With ‘Carefully Crafted’ Benchmarks

Nearly three months after the launch of Apple’s rave-reviewed M1 Macs, Intel has fired back, but there are some asterisks involved.


In a slideshow shared by PCWorld this week, Intel highlighted what PCWorld described as “carefully crafted” benchmarks in an attempt to prove that laptops with the latest 11th Generation Core processors are superior to those with Apple’s custom-designed M1 chip.

For example, Intel said that exporting a PowerPoint presentation as a PDF file is up to 2.3x faster on a Windows laptop equipped with an 11th Generation Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM compared to completing the same task on a 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 chip and 16GB of RAM, with Intel noting that PowerPoint ran natively on both systems.


Intel also indicated that Topaz Labs’ AI-based photo enlargement software Gigapixel AI performed up to 6x faster on the Core i7 system compared to the M1 MacBook Pro. In this case, PCWorld said “the results are pretty real,” noting that Topaz Labs’ apps are designed to take advantage of the hardware acceleration inside of Intel’s processors.

As for gaming performance, the results were mixed, with Intel emphasizing the well-established opinion that Macs are not ideal for gaming and lack support for “countless” games like Gear Tactics, Hitman 2, and others.


Intel also conducted a “real world battery life test” and found that both the M1 MacBook Air and the Acer Swift 5 with an 11th Generation Core i7 processor achieved virtually identical 10-hour battery life when streaming Netflix with additional tabs open. Intel said both notebooks were set to 250 nits display brightness, with the MacBook Air running Safari and the Acer Swift 5 running Chrome for the test.

It’s worth noting that Intel switched from the MacBook Pro for the performance benchmarks to the MacBook Air for the battery life test, and Intel used a different Core i7 processor SKU for each of these tests as well.


Apple’s website advertises the M1 MacBook Air as having up to 18 hours of battery life when continuously playing back 1080p content in the Apple TV app with display brightness set to 50%, and up to 15 hours of battery life when browsing 25 popular websites in Safari over Wi-Fi with display brightness set to 50%.

Intel added that its processors are about not only performance, but also choice, as they power all sorts of devices from traditional notebooks to tablets with features like touchscreens and support for multiple external displays. Officially, the M1-based MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro only support one external display, but some users discovered that this limitation can be bypassed with DisplayLink adapters as an unofficial solution.

“M1-Unfriendly Benchmarks”

Apple columnist Jason Snell referred to Intel’s benchmarks as “M1-unfriendly” in commentary shared on his website Six Colors.

“Inconsistent test platforms, shifting arguments, omitted data, and the not-so-faint whiff of desperation,” wrote Snell. “Today’s M1 processor is a low-end chip for low-end systems, so Intel only has a small window to compare itself favorably to these systems before higher-end Apple silicon Macs ship and make its job that much harder.”

Tom’s Hardware‘s Andrew Freedman also cautioned that all vendor-provided benchmarks should be taken with a grain of salt.

Apple says the M1 chip provides industry-leading performance per watt, with the latest MacBook Air outperforming a maxed-out Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro in Geekbench benchmarks. Rumors suggest Apple will launch new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, a redesigned iMac, and more with next-generation Apple silicon later this year.

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Biden says Trump shouldn’t get intel briefings

President Biden said Friday that he does not believe that former President TrumpDonald TrumpGOP senator warns his party must decide between ‘conservatism and madness’ Pompeo rebukes Biden’s new foreign policy Here are the 11 Republicans who voted to remove Greene from House committees MORE should continue to receive intelligence briefings.

Biden said in an interview on “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell” that he does not believe Trump should still receive intelligence briefings “because of his erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection,” referencing the Jan. 6 riot by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol.

Biden reiterated his belief that Trump represents an “existential threat” and “dangerous.” Asked about his worst fear if Trump continues to receive intelligence briefings, Biden declined to speculate but suggested he sees no value in Trump continuing to receive intelligence.

“I’d rather not speculate out loud. I just think that there is no need for him to have the intelligence briefings. What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?” Biden said.

The White House said earlier this week that its national security team is conducting a review to determine whether Trump should continue to receive intelligence briefings after having left office. CNN reported Thursday that the U.S. intelligence community would review any requests for intelligence briefings from Trump, in keeping with normal practice.

Some have called for Trump to be cut off from intelligence. Sue Gordon, a career intelligence official who served as principal deputy director of national intelligence during the Trump administration, penned a Washington Post op-ed arguing that Trump may be “unusually vulnerable to bad actors with ill intent” and should not receive further intelligence briefings.

“I do not make this recommendation casually. It is based on my deep understanding of threats to national security, on decades protecting our people and interests overseas, and my experience deploying technical means to counter our adversaries,” Gordon wrote in January.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam SchiffAdam Bennett SchiffPelosi pushing Newsom to pick Schiff for next California AG: report Newsom to wait on announcing next California attorney general until Becerra confirmed Without Trump, late-night ‘comedy’ becomes even more insufferable MORE (D-Calif.) also said last month that Trump could not be trusted with intelligence.

“There is no circumstance in which this president should get another intelligence briefing, not now and not in the future,” Schiff said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “Indeed, there were, I think, any number of intelligence partners around the world who probably started withholding information from us because they didn’t trust the president would safeguard that information, and protect their sources and methods. And that makes us less safe.”

Biden’s interview with CBS represents his first televised interview since taking office and will air in its entirety on Sunday before the Super Bowl.



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Intel releases DG1 discrete graphics cards to OEMs and integrators

Here at Ars, we’ve been talking about Intel’s eventual run at the desktop graphics market for a while now. This week, Intel announced sales of Intel DG1 graphics cards to OEMs and system integrators, for inclusion in prebuilt systems. So far, two variants of the DG1 have been at least partially announced—an Asus-branded, passively cooled card, and an actively cooled version from an unannounced vendor.

If you’re hoping to score a gray-market DG1 and include it in a home-built system of your own, you’re out of luck. Intel told LegitReviews that DG1 cards will work only on very specific systems, with custom UEFI (BIOS) that supports the card:

The Iris Xe discrete add-in card will be paired with 9th gen (Coffee Lake-S) and 10th gen (Comet Lake-S) Intel® Core™ desktop processors and Intel(R) B460, H410, B365, and H310C chipset-based motherboards and sold as part of pre-built systems. These motherboards require a special BIOS that supports Intel Iris Xe, so the cards won’t be compatible with other systems.

While this is disappointing news for reviewers like yours truly, it’s probably not anything to get upset about if you’re an enthusiast looking for the next hot gaming GPU. If we assume that May 2020’s leaked DG1 Fire Strike benchmarks are still accurate, it won’t get close to breaking any records yet.

Think value, not vroom

With a Fire Strike of 5,538, the Intel DG1 dev card from that May leak is faster than onboard graphics—but it’s slower than entry-level discrete GPUs from AMD (RX 560) and Nvidia (GTX 1050), and it isn’t even close to being on par with higher-end gaming GPUs. Of course, those leaked benchmarks were on a development version of the DG1, and it’s possible that the newly launched OEM version will be faster—but we don’t actually expect that to be the case.

The OEM version might even be slower in hardware than the dev version was—the new OEM versions offer 80 Execution Units (EUs), while at least some versions of the dev cards sported 96. Improvements in driver quality over the last eight months are more likely to make a positive impact on performance, but we doubt it will change the card’s ultimate place in the market—the DG2 may be a different story entirely, but DG1 seems fated to drive relatively cheap desktops without heavy gaming focus.

On the gripping hand, if Intel (and its partners) can actually produce the DG1 in significant volume and on time, it could end up being a smash hit with OEMs despite mediocre performance—Nvidia’s GTX 1050 and AMD’s RX 560 are faster if you actually have them, but they’re difficult to source. The GTX 1050 should be a $110 card—but we couldn’t find a new GTX 1050 today on Amazon for under $300 or on Newegg for under $180.

Both launched versions of the DG1 card feature 4GB LPDDR4X, support PCIe 4 (despite no Intel CPUs supporting it yet), and offer HDMI, DisplayPort, and dual-link DVI-D outputs with support for up to three simultaneous 4K displays.

We expect to see the DG1 cards show up in OEMs’ value-oriented desktop lineup later in 2021.

Listing image by Intel

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Intel starts shipping its first Iris Xe discrete graphics cards for desktop

Intel’s first dedicated graphics cards for desktop will soon pop up on the market as part of pre-built systems customers can buy. The chipmaker has announced that it has officially launched the Iris Xe discrete desktop graphics cards, which it developed with partners, including Asus. Intel first gave us a glimpse of the graphics chip — called “DG1” while in development — at CES 2020. In October last year, the first laptops with the Iris Xe Max graphics chips by Acer, Asus and Dell went out for sale.

Now, it’s also rolling out the dedicated Xe GPU for desktops, though customers can’t buy it to build their own rigs. Intel is shipping the chip out to manufacturers for pre-built PCs meant for small and medium businesses, as well as for mainstream users. As Anandtech notes, the DG1 discrete GPU is based on Tiger Lake’s integrated GPU with almost the same specifications — the desktop version even has slightly lower specs than its counterpart for laptops.

The desktop GPU has three display outputs, HDR support, 80 execution units and 4GB of onboard LPDDR4x memory. Its target is the “high-volume, value-desktop market” in particular and not those who need powerful components for gaming rigs. Intel announced in 2020 that it’s also working on a gamer—focused discrete GPU called Xe-HPG, though, and it’s expected to support hardware accelerated ray tracing and GDDR6 memory when it launches sometime this year.

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Dow Jones Futures: Apple, AMD, Nvidia Lead But Stock Market Rally Warnings Grow Louder; Intel Headlines Earnings Movers Late

Dow Jones futures tilted lower Thursday night, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures. The Nasdaq again led the stock market rally to fresh highs, with tech giants Apple stock, Amazon.com (AMZN), Intel (INTC), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Nvidia (NVDA) fueling the gains.




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But the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite is becoming increasingly extended, raising the risk of a pullback.

Key Earnings Late

Intel jumped the gun, reporting earnings just before the close. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG), IBM (IBM) and CSX (CSX) reported quarterly results late Thursday.

Intel earnings and sales beat views while the Dow Jones chip giant also guided higher for Q1. Incoming CEO Pat Gelsinger, who takes over on Feb. 15, committed to keeping the chip giant’s manufacturing business, despite calls from some investors to shed those assets. Intel stock fell 5% overnight. That was after soaring 6.5% to 62.46 on Thursday, with some of those gains coming in the last few minutes on the early earnings release. Intel stock has been running on the announcement Gelsinger, Intel’s former CTO, will become chief executive. But it’s still far from a buy point.

Intuitive Surgical earnings and revenue rose slightly, rebounding from declines in the prior two quarters. The maker of the da Vinci robotic surgical system gave preliminary revenue figures last week. ISRG stock fell slightly in extended trade after closing up 10 cents at 798.67. Intuitive Surgical stock looks set to dip back below a 792.64 buy point. It could try to find support at the 10-week line again as it builds a short consolidation on top of the prior base.

IBM earnings topped views, but sales missed, once again declining vs. a year earlier. IBM stock tumbled overnight after rising 1.2% to 131.65 on Thursday. The Dow tech giant has a 131.98 buy point in a bottoming base. But it’s still in a long-term downtrend, with weak fundamentals for years.

CSX earnings missed while revenue topped. CSX stock was little changed overnight after closing down 1.7% to 91.61, around its 50-day line. An early January breakout from a flat base quickly fizzled, though the 93.80 buy point is still valid, according to MarketSmith analysis.


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Tech Giants Eye Buy Points

As for other tech giants, Apple (AAPL) rose to just below a buy point. Amazon stock climbed toward possible early entries after regaining its 50-day line Wednesday. AMD stock moved back above key levels and within a prior buy zone. Nvidia stock rebounded from key support, but investors likely want to see a little more strength first.

But looming earnings — as well as the extended stock market rally — complicate buying any of those tech giants. Apple and AMD stock have earnings next week. Amazon is also next week. Nvidia isn’t due for a few weeks, but may move on AMD’s earnings and guidance.

Apple, AMD and Nvidia stock are on IBD Leaderboard. Apple stock is on SwingTrader. AMD stock and Nvidia are on the IBD 50.


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Dow Jones Futures Today

Dow Jones futures fell 0.2% vs. fair value, with Intel and IBM stock weighing on the blue-chip index. S&P 500 futures lost 0.15% while Nasdaq 100 futures retreated 0.2%.

Bitcoin continued to slide, falling below $30,000 Thursday night, down $10,000 from a week earlier and the all-time high of nearly $42,000 on Jan. 8.

Remember that overnight action in Dow futures and elsewhere doesn’t necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session.


Join IBD experts as they analyze actionable stocks in the stock market rally on IBD Live.


Coronavirus News

Coronavirus cases worldwide reached 98.04 million. Covid-19 deaths topped 2.09 million.

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. have hit 25.18 million, with deaths above 419,000.

Newly reported U.S. Covid cases continue to trend lower, with hospitalizations and deaths also turning down.

U.S. coronavirus vaccinations hit 1.6 million on Wednesday as the pace continues to improve.

President Biden signed new executive orders to increase vaccine production and to impose mask mandates in airplanes and airports, as well as on federal property.

Stock Market Rally

U.S. Stock Market Today Overview

Index Symbol Price Gain/Loss % Change
Dow Jones (0DJIA) 31176.01 -12.37 -0.04
S&P 500 (0S&P5) 3853.07 +1.22 +0.03
Nasdaq (0NDQC ) 13530.92 +73.67 +0.55
Russell 2000 (IWM) 212.51 -1.88 -0.88
IBD 50 (FFTY) 46.12 +0.46 +1.01
Last Update: 4:24 PM ET 1/21/2021

The stock market rally continued to advance, once again led by tech giants.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost a fraction in Thursday’s stock market trading. The S&P 500 index edged higher. The Nasdaq composite climbed 0.55%. The Nasdaq 100, which includes Apple, Amazon, Intel, AMD and Nvidia stock, popped 0.8%.

Apple stock, a member of the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite, rose 3.7% to 136.87. That’s just below a 138.89 cup-with-handle entry. Apple earnings are on Jan. 27.

Amazon stock climbed 1.3% to 3,306.99, flirting with a trend line starting with the Sept. 2 peak. Investors also could use 3,350.75 as another early entry. Amazon earnings are due Feb. 2.

AMD stock rallied 3.1% to 91.53, back above its 50-day and 21-day lines and back above an 88.82 double-bottom buy point. Shares rose 2% overnight after initially falling following the Intel earnings report. AMD competes with Intel in PC microprocessors and data center chips. AMD earnings are due Jan. 26.

Nvidia advanced 3.75% to 554.70, above its 50-day. Several short-lived moves above the 50-day line have fizzled, so investors likely should wait until NVDA stock decisively clears at least the Jan. 11 high of 558.44 before starting a position.

Key ETFs

Growth stocks were mixed, with chips clearly leading.

Among the best ETFs, the Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) rose 1% to a fresh all-time high, while the Innovator IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF (BOUT) dipped 0.2%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) edged down 0.4%. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) climbed 1.55%, with AMD, Nvidia and Intel stock all notable components.


IBD Stock Of The Day Hits Buy Zone, Building On Gains


Stock Market Rally Extended

The Nasdaq composite is now 8.1% above its 50-day moving average, picking up from Wednesday’s 7.8% and the highest since Sept. 2. (With Apple stock and other tech giants rallying, the big-cap Nasdaq 100 is now 7% above its 50-day.) Further, the Nasdaq is 4.1% above its 21-day exponential moving average, the most since just after the early November follow-through days.

When the Nasdaq is 6% or more above its 50-day line, that’s a yellow flag. The odds of a pullback are higher. The market doesn’t have to retreat right away, but the more extended it gets, the higher the risk of a significant pullback or correction.

In August, the Nasdaq was generally at least 6% above the 50-day, with Apple stock and Tesla (TSLA) leading a big-cap rally. As of Aug. 25, the index was more than 8% extended, but it kept going. It finally reached 11.6% above the 50-day line on Sept. 2. But on Sept. 3, the Nasdaq plunged 5%, wiping out all the gains after Aug. 25. By Sept. 8, the third day of the pullback, the Nasdaq had wiped out essentially all of August’s gains, closing slightly below the 50-day line. It’s a classic example of the stock market rising on a escalator, falling on an elevator.

Ideally, the stock market rally would move sideways or drift lower over several weeks. Last week the major indexes did retreat modestly, but only enough to bring the Nasdaq from extended to “almost extended.” A bigger pullback or longer sideways action would be helpful.

But, as always, the stock market rally is going to do what it’s going to do.

What Investors Should Do

With that in mind, what should investors be doing? Right now, the stock market rally is working. There’s no need to get defensive. Investors may want to consider selling some stocks into strength, taking some profits. You probably should be cautious about starting new positions and adding exposure, especially if you’re on margin. Breakouts that happen just before a market pullback are highly likely to run into trouble.

Most importantly, have a game plan if the stock market rally does reverse. Where will you take partial profits and which stocks are your core holdings? Then stick to those rules.

Read The Big Picture every day to stay in sync with the market direction and leading stocks and sectors.

Please follow Ed Carson on Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more.

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