Aug 21, 2026 · 7 min

Gold miners rally as earnings and cancer vaccines move markets

Newmont Leads Mining Stocks, Ross Stores Gains, Merck Hits All-Time High

The episode connects commodity prices, consumer resilience, and medical breakthroughs to the companies and sectors investors are watching.

3 key takeaways

1Surging gold prices lift Newmont and other miners by giving investors an equity route into the rally.
2Ross Stores raises its full-year earnings outlook as sales, customer growth, and engagement strengthen its consumer case.
3Merck gains after encouraging personalized cancer-vaccine results with Keytruda broaden the healthcare market’s catalyst story.

Don't miss

The clearest market catalyst arrives when encouraging personalized cancer-vaccine results with Keytruda are linked to Merck’s gains and wider healthcare momentum.

The brief

Gold’s surge is lifting mining stocks, with Newmont highlighted as a way for investors to participate in the commodity rally through equities.

Ross Stores offers a different signal: stronger second-quarter sales, new customers, and engagement support a higher full-year profit forecast.

Merck’s gains follow encouraging results for a personalized cancer vaccine used with Keytruda, a catalyst reaching across biotechnology and healthcare.

After the market roundup, the episode turns to smart cities, asking how artificial intelligence and long-term planning can keep pace with rapid population growth.

Dubai becomes the broader case study: urban innovation is presented not as a gadget, but as a response to infrastructure pressure and demographic change.

What was said on this episode

10 statements · 9 positive · 1 mixed

Katie Greifeldon NewmontPositive1:01
Newmont has risen 47% since July lows, triple gold’s rally.
“Newmont, ticker is NEM, up 47% since July lows. That is triple the rally in gold.”
Listen at 1:01
Katie Greifeldon Gold miningPositive1:12
Mining stocks offer leveraged exposure to gold prices.
“those who want to bet on the metal, they can look to miners because they always offer sort of a supercharged way.”
Listen at 1:12
Katie Greifeldon Gold mining companiesPositive1:24
Higher gold prices improve mining companies’ margins.
“you get to start having better margins with higher prices.”
Listen at 1:24
Katie Greifeldon GoldPositive1:35
Gold’s rise is driving mining stocks’ gains today.
“it's all on gold, really. Gold, gold, gold is what's driving them today.”
Listen at 1:35
Katie Greifeldon Ross Stores, Inc.Positive1:50
Ross Stores rose about 5% after raising its full-year profit forecast.
“ross stores up about five percent after boosting its profit forecast for the full year”
Listen at 1:50
Katie Greifeldon MerckPositive2:54
Merck shares rose about 2% and reached a fresh all-time high.
“it is extending those gains today up about 2% and touching a fresh all-time high earlier.”
Listen at 2:54
Katie Greifeldon Moderna personalized cancer vaccine with Merck's K-TrudaPositive3:07
Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine with Keytruda reduced melanoma recurrence in a later-stage study.
“personalized cancer vaccine that combined with Merck's K-Truda helped melanoma from returning in a later stage study.”
Listen at 3:07
Katie Greifeldon Healthcare industryPositive3:49
Healthcare is currently the S&P 500’s best-performing sector over three months.
“health care in a good spot right now, the best performing sector. over the past three months in the S&P 500.”
Listen at 3:49
Katie Greifeldon Healthcare earningsMixed3:56
Merck and related healthcare earnings must meet high expectations.
“earnings have to deliver on those high expectations.”
Listen at 3:56
Rohit Krishnanon AI in smart citiesPositive5:08
AI will accelerate processes in smart-city development.
“AI will allow in the smart city space to compress a lot of things. The speed will change.”
Listen at 5:08

Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.