Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors' favorite stocks over the last week -- here's a look at some of our top stories.

Markets concluded August on a mixed note. The S&P 500 dipped 0.6% on Friday but still delivered a 1.9% gain for the month -- its fourth straight monthly advance. The Dow and Nasdaq also retreated slightly, while year-to-date gains remain strong.

Elevated inflation readings, particularly the 2.9% core PCE, added uncertainty to the Fed's rate-cut timeline despite hawkish optimism from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Tech stocks led the decline, with Dell (NYSE:DELL), Marvell (NASDAQ:MRVL) and Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) notably weakening, even as MongoDB (NASDAQ:MDB) and Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW) surged on exceptional AI-driven earnings.

Looking ahead, investors will closely monitor the upcoming PCE inflation report, which may reinforce a September rate cut, while managing elevated inflation and policy uncertainty drag on sentiment.

Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

"Defense stocks rise as Trump team considers buying into major contractors", by Erica Kollmann, reports that the Trump administration is considering acquiring ownership stakes in prominent defense contractors -- including Boeing (NYSE:BA), Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) -- with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stating that Lockheed is "basically an arm of the U.S. government" given it earns 97% of its revenue from federal contracts.

"Eli Lilly stock jumps on weight-loss pill trial", by Erica Kollmann, reports that Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY) shares popped after the company unveiled Phase 3 results for its oral GLP-1 pill orforglipron showing patients lost an average of 10.5% of body weight along with meaningful blood sugar reductions, igniting fresh investor confidence.

"Firefly stock jumps as Nvidia partnership boosts AI-driven EEG technology for neurological care", by Anusuya Lahiri, reports that Firefly Neuroscience Inc. (NASDAQ:AIFF) stock surged 31% after launching its CLEAR AI-powered EEG platform -- built on Nvidia's L40S GPU -- designed to deliver faster, cleaner brain signal data by reducing interference from muscle and environmental noise, potentially accelerating neuroclinical innovation.

For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:

China Just Found Its Nvidia Replacement -- And This Stock Has Exploded 125%

MongoDB Stock Soars On Strong Q2 Earnings Beat, Raised Guidance

Webull Charges Ahead: Q2 Revenue Up 46%, Crypto Trading Relaunched

The Bears

"Marvell stock plunges as Wall Street warns of limited near-term growth prospects", by Anusuya Lahiri, reports that Marvell Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) tumbled 16% after upbeat Q2 results were overshadowed by Q3 sales guidance that missed expectations; while analysts trimmed price targets citing near-term ASIC headwinds, they still see long-term potential from AI, optical growth, and emerging design wins.

"Tesla's robotaxi dream hits wall of distrust -- Waymo cruises ahead", by Surbhi Jain, reports that nearly half of Americans surveyed say Tesla's (NASDAQ:TSLA) Full Self-Driving (FSD) should be illegal, and 70% prefer autonomous vehicles with both LiDAR and cameras -- leaving Tesla's camera-only robotaxi model and reputation significantly less trusted, while Waymo's LiDAR-plus-camera approach continues winning public confidence.

"Nutanix stock slides after Q4 earnings report", by Erica Kollmann, reports that Nutanix Inc. (NASDAQ:NTNX) shares slipped in after-hours trading despite posting strong Q4 results -- revenue of $653.26 million beat estimates and the company announced a strategic collaboration with Finanz Informatik -- but investor enthusiasm cooled amid concerns over softer subscription sales metrics and cautious forward guidance.

For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:

Nvidia's AI Fortress Shows ';First Crack' -- The China Risk Just Got Real

Super Micro Flags Risks That Could Disrupt Results, Stock Falls

Wall Street Has No Fear -- But A Shocking Selloff Could Be Lurking

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Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.