10 things before the opening bell

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1. Alphabet’s stock-split resonated on Wall Street. Shares of Google’s parent company Alphabet soared as much as 10% in Wednesday trading after it smashed fourth-quarter earnings expectations. The search giant revealed a 20-for-1 stock split — meaning it could possibly join the Dow Jones.

Alphabet on Wednesday was trading around $2,980, pricey for a single share and potentially prohibitive for retail investors (though the rise of fractional share buying has made expensive stocks more accessible). Splitting a stock generally makes it more attractive to individual investors, something that has played out with Apple over the years following its numerous splits. 

This could work for Alphabet as well, especially as the company explores Web3 and blockchain initiatives, popular investment themes among retail investors.

A number of Wall Street equities analysts raised their price targets for the tech giant.

Here’s what happens if shareholders approve the stock-split: 

• All holders of the company’s three types of stock (A, B, and C) will be sent a dividend of 19 additional shares on July 15.
• Class A shares would become worth about $138, compared with the $2,750.
• Gaining entry to the Dow could further boost the stock. The company’s market cap would not change. 

2. Microsoft is getting hammered after shock earnings, and the pain doesn’t stop there. Techs are leading the way in a broad stock sell-off, as investors’ faith in corporate performance is rattled. Here are the latest moves. 

3. A 32-year-old who earned $1.7 million last year shared his passive income methods. When he was 21, Adrian Brambila was earning $27,000. Now he’s a millionaire who makes his money with online side hustles.

4. Earnings on deck: Amazon, Apollo Investment, and Activision Blizzard, all reporting. 

5. US stock brokers made $3.8 billion selling customer orders amid the meme-stock craze. Charles Schwab edged out Robinhood with the most payment for order flow gains, per Bloomberg Intelligence. Ken Griffin’s Citadel Securities was the biggest payer.

6. The S&P 500 won’t deliver great returns this year, said a Bank of America analyst. Savita Subramanian pointed to certain stocks that could outperform the broader market. To her, these picks are better suited to withstand volatility shocks.

7. Billionaire Mark Cuban topped the list of NFT influencers. Former T-Mobile boss John Legere, who famously bought an NFT from DJ Steve Aoki for $888,888.88, was second on the list. This bitcoin-bull and YouTuber topped the list for Gen Z.

8. Experts laid out the risks companies take when they put bitcoin on their balance sheets. One investor said the penalty for losing corporate cash in a volatile asset like crypto can be “severe.” A strategist broke down how a company that buys bitcoin could find itself in a “no-win” situation.

9. Krystal and Dedric Polite amassed a portfolio of 66 units worth $5.2 million in just a few years. The power couple shared how they find discounted properties, secure funding, and strategically flip or rent after renovation. They explained the real-estate techniques that helped them earn financial independence.

10. The Federal Reserve’s inflation mismanagement may cause a recession, according to JPMorgan Asset Management’s head of fixed income. Stocks just had their worst January in 13 years and the Fed is about to embark on a big policy shift — here are three steps you can take to protect your portfolio. 

Compiled by Phil Rosen. Feedback? Email prosen@insider.com or tweet @philrosenn.

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