Masks Are Back

Plus: A "Gold Medal” Performance From Apple You are receiving this limited-time email resource as a subscriber to Kiplinger's free e-newsletters. To unsubscribe at any time, simply click the link in the footer below. JULY 28, 2021 [View in browser]( HOW TO PROTECT AND GROW YOUR BUSINESS AND INVESTMENTS NOW Soaring infection rates from the Delta variant of COVID-19 led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend the use of masks indoors by everyone, including those who have been vaccinated, under certain circumstances. This is a reversal of its guidance from two months ago. It also recommended the use of masks by both faculty, staff, and students at schools. While the CDC’s guidance isn’t legally binding and specifically mentions only areas with high rates of infection, two-thirds of U.S. counties already fit the agency’s definition of a high transmission rate. More will likely follow. --------------------------------------------------------------- SPONSORED CONTENT FROM VANGUARD PERSONAL ADVISOR [Want More Money to Spend in Retirement? Vanguard Advisors Can Help]( At Vanguard, we're invested in you. Which is precisely why we've created Vanguard Personal Advisor Services®, providing remote access to expert financial advisors, real-time goal tracking, and more confidence you'll meet your goals. There's never been a more perfect time to [get started](. [READ MORE]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Infection rates have risen rapidly in a number of states, and the hardest hit areas, such as Southeast Louisiana and Jacksonville, Fla. are approaching the highest rates of last winter. The Delta variant is highly transmissible because those infected carry higher viral loads in their airways, which can then be expelled into the air around them. However, what rises fast may come down fast. Infection rates in the U.K. are falling quickly after a surge that lasted seven weeks, from the beginning of June to mid-July. As we said here Monday, this is one of the tightest periods on the [earnings calendar]( with 35% of the S&P announcing quarterly results across the week. Apple ([AAPL]( ranks among the spotlight reports. It didn’t disappoint, delivering what Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called a “gold medal” performance. Revenues of $81.4 billion (+36% year-over-year) topped expectations for $77 billion and profits of $1.30 per share (+100%) were well ahead of a $1.05 per share estimate. Sales of iPhones reached $39.6 billion to top estimates by roughly $5.5 billion. “We essentially view this quarter as the second half and the start of the back stretch of the 5G supercycle and a ‘drop the mic’ quarter for Apple,” says Ives, who rates the stock at Outperform (equivalent of Buy) and has a $185.00 price target on the stock, implying 26% upside over the next 12 months. “The outlook was healthy and clearly cautioned with chip shortage comments, a prudent and smart approach heading into its next iPhone launch in September. We believe this quarter is a great next step in driving this stock to a $3 trillion market cap over the next year as the Street further digests the numbers and pent-up demand story in Cupertino.” Free download, [The Kiplinger Letter's Forecast](. No information required from you. SPONSORED CONTENT FROM SMARTASSET [7 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Hiring a Financial Advisor]( Working with a financial advisor is a crucial part of any retirement plan, but most people make these avoidable mistakes when hiring one. [READ MORE]( LATEST INVESTING NEWS FROM KIPLINGER.COM [How to Go to Cash]( [10 First-Class Fintech Stocks to Watch]( [5 Auto Parts Stocks to Invest In a Booming Industry]( [Tax-Free Weekends (or Weeks) for Back-to-School Shopping]( [Build a Better Portfolio in 2021 -- Sign Up for Kiplinger's Free Investing E-Newsletters]( [Kiplinger] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( Send this to a friend. [Click here.]( All content ©2021 The Kiplinger Washington Editors 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 1000 Washington, D.C. 20005 Thank you for subscribing to Kiplinger's A Step Ahead, a free resource to help readers navigate the economic recovery from COVID-19. If you ever wish to stop receiving this service, please [click here to unsubscribe](.