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Rising interest rates, inflation, and currency fluctuations have slammed tech stocks this year. And while Apple (AAPL) is certainly feeling the pain shares are off 20% year to date its fared better than its peers, which are down as much as 30%, and in Metas (META) case, 60%.

But according to BofA Global Researchs Wamsi Mohan, things could get uglier for Apple in the coming months as consumers pull back on spending on pricey gadgets.

The argument is being made that the high-end consumer is resilient, and hence Apple should also be commensurately resilient, Mohan told Yahoo Finance Live. The issue, really, that we see is that consumer spend is weakening, even within Apples own install base.

Despite the fact that the broader economy is flailing, Apple posted impressive revenue numbers during Q3, beating analysts expectations and delivering record revenue for the quarter on the strength of its iPhone revenue in July.

In September, Apple released its iPhone 14 lineup, which has a higher starting price, $799, than the iPhone 13 lineup, which started at $699 iPhone thanks to the now-discontinued iPhone mini.

Apple is also hoping to get more consumers to make the jump to its pricier Pro series phones this time around. The company outfitted the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max with newer processors, three cameras, and the new multitasking-capable Dynamic Island, while giving the standard iPhone 14 and 14 Plus the same processor as last years iPhone 13, two cameras, and no Dynamic Island.

The upgrades are designed to get people to buy the more expensive phone, driving up the iPhones average selling price, helping Apple drive revenue growth. But Mohan says there are already signs of some weakness among Apples core consumers.

A customer talks to sales assistants in an Apple store as Apple Inc's new iPhone 14 models go on sale in Beijing, China, September 16, 2022. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

The App Store grew about 4 or 5 points in Q2. [Its] going to be down 2% in Q3, and this is the install base of users catering specifically to Apple, Mohan said. So whats very clear is that this is not just sort of some low-end consumer problem. We have a broader spending deceleration thats happening across sort of the broader swath of the ecosystem.

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Apples sales typically peak in Q4 as consumers buy up everything from iPhones and Apple Watches to iPads and Macs in time for the holidays. And thats not going to change this year. After that, though, is when Mohan says the company could start feeling the squeeze.

As you look into March and June, we think the real problems start to emerge then in terms of just the weakening and the rate and pace of change in consumer appetite for electronics, Mohan explained. We already see high-frequency data thats showing that these elements are slowing.

One area Apple could experience particular slowdown is in its Mac and iPad businesses. Like other consumer tech companies, Apple saw Mac and iPad sales explode during the pandemic as everyone from workers to students sought out devices to stay connected during months of office and school shutdowns.

Now that those consumers have their devices, though, they wont need to upgrade for quite some time, which could make for some tough revenue comparisons in the coming quarters.

Despite broader economic volatility, shares of Apple have outperformed other Big Tech stocks in 2022. While Apple has fallen some 20% year-to-date, its still doing better than the S&P 500, which is off 22%.

Microsoft, meanwhile, is down 28%, while Amazon and Alphabet are off 30% and 31%, respectively. Meta? Thats down 58% thanks to a combination of slowing ad sales and Apples privacy changes, which have ravaged the stock.

Apple reports its Q4 earnings after the bell on Oct. 27.

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Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

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Apple consumers are cutting back on spending: Analyst - Yahoo Finance

At the end of a "heartbreaking" week that began with an expos of abuse and a re-triggering of trauma, and on a night that began with statements against sexual violence and racism, then a moment of silence for a tragedy, it would have been easy, perhaps even appropriate, to forget that there is joy in sport.

It would have been easy to see and hear Becky Sauerbrunn speak, and to read about the "horrifying" things that powerful men have done to wonderfully talented women, and feel despondence.

But then, at 8 p.m. in London on Friday, with 76,893 fans watching in person and millions more on TV, the U.S. and England women's national teams played a soccer game, and all was momentarily forgotten or, rather, remembered.

"I do want to remind everyone," Lindsey Horan had said earlier in the week, after a round of questioning about the Yates report, "that this game is so incredibly cool."

A couple days later, she and two dozen others explained with their feet and their brains and their skill why.

The game ended 2-1 to England, and snapped a 21-game American unbeaten streak. Without video review, it would have been 2-1 to the U.S. But the result did not really matter. "This is not actually an important game," U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said Thursday. "But ... it's a good show," he said, and a "statement in women's sports."

And what a show it was. England was slick and progressive, and very much proved that it will challenge the U.S. for global supremacy next summer. The USWNT, even without half of its first-choice starters, was consistently dangerous and, although second-best, very much up for the battle.

The Lionesses scored first. U.S. center back Alana Cook made a mistake. And Beth Mead made her pay, as world-class teams tend to do.

But Sophia Smith, playing as a No. 9 in the absence of Alex Morgan, Mallory Pugh and Catarina Macario, answered.

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Smith, who at 22 years old is both the future and the present of the USWNT, was excellent all evening, even in an unnatural position. England couldn't cope with her speed and her sharpness.

But the hosts more than coped with the occasion. They handled a strong American midfield, and controlled some early stages of the game, and bossed possession.

They went ahead again later in the first half on a penalty, awarded after a slight tap of a high boot to Lucy Bronze's face.

The U.S. equalized soon thereafter, only to have an exquisite break spearheaded by Smith, made by Megan Rapinoe and finished off by Trinity Rodman nullified by an unseeable offside call.

The first half was end-to-end. It was brilliant entertainment. The second half was slightly more subdued, but nonetheless full of quality.

It was all a wonderful advertisement for the sport, and well worth the price of admission for the record-breaking crowd by far the most for a friendly played by either team, and the third-most for a USWNT match ever that paid it in less than 24 hours.

"The level of football right now is just insane," Rapinoe said Thursday of the women's game worldwide. Friday's match proved her point.

And it wasn't reason to worry about the USWNT's chances at a World Cup three-peat in 2023. It was reason to celebrate.

Oh, and it was a refresher. "Obviously, it was an extremely difficult week for everybody," Andonovski said. "Im proud of the players to even be on the field to play this game. ... I applaud their bravery, and their fearless mentality, and relentlessness. Once again, they showed that nothing can stop them from playing the game that they love."

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After 'heartbreaking' week, USWNT and England put on a record-breaking show at Wembley - Yahoo Sports

Retailers are gearing up for the impending holiday shopping season, and according to one analyst, Walmart (WMT) is the one most likely to dominate.

The company "has a lot of tools at its disposal to gain more wallets here, like Walmart Plus can be aggressive on price," UBS US Hardline & Broadline and Food Retail Analyst Michael Lasser told Yahoo Finance Live (video above). "It's got a lot of inventory. And so, I think Walmart is positioned to win over the holiday season."

The current inflationary environment in the U.S., which saw the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for August hit 8.3%, has led to shoppers pulling back on spending in many categories. As a result, even the more affluent customers have turned to stores that offer lower prices.

"I think Walmart believes it has the right to win more wallet share with those consumers," Lasser said, adding that "the implication of a recession for a retailer like Walmart is that it's going to benefit. There's no better way for a consumer to stretch a dollar through lower prices than going to Walmart."

The company announced in Septemberit plans to hire an additional 40,000 employees for the holidays despite current margin pressures.

It's significantly lower than the 150,000 employees that were hired last year for the holidays, but Lasser said it's still a "prudent" strategy on Walmart's end.

Consumer appetite for holiday spending has seemingly increased, according to a consumer spending survey conducted by Stifel, while net discretionary spending intentions ticked up by 10% in mid-September.

"There's a lot of uncertainty with the consumer," Lasser said. "Also, keep in mind a lot of the sales gains that have been driven throughout retail and Walmart have been due to inflation rather than transactions. So when you're seeing increases in the amount spent per transaction or amount spent per consumer, you don't need as much labor to process those transactions."

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A Walmart worker organizes products for Christmas season at a Walmart store in Teterboro, New Jersey, REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

On top of that, Lasser noted, the company has invested more in its technology to increase efficiency for its existing workers. These courses of action allow the company to be more aggressive in other areas of the business during the holiday shopping season.

As competitors like Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) falter, Walmart can capitalize on those struggles by gaining market share.

"In a more challenging overall retail landscape, it's likely there's going to be more consolidation," Lasser said. "The marginal retailers are going to maybe have a difficult time surviving. That would leave more share for Walmart to gain. And in any of those scenarios, a tough environment is good for Walmart."

Ethan is a writer for Yahoo Finance.

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Walmart is 'positioned to win' in the holiday shopping season: Analyst - Yahoo Finance

In the hours after the Capitol riot nearly two years ago, 147 US lawmakers voted to overturn the 2020 election effectively buttressing the false case of Donald Trump and his supporters who had resorted to violence.

The outcry from corporate America came quickly, with hundreds of companies vowing to stop donations to lawmakers who would eventually be known by opponents as the "sedition caucus."

While the backsliding began within months, two reports out in recent days show how most of those companies reversed course and resumed those donations. The reports come just weeks before midterm elections that will determine which party controls the House of Representatives and the Senate.

One compilation from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) found that out of nearly 250 companies that said they'd no longer support election deniers, more than two-thirds have resumed donations at this point.

Another analysis from a group called Accountable.US highlights companies that have given in August for the first time since the riot. New names there include the PACs for Allstate (ALL) and Mastercard (MA).

The continued checks come as Republicans are expected to regain some power in Washington even after a few good months for Democrats. Those months have included a relatively robust job market and the passage of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, which tackles climate change, lowers prescription drug prices, and shores up funding for the Internal Revenue Service.

We've gone from a red wave to a red puddle or a red trickle, however you want to frame it, but I am still as confident as ever that the House of Representatives is going to flip, BTIG Director of Policy Research Isaac Boltansky recently told Yahoo Finance Live.

It's likely some companies have reversed course to court some of these soon-to-be prominent Republican lawmakers. Insurance giant Allstate is just one example. They pledged to suspend contributions in 2021 and then monitor and measure each lawmakers ongoing conduct. Then, this August, the company's political arm gave money to Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Earl Buddy Carter (R-GA), who both voted not to certify Joe Bidens victory.

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Likewise, Mastercard suspended donations in 2021 and promised to continue to review the criteria that inform our political contributions to ensure they reflect our values. In August, its money went to figures in both parties, including Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), who also voted against certification.

Allstate and Mastercard didn't respond to requests for comment from Yahoo Finance.

If Republicans take control of Congress in 2023, lawmakers who receive these checks could wield considerable influence. Both Norman and Luetkemeyer serve on the influential House Financial Services Committee. Meanwhile, Luetkemeyer is also the ranking member on the House Small Business Committee, while Carter aims to chair the House Budget Committee in 2023.

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) during a hearing on Capitol Hill in 2020. (J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In total, Accountable.US says that Fortune 500 companies and corporate trade associations have now sent $27.3 million to these lawmakers, with $1.6 million in donations in August alone.

The group says that candidates could pay in November, pointing to a poll from this summer from Data for Progress, a liberal polling outfit, that found a majority of voters would be less likely to buy from companies knowing that they'd given to election deniers.

Its clear many companies believe it is worth risking their bottom line just to curry favor with more politicians, no matter what theyve done to undermine democracy, Accountable.US spokesperson Lindsey Melki said in a statement.

The researchers at CREW peg the total donations at $44 million, higher than the figure Accountable.US provided. CREW counts donations directly to campaigns as well donations to Republican leadership PACs, which use the funds to support many of these same lawmakers. CREW adds that companies and trade associations that had pledged to suspend donations have given more than $12 million alone.

Back in 2021, one might have thought that election deniers would be become pariahs. But nearly two years later, the opposite has largely happened. A recent New York Times reconstruction of that historic vote and its aftermath finds election denial has instead become a badge of honor and, for many Republicans, a requirement for advancement within the party.

These lawmakers have also been rewarded with a surge of money coming in from GOP grassroots donors in addition to the corporate donations filling their coffers.

Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

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Even more companies that pledged not to give to 'sedition caucus' have reversed course - Yahoo Finance

For years in the center of the Odell Beckham Jr. universe, Von Miller has been the bellwether.

If you wanted to know where Beckhams head was at when things were falling apart with the New York Giants or never really coming together with the Cleveland Browns, the people in Beckhams closest circle usually had the same opinion: They might not know precisely what Beckham was thinking, but there was little doubt who did.

Listen to Von Miller.

The suggestion was simple. Even if Miller wasnt willing to violate the trust that the two friends shared and tell exactly what was going on, he almost certainly would drop a hint from time to time. Arguably no other NFL player has been consistently closer to Beckham over the course of his career. The two talk regularly. Theyve worked out and rehabbed together in the offseasons. Their families are close. And they finally achieved a longstanding dream in the 2021 season, playing and winning a Super Bowl together with the Los Angeles Rams, then putting a cherry on top of it all by teaming up with Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald to actually help design the gargantuan world championship rings that followed.

It's why when Miller surprisingly left the Rams in the offseason during free agency, the people who knew the pair best couldnt help but be skeptical that Beckham was a lock to return to Los Angeles when his surgically repaired knee was rehabbed for the second half of the 2022 season. As much as the Rams wanted Odell back and remained confident that hed run it back this season, the people inside the circle with Beckham and Miller kept cracking a seemingly unlikely door open. After all, Miller has always been a trusted and sometime persuasive friend in Beckhams life and vice-versa. So much so, there was even a moment in the summer of 2020 that Miller broached the idea of figuring out a way to join Beckham in Cleveland. Beckham pushed back hard on that, perhaps anticipating the implosion that ultimately resulted in his release from the franchise last season.

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But as soon as Miller was traded to the Rams in early November, those inside Beckham's circle started reiterating that age old message: Listen to Von Miller.

Buffalo's Von Miller could be a great recruiter for the Bills in a potential acquisition of free-agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

There was little doubt he was already recruiting Beckham, and he was doing it at the very moment the wideout was trying to force his way off Clevelands roster. Within two weeks, both had exactly what they wanted. The Browns relented and agreed to release Beckham, and Miller and Ramsey immediately rolled out the red carpet between California and Ohio.

All of this is more a matter of history than secret, of course. The friendship and influence the two players have on each other has been chronicled before. But its an important piece of history in the coming days, because Beckhams free agency is expected to heat up heading into November. And despite the torn ACL that occurred in Februarys Super Bowl win, its going to be a crowded room that comes calling. Not just because of what Beckham showcased in his brief mercenary stint with the Rams last season, but also because the middle ranks of the league are bursting with teams in need of an adrenaline shot. A lot of good teams could use a talented wideout who had such a dramatic impact in the red zone last season.

The Rams could certainly use him. So could the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and a handful of other offenses experiencing a 2022 roller coaster with their top-tier quarterbacks. And you can be certain that Beckham is keeping an eye on all of them, too. He already admitted as much on Twitter on Thursday, during an exchange with former NFL player Marcus Spears.

In the exchange, Beckham asked Spears to remove the Dallas Cowboys franchise that Spears used to play for and offer his top five destinations. Spears replied with (you could have guessed it), the Chiefs, Packers, Rams, Buffalo Bills and Ravens. Beckham replied, we see eye to eye with a pair of smiling emojis that were high-fiving each other.

(You have to love social media for the free agency theater.)

As much as this was an important little tip from Beckham, there may have been another that was more telling. And that was when Miller told reporters Wednesday that he like the fit between Beckham and the Bills, and already believes he knows where Odell is likely headed.

"I talk to him probably every week, Miller told reporters. I check in with him, keep in touch with him. OBJ, hes a vet in this league, too. He understands teams and the way teams are built, too. Im sure when he looks at our team he can see himself fitting on our team. Hes going on tour now. Hes going to [the] Giants' practice facility, and the Saints, Tampa and all that stuff, which you should. You should go around, see the league and get the love.

"Hes still on Super Bowl tour. Hes done just about everything in this league. You want to go around and get the love. Me, personally, the way I like to think, I think when its time to start chopping the block, I think when its time to get down [to] business, we already know where hes going to be at. In my eyes, I think I know where hes going to be at.

Odell Beckham Jr. shares a moment with Tom Brady on Sept. 18, in New Orleans. Could his Super Bowl tour include a visit to Tampa? (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)

Miller isnt sitting there with reporters talking up Beckham because he thinks hes going to end up back with the Rams or sign up with one of Buffalos top competitors. Hes saying it because he thinks or knows that Buffalo is the destination. Hes effectively saying, I want Odell to go out there and enjoy the courtship and attention, but I also know hes coming home at the end of the night. And home is in Buffalo.

That is the classic Von Miller bellwether moment. And it makes sense because the Bills arent a difficult sell at this stage. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Josh Allen, who can improvise into massive game-breaking plays and he also represents an upgrade over Matthew Stafford. The Bills have a sick defense and a dominant No. 1 wideout, which guarantees that Beckham isnt signing up to become the focal point of defenses. They have a coaching staff and fan base that connects deeply with the players. They also have an ability to add a piece at the trade deadline and cement an already top-tier shot to win the Super Bowl.

Oh, and lest we forget, they also have arguably Beckhams closest friend in the NFL, Von Miller, who is leading the recruiting.

This union might not be an absolute lock in early October after all, there is a lot of time left on the schedule and plenty can go wrong in the next month but its about as close as you get. Respect what history tells you about this situation and pay attention to the bellwether. The Odell Beckham Jr. recruitment is bound to be fun. But it also might be over before it starts.

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Odell Beckham Jr.'s recruitment is about to heat up for NFL teams. One already has a significant edge. - Yahoo Sports

Russell Wilson cant be this bad, can he?

Hes playing this poorly. That isnt in dispute. Hes completing just 59.4 percent of his passes this season and has just four touchdowns against three picks in five games. Thursday, Denver dropped to 2-3 after failing to score a touchdown in a 12-9 overtime loss to a hapless Indianapolis team.

It ended when Wilson apparently didnt notice (pre- or post-snap) a wide open K.J. Hamler and instead, threw into traffic on fourth-and-1. It was batted down.

I could have walked in, Hamler said.

Maybe most telling is that at the end of the game, Hamler slammed his helmet in frustration in the end zone. That means a 23-year-old playing in his 20th NFL game had no problem showing up and then calling out a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and nine-time Pro Bowl selection with a $245 million contract.

(Amazon Prime)

Thats how bad Russell Wilson is, mired in the worst stretch of play of an otherwise impressive career. Its possible his own teammates dont respect or believe in him.

So yes, he can play this bad. But he cant be this bad, can he?

As in, is this or not much better what he is going to be the rest of this season or, perhaps, even in future seasons?

Or to flip the question, did Pete Carroll and Seattle Seahawks recognize Wilson was on a career slide and rather than just hope he would return to form as he entered his mid-30s (he turns 34 next month) just decided to unload him while his name could still fetch a haul?

If so, quarterback-desperate Denver, perhaps believing this would be another Peyton Manning late-career jolt of talent and leadership, was the perfect unknowing mark. The Broncos sent three players and five draft picks, including two firsts and two seconds, to Seattle in exchange for Wilson and a fourth-round pick. They then signed him to a quarter-billion dollar contract.

What they have gotten so far is a shell of what they envisioned.

This is the worst completion percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio and the second-worst adjusted completion percentage (accounting for drops) and yards-per-attempt of Wilsons career. In a sign of his difference-making ability, just 3.8 percent of his passes rate as Big Time Throws per Pro Football Focus, by far a career low and down from 8.5 percent in 2018.

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Seattle, meanwhile, is 2-2 with journeyman Geno Smith, who is completing 77.3 percent of his passes and has tossed six touchdowns against just two picks. He currently grades out as the No. 1 quarterback in the league per PFF (Wilson is 26th), and while no one thinks that will hold, its still something.

Additionally, the two draft selections from the Broncos that Seahawks have already used look good first-rounder Charles Cross is already a starter on the offensive line and second-round defensive end Boye Mafe has a sack and 10 solo tackles in four games.

If the trends continue, then Carroll pulled off one of the great trades in recent history.

There certainly were signs that this was possible. Most notably, Wilson had struggled of late with deep balls. The first eight years of his career, his season completion average for passes over 20 yards was 44.7 percent and was at 50.0 as recently as 2018. The last two in Seattle it was down to 38.7, and sits at just 34.5 this year.

That severely limits the offense, as does his diminishing ability to run the ball, a major weapon early in his career. Both his yards per carry (4.3) and total rushes more than 10 yards (9) last season in Seattle were the second-worst of his career. (Hes averaging 4.3 yards per carry again this season.)

In Seattle, he complained about protection and usage and all sorts of things, but eventually Carroll soured on the concept of letting Russ cook and clearly decided the franchise was better off without him.

There is also the issue of age. Tom Brady (45), Aaron Rodgers (38) and a few others, such as Manning and Drew Brees, have changed the perception of just how long someone can be an elite quarterback in the NFL. Historically though, just reaching the mid-30s is an accomplishment and a slow fade in production is not uncommon.

Its not Wilsons fault that he may be like most players and not some of these freaks. If so, however, then Denver bought a quarterback that they may have assumed had six to eight years in him, but really doesnt.

Who knows, though.

This is still Russell Wilson and we are just five games into him joining a new team with a rookie coach. As bad as he has played so far, and no matter how many boos that Bronco fans have rained down on him and the offense, it can always turn around.

Wilson has talent. Wilson has history.

Denver has to hope that both are still in him, which remains, no matter the early season struggles, a reasonable expectation.

Because Russell Wilson cant really be this bad. Can he?

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Russell Wilson cant be this bad, can he? - Yahoo Sports

Houston quarterback Clayton Tune finished 36-of-57 with 366 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception. (AP Photo/Justin Rex)

Few teams have been more disappointing than Houston this season, but the Cougars found a way to surprise everyone on Friday.

Entering the week with a 2-3 record despite being ranked to start the season, Houston was eventually staring at a fourth loss against Memphis. The Tigers took a 26-7 lead into the fourth quarter with Houston again looking in disarray.

Amazingly, Memphis would score on every drive for the rest of the game, but that didn't stop Houston. It responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive but failed the two-point attempt to shrink the deficit to 26-13. Memphis responded with a field goal, and then things started to get bananas.

Jayce Rogers gave Houston an instant touchdown with a 100-yard return. After another failed two-point attempt, the score was 29-19.

Another Memphis field goal followed, at which point Houston was down 13 points with around four minutes to work with. Much of that time got eaten on the ensuing 12-play, 75-yard drive that saw the Cougars convert a seven-yard and 11-yard fourth-down attempt.

Then came a touchdown from Clayton Tune to KeSean Carter. The score was 32-26 Memphis.

Then came a successful tip-drill onside kick.

Then, finally, the game-winning touchdown, again from Tune to Carter.

All told, Houston scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with two in the final two minutes. That'll make for a fun Friday night in Memphis.

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Houston stuns Memphis with 19-point, 4th-quarter comeback on the road - Yahoo Sports

We've reached Week 6 of the college football season. It's an intriguing slate with a few ranked matchups, other intriguing conference games and some weird betting lines. Let's take a look as to where the action is coming in at BetMGM ahead of kickoff this weekend.

The Tennessee Volunteers enter Week 6 as a 3-point road favorite at LSU in a battle between two ranked teams. Coming off a bye week last week, Tennessee is 4-0 with victories over Florida and Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, LSU has rebounded with four straight wins after losing their opener to Florida State.

Despite that, bettors are siding with the road team. Currently at BetMGM, 76% of bets and 72% of the money is backing Tennessee to cover as a 3-point road favorite. No team on Saturday's slate has received more bets or more money than the Vols. Despite that, this line is down from the opening number of 3.5 points.

If Tennessee can get its offense going, it's hard to envision a world where LSU can keep up. Hendon Hooker is 13-to-1 to win the Heisman and has the fourth-best odds behind CJ Stroud, Caleb Williams and Bryce Young. However, over the years, a lot of good offenses have gone into Death Valley and been slowed down.

Some might be worried about a potential look-ahead situation for Tennessee. They host Alabama next week. However, I think the bye week alleviates any of those concerns. It'd be pretty hard to come out of a bye week unfocused on your next opponent.

Hendon Hooker and Tennessee are the most popular bet ahead of Week 6 of the college football season. (Donald Page/Getty Images)

Which game has received the most betting action ahead of Saturday? That would be none other than the surprising matchup between two ranked teams in the Big 12. No game has received more betting action than the matchup between Kansas and TCU.

Can Kansas' magical start to the season continue? Bettors aren't so sure. Currently at BetMGM, 61% of bets and 72% of the money is backing TCU to cover as a 6.5-point favorite. That line is up a little after opening at 5.5 points earlier this week.

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TCU is coming off an impressive blowout victory over Oklahoma to improve to 4-0. Through four games, the Horned Frogs are averaging 48.5 points per game. Kansas might be the most surprising team in the country, as the Jayhawks are off to a 5-0 start. However, they were rather fortunate last weekend. Iowa State missed three field goals, including a game-tying attempt in the final minute.

Bettors are also expecting points in this game. At BetMGM, 72% of the money is on this game to go over 68.5 points. The total is up one point from where it opened.

Which other teams are receiving a majority of the betting action ahead of Saturday?

It's an eye-popping line in the Red River Rivalry, as Texas is a 9-point favorite over Oklahoma. Quinn Ewers will return at quarterback for the Longhorns, while Dillon Gabriel is questionable for the Sooners. These teams usually play close games, but 82% of the money is on Texas to cover as a 9-point favorite. Additionally, 77% of the money is on the game to go over 65.5 points.

UCLA won outright as a home underdog last week against Washington, but bettors don't expect that to happen again this week. Currently, 63% of bets and 71% of money is on Utah to cover as a 3.5-point road favorite. The line opened at 2.5 points but has gone through the key number of three.

Bettors expect Michigan to roll, as 71% of bets and 81% of the money is on Michigan to cover as a 22.5-point favorite against Indiana.

Georgia has struggled in back-to-back weeks, so bettors are taking Auburn as a 29.5-point underdog against the Bulldogs. At BetMGM, 73% of bets are backing Auburn.

Ohio State is a 27-point favorite against Michigan State, and bettors are having no issue laying those points. Currently, 91% of the money is on Ohio State to cover the spread.

Kansas State is a 2-point road favorite against Iowa State, and bettors are rolling with the road team. Currently, 86% of bets and 88% of the money is on the Wildcats.

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College football betting: Tennessee is the most popular bet of Week 6 - Yahoo Sports

(Bloomberg) -- The conventional wisdom with stock bulls is that prices will take off when the Federal Reserve wins its fight against inflation. But the end of surging consumer costs could unleash another round of bad news.

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A small chorus of researchers has for months warned of a potential hazard to earnings should the campaign to tamp down inflation succeed. Specifically, the squeeze on margins that could occur should an indicator known as corporate operating leverage suffer in an environment where sales flatten out.

The indicator is a measure of the difference between a companys fixed and variable costs. It can turn negative in the wake of peak inflation when some of a companys costs remain high but isnt able to offset them by raising prices because demand has faltered.

While earnings held up surprisingly well throughout the pandemic and powered a number of bear market rallies, a fall in operating leverage could prove to be the final hazard that brings stocks to their eventual lows, according to a team of Morgan Stanley strategists led by Mike Wilson.

Thinking about the areas of inflation that are likely to remain more resilient into next year (shelter, wages, certain services) and the areas that are likely to decelerate (goods) does not paint a constructive picture for S&P 500 margins, in our view, Wilson, one of Wall Streets biggest equity bears, wrote in a recent note to clients.

Operating leverage, which his team measured by subtracting sales growth from earnings per share growth, is unlikely to stay positive in the coming quarters, according to his team. And while hes one of the many sell-side analysts voicing concerns of a margin contraction, consensus estimates are still positive for next year.

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Equity analysts expect earnings to increase 5.56% for the first quarter of 2023 versus a 5.48% jump in sales as margins expand. The pattern currently holds for the full year 2023 as well: earnings are anticipated to rise more than sales as operating leverage remains positive.

Credit Suisse AGs Jonathan Golub stands with Wilsons view. While explaining his recent S&P 500 price target downgrade, he wrote that declining CPI combined with sticky wages should lead to a margin contraction.

Wilsons team has been arguing for months that the ultimate low for stocks will not be determined by the Fed, but by the growth trajectory of earnings. He sees the S&P 500 bottom in a 3,000- to 3,400-point range occurring later in 2022 or early next year.

Read More: Morgan Stanleys Wilson Says Stocks Can Get a Lift Into Earnings

While stocks have shed more than 22% year to date, a number of sell-side analysts say bad earnings news has already been priced in, and earnings could actually surprise and rise. Global 12-month forward earnings have been revised down every month in the last quarter. To Jim Paulsen of The Leuthold Group -- an ardent stock bull -- the fact that profit margins broke historical patterns and held up while inflation has soared means they may not be due to come down after all.

But to Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, profit margins may take a hit as companies lose their power to raise prices sufficiently enough to offset high fixed costs.

Inflation especially early in the cycle tends to mean pricing power for companies, Sonders said. Demand is strong and spending is strong. Thats great news for earnings. If then you lose the demand side and you lose the inflation which helps boost prices, thats when you can run into trouble.

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Wall Street Is Missing the Risk to Stocks If Inflation Is Beaten - Yahoo Finance

Eight years ago, 13-year-old George Pickens watched Odell Beckham Jr. make one of the most incredible catches in NFL history. He saw it on television first, like the majority of football fans, and then kept watching Beckham on YouTube.

All throughout middle school and high school in Alabama, Pickens watched and learned from some of the best wide receivers in the NFL through a computer or a phone screen. He saw how OBJ ran around defenders, or how Davante Adams released off the line, or even how Tavon Austin shifted around the field. Then, hed go out to his backyard and try to replicate it.

I knew how to run routes myself, but I started watching YouTube just to see how guys are getting open, different jukes, Pickens told Yahoo Sports recently. How are these guys, you know, making these types of moves like this?

Now that he's a pro, Pickens all but repeated the iconic OBJ catch in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns. He even got a shoutout from Beckham afterward on Twitter. And like Beckhams viral reception, everyone remembered the night not for the score, but for what Pickens did.

Pickens is the quintessential wide receiver in a new age for the position. Hes a rookie, but already ascending among another crop of young wideouts. The first three receivers taken in the 2022 draft already have more than 200 receiving yards each through four games. Pickens, a second-rounder, has 167 yards. Fourth-rounder Romeo Doubs has 184. Jahan Dotson, the fifth wideout taken in the first round, has four touchdowns.

Now more than ever, receivers are demonstrating their value quickly in their first or second seasons. It doesnt take 3-5 years for a receiver to evolve into a star anymore.

Justin Jefferson and JaMarr Chase broke Anquan Boldins 17-year-old rookie single-season receiving yards record in back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021. This past season, 12 wideouts under the age of 26 hit 1,000 receiving yards the most in NFL history.

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Its even harder to miss with a first-round receiver recently, too. Only three of the 15 receivers taken in the first round since 2018 NKeal Harry, Jalen Reagor and Henry Ruggs have yet to post an 800-yard season in at least 13 games. Seven of those 15 have already eclipsed 1,000 yards in a season.

The reasoning can be boiled down to two trends in football and a specific development in technology.

NFL wide receivers are adjusting to the pros faster than ever these days. (Michael Wagstaffe/Yahoo Sports)

Pro-style and pass-heavy offenses have quickly gained steam over the past 20 years at all levels of football, which in turn makes the receiver position inherently more valuable to a team and therefore more financially beneficial for a player. Also, the social media age created a world in which players can watch, rewatch and break down film from anywhere and on any device.

The dream, so to speak, has never been closer for many aspiring players.

Its impossible to look back at the past two decades and not see the rise of the passing game in the NFL. Attempts are up 9.4 percent during the 16-game schedule from 2000-2019 and hit 18,712 in the first season with 17 games in 2021. Passing touchdowns increased by 25.7 percent during that span as well and hit a high of 871 in the 2020 season.

This isnt just a team trend. The advent of the passing game signaled the shift from relying on running backs to receivers as well. There were 23 1,000-yard rushers in 2000 compared to 17 1,000-yard receivers. By 2011, there were 15 running backs to 17 wideouts to hit that mark, and the two positions continued to diverge until 2021, when there were 23 receivers to eclipse the mark and just seven running backs.

The growth of spread offenses at every level of football played a big role in teams leaning on pass-catchers. With an influence from the college ranks, high school coaches began adopting more pass-heavy 11- or 10-personnel groupings (four wideouts with just one running back and/or no tight ends) to fuel their offenses over the past decade. Players began going to more 7-on-7 camps as well which fed into the pass-heavy practice approach. This eventually led to players being exposed to more pro-style schemes much earlier in their development.

For example, Cincinnati Bengals star JaMarr Chase learned how to play in a spread offense during his sophomore year in 2016 at Rummell High School in Metairie, Louisiana. Head coach Jay Roth switched from a run-oriented offense to a scheme similar to the one Mike Norvell ran at the University of Memphis at the time, with no-huddle, up-tempo plays incorporating a wide range of routes for pass-catchers.

He had access to learning about an offense similar to what he might run in college or the next level, Roth told Yahoo Sports.

The same can be said for New York Jets rookie Garrett Wilson, who joined the Lake Travis High School varsity team as a sophomore in 2017 after switching from quarterback to wideout. Lake Travis and other schools in Texas had quickly shifted to the pro-style offense over the past 20 years, which head coach Hank Carter says gave Wilson a leg up when he went to Ohio State a few years later.

Coming out of high school, [Wilson] had a pretty decent foundation just for understanding how to control his body, running routes and all those things, Carter said. Garrett has been able to come in and adjust pretty quickly.

Rule changes helped receivers a lot, too. Defensive backs cant touch receivers more than 5 yards away from the line of scrimmage (something the NFL recently asked officials to pay more attention to this year) and defensive holding or pass interference penalties are much more prevalent. This has given receivers more freedom to move about the field and make plays in space.

Smaller pass-catchers became more important as a result, too. Its no longer a prerequisite to be at least 6 feet tall and more than 200 pounds to be a top-flight NFL receiver. From 2000-2010, there were 38 total 1,000-yard receivers under 6 feet. From 2011-2021, there were 62.

It doesn't matter if you 5-5 or 6-5 if you know how to begin to create separation from the release to top of the break, you know how to get open, know how to run routes and catch, Texas-based trainer Delfonte Diamond said. If I was an NFL coach, I wouldn't care about height.

Diamond, who has trained Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb since Lamb was 14, noticed the change of more prolific pass-catchers around 2011 as well. It wasnt random, either. That year also featured the accidental release of YouTube video that another receiver trainer, Tevin Allen, says ignited the revolution.

Allen is a South Florida-based trainer known as Gold Feet. He says he has trained more than 200 NFL wideouts, and remembers the social media video well. It was posted to YouTube during the 2011 NFL lockout and featured receiver greats like Chad Johnson, Andre Johnson and Santana Moss practicing with South Florida trainer Bo Smith.

The 6-minute, 40-second clip showed the wideouts, including a then-22-year-old Antonio Brown, going through the nuances of route-running, hand placement and footwork fundamentals effectively the secret formula to cracking the receiving code.

Up until that point, training was a closed world for young players looking to make it to the next stage unless they had connections or money, which neither Allen nor his friends had growing up, he said. The videos athletes posted wouldnt give away much, either, except for maybe how much weight they lift or how many hill sprints they run.

But when he and his friends watched the video, Allen saw for the first time how to build their future.

No one was really showcasing on Instagram for everyone to see what they actually did behind the scenes, Allen told Yahoo Sports. So as soon as that happened, it was kind of free game.

George Pickens' highlight-reel grab against the Browns is so much more than one play. (AP Photo/David Richard)

That video helped usher in a wave of trainers posting videos of their clientele on social media. Everything blew up further when Instagram added videos to its platform in 2013. Kids werent just following their favorite stars, they followed their favorite stars trainers. They watched and learned how the best football players in the world worked out and honed their craft. Right in the palm of their hands.

That exposure, coupled with the rise of pro-style offenses at a high school level, helped breed a new level of confidence and excitement among players who wanted to become NFL stars.

That original video was never suppose to see the light of day. Bo Turner, who was the trainer in the video, didnt want to give away his regimens and workout plans. Turner has helped train NFL players at various positions, including Chad Johnson, Devonta Freeman and Adam Thielen.

We never filmed that stuff because it's very, very vital information for any person that goes through these things, Turner said. If you can master these things, no one gonna be able to stop you at what you do.

It was a closed world 10 years ago. Now the world is completely open.

The wide receiver boom doesnt seem to be slowing down. Just look at the money teams have spent on pass-catchers over the past few years. The value of a receiver has never been higher, and young players are buying into the hype.

Longtime receivers coach Jerry Sullivan has watched it all unfold over his 40 years at the college and NFL levels. He has worked with players from Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald to Jefferson.

What's more exciting watching: a 70-yard drive when they're running the ball at 10-yard or 5-yard intervals and scoring, or watching a guy catch a 60-yard touchdown pass? Sullivan asked. Well, they go to the game for the 60-yard touchdown pass. It's like how a car in 2022 doesn't look like a car in 2001. It changes with people's tastes and people's taste now is speed and excitement.

And with all that action packed into a video on a phone, it's never been easier to turn backyard practice routes into a Thursday night NFL highlight catch. Just like what Pickens did a few weeks ago.

Think about this: It ain't the first time [Pickens] saw that catch, Sullivan said. I bet he looked at that old Odell Beckham catch probably a thousand times. And then knew how to do it. And when the time came, it worked out.

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Why are NFL wide receivers nowadays so good, so soon after coming into the league? - Yahoo Sports