When the crypto market stalls in a sideways trend, it doesn't mean opportunities for profit have vanished — they've just changed their address. This week, capital is flowing into traditional assets: stocks, oil, and targeted trades around quarterly earnings reports.

In focus is the fresh macroeconomic picture from the U.S., which sets the tone for the entire market. The July Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose only 0.1% month-over-month, while annual inflation slowed from 3.5% to 3.4%. Core inflation, excluding food and energy, also cooled — from 2.6% to 2.5%. Even more telling was the Producer Price Index (PPI): monthly growth came in at zero against a forecast of 0.2%, and the annual figure fell from 5.5% to 4.7%. The market instantly recalculated probabilities: the chance of the Fed holding rates in September is now estimated at roughly 68% versus 32% for a hike. A week earlier, the odds of a hike reached 55%.

Stock indices hit new highs

The reaction was swift. The S&P 500 updated its all-time highs, the tech sector recovered, and individual stocks gained 5–10% in a single day, some even 12%. Bitcoin, against this backdrop, looks like a bystander: after falling below $63,000, it's stuck in the $62,000–65,000 range. Weekly volatility of 3% is uninteresting for trading, and that's a telling signal. While crypto treads water, stocks are what you should be trading.

Targeted trades on tech giants

My shortlist for this week includes five key stocks, each with a specific scenario.

NVIDIA is trading around $225, with earnings due August 27. The working range is $220–240. If the price accelerates to $235–240 before or right after the report and buyers weaken, I'm ready to consider a short: losing the $220 level would quickly open the path to $210–212.

SpaceX — around $140, key zone $135–150. A breakout above $150 opens potential toward $160–170, while a drop below $135 would take the price into the $120–125 zone.

Microsoft — in the $495 area, watching the $485–510 zone. If the price fails to hold above $505–510, a correction to $485 and then to the $470–475 range is likely.

Google — around $346, working range $335–355. A breakout above $355 opens a target of $365–370.

Apple — around $306. Here, the $300–320 zone is interesting ahead of the September iPhone presentation. I expect a classic sell-the-news reaction after the announcement: if it runs to $315–320 and profit-taking begins, I'll look for a short near $300, $290, and $295.

Buying Bitcoin and Ethereum for the long haul

In spot, I continue accumulating BTC and ETH. There are no quality new fundamental projects on the market, and the crypto market has never been fundamental in the first place. A telling example is BlackRock, which allocates a maximum of 1% of investments to crypto — and only to Bitcoin and Ethereum, with not a single memecoin in the portfolio. Memecoin trading is a gamble dependent on market makers and manipulation that can't be analyzed. Stocks, on the other hand, react to earnings and economic data, making them more predictable.

Short on oil amid geopolitics

Brent oil is holding around $89 per barrel despite tensions in the Middle East. The market is balancing between the risk of supply disruptions due to the situation around the Strait of Hormuz and Iran, on one hand, and weak global demand with high U.S. inventories, on the other. It's this balance that keeps the price from settling above $90, although an escalation could quickly push quotes into the $90–95 zone.

My scenario builds from resistance. I'm watching the $84–85.50 zone: if demand is weak there, I'll consider a short with a stop at $86–87. The first target is $80–81, with main targets at $76 and $75, offering potential movement of more than 8%. I plan to enter no earlier than the start of the week: first, I'll see how markets open on Monday and how the price reacts to resistance.

Analog Devices: earnings August 19

Analog Devices — a chipmaker for industry, autos, data centers, and AI — reports on August 19 before the market opens. Investors expect revenue around $3.92–3.93 billion and earnings per share near $3.33–3.34.

For a truly strong reaction, we need revenue above $4 billion and EPS around $3.40–3.45 or higher. Such a scenario is quite possible: last quarter, the company posted strong results, and the data center business is growing rapidly.

Entry strategy: before the release, I place a limit buy order a few percent above the current price so the position only opens on a sharp move up on strong numbers. I don't set a take-profit in advance — I want to capture the strongest possible move and close the position manually based on the price reaction. I used a similar scheme, but in reverse, last week with SanDisk and WDC reports: after publication, their stocks lost more than 10%, and the short played out.

My takeaway: this week isn't about crypto, but about classic markets. The macroeconomic backdrop is clearly favoring risk assets, but with caution. The key is not to chase every trade, but to wait for a clear signal at key levels. The market always offers a second chance — the main thing is to preserve your capital until it comes.