Taylor Swift is reportedly generating nearly twice as much jersey search demand as her husband, Travis Kelce. This is according to a new study conducted across the US. The findings highlight how strongly Swift's connection to the NFL star continues to influence interest in football merchandise.
A new ******* ysis by Casino.guru found that searches for a "Taylor Swift jersey" account for around 77% of the search demand recorded for the most-searched NFL player jersey in the country. The figure would place Taylor Swift among the five most in-demand jersey searches if her name were compared directly with NFL players, the study said.
The research also found a notable gap between Swift and Travis Kelce. Searches for Swift's jersey were nearly twice as high as searches for Kelce's jersey across the US. "Search demand for Taylor Swift jerseys is also nearly twice as high as it is for husband Travis Kelce jerseys across the U.S.," Casino.guru data ******* yst Max Barlow wrote in the study. He added that the search volume would "place her inside the top five most in-demand jerseys if compared directly with NFL players."
According to the ******* ysis, Swift also generated more than twice the jersey interest of the state's leading NFL player, Jaxson Dart. However, the study measured online search volume to estimate potential sales interest rather than using audited retail sales figures.
The latest figures contrast sharply with the surge in Kelce's jersey sales after Swift attended one of his games in 2023. Swift watched Kelce play from a suite at Arrowhead Stadium on September 24, 2023. After her appearance, Fanatics told the ******* ociated Press that Kelce entered the NFL's top five jersey sellers. His merchandise sales jumped nearly 400% across Fanatics' sites, according to NPR. Before the surge, Kelce ranked around 19th among NFL jersey sellers.

#jersey #taylor #twice #travis

Any semblance of sizzle has been pounded out of McDonald's (MCD) stock.
Shares of the high-calorie fast food seller dropped below $230 for the first time in more than four years on Monday.
Today's move is being driven by a relatively bearish note from Guggenheim ******* yst Gregory Francfort.
"It seems difficult to get positive on shares now without better evidence of a catalyst path over the next 12 months," Francfort said. "1Q27 comparisons do seem to get a lot easier than the Street models, which could be a catalyst, but we would like to see fundamental reasons that MCD's franchisees are buying into entry level value menu efforts or ops improvements than can drive traffic."
Francfort maintained a Neutral rating on McDonald's stock.

#guggenheim

By Sam Tobin
LONDON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling British novelist and former politician who was jailed for lying in a high-profile libel case, died aged 86 on Monday, just one day before his final novel "Adam and Eve" was due to be published.
The confidant of ‌former prime minister Margaret Thatcher lived a life that swung from the heights of luxury and fame to the lows of a two-year stint in ‌prison for perjury over paying a woman for **** .
He sold more than 300 million copies of his books, spent a total of five and a half years on the New York Times bestseller lists and found fans around the world with his pacy thrillers, among them the 1976 debut "Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less" and 1979's mass-selling "Kane & Abel".
Publisher HarperCollins said Archer, who had met and signed books for fans in London's Leicester Square Theatre on Sunday and had been scheduled to speak at events this week, died "suddenly and peacefully at home ... between writing sessions".

#books #fans

Princess Eugenie has reportedly sidelined Meghan Markle amid the ongoing royal feud, and according to a source, Eugenie has allegedly decided to side with Prince William and Kate Middleton. She reportedly wants to stay out of the drama, but the Sussexes' return apparently left her no choice. The claims come after a signed copy of Meghan's children's book reportedly surfaced for sale online.
Princess Eugenie "had to take a stand" against Meghan Markle with a signed book, as per the source. According to New Idea, the copy of "The Bench" was originally listed by London seller Drive Easy's Signed Books. It allegedly featured a personalized message from the **** ss of Sussex to Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank. It was reported that the book was listed for $26,423 before the advertisement disappeared.
Reportedly, Eugenie was "horrified" and didn't know how the book ended up on the site. However, the outlet was told that it might not be as accidental as it seemed. With the tension between William and Prince Harry showing little signs of easing, insiders allegedly claimed that she was keen to make her loyalties clear.
A royal insider said, "Eugenie's always tried to stay out of controversy," but with Harry and Meghan apparently "on her doorstep" demanding a "catch up," she likely couldn't stay quiet anymore.
Meanwhile, it was claimed that Eugenie has been forced to apologize to Meghan. This allegedly happened after watchers spotted the personal inscription on the listing. It reportedly mentioned "the special bond between father and son." Meghan also wrote that she penned the poem at Frogmore and hoped Eugenie would witness the same love there.

#eugenie #signed #stay

Princess Eugenie was reportedly left "horrified" after a deeply personal gift from Meghan Markle mysteriously appeared on eBay with a staggering $26,500 asking price. The item was a copy of Meghan's children's book, "The Bench," apparently inscribed to Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, following the birth of their son August. After its discovery fueled speculation about the women's relationship, Eugenie allegedly contacted Meghan directly to apologize and insist that she had never knowingly sold or discarded the book.
MEGA
A source claimed Eugenie reached out after learning that the personalized book had surfaced online.
"Eugenie called Meghan herself. She was horrified the book had somehow ended up for sale," the insider told Rob Shuter's "Naughty But Nice" Substack, according to The Express US.
The source added that Eugenie made it clear she would never knowingly sell a personal present from Meghan. The **** ss reportedly accepted the explanation and did not blame her for the book appearing on eBay. Neither woman has publicly confirmed the alleged conversation, and it remains unclear how the seller obtained the copy. Its authenticity has also not been independently verified. Still, the reported phone call suggests Eugenie understood how the listing could look, particularly amid recent claims that her once-close relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan has cooled.

#reportedly #horrified #copy #never

Norman Mailer advocated for Jack Henry Abbott's release, believing in his literary talent after exchanging letters with him
Abbott was paroled in 1981 but killed a waiter six weeks later, prompting a two-month manhunt before his capture
Abbott's prison memoir, In the Belly of the Beast, became a bestseller despite his violent history and life sentence
Norman Mailer played a role in getting Jack Henry Abbott released from prison on parole in June 1981, only for the felon to commit another crime just months later.
Mailer was a writer, journalist and filmmaker whose career included 11 best-selling books, including The Armies of the Night, which won the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction as well as the National Book Award. Abbott, meanwhile, spent most of his childhood in reform schools and juvenile centers before being convicted of forgery as a teenager and later killing a fellow inmate in 1966.

#jack #prison #belly

A copy of Meghan Markle's The Bench that appears to have been inscribed to Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank surfaced for sale on eBay
The book, featuring a personal message apparently handwritten by Meghan, was listed for nearly $26,500 before the seller ended the listing
PEOPLE has not independently verified the inscription's authenticity or how the book came into the seller's possession
A copy of Meghan Markle's children's book The Bench that appears to have been personally inscribed to Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, surfaced for sale on eBay.
The listing, posted by Drive Easy's Signed Books, was ended by the seller on Friday, Oct. 2. It offered a copy of the ****** ss of Sussex's 2021 book for £19,999.99 (nearly $26,500).

#copy

This week, we're turning the lens back to the early 2000s — when pop culture icons defined a generation — tracing the journeys of some beloved stars who've largely stepped back from the Hollywood glare. From dramatic career pivots and meaningful personal challenges to unexpected comebacks, here's a look at the stories behind the faces you once couldn't escape on your screen.
MEGA
Once famed for her bubbly on-screen persona and stunning box-office success, Cameron Diaz stepped away from acting at the peak of her career to focus on her family and personal ventures, per The Hollywood Reporter. Always stylish, Diaz became just as celebrated for her off-screen life, including authoring two best-selling health books — The Body Book reached the No. 1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list shortly after its release in 2014, as reported by Audible.
MEGA
Amanda Bynes was a comedy sensation and one of the most beloved young actresses of her generation, starring in hit TV shows and films that defined youth culture. She first rose to prominence on Nickelodeon's All That at just 10 years old before landing her own series, The Amanda Show, per Today. Despite fame and awards, her later years brought struggles with mental health and a shift away from the spotlight, including a nearly decade-long conservatorship that was terminated by a judge in 2022, according to Salon. Bynes' journey has resonated with many, offering a reminder of resilience and the challenges of child stardom.

#diaz #amanda #bynes #back

Ken Urker, the partner of Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and father of their child, was found dead Thursday in Raceland, Louisiana. He was 34.
Captain Brennan Matherne of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Department said in a statement to Variety, "We responded to a residence at 107 Double H Drive, Lot 4, in Raceland today after receiving a call at 6:15 p.m. Kenan Urker, 34, was found dead upon arrival. At this time, we are continuing the death investigation."
More from Variety
Gypsy Rose-Blanchard Memoir 'My Time to Stand' Is a No. 1 Bestseller Following Release
Lifetime Finds Success With True, Sensitive Stories That Become Watercooler Sensations

#raceland #variety #found #dead

On September 18, Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) announced it will sell every share it holds in Alexforbes, a company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Two buyers are splitting the stake. Alexforbes will repurchase roughly 372.8 million shares itself, and ARC AF Holdings will take about 74.1 million more. The package is worth about $185 million, a small number for a company managing $1.642 trillion. But the message matters more than the money. A plan Prudential laid out in August is now turning into signed agreements.
The logic is easy to follow. Prudential wants to operate in fewer places and put its money, people and attention where it thinks it can win for years. Andy Sullivan, the chief executive, says the aim is to lean harder on ***** et management, retirement and protection, and get those units working together more closely. David Legher, who leads emerging markets, called Alexforbes a successful investment, so this reads as a planned exit rather than a retreat from a problem.
The core business is giving management room to be choosy. On August 4, Prudential reported second-quarter net income of $985 million, up from $533 million a year earlier. That happened even though a charge from the yearly ***** umption update grew to $299 million from $134 million, so the underlying engine ran strong enough to absorb a bigger hit. The company also returned $743 million to shareholders in the quarter and held $4.2 billion in highly liquid ***** ets at the parent level. That does not look like a seller in a hurry.
Start with what has not happened yet. The deals are expected to close in the first half of 2027, and they still need Alexforbes shareholders to approve the buyback, along with regulatory sign-off. Until then, $185 million is an agreed price, not cash in the bank. Prudential also said New Veld's involvement continues before completion, so the company stays tied to the ***** et for now.
Then there is the size. Set against those trillions in ***** ets, this sale will not move results either way. Its value is strategic, and strategy takes years to judge. Prudential is giving up a foothold in a partnership it called important, and its remaining businesses have their own snags. Sales in Prudential of ***** an are suspended, and management said that weighed on international results even as earnings held up.

#august #money

Markets have a familiar reflex when fear spreads through technology stocks. Investors wait to hear what Jim Cramer thinks.
This week, the fear did not come from a short seller or a regulator. It came from inside the AI industry itself, from one of its own leaders.
Cramer said Wednesday, Sept. 16, that he won't back away from the AI trade, according to CNBC. That comes despite a weekend essay from a top AI executive arguing that the technology is moving too fast.
He predicted spending on AI infrastructure will keep climbing, because the industry's two biggest labs are already turning that spending into real revenue. There's too much money at stake for them to stop now, the "Mad Money" host said.
The warning that shook markets came from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, not from a critic outside the industry. In an essay ****** led "We Must Pace the Frontier," Amodei wrote that we must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models.

#markets #pace #came

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Let's just come right out and say it: It's a good time to sell a registered investment advisor practice.
We've all read headlines about sky-high multiples and firm owners fielding multiple calls a day from potential suitors. It's an environment where successful founders can generate tremendous value from selling their firms. The process isn't simple, however, and there are pitfalls that owners can stumble into, potentially robbing them of hard-earned enterprise value.
Adam Lewis, partner at Vedder Price, talked through these dynamics this week during a standing-room only session at the Future Proof Festival in Huntington Beach, California. While he advises on M&A across multiple industries, the world of wealth management stands apart in 2026 as the "strongest by far" in terms of dealmaking activity. The entrance of private equity buyers in the RIA **** e has been particularly significant, with the heightened competition among buyers helping ramp up valuations. It's a great environment for sellers who hope to monetize their life's work to fund their retirement lifestyle and potentially create intergenerational wealth, Lewis said. But it's important to be diligent and bring the right expertise to the table during the negotiation process.
Sign up for The Daily Upside at no cost for premium **** ysis on all your favorite stocks.

#lewis

Financially challenged fast-food franchisees have been lining up to file for bankruptcy protection in 2026 to reorganize their businesses and restructure debt.
Hardee's Phoenix-based restaurant franchisee Superior Star LLC , filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 9, facing an alleged seller financing dispute, according to court papers. A burger chain rival, Checkers Drive-In franchisee C.S. Holdings of Tampa LLC, which operates two locations in Tampa, Fla., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reorganize its business on July 14.
Another Hardee's franchisee, ARC Burger LLC, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on April 20, 2026, after franchisor Hardee's Restaurants LLC sued the restaurant operator for alleged breach of contract, seeking to recover over $6.5 million in unpaid franchise fees and other obligations, according to Law.com.
And now, major Wendy's restaurant franchisee Meritage Hospitality Group Inc., which operates over 350 locations in 15 states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize its business and restructure its debt, almost 11 months after defaulting on its franchise agreements for failing to remit payments.
Meritage Hospitality and 14 affiliates filed their petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan on Sept. 17, 2026, listing $10 million to $50 million in **** ets and debts.

#chapter

SGOV, JPST, and VTIP create a layered cash reserve covering one to five years, shielding equities from forced sales in a bear market.
Drawdowns from 2000 to 2007 and 2008 to 2013 both lasted multiple years, proving one year of T-bills forces equity sales at the worst possible time.
VTIP adjusts principal with CPI and delivers a 2.42% real yield, protecting purchasing power when inflation surprises retirees in years four and five.
Read More: Learn 7 secret wealth tips high net worth investors use that most investors miss (sponsor)
You retired into a market that rewards patience and punishes forced sellers. The bucket strategy answers a single question: how much of your spending can you cover without touching stocks when the S&P falls 30%? Guess one year, and a prolonged drawdown forces you to sell equities at the bottom. Guess five, and you drag on returns. The middle path is a laddered cash reserve, and three ETFs do the heavy lifting: iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:SGOV), JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF (NYSEARCA:JPST), and Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (NASDAQ:VTIP).

#vtip

Updated Sept. 17, 2026 4:53 pm ET
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1006 ET – U.S. pending home sales fell 3.5% week-over-week to their lowest level in almost three years, Redfin says. Declining homebuying demand is giving buyers breathing room. It means less competition and more room to negotiate for the house hunters who are still shopping. New listings fell slightly, -0.5%, from a week earlier, but they’re still up 1.5% year-over-year, and there are still hundreds of thousands more home sellers than buyers in the market. More homes on the market equals less pressure on buyers to rush into a decision or pay more than they want. Home-sale prices are holding steady. The median home-sale price rose 2% year-over-year. That stability means prices aren’t soaring, and that sellers aren’t in immediate danger of home values dropping. (chris.wackwsj.com)

#still #fell #means

Nebius Group (NBIS) bounced 5% Wednesday but remains down 21% over the past month, raising the question of whether sellers have finally exhausted their case.
CoreWeave (CRWV) fell nearly 20% over the same period as NBIS, signaling a shared repricing of pure-play AI cloud names rather than a Nebius-specific problem.
Only buying that holds across multiple sessions, especially without CoreWeave rising in lockstep, would confirm a real floor rather than another failed bounce.
Read More: Avoid these 13 retirement mistakes before they derail your future (sponsor)
Shares of Nebius Group (NASDAQ:NBIS) are bouncing Wednesday, but the question worth asking is whether the move ends the slide or just adds to a string of one-day bids that haven't held. Nebius stock is still down sharply over the past month, and today's gain has to fit inside that context to matter.

#nbis #past #month #question

eBay Inc. (EBAY), headquartered in San Jose, California, operates marketplace platforms that connect buyers and sellers. With a market cap of $48.5 billion, the company's marketplace platform includes its online marketplace at ebay.com, off-platform businesses, and the eBay suite of mobile apps, focused on buying and selling electronics, cars, clothes, and collectibles.
Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as "large-cap stocks," and EBAY perfectly fits that description, with its market cap exceeding this mark, underscoring its size, influence, and dominance within the internet retail industry. EBAY maintains a strong competitive advantage through its global two-sided network effect and **** et-light marketplace model, which generates robust cash flow without inventory risk. It dominates specialized, non-standardized categories where tailored trust tools create high entry barriers for competitors.
Goldman Sachs Expects Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to Raise Rates This Week — But Not Because of Oil Prices.
Morgan Stanley Doubles Down on Apple Stock as New Offerings Become 'More Exciting'
The EV Bubble Has Burst. How to Play Rivian Stock Now.

#eBay #marketplace #california #goldman

eBay Inc. (EBAY), headquartered in San Jose, California, operates marketplace platforms that connect buyers and sellers. With a market cap of $48.5 billion, the company's marketplace platform includes its online marketplace at ebay.com, off-platform businesses, and the eBay suite of mobile apps, focused on buying and selling electronics, cars, clothes, and collectibles.
Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as "large-cap stocks," and EBAY perfectly fits that description, with its market cap exceeding this mark, underscoring its size, influence, and dominance within the internet retail industry. EBAY maintains a strong competitive advantage through its global two-sided network effect and **** et-light marketplace model, which generates robust cash flow without inventory risk. It dominates specialized, non-standardized categories where tailored trust tools create high entry barriers for competitors.
Goldman Sachs Expects Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to Raise Rates This Week — But Not Because of Oil Prices.
Morgan Stanley Doubles Down on Apple Stock as New Offerings Become 'More Exciting'
The EV Bubble Has Burst. How to Play Rivian Stock Now.

#marketplace #Stock #billion #goldman

On September 1, Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY) completed its £850 million acquisition of UK-based AMS, from OMERS Private Equity. The deal combines two well-reputed brands, resulting in a highly well-rounded solutions provider and a leading business within the global talent and organizational consulting **** e. It offers a broader market reach to Korn Ferry, along with more extensive coverage spanning several new industries.
Copyright: baranq / 123RF Stock Photo
AMS acquisition extends Korn Ferry's existing growth trajectory, which was highlighted in the company's recently announced first quarter results. It was the sixth back-to-back quarter of topline growth, which augments the durability of Korn Ferry's fundamental business model. The company also delivered a 9% growth in its adjusted diluted EPS of $1.43, relative to the same period last year.
The AMS deal results in several strategic benefits for Korn Ferry. Based on its long-standing client relationships, AMS offers robust operational strength, along with prospects of consistent, recurring income. Such relationships also enable the company to deliver technology-led solutions at scale.
Financing of this transaction involved a mix of existing cash, share issuance and borrowings. At closing, Korn Ferry paid approximately £473 million and $326 million in cash, covering consideration to the sellers, repayment of AMS indebtedness and other transaction obligations, and issued 3,118,628 Korn Ferry shares to the sellers.

#business

On September 10, Copart (NASDAQ:CPRT) held its fourth-quarter earnings call and used it to unveil a deal that could reshape its business: an all-cash agreement to acquire ACV, a digital auto marketplace that moved roughly $10 billion of vehicles last year without owning a single lot. The announcement landed alongside a quarter that captured the company's central tension. Revenue rose, but net income fell, and management is now betting that pairing its junkyards with someone else's software can fix that.
The ACV deal is the headline, and for good reason. ACV brings more than 22,000 active buyers and inspection and valuation technology, while Copart contributes over 275 locations, roughly 4 million vehicles sold annually, and about 1 million members across more than 185 countries. Management structured it as an all-cash tender offer funded from cash on hand, with a close targeted by the end of the calendar year and earnings accretion expected in fiscal 2028. Executives framed the fit as physical scale meeting digital liquidity, giving dealers, banks, and fleet sellers a single partner for disposing of vehicles.
That diversification push is already showing up in the numbers. International revenue grew 11.7% to $222.1 million on 15% service revenue growth, and international buyers accounted for 45.7% of total US sales dollars despite making up only 38.2% of units, a sign they are chasing pricier vehicles. Domestically, non-insurance units returned to growth of 0.2% in the quarter after a full-year decline, dealer units rose 5.8%, and BluCar, which serves banks and fleets, expanded nearly 20%. Global average selling prices climbed 3.5%, evidence that Copart's auctions still command pricing power even as volumes soften.
The quarter's numbers show where the strain is. Consolidated revenue grew 2.4% to $1.2 billion, yet net income dropped 17.4% to $327.4 million and diluted earnings per share fell 14.6% to $0.35. Operating expense per car jumped 12.7% year over year as the company poured money into long-haul delivery, **** leExpress, and dedicated wholesale facilities, and US facility costs alone rose 7.7% in the quarter. Lower interest income, a byproduct of the $1.63 billion spent on buybacks earlier in the fiscal year, added to the squeeze.
The core insurance business is also cooling. Global insurance units fell 4.2%, with domestic insurance **** ignments down 7.5%, though management noted that figure would have been up 2.3% excluding the loss of a single customer. Collision claim frequency declined 3.4% even as total loss frequency hit a record 23.3% for a second quarter and severity topped $6,300 per claim, up 8.8%. And the ACV deal itself carries integration risk, since management expects only breakeven results before accretion arrives in fiscal 2028.

#quarter #vehicles #insurance

On August 13, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD), upholding a preliminary injunction that bars the defendants from importing or facilitating the sale of foreign-market Gilead-branded medications in the US. The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit found that the differences between Gilead's HIV medication for the US market and the foreign versions being imported were "material, not theoretical." The controversy began in December 2024 when Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) filed suit against a number of companies, including third-party administrator Meritain Health, pharmacy benefit manager ProAct, and pharmacies Rx Valet and Advanced Pharmacy, alleging illegal imports of its best-selling HIV drug Biktarvy.
The dispute dates back to December 2024, when Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) sued a group of companies, including third-party administrator Meritain Health, pharmacy benefit manager ProAct, and pharmacies Rx Valet and Advanced Pharmacy, alleging illegal imports of its top-selling HIV drug Biktarvy. The lawsuit arose from a specific instance in which a patient in Maryland received the medicine in the mail from Turkey, with label instructions written in Turkish.
A federal district court in Baltimore ruled in Gilead's favor and ordered a preliminary injunction, determining that the company was likely to succeed on its Lanham Act trademark violation and unfair competition arguments. As the case continued, the injunction was increased to include new sellers like CanaRx, ElectRx, and ScriptSourcing. The defendants filed an appeal with the Fourth Circuit, and the district judge declined to suspend the injunction while the appeal was pending, thus the import restriction has been in effect the entire time. The recent ruling maintains the order rather than overturning it.
In court documents, Rx Valet stated that the Turkish-sourced Biktarvy was chemically identical to the US version, which was offered at a significantly higher price. Meritain, for its part, said that it has never supported getting non-FDA-approved pharmaceuticals from outside the US and denies the claims, despite being named as a defendant.
The Fourth Circuit rejected the defendants' main argument that the imported and domestic versions of Biktarvy are interchangeable. The court's judgment that the two versions differ materially, not just in packaging or labeling, but also in the quality-control protocols that each version goes through before reaching a patient, challenges the basic argument that these alternative funding programs have used to support their business model.

#gild

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Gold doesn't rise or fall because of a single economic event. Its price reflects the decisions of millions of investors, central banks, manufacturers, jewelers, and others around the world. Those decisions are shaped by changing economic conditions and future expectations.
Understanding what drives the price of gold means learning how multiple forces interact. Sometimes they reinforce one another. Sometimes they pull in opposite directions. That's why different headlines can describe the same market move from different angles.
Every second the global gold market is open, buyers and sellers are negotiating a price — but they're not all buying gold for the same reason.
An investor may be looking to diversify a portfolio. A jewelry manufacturer may need gold for finished products. A technology company may use it in electronic components. A central bank may be increasing its reserves. Another investor may believe interest rates are about to fall.

#Gold #price #economic #different

On September 8, 2026, GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) agreed to buy Consolidated Precision Products (CPP) for $11.75 billion. The acquisition marks the company's largest bet yet on precision engine castings, a constraint that has been capping GE's growth. Trading already at roughly 40x earnings, the company has now attacked one of its genuine bottlenecks through the deal. But has it paid too much to do it?
Castings, including the superalloy and ******* anium hot-section parts inside the jet engines, have constrained GE's engine production, including programs such as LEAP and GEnx, as well as its high-margin aftermarket. Without these castings, the company can neither build nor service its engines. If the acquisition closes, the company will gain access to CPP's 20-plus plants and about 6,600 workers, which are essential for making those components. The deal would therefore enable GE to control the constraint as well as defend its margins. CEO Larry Culp characterized the move as securing manufacturing capacity to meet simultaneous demand across commercial engines, aftermarket services, and defense contracts.
The valuation is where bulls should slow down. GE is paying roughly 18x 2027 EBITDA including synergies (26x without synergies). The sellers are private equity firms Warburg Pincus and Berkshire Partners. They have basically offloaded a cyclical business near the peak of the aerospace cycle. This is smart money selling to GE instead of the other way around. The real tell is that GE felt compelled to buy its way past this capacity bottleneck instead of scaling organically, which reveals how tight its prized aftermarket really was. Also, CPP also supplies other major aerospace and defense companies such as Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, and Lockheed Martin, and through the vertical tie-up, the company invites antitrust scrutiny before it closes in late 2027.
GE's 40x multiple rests on its high-margin razor-and-blade business model that services a huge installed base. And the casting supply shortages quietly constrain this aftermarket. Hence, more than merely fixing a supply chain issue, the CPP acquisition defends the company's high margin and multiple. Financially, the transaction is accretive to adjusted EPS and free cash flow in the first year, funded through $7 billion in cash alongside newly issued debt. Insider Monkey data shows 113 hedge funds held GE in Q2 2026, down modestly from 119 in Q1, reflecting firm institutional positioning. Short interest is just 1.3% of float, below peers like Honeywell International (1.6%). Almost no one bets against it.

#aftermarket #acquisition #including

Braze Inc. (NASDAQ:BRZE) turned in a strong second quarter. The reputed customer engagement platform showcased continued momentum across both its product strategy and financial performance. The company generated topline figure of $227.2 million, an impressive 26.2% increase compared to the same period last year. This revenue growth was fueled by upselling gains, customer additions and renewals. The company posted $24.2 million in cash flow from operating activities, a monumental growth relative to $7 million in the same period a year ago. This was paired with $21.7 million in free cash flow, against $3.5 million during Q2 FY26.
Jirsak/Shutterstock.com
The quarter brought several meaningful strategic moves. Braze broadened its BrazeAI Operator tool, which allows users to build new Canvas steps straight from conversational prompts. The company also signed a three-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS to support collaborative co-selling and go-to-market initiatives. The arrangement will incentivize AWS sellers for integrating Braze within their accounts.
For the latest quarter, subscription revenue jumped to $207.7 million from $171.8 million a year prior, while professional services and other revenue more than doubled, reaching $19.6 million. Dollar-based net retention among larger accounts, defined as those with annual recurring revenue of $500,000 or more, edged up to 112% in comparison to 111% a year earlier. Profitability metrics improved considerably as well, with adjusted operating income jumping to $22 million from $6 million, and adjusted diluted EPS increasing from $0.15 to $0.19.
Management cited growing demand for measurable return on investment as the primary force behind faster uptake of Braze's AI product lineup, which includes BrazeAI Operator, BrazeAI Agent Console, and BrazeAI Decisioning Studio.

#revenue

Arcosa, Inc. (NYSE:ACA) shareholders approved the proposed acquisition by CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) on September 4. The merger agreement received 39,595,867 votes in favor, compared with 66,113 against and 16,786 abstentions. Approximately 39.7 million shares, representing 80.8% of shares outstanding as of the record date, were present or represented by proxy.
The vote satisfies a major condition for the all-cash transaction. CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) agreed to pay $150 per share, valuing Arcosa, Inc. (NYSE:ACA) at an enterprise value of approximately $8.5 billion. The companies continue to expect a first-quarter 2027 closing, subject to required regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.
CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) described the valuation as 11.5 times estimated 2026 adjusted EBITDA, a company-defined non-GAAP measure, including $175 million of targeted annual run-rate cost synergies expected by year three. CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) defines adjusted EBITDA as earnings from continuing operations before interest, taxes, depreciation, depletion and amortization, with exclusions for impairments, divestitures and investments, equity-method results, substantial acquisition costs and specified pension items.
The result removes the principal seller-side approval risk. The merger no longer depends on another shareholder meeting, and support was decisive among the shares represented. Financing appears less exposed than regulatory clearance: CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) plans to use available cash and committed debt financing, while completion is not subject to a financing condition.
The strategic rationale is tangible. Arcosa, Inc. (NYSE:ACA) would add 109 quarries and yards, nine asphalt plants, 19 terminals and approximately 35 million tons of 2025 aggregates shipments. CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) expects more than 265 million tons of combined annualized aggregates production. Arcosa, Inc. (NYSE:ACA) also brings engineered structures serving grid modernization, electrification and data-center construction.

#NYSE #represented

Fear that rising oil prices will cascade into broader inflationary pressures brought sellers into Thursday's stock market ahead of a key reading on consumer price trends. Nvidia (NVDA) led blue chips lower after the artificial intelligence leader announced a new partnership with Palantir (PLTR).
Around midday Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% as the S&P 500 dropped 0.5%. The Nasdaq composite also gave back 0.5%. All three indexes are on track for their fourth consecutive day of declines. The small-cap Russell 2000 index moved down 0.8%.
West Texas Intermediate crude futures moved above $101 a barrel — a near-6% rise. Brent futures also rose nearly 6% to trade close to the $107 level.
The consumer price index report for August is due on Friday with estimates indicating price increases amounting to 0.4% month-on-month and 3.4% annually. Core inflation is seen ticking up 0.2% from July and 2.4% from August 2025.
The 10-year Treasury yield jumped nine basis points to 4.93%. Bitcoin fell to roughly $76,900.

#price #august

Moerus Capital Management LLC, an investment management firm, recently released its "Worldwide Fund " second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The fund navigated a highly bifurcated investment environment in the second quarter of 2026, as investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and technology drove a sharp rally in growth stocks while capital moved away from more traditional, value-oriented areas. The Fund's Institutional Class returned 0.14% in Q2, compared with 14.49% for the MSCI ACWI ex USA and 14.93% for the MSCI ACWI, while its first-half return stood at 5.37%, versus 13.69% and 11.25%, respectively, for the two benchmarks. The relative underperformance was primarily driven by the Fund's limited exposure to Information Technology as semiconductor and AI-related stocks surged, while its Energy holdings also gave back some earlier gains as oil prices declined; however, the Fund benefited from several energy-related investments during the first half. Looking ahead, Moerus views the extreme gap between expensive AI-focused areas and neglected parts of the market as an opportunity, maintaining its long-term deep-value approach of investing in unpopular businesses and ****** ets at significant discounts to intrinsic value and using market volatility to identify potentially attractive investments. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Moerus Worldwide Fund highlighted stocks like Tidewater Inc. (NYSE:TDW). Tidewater Inc. is an offshore supply vessel operator that provides support services to the offshore energy industry. Moerus identified Tidewater as one of the Fund's five most significant positive contributors during the first half of 2026. The one-month return of Tidewater Inc. (NYSE:TDW) was 3.68% while its shares traded between $46.65 and $101.58 over the last 52 weeks. On September 7, 2026, Tidewater Inc. (NYSE:TDW) stock closed at approximately $94.26 per share, with a market capitalization of about $4.61 billion.
Moerus Worldwide Fund stated the following regarding Tidewater Inc. (NYSE:TDW) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Similarly, we'd argue that offshore supply vessel (OSV) operator Tidewater Inc. (NYSE:TDW) has grown the per share value of its business dramatically since 2018 through a combination of a relentless focus on costs, share repurchases, and most notably, the utilization of its OSV industry-leading balance sheet to make three acquisitions of ****** ets (with a fourth pending) from distressed and/or motivated sellers at deep discounts to replacement costs during a years-long industry depression."

#tidewater #fund #energy #second

A large land-sale gain can push Medicare Part B premiums from $203 to $690 monthly, with the IRMAA impact arriving two years after closing.
Federal installment-sale rules let sellers spread gain recognition across multiple years, softening Medicare surcharges and Social Security tax exposure.
Taking the full lump sum eliminates buyer default risk, but installment sales may only reduce years spent at peak IRMAA tiers, not avoid them entirely.
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A retired man in his late sixties owns rural land that suddenly sits in the path of a data center developer. The offer runs into seven figures. He is ready to sell, but instead of taking every dollar at closing, he negotiates payments over several years.

#irmaa #gain

Palantir Technologies' stock jumped approximately 8% on Thursday, recovering from the previous session's nearly 6% decline and trading near $183.
The rebound came even as prominent short-seller Michael Burry, known for his role in "The Big Short," renewed his long-standing bearish critique of the company.
In a detailed post on X early Thursday, Burry reiterated that Palantir is back in the stratosphere and that the facts have not changed. He described the firm as a consultant riding a bubble of AI FOMO demand and warned that its market cap could eventually fall well below $100 billion.
Burry focused on accounts receivable trends, noting that receivables had grown faster than revenue in 9 of the last 12 quarters, with one customer accounting for about 25% of receivables while contributing less than 10% of revenue.
He also highlighted rising days sales outstanding, deferred revenue patterns resembling those of consulting firms like Accenture rather than pure SaaS peers, elevated stock-based compensation, and large net operating losses. Burry disclosed that he remains short the stock and holds put options.

#Stock #revenue

The crypto market—including Bitcoin and altcoins like XRP, Ethereum, and BNB—is riding a bullish wave of momentum in the U.S. stock market, seemingly triggered by fresh comments from the Federal Reserve, and sending short sellers to goblintown.
Bitcoin punched back above $80,000 on Thursday, trading near $80,270 and up close to 3% over the past 24 hours. Ethereum is closing in on $2,500, up 2.2% today, while XRP is up a whopping 6% in the last 24 hours. The spike has accounted for at least $327 million in liquidated short positions in the last hour alone, and more than $415 million in the past 24 hours.
The catalyst appears to be comments from Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who, in prepared remarks at a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview, said he'd be "inclined to support" holding the Fed's benchmark interest rate at its current level if upcoming inflation data keeps improving.
Traders took the hint. The odds of a rate hike at the Fed's September 15-16 meeting fell to 50.4%, down from 63.2% a day earlier, according to the CME FedWatch tool, a market gauge that estimates the odds of Fed moves from futures prices. The 10-year Treasury yield, a benchmark for borrowing costs economy-wide that had touched its highest level since November 2023 a day earlier, dropped to around 4.73%.
It's a sharp reversal from a week ago. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's hawkish Jackson Hole keynote had knocked Bitcoin down to $76,877 and pushed hike odds toward 56%. Thursday's bounce puts Bitcoin back at a level it's tested—and failed to hold—several times this year.

#short #back