Affinia, the UK-based integrated accounting and advisory group backed by RedBird Capital Partners, has added Wilson Partners, a Fordhouse-backed financial advisory and accounting firm.
Wilson Partners advises SMEs, private individuals and private equity investors across the UK.
According to Affinia, the merger "further strengthens" its position in the UK accounting sector, by adding sector expertise and specialist advisory capabilities especially in the international ultra-high-net-worth category.
Affinia Group CEO Darren Redmayne said: "From the very beginning, our goal has been to build a new kind of accounting services firm that leads with purpose, invests in its people and embraces technology responsibly.
"Wilson Partners shares that philosophy, joining with an outstanding reputation for exceptional client service, entrepreneurial thinking and a people-first culture.

#private

Tilray Brands will stop producing beer at its Terrapin facility in Athens, Georgia as the cannabis and beverages group continues to "optimise" its US beer network.
In a statement, the group said from 25 September, it will move "brewing production from Athens to other breweries within our network".
It said the move was part of "ongoing efforts to optimise our brewing network and support our long-term operating model".
The Nasdaq-listed company added: "With robust brewing operations across the country, this transition allows us to continue serving customers efficiently while leveraging the scale and capabilities of our broader brewery footprint."
The taproom, warehouse and repack operations in Athens "will remain open and continue serving customers from the current location".

#brewing

The move, outlined in a meeting held last week between Hirdaramani Group director Sid Hirdaramani and General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) CEO Dr. Mohamed Awad, is part of Egypt's continued push to attract foreign direct investment, particularly in export-oriented manufacturing.
According to GAFI, Hirdaramani Group intends to establish Egypt as a regional centre for manufacturing and exports to global markets, leveraging what the company described as Egypt's "competitive advantages".
The group, which operates more than 30 factories across several countries and employs over 55,000 staff, reported annual revenues of approximately $1.2bn with monthly garment production ranging from 12 million to 18.4 million units exported internationally.
During the meeting, Dr. Awad reiterated GAFI's support for facilitating Hirdaramani's expansion, highlighting the importance of attracting international manufacturers as part of Egypt's strategy to grow its export base and deepen local industrial capabilities.
He stated that such investments help integrate Egypt further into global supply chains and support the development of local supplier industries capable of meeting high international standards.

#part

Aug 10 (Reuters) - Prediction markets giant Kalshi has joined hands with Nasdaq to adopt the U.S. exchange heavyweight's market surveillance tool, as ‌it looks to bolster the monitoring and oversight of trading activity ‌on its platform.
The multi-year partnership, unveiled on Monday, reflects a broader push by Kalshi to strengthen trade surveillance, as prediction markets face mounting pressure from lawmakers following high-profile alleged insider trading cases that have intensified scrutiny of suspicious trades.
Kalshi plans to implement Nasdaq's market surveillance platform in a phased approach, pairing its existing surveillance framework ‌with advanced monitoring capabilities for ⁠prediction markets and perpetual-style derivatives.
"This deal reinforces Kalshi's commitment to market integrity," said Max Crowley, vice president of business development ⁠at Kalshi, adding the partnership gives it surveillance data used by the world's largest exchanges.
Integrating Nasdaq's round-the-clock surveillance platform with Kalshi's trading infrastructure will ******* ist in real-time detection of market abuse, manipulation, and insider trading and support delivering trade data to ‌the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the format the agency requires.

#surveillance #markets #platform

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) just announced an acquisition that could give major competition to NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) in AI-inference. On August 6, AMD said it has agreed to buy chip startup Taalas as specialized inference chips become a critical area of focus for semiconductor makers. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
The company plans to integrate Taalas' technology into its accelerator roadmap and develop system-level solutions combining it with AMD Instinct graphics processing units (GPUs).
"AMD is building a full-stack AI platform that gives customers ‌the ⁠flexibility to deploy the right compute solutions for every AI workload," Vamsi Boppana, senior vice president of AMD's Artificial Intelligence Group, said in a statement.
The acquisition strengthens AMD's AI portfolio by offering it differentiated inference performance and efficiency. The move also highlights the rising importance for leading GPU makers to offer integrated systems with several different components and chips rather than standalone processors.
The acquisition itself follows a string of smaller inference-focused deals made by AMD. Back in November, the company acquired MK1, an AI software startup ⁠specializing in high-speed inference. It also acquired MEXT in June and added FastFlowLM to its artificial intelligence group in July. Together, these moves may strengthen AMD's AI inference capabilities to compete with giants such as Nvidia.

#taalas

Nokia (NYSE:NOK) has spent the past year rebuilding its story around AI, and earlier on July 14, it added another data point. The company signed a 5G expansion agreement with Taiwan Mobile to deploy its AirScale portfolio and AI-driven software across the carrier's network, part of a broader push toward what Nokia calls AI-native mobile infrastructure. The deal lands alongside a wave of insider stock purchases and a deepening Nvidia partnership, all pointing toward the same bet: that AI traffic is about to overwhelm the networks carrying it, and Nokia wants to be the company that fixes that.
The Taiwan Mobile agreement is built around four distinct AI applications rather than a single upgrade. Nokia's AI for Network software, including its Predictive Hardware ****** ytics service and MantaRay SON self-organizing network tool, automates operations and enables closed-loop network ****** urance in real time. Separately, next-generation baseband and radio hardware increases capacity and uplink performance specifically to handle AI-driven traffic, while AI-powered energy management helps Taiwan Mobile hit its sustainability targets, and AI-enabled self-healing capabilities strengthen resilience during outages. Taken together, the deployment sets up support for 5G-Advanced features like network slicing and RedCap.
That kind of upgrade is becoming urgent rather than optional. Generative AI traffic is already driving more than twice as much uplink data as ordinary mobile use, according to Aetha Consulting, and total network load could grow by as much as 10x current levels. Nokia has been building toward this since last October, when it began developing sixth-generation RAN technology, and in June it launched the industry's first commercial AI-RAN platform, offering 20% higher spectral efficiency than existing systems. Management expects that figure to reach 50% next year and 100% by 2028. The 6G equipment market alone is projected to exceed $50 billion by the first half of the 2030s, growing more than 20% annually, a meaningful expansion opportunity for a company that generated roughly $23 billion in revenue last year.
Nokia is not building this alone. Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) committed a $1 billion equity investment at $6.01 per share back in October 2025, and Nokia's AI-RAN base stations now run on Nvidia GPUs, with Grace CPU Superchips handling higher-layer processing in Cloud RAN deployments. T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) has agreed to trial the designs starting in 2026. Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) is involved too, supplying PowerEdge servers for the computing backbone, fresh off a quarter where its AI server business grew 757% year over year.

#nokia #taiwan

One company powers the world's creative output, while the other builds the high-speed digital highways that make modern artificial intelligence possible. Choosing between Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) and Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) means weighing software stability against infrastructure growth.
Adobe provides the essential software suite for digital creators, while Arista dominates the high-performance networking equipment market for data centers. Both companies are pivotal to the artificial intelligence revolution, though they play very different roles. Investors can compare them to decide whether to prioritize established software platforms or the hardware infrastructure powering the cloud.
Adobe is a ****** an among tech stocks, providing essential tools for digital creation, document management, and marketing ****** ytics. Its recent acquisitions of Semrush and Topaz Labs aim to boost AI-driven content marketing and image enhancement capabilities. These strategic moves help the company serve a massive base of 50 million Behance community members and global enterprise clients.
In its 2025 fiscal year (FY), revenue reached $23.8 billion, representing 10.5% growth over the previous year. The company reported net income of $7.1 billion for the same period. This resulted in a net margin of 30%, which measures the portion of revenue that remains as profit after all expenses are paid.
As of its November 2025 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio was 0.6x. This metric shows the relationship between total debt and shareholder equity, indicating a manageable level of leverage. The current ratio of 1.0x shows the company can meet its immediate financial obligations, while free cash flow reached $9.9 billion for the year, which is the cash a business has left after paying for operating costs and equipment.

#billion #arista #artificial

ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW) has quietly built one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity businesses in the industry, and on August 4, it made that ambition explicit. The company rolled out six new Autonomous Security solutions built to catch and fix threats before they turn into breaches, tied together under what it calls Shift Zero. The timing lines up with a security unit that is already outgrowing dedicated cybersecurity vendors, and the announcement explains why.
ServiceNow's security and risk franchise crossed $1 billion in annual contract value, backed by Q2 2026 subscription revenues of $3.88 billion (up 23% year-over-year in constant currency) and a remaining performance obligation base of $29 billion. CEO Bill McDermott notes it is growing faster than top standalone cybersecurity peers, aided by a 98% renewal rate. Those products were included in 16 of the company's top 20 deals, and cyber solutions appeared in 80% of its largest contracts overall. McDermott put it plainly: "we're in the party now."
The new release leans into that position. The average enterprise runs more than 70 separate security tools, and ServiceNow is trying to fold that sprawl into a single, governed system spanning exposure management, identity, cyber-physical ******* ets, incident response, and compliance. Acquired technology does the heavy lifting: Armis brings real-time visibility across billions of connected devices, and Veza's Access Graph maps permissions across human, machine, and AI identities. Where a detection-focused vendor can flag a threat, ServiceNow's configuration database can trace which system, owner, and workflow the fix actually touches.
The stock's recent bounce hides how much ground it still has to make up. Shares remained down 41% over the trailing 12 months even after jumping as much as 13.8% in the week of July 31, when ServiceNow beat guidance and raised its full-year subscription revenue outlook to $15.76 billion. That kind of gap between a strong quarter and a still-depressed share price points to a deeper worry: if AI agents can run enterprise workflows on their own, investors question how much terminal value an expensive workflow software stock deserves, no matter how good the next print looks.
The Autonomous Security rollout does not fully answer that worry yet, because it is not finished. Several of the pieces ServiceNow is counting on to make the "most complete" claim stick, including the Tier 2 SOC AI Specialist, the Vulnerability Resolution AI Specialist, continuous control monitoring, and cryptographic ******* et compliance, are not scheduled to ship until December this year. Until then, the platform's promise of governing every ******* et, identity, and agent in one motion rests partly on capabilities customers cannot yet test, leaving a gap between what ServiceNow announced and what it can currently prove in production.

#servicenow

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) is a leading American software company specializing in big data ****** ytics and artificial intelligence platforms. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Miami, Florida, Palantir develops powerful data integration systems like Gotham, Foundry, Apollo, and its flagship AI Platform (AIP). The company serves a diverse clientele, including federal agencies, defense departments, international governments, and major commercial enterprises, helping them transform fragmented data into actionable intelligence and operational strategies.
Palantir has become synonymous with sovereign AI capabilities, empowering organizations to secure their data infrastructure while leveraging advanced machine learning for decision-making.
Billionaire Jensen Huang Says That When America Goes to War He Would Rather Not Be Asked About His Own Technology: 'I Would Really Appreciate Not Getting a Phone Call…'
SanDisk Just Unveiled the First High-Bandwidth Flash Standard. What That Means for SNDK Stock.
As the Market Crashed in 1987, Paul Tudor Jones Made $100 Million in a Single Day: 'The Most Important Rule of Trading Is to Play Great Defense, Not Great Offense'

#palantir

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the semiconductor landscape, fueling heavy investment in data center infrastructure while reviving demand for industrial automation. Defense spending tied to domestic chip capabilities adds another layer of support. These forces have created favorable conditions for ****** og and mixed-signal semiconductor companies.
Analog Devices (ADI) has steadily strengthened its competitive position within this environment. A hybrid manufacturing strategy combining internal production with outsourced capacity has given the company greater operational flexibility. Broad exposure across industries, alongside the Empower Semiconductor acquisition focused on AI power delivery, further reinforces the company's long-term growth ambitions.
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The latest quarterly performance reflected that strategy in action. CEO and Chair Vincent Roche described Q2 FY2026 as one marked by record demand and disciplined execution. He pointed to investments in supply chain resilience, research, software capabilities, and AI initiatives while acknowledging continuing geopolitical uncertainty and broader macroeconomic challenges worldwide.
Based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, ****** og Devices develops, manufactures, tests, and markets integrated circuits, software, and subsystem solutions. Its technologies connect ****** og and digital signals while supporting power management, sensing, and data processing applications.

#demand #capabilities

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Achieved first criticality at the Groves isotope facility in less than one year from groundbreaking, demonstrating a record-setting pace for privately funded nuclear deployment.
Transitioned from a design-focused entity to a functioning nuclear operator by building in-house capabilities across site development, federal safety authorization, and reactor commissioning.
Advancing a vertically integrated 'Power, Fuel, and Isotopes' platform to capture value across the entire nuclear lifecycle and reduce dependency on fragmented third-party supply chains.
Strengthened the execution engine through the strategic acquisitions of ARMEC and Creative Engineers, shortening feedback loops between engineering, specialized manufacturing, and deployment.

#nuclear #deployment #tell

Interested in The Wendy's Company? Here are five stocks we like better.
Wendy's reported weak second-quarter results: Global systemwide sales fell 6.5%, U.S. same-restaurant sales declined 7% as traffic dropped 12.5%, adjusted EBITDA decreased to $124.1 million, and adjusted EPS was $0.18.
New CEO Bob Wright said the brand's quality, value proposition, operations and marketing have deteriorated. Wendy's is developing a turnaround plan focused on menu quality and pricing, branding, restaurant execution, digital capabilities and franchisee economics.
The company withdrew its 2026 financial outlook and expects continued pressure on margins, EBITDA and earnings amid weak sales, 5%–6% commodity inflation and higher turnaround-related expenses. Leverage is expected to remain elevated, and Wendy's does not anticipate share repurchases in 2026.
2 Short Squeezes for Summer Speculation: What the Bears Are Getting Wrong

#sales #restaurant #interested #here

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Recurring revenue growth of 12.4% in Q4 was driven by a differentiated value proposition centered on a modern, unified platform for HCM, finance, and IT.
Average revenue per client (ARPU) increased by 5% to approximately $37,200, fueled by the expansion of the product portfolio and increased adoption of high-value modules.
The launch of Paylocity Ignite AI represents a strategic shift toward embedding agentic capabilities directly into core workflows to drive measurable productivity gains for clients.
Sales execution remained strong with the benefit broker channel consistently contributing more than 25% of new business due to a non-compete strategy on insurance products.

#arpu

Unleash the AI agents, says Circle (CRCL) co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire.
"We think that there will eventually be billions of agents providing work and labor, and they'll be able to be orchestrated and integrated within a firm and across firm boundaries," Allaire said on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid (see video above). "And this is an incredible time for entrepreneurs, for startups, for builders who are going to be able to tap into these agent labor markets to get things done and accelerate their own development and growth."
Allaire is aggressively using AI agents alongside human workers to help scale up its stablecoin business.
"AI and humans can interact directly through messaging environments like Slack, but also can interact between each other and communicate between each other directly," Allaire explained. "And so the thing that we're doing at Circle is we're asking all of our employees to be part of crafting this and building this. And this is, I think, incredibly exciting because we want our employees to have the superpowers of fleets of agents that they can use themselves to amplify their own capabilities. So this is an opportunity to multiply the capabilities of a firm and of humans themselves."
Circle just dropped a second quarter that was good enough to send the stock higher — but not so clean that the bulls can declare total victory. Hence, the stock is down 2% in Wednesday's trading.

#allaire #agents #able #directly

Lineage said the cold storage market is still working through a supply overhang after the industry added too much capacity in response to the pandemic. It estimates the market is 10% overbuilt, noting it has idled some locations recently and that a few competitors are on the brink of shutting down.
Lineage (NASDAQ: LINE) ceased operations at 10 facilities last year and at 5 locations so far this year. The actions have idled 2.5 million square feet, or 1% of its U.S. portfolio. It said on a Wednesday quarterly call with **** ysts that some locations could come back online.
It plans to sell roughly $1 billion in **** ets, using the proceeds to deleverage the balance sheet (from 6x net debt-to-EBITDA to 5-5.5x). Management said supply rationalization will ultimately favor scaled providers with automation and transportation capabilities.
The company reported a net loss of $32 million for the second quarter on Wednesday before the market opened. Adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) of 76 cents per share came in 5 cents lower year over year.
Consolidated net revenue of $1.36 billion was 1% higher y/y and slightly ahead of the $1.35 billion consensus estimate.

#lineage

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Achieved record first-half profitability with $1 billion in net income, driven by disciplined pricing and a scalable technology platform that expanded operating leverage.
Attributed significant MLR improvement to a strong current-year performance and a market reset compared to the prior year, alongside favorable utilization trends.
Leveraged the proprietary 'Oswell' AI agent to guide 1 in 4 members to high-value care sites, resulting in an average savings of $75 per appointment.
Utilized AI-powered medical economics models to identify pharmacy cost outliers early, expecting these capabilities to generate tens of millions in annual savings.

#savings #utilized #analysts

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Management attributes the 200 basis point sequential physical occupancy increase to deliberate market share gains and the ramping of record new business wins from the prior year.
The company is successfully winning business from smaller, capital-constrained competitors who are struggling operationally or exiting the industry as new project starts slow.
Strategic focus has shifted toward underpenetrated sectors, including retail footprints in Europe and convenience store capabilities in Asia Pacific, to diversify beyond traditional storage.
Pricing discipline remains a priority, with management choosing to lead with service excellence rather than participating in the price-cutting trends seen among smaller industry participants.

#management #tell #strategic #pacific

Investors who buy Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) today are really betting on whether CEO Marc Benioff's "agentic enterprise" vision sticks, not just whether the next quarter beats expectations.
His conviction isn't just bravado; it's tied to a specific bet that artificial intelligence (AI) will become digital labor within Salesforce rather than a commodity feature that would make its platform irrelevant.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
That makes the stock a higher‑risk, higher‑reward hold or accumulation story, not a sleepy blue chip.
When Benioff pushes back on fears that AI will kill Salesforce, he's arguing that the company has rebuilt itself around the idea of the agentic enterprise -- a world where AI agents do work and humans provide judgment. On Salesforce's own materials, you can see the evolution: Einstein introduced predictive AI, then generative capabilities layered on top, and now Agentforce is presented as agentic AI that plans and executes multistep tasks grounded in unified customer data.

#salesforce #signal #whether #higher

German insurer Allianz has agreed to buy the **** et management business of Singapore's United Overseas Bank (UOB) for S$555m (€374.98m).
The acquisition, to be carried out through its **** et management arm Allianz Global Investors (AGI), will see the company take over UOB **** et Management (UOBAM), excluding one-off transaction costs.
UOBAM has been part of the UOB Group for 40 years and reported **** ets under management of approximately S$42bn as of 31 December 2025.
AGI CEO Tobias Pross said: "UOBAM is one of South East Asia's leading **** et managers, with very well-regarded investment capabilities and a strong distribution network.
"Adding their complementary South East Asian investment expertise to our global platform will boost our combined offering and significantly accelerate our growth in this dynamic region."

#uobam #global

Greenskeeper **** et Management, an independent firm that specializes in disciplined value investing, recently released its Q2 2026 scorecard. A copy is available to download here. After a slow start to the year, the Fund gained 10.9% in the quarter, lifting its year-to-date return to 1.9%. The rebound came as markets showed signs of rotating away from momentum stocks and toward companies supported by reasonable valuations. Please review the Fund's top five holdings to gain insights into their key selections for 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Greenskeeper **** et Management highlighted Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT). Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) is an aerospace and defense company that engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems, products, and services. On August 03, 2026, Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) closed at $586.29 per share. The one-month return of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) was 9.51%, and its shares gained 36.91% over the past 52 weeks. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) has a market capitalization of $135.32 billion.
Greenskeeper **** et Management stated the following regarding Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) was our second-largest detractor during the quarter, declining 15.7%. The sell-off was primarily driven by execution challenges within its Aeronautics division, which delayed aircraft deliveries and required additional rework on certain fixed-price contracts. These issues weighed on near-term profitability and raised concerns about the company's ability to meet its production targets.
We view these operational headwinds as temporary. Global demand for defence capabilities remains exceptionally strong as governments replenish depleted inventories and navigate an increasingly complex geopolitical backdrop. Anchored by leading positions across critical defence programs, Lockheed Martin remains well-positioned to drive long-term cash generation as execution normalizes and order backlogs convert into deliveries."

#gained

Meta's stock tanked despite 28% revenue growth, but entering the hyperscaler race without legacy cloud infrastructure gives it a structural edge.
At 18.6x forward P/E, Meta's Muse Spark delivers frontier agentic AI capabilities that Wall Street is heavily discounting after a rough earnings report.
Act now: the ***** yst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Google didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) have been clobbered since the firm pulled the curtain on its underwhelming quarterly earnings results. The numbers themselves were okay (28% revenue growth is nothing to sneeze at), but compared to the other hyperscaler firms, the results were actually quite uninspiring, with a lot to be desired. Add heavy spend into the equation, and it's not a mystery as to why investors rotated out of the name so violently last week.
One bad quarter doesn't signify that all is lost with Meta, though, especially as the company continues to spend aggressively to catch up in the hyperscaler race while also funneling considerable sums into its superintelligence team, which now actually has something quite impressive to show for its many years of hard work with Muse Spark, a model that might actually convince some users to pay for.

#actually #earnings

BNY (NYSE: $BNY), the world's largest custodian bank, is partnering with crypto financial services firm Galaxy Digital (NASDAQ: $GLXY) to add staking capabilities to its digital ******* et custody platform.
Under the collaboration, eligible institutional clients will be able to stake digital ******* ets held through BNY's custody platform, allowing them to earn rewards while contributing to the operation and security of proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain networks. The service remains subject to regulatory review, according to a Tuesday announcement.
Galaxy will provide the staking infrastructure and serve as a design partner. The collaboration is intended to allow institutions to access staking without moving ******* ets to a separate provider.
More From Cryptoprowl:
Ramp Network Brings Multichain Wallet and Rewards to EU

#rewards

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HTeaO, the nation's leading iced tea franchise, announced the appointment of Brian Wise as Chief Executive Officer. Wise, who most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, joins HTeaO as the Company enters its next phase of national expansion. His appointment follows an additional growth investment completed in April 2026 by Crux Capital and Trive Capital, the two Dallas-based private equity firms that first partnered with HTeaO in January 2023 and now hold a majority interest in the Company. HTeaO Co-Founder Justin Howe will transition to the role of Executive Chairman of the Board. Howe will remain engaged in the Company's long-term strategy, brand vision and product innovation, working closely with Wise and the executive leadership team.
The CEO appointment and additional financial support come amid sustained momentum for HTeaO. The Company has grown to more than 180 locations across 11 states and was named to the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. Alongside its rapid expansion, HTeaO is making significant investments in the people, technology and infrastructure required to support a system many times its current size. Recent investments include several senior leadership additions, expanded supply chain capabilities, and enhanced franchisee support systems.
"Building HTeaO into the category leader it is today has been one of the greatest privileges of my life," said Justin Howe, Executive Chairman of HTeaO. "Brian is an exceptional leader who understands what makes this brand special, and I have complete confidence in where he'll lead HTeaO next."
Wise brings nearly two decades of experience inside one of the country's most successful fast-casual franchise systems. He joins HTeaO after more than seven years on the corporate leadership team of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, where he most recently served as Chief Operating Officer following roles as Senior Vice President of Operations and Director of Franchise Management. During his tenure on the leadership team, Freddy's expanded to nearly 600 restaurants across 37 states and into Canada while strengthening the training, technology and operational systems that supported that growth. Before joining the corporate team, Wise spent 15 years as a Partner of one of Freddy's largest franchisee groups, giving him firsthand experience as an operator and a deep understanding of what franchisees need to succeed.

#chief #howe

Greenskeeper **** et Management, an independent firm that specializes in disciplined value investing, recently released its Q2 2026 scorecard. A copy is available to download here. After a slow start to the year, the Fund gained 10.9% in the quarter, lifting its year-to-date return to 1.9%. The rebound came as markets showed signs of rotating away from momentum stocks and toward companies supported by reasonable valuations. Please review the Fund's top five holdings to gain insights into their key selections for 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Greenskeeper **** et Management highlighted Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT). Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) is an aerospace and defense company that engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems, products, and services. On August 03, 2026, Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) closed at $586.29 per share. The one-month return of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) was 9.51%, and its shares gained 36.91% over the past 52 weeks. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) has a market capitalization of $135.32 billion.
Greenskeeper **** et Management stated the following regarding Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) was our second-largest detractor during the quarter, declining 15.7%. The sell-off was primarily driven by execution challenges within its Aeronautics division, which delayed aircraft deliveries and required additional rework on certain fixed-price contracts. These issues weighed on near-term profitability and raised concerns about the company's ability to meet its production targets.
We view these operational headwinds as temporary. Global demand for defence capabilities remains exceptionally strong as governments replenish depleted inventories and navigate an increasingly complex geopolitical backdrop. Anchored by leading positions across critical defence programs, Lockheed Martin remains well-positioned to drive long-term cash generation as execution normalizes and order backlogs convert into deliveries."

#NYSE #management #quarter #gained

This story was originally published on C-Store Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily C-Store Dive newsletter.
Alimentation Couche-Tard announced on Friday that it planned to buy Żabka, Poland's largest convenience retailer, for about $8.6 billion. If the deal goes through, Żabka's 13,000 stores in Poland and Romania would significantly bolster Couche-Tard's presence in the region.
But what's inside the stores may be just as important for the Canadian retailer. Key parts of the Polish retailer's business could support Core + More, the forward-looking strategy Couche-Tard rolled out earlier this year.
"This is a unique opportunity to invest in a business we deeply admire, one that is already operating at the leading edge of convenience in areas such as food, digital engagement, supply chain and innovation," said Alex Miller, president and CEO of Couche-Tard, in a presentation on Friday. He added, "many of the capabilities we believe will define the future of convenience already exist at scale within Żabka."
When an ******* yst asked if Couche-Tard would proliferate the best parts of Żabka across the rest of its footprint if the deal closed, Miller listed off areas where the European chain could help improve its business in North America and elsewhere.

#couche #business #miller

Princess Anne will reportedly honor the illustrious legacy of her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth. According to a former royal butler, Princess Anne wants to carry out royal duties "until a very old age." Harrold did not serve Anne directly, but he spent a lot of time with the royals between 2004 and 2011. He served Anne's brother, King Charles, who was the Prince of Wales at the time.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold has reportedly claimed that Queen Elizabeth's daughter, Princess Anne, will carry out her mother's royal duties now. According to Harrold, Anne will follow in her mother's footsteps and work relentlessly to support her brother and the royal family for as long as she can.
Harrold spoke to OLBG (via The Daily Express): "I don't really see any sign of Princess Anne slowing down her royal duties; she is a workaholic. If you look over the past couple of years, she hasn't stopped. Instead, she seems to be stepping up for her brother and taking on more responsibilities while he focuses on other things."
Furthermore, Harrold lavished praise on Princess Anne by calling her "detail-oriented" just like Queen Elizabeth. He added that he thinks Anne will continue working up until a very old age, just like her mother.
Interestingly, the 75-year-old was asked if she would ever retire from her duties as a working royal. To which, Princess Anne said: "It isn't really an option. It really isn't written in, no. It isn't really an option, no, I don't think so." She explained that she is taking each day as it comes and doing whatever she can to the best of her capabilities.

#princess #queen #isn 't

Australian Vintage has struck a distribution partnership with Australian ready-to-drink brand Fellr.
The owner of McGuigan and Tempus Two wines said it will manage efforts to sell Fellr across all Australian states and territories, "strengthening its own beverage portfolio while positioning Fellr for broader expansion".
The deal will see Australian Vintage handle Fellr's existing range of 4% abv RTDs and ****** ist its move into vodka-based RTDs and full bottled spirits.
Australian Vintage chief commercial officer Aaron Lohrey said there was "significant potential" to build on Fellr's "success through our sales and distribution capabilities".
"Our customer relationships and innovative mindset provide a strong platform to expand Fellr's presence, while adding greater benefits to our customers asking for a better range of brands that we bring to market," Lohrey added.

#australian #vintage #rtds #tempus

On July 21, one of OpenAI's large language models (LLMs) escaped from its test environment where it was being evaluated for its cyberintrusion capabilities, got to the open internet, and then proceeded to hack into the artificial intelligence (AI) hub called Hugging Face. OpenAI had previously deactivated certain safety features, and it had also prompted the model to ace the ExploitGym hacking benchmark at any cost. Now, the company has a convenient new story about how powerful its technology can be.
For crypto investors, however, this could be bearish news because it shows that a big new risk is in play. Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) and Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) are the two chains that are the most exposed at the moment, so let's break down the potential threat here.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
The OpenAI incident was an accident that was made possible by how readily advanced LLMs can find and exploit cybersecurity weaknesses. Hacking into Hugging Face was unintentional behavior from the perspective of the users evaluating the AI's performance on the benchmark.
When such powerful models are eventually jailbroken and subsequently prompted for the purpose of stealing money, they will be able to accomplish the task, especially with some skilled human help at the ready. For the decentralized finance (DeFi) segment of crypto, which is comprised of many thousands of small projects that hold ***** ets worth $74.8 billion in total value locked (TVL), that's an incredibly frightening proposition. Each of those projects is a system of computer code, which means that there are an astronomical number of exploits silently waiting to be found by the wrong AI.

#llms

Ocean Power Technologies Inc (NYSE-A:OPTT) CEO Philipp Stratmann talked with Proactive about the company's acquisition of the subsea wave power generating intellectual property portfolio from Columbia Wave Power, recent financial results and how the business is expanding its capabilities from surface maritime operations to seabed infrastructure.
Proactive: Welcome back inside our Proactive newsroom. Joining me now is Philipp Stratmann, CEO of Ocean Power Technologies. Philipp, it's great to see you again. How are you doing?
Philipp Stratmann: I'm doing well. It's good to be on again.
You recently reported your financial results and also completed an acquisition. Tell us about the acquisition.
We acquired the subsea wave power generating IP portfolio from Columbia Wave Power. We've been focused on surface maritime domain awareness and maritime dominance, but this acquisition helps us extend our offering from the surface down to the seabed. As experts in maritime power generation at a non-grid-connected scale, it completes an important part of our overall solution.

#power #philipp #stratmann #ocean

Vertiv (NYSE:VRT) primarily generates revenue by designing, manufacturing, and servicing critical power and thermal management systems for data centers and communication networks.
It recently acquired ThermoKey and Strategic Thermal Labs to expand its liquid cooling capabilities, and it reported a 15% net income margin for the quarter ended June 30, 2026.
BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT) primarily generates revenue by producing precision naval and critical nuclear components for the United States government and commercial power sectors.
While securing contracts exceeding $1.4 billion from the United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, it recorded an 11% net income margin for the quarter ended March 31, 2026.
Revenue gives investors insight into the total demand for a company's products and services before expenses are deducted. Tracking this figure helps investors understand the scale and top-line growth trajectory of a business.

#revenue #NYSE #naval #critical