EXCLUSIVE
PUBLISHED
SEP 16, 2026 AT 06:32 PM EDT
Vice President JD Vance discussed the White House's message ahead of the midterm elections on the All-In Podcast, saying, "There’s a lot of good that’s been done, but there’s a lot of work left to do," adding that the American people should "give us another chance" in November.
Vance's remarks come amid challenges both Republicans and the White House have faced in recent polling less than 50 days before Election Day. Numerous polls have signaled a more favorable environment for Democrats, who lead the generic ballot and have shown improvement in battleground contests.

#white #vance #republicans

When a caller inquired about SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI) during the September 10 episode of Mad Money, Jim Cramer commented:
Well, you know, it's a financial tech. It's a bank, but let's put it this way: It's doing as well as it can, but it has a very high price-to-earnings multiple versus the others in its cohort. So, it's going to mark time until the earnings continue to go up. I do like the company. I like the management. I wouldn't mind you owning it for the long term.
SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFI) reported record second-quarter adjusted net revenue of $1.2 billion, up 40% year over year, while GAAP net income rose 61% to $156.6 million. Adjusted EBITDA increased 44% to $358 million. Loan originations reached a record $14.8 billion, while members increased 35% to 15.8 million and deposits reached $45.5 billion. Moreover, at the September 8 Goldman Sachs conference, CFO Chris Lapointe said SoFi generated approximately 40% year-over-year revenue growth in each of the first two quarters and approximately 30% adjusted EBITDA margins. He also said the company had outpaced the Rule of 40 for 20 consecutive quarters. Additionally, the company raised its 2026 adjusted net revenue outlook to $4.75 billion to $4.85 billion but maintained its adjusted EPS outlook at $0.60.
A concern is that SoFi Technologies, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:SOFI) earnings growth may not be sufficient to justify the multiple investors are paying. SoFi is trading at a premium valuation compared to its traditional banking peers, with Yahoo Finance's latest data showing a trailing P/E of 35.12 and a forward P/E of 21.51. That valuation leaves the shares sensitive to a slowdown in earnings growth. Credit performance is another important consideration as SoFi expands its lending business. For the six months ended June 30, total net charge-offs were $406.1 million, up $77.2 million from the prior-year period, while the total net charge-off ratio declined to 1.91% from 2.24%. The increase in charge-offs was driven primarily by higher personal-loan net charge-offs and student-loan net charge-offs, reflecting growth in average loans.
According to Insider Monkey, which tracks more than 1,000 hedge funds, 44 hedge funds held SoFi in Q2, down from 47 in Q1. Its short interest stood at about 14% to 15% of the float. SoFi Technologies, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:SOFI) growth and improving profitability give Cramer's long-term view a fundamental basis, but its valuation still leaves the stock dependent on continued earnings growth. The company's ability to turn strong revenue and loan growth into higher earnings will remain important to the stock's valuation.

#earnings #adjusted #million #charge

Netflix (NFLX) trades at about $80, and its own options put a price on how far that can travel over the twelve months ahead: a floor near $54.21 and a ceiling near $119. The options market is charging nothing unusual for that range. Ordinary, for Netflix, already means a range wide enough to take a third of your money.
Your $10,000 Stake Could Be Worth $6,750 Or $14,800 A Year Out
From today's price the ceiling is about 48% higher and the floor about 33% lower. A $10,000 stake could end the year near $6,750 or near $14,800. The upside is larger in dollars for a mechanical reason: a share price stops at zero and has no top.
Those bounds are odds rather than a forecast: roughly a two-in-three chance of finishing between them, and about a 16% chance of ending beyond each one. Nothing in that says which way. It says how much room a holder has to give, and Netflix has needed that room before.
Netflix Just Had A Year Almost This Volatile

#year #price #floor #ceiling

Wolfe Research upgraded two prominent pharmaceutical companies to Outperform on August 13. The firm upgraded both Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) and AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV)'s ratings from Peer Perform, with Wolfe ***** igning them similar $300 price targets. The firm's logic in each case was based on a comparable set of factors: pipelines that the market appears to undervalue, and valuations that Wolfe believes are too low given each company's growth track.
Wolfe's thesis for Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) is mainly based on late-stage clinical programs, which it believes the stock has yet to reflect. The firm focused on two experimental therapies in particular, both of which have key late-stage clinical readouts expected over the coming year: litifilimab, which Wolfe believes could be the first biologic approved for cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and felzartamab, which the firm claims represents a bigger commercial opportunity in antibody-mediated transplant rejection than Wall Street currently thinks.
Wolfe also cited Biogen's acquisition of Apellis Pharmaceuticals as strengthening its near-term revenue base through the FDA-approved drugs Empaveli and Syfovre. That move is part of an overall pattern of Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) diversifying beyond its core neurology brand, with the company completing its acquisition of RayThera on August 6, adding another early-stage immunology platform to its pipeline.
Wolfe's Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) thesis is incomplete without valuation. The firm believes the stock is trading at a discount to the broader market, despite the company's development on Leqembi, its Alzheimer's medication, and what Wolfe described as solid commercial execution overall.
AbbVie's upgrade is based on a slightly different premise: patent strength and cash generation rather than simple clinical events. Wolfe stated that AbbVie's 2027 earnings multiple of 14.6x seemed too low for a company that forecasts high-single-digit revenue growth for the rest of the decade. AbbVie's patent position, according to Wolfe, sets the company apart from its competitors in a way that the market has yet to completely price in.

#wolfe #firm #market #clinical

A Virginia-based defense contractor known for its Switchblade attack drones and, more recently, laser weapons and ****** e hardware, saw its BlueHalo unit win a Pentagon contract worth up to $99.8 million for ****** e systems research, according to Seeking Alpha.
Shares climbed more than 4% in the next session, the same report showed. Six months earlier, a far larger ****** e bet from that same unit collapsed and erased more than half the company's market value.
That contrast, not the $99.8 million figure, is the real story behind AeroVironment's (AVAV) Sept. 14 rally. It shows how hard the company has had to work to rebuild trust with the same customer in less than a year.
AVAV shares closed Sept. 14 at $153.40, up 4.56% from Friday, Sept. 11's close. That still leaves the stock about 63% below its all-time high of $417.86, a level reached on Oct. 9, 2025, which also marks AVAV's 52-week high.
The 52-week low is $135.20, meaning the stock has spent most of 2026 far closer to its floor than its ceiling. Wall Street has not given up on it.

#same #Stock

Accenture (ACN) stock trades near $195, and the options market prices roughly a two-in-three chance that it ends the coming twelve months between about $123 and about $308. That floor is about where the stock bottomed over the past year, and the ceiling is above the high it has already given back. For a holder, the question is whether a band that wide is more than you signed up for.
How Much Of Your Position Is On The Table Each Way?
The floor sits about 37% below today's price, a fall of $71.59, and the ceiling about 58% above it, a rise of $113.12. The bigger upside figure is not a lean: a share price can rise without limit and cannot fall below zero, so the band is always wider in dollars on the way up.
Has Accenture Stock Moved This Much Before?
It has. The stock traded between $122.96 and $282.71 over the past 52 weeks, and it lost 17.5% over the trailing twelve months while the S&P 500 gained 17%. Realized volatility over that year was 44.9%, and the one-year options carry implied volatility of 45.5%, a ratio of 1.01. The chain is pricing another year of movement about the size of the last one.

#twelve #floor

In March, shortly after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs and paved the way for $100 billion in import taxes being redistributed back to American importers, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer shared his idea of what these companies should do with this influx of cash.
"If I were these companies, and somehow they get this windfall, the most important thing and the smartest thing they should do is give it as bonuses to their workers," Greer told CNBC.
It appears some companies have heeded Greer's suggestion. As businesses receive more than $100 billion the U.S. Treasury has doled out in refunds since May, many are vowing to lower prices or pay down debts. A handful, however, are giving the cash back to their employees.
In its second quarter earnings report last month, houseware brand Williams Sonoma said it would allocate $10 million for one-time payments to 401(k) accounts to eligible employees "in recognition of their efforts navigating the IEEPA tariffs."
"We're so appreciative to have the money back and to be able to reward our employees with part of it," President and CEO Laura Alber said on an earnings call. "They have done such an amazing job."

#Companies #employees

Agriscience business Corteva (CTVA) is gearing up to spin off its seed operating segment as an independently traded public company, Vylor, trading under the "VYLR" ticker. Shareholders have already approved the separation, and they are expected to receive one Vylor common share for each Corteva common share they hold. VYLR is set to begin trading on Oct. 1. The company is holding an Investor Day webcast on Sept. 15.
Corteva believes this spinoff will give both companies more flexibility. However, ****** ysts have questioned whether it weakens the entities. Meanwhile, CEO Luke Kissam has highlighted a pipeline Corteva values at $11 billion through 2040 and its plan to introduce 12 products over the next decade. Contrarily, competition from generic products remains, and President Donald Trump's administration is exploring whether consolidation among agricultural suppliers has driven up input costs.
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Morgan Stanley Doubles Down on Apple Stock as New Offerings Become 'More Exciting'

#corteva

A European independent power producer is expanding its ******* et base on the continent. Israel-headquartered Econergy on September 15 said it is entering the French market with a €134-million ($155 million) acquisition of Escofi, a private wind energy platform of about 740 MW.Econergy, which has offices across Europe, said the deal significantly expands the company's European wind ******* et base, bringing its total renewable portfolio to 13 GW. Escofi, founded in 1988, originates, finances, builds, and operates onshore wind projects, with its wind energy portfolio across four development stages: 128 MW in commercial operation, 34 MW under construction, 147 MW in advanced development stage (with building permits and grid connection approvals in place and construction due to commence between 2028 and 2030), and 432 MW in early and mid-stage development.Escofi's portfolio is concentrated in the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions of northern France, which officials said have the strongest onshore wind conditions and regulatory environments in the country.
More than 90% of Escofi's operational and under-construction capacity benefits from 20-year contracted revenues under France's Contracts for Difference (CfDs) regime, providing a stable, long-term revenue stream for the portfolio. Escofi in July of this year secured additional CfDs for three more projects totaling 46 MW at prices above €80/MWh ($92/MWh) for 20-year terms, further strengthening the portfolio's contracted revenue base."The acquisition of Escofi is a significant strategic step for Econergy, establishing our presence in France and materially expanding our European wind platform," said Eyal Podhorzer, CEO of Econergy. "Escofi brings us a proven, 37-year-old French onshore wind operator with a high-quality operational fleet and a strong pipeline of projects with 20-year CfD revenues located in the best wind regions in France. Combined with our existing European platform, this gives Econergy a stronger and more geographically diversified base of long-term, contracted cash flows to build on."Escofi's 309 MW of operational, under-construction, and advanced-development projects are expected to generate annual revenues of €59-65 million and EBITDA of €47-53 million on a representative-year basis. By 2030, on completion of the projects under construction and the 147-MW advanced pipeline, Escofi's operational capacity is expected to reach about 300 MW, with project-level EBITDA of about €42–44 million. Escofi's effective ownership across projects stands at about 91%, and the 432-MW early- and mid-stage pipeline provides the platform's long-term growth runway, according to the company.

#econergy

This story was originally published on CFO Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CFO Dive newsletter.
Stewart Grierson took the fifth CFO seat of his career this summer, joining Austin, Texas-based AI development company Anaconda.
In addition to his two decades of experience in the data infrastructure sector, Grierson brings to his new post all the experience gained after helping to complete multiple initial public offerings: Like when serving as the CFO of the security management company ArcSight, which went public and then was acquired in 2010 by HP in a $1.5 billion transaction.
Yet Grierson in a recent interview said taking Anaconda or any company public has never been an end goal for him, **** erting that it is just one path that any company may take as it evolves and grows.
"We have shareholders who will want liquidity at some point and I think my background gives [Anaconda] the optionality" of either looking at public markets in the futuure or taking other routes, including private equity investments or acquisitions, Grierson told CFO Dive.

#taking

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)'s decision to rebrand its day-to-day identity as "Novo" and launch a cultural reset is primarily a strategic response to the company's loss of momentum in the obesity-drug market, rather than a financial restructuring in itself. Reuters reports that the company is trying to regain competitiveness as pressure from Eli Lilly intensifies. The move comes as Novo prepares to unveil new strategic ambitions at its September 21 Capital Markets Day, making the cultural reset potentially important if it leads to faster decision-making, stronger commercial execution and a more aggressive R&D approach.
The underlying business still has substantial scale to protect. Novo generated DKK 309.1 billion of 2025 sales and DKK 127.7 billion of operating profit, while obesity-care sales rose 31% at constant exchange rates to DKK 82.3 billion. However, the company also spent around DKK 8 billion on its transformation in 2025, and its diabetes value-market share fell 3.6 percentage points to 30.1%. The reset therefore comes at a critical point: Novo remains the global obesity-market leader, with a 59.6% branded-volume share in 2025, but Lilly is rapidly narrowing the competitive gap.
A successful cultural reset could improve Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)'s execution at a time when the company needs to convert its scientific and commercial ******* ets into faster growth. Reuters reported that CEO Mike Doustdar is already seeking to accelerate R&D and streamline decision-making following investor concerns about the pipeline and competition from Lilly. If the reorganization reduces internal bureaucracy and improves the speed of clinical, regulatory and commercial decisions, it could help Novo extract more value from its existing obesity portfolio while advancing next-generation treatments before the semaglutide patent cliff expected early next decade.
The company also has ******* ets that give a cultural and operational reset something concrete to build around. Wegovy was available in 52 countries by the end of 2025, while the company's higher-dose Wegovy achieved 20.7% weight loss in Phase 3 studies and its oral Wegovy achieved 16.6% weight loss. More recently, Wegovy received approval in China for MASH, expanding its potential beyond weight management and cardiovascular benefits into another large metabolic-disease market. If Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) can combine these products with better execution, the reset could support higher patient volumes and extend the commercial life of its GLP-1 franchise, helping defend revenue and cash flow despite pricing pressure.

#nordisk #lilly

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) cut its full-year 2026 identical-sales forecast excluding fuel to 0.2%–0.8% from 1%–2%, reflecting a sharper-than-expected slowdown in consumer demand. Second-quarter identical sales rose just 0.2%, down from 3.4% a year earlier and below the 0.9% ****** yst estimate.
The weakness reflects pressure on middle- and lower-income consumers, while a Cyclospora outbreak reduced quarterly identical sales by roughly 35 basis points and Medicare prescription-drug pricing changes created an approximately 140-basis-point headwind for pharmacy revenue. Importantly, Kroger maintained its full-year adjusted FIFO operating-profit forecast of $5.0 billion–$5.2 billion and delivered adjusted EPS of $1.09, ahead of the $1.06 consensus.
The strongest bullish argument is that The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is currently protecting earnings despite the deterioration in sales momentum. Second-quarter adjusted EPS increased 5% year over year to $1.09, while adjusted FIFO operating profit was $1.076 billion. Kroger's gross margin rate actually increased by 13 basis points, although the overall gross-margin percentage was 22.4% versus 22.5% a year earlier, suggesting that pricing, sourcing, and cost-management initiatives are helping offset weaker volumes. The company's higher-margin businesses are also becoming increasingly important: adjusted e-commerce sales grew 20% in the quarter, and Kroger Precision Marketing profit increased 24%. That mix shift gives Kroger an earnings lever even when supermarket traffic and comparable sales are weak.
There is also evidence that management is actively responding to the competitive pressure rather than simply accepting slower growth. CEO Greg Foran has been pursuing tighter sourcing, simpler operations and lower prices, with Reuters reporting plans to cut prices across thousands of products to regain shoppers from Walmart, Costco and Aldi. The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)'s balance sheet provides room to fund that strategy: its net debt-to-adjusted-EBITDA ratio was 1.91x, below its stated target range of 2.30x–2.50x, while the company repurchased $1.0 billion of shares in the second quarter and $1.2 billion year to date. It also raised its dividend 11%, marking the 20th consecutive year of increases. If sales stabilize while e-commerce, retail media and cost efficiencies continue expanding, the unchanged $5.0 billion–$5.2 billion operating-profit forecast could prove more important to valuation than the reduced top-line outlook.

#year

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ARK Invest founder Cathie Wood called warnings that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity "ridiculous," while welcoming the industry's push to slow advances at the AI frontier so safety measures can catch up.
Wood also expects President Donald Trump to block new federal rules. Polymarket traders currently give a qualifying U.S. AI safety law just a 19% chance of being enacted before 2027, on about $114,000 in trading.
Wood called the industry's slowdown pledge a "positive step." Drawing on her experience investing through the tech and telecom bubble, she said she welcomed industry leaders publicly confronting AI's risks.
"Half of the solution is understanding the problem," Wood told Reuters.

#called #safety #donald

The yuan-denominated crude oil futures trading in China hit this week their highest level since the contract was launched in 2018 as escalating threats to Middle East's oil supply and increased purchases by Chinese refiners push prices higher.
Launched in March 2018, the INE crude oil futures contract (SC) is a physical-settlement contract priced and traded in Chinese yuan on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange.
The crude futures soared to as much as 929.4 yuan, or $138.50 per barrel, on the exchange, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The price spike followed the intensified concerns about supply from the Middle East after the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia was attacked by drones late last week, forcing the Kingdom to temporarily shut it down.
The international crude oil benchmarks also rallied at the start of this week. As of Tuesday, no timeline has been given as to when the pipeline would come back and continue helping Saudi Arabia bypass the Strait of Hormuz with shipments out of the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

#contract #east #saudi

Goleta, California-based Deckers Outdoor Corporation (DECK) is a global footwear and lifestyle company with products spanning performance running, outdoor activities, and premium casual fashion. Valued at a market cap of $11.1 billion, the company offers its products under the UGG, HOKA, Teva, Koolaburra, and AHNU brand names.
Companies with a market cap between $10 billion and $200 billion are typically called "large-cap stocks," and DECK fits that definition. Its portfolio of distinctive, high-growth footwear brands, particularly HOKA and UGG, drives its market dominance. HOKA stands out for its performance-driven, comfort-focused running shoes, while UGG combines its iconic heritage with evolving lifestyle products. This strong brand equity, differentiated product design, and loyal customer base give Deckers pricing power and help it compete beyond traditional footwear trends.
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Morgan Stanley Doubles Down on Apple Stock as New Offerings Become 'More Exciting'
The EV Bubble Has Burst. How to Play Rivian Stock Now.

#billion

New York-based Datadog, Inc. (DDOG) is a cloud-based observability and security company that helps businesses monitor, troubleshoot, and secure their entire technology stack in real time. Its platform brings together infrastructure monitoring, application performance monitoring (APM), log management, user experience monitoring, cloud security, and AI observability in a single platform.
With a market cap of $82.6 billion, Datadog has firmly established itself as a large-cap technology player. But its size isn't the only thing turning heads. The company's real competitive edge is its all-in-one, cloud-native platform, which gives businesses a single window into their infrastructure, applications, logs, security, and increasingly complex AI workloads.
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Morgan Stanley Doubles Down on Apple Stock as New Offerings Become 'More Exciting'
The EV Bubble Has Burst. How to Play Rivian Stock Now.

#cloud #security #monitoring

The vote ends a nearly two-year pause in Ukraine **** istance from Congress.
Advocates of the bill, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have argued it would give the White House necessary tools to squeeze Russia economically, curbing the flow of funds to Moscow’s war machine. | Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP
09/17/2026 07:54 AM GMT+9
The House passed the sweeping Russia sanctions bill long championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday, sending the legislation to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature after more than a year of congressional maneuvering.

#white #ukrainian

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)'s decision to rebrand its day-to-day identity as "Novo" and launch a cultural reset is primarily a strategic response to the company's loss of momentum in the obesity-drug market, rather than a financial restructuring in itself. Reuters reports that the company is trying to regain competitiveness as pressure from Eli Lilly intensifies. The move comes as Novo prepares to unveil new strategic ambitions at its September 21 Capital Markets Day, making the cultural reset potentially important if it leads to faster decision-making, stronger commercial execution and a more aggressive R&D approach.
The underlying business still has substantial scale to protect. Novo generated DKK 309.1 billion of 2025 sales and DKK 127.7 billion of operating profit, while obesity-care sales rose 31% at constant exchange rates to DKK 82.3 billion. However, the company also spent around DKK 8 billion on its transformation in 2025, and its diabetes value-market share fell 3.6 percentage points to 30.1%. The reset therefore comes at a critical point: Novo remains the global obesity-market leader, with a 59.6% branded-volume share in 2025, but Lilly is rapidly narrowing the competitive gap.
A successful cultural reset could improve Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)'s execution at a time when the company needs to convert its scientific and commercial ***** ets into faster growth. Reuters reported that CEO Mike Doustdar is already seeking to accelerate R&D and streamline decision-making following investor concerns about the pipeline and competition from Lilly. If the reorganization reduces internal bureaucracy and improves the speed of clinical, regulatory and commercial decisions, it could help Novo extract more value from its existing obesity portfolio while advancing next-generation treatments before the semaglutide patent cliff expected early next decade.
The company also has ***** ets that give a cultural and operational reset something concrete to build around. Wegovy was available in 52 countries by the end of 2025, while the company's higher-dose Wegovy achieved 20.7% weight loss in Phase 3 studies and its oral Wegovy achieved 16.6% weight loss. More recently, Wegovy received approval in China for MASH, expanding its potential beyond weight management and cardiovascular benefits into another large metabolic-disease market. If Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) can combine these products with better execution, the reset could support higher patient volumes and extend the commercial life of its GLP-1 franchise, helping defend revenue and cash flow despite pricing pressure.

#cultural #company #lilly

This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter.
Two recent road projects have been turning heads in the construction industry, and they have something interesting in common.
Both the $9.2 billion Interstate 24 Southeast Choice Lanes project in Tennessee and the $4.6 billion state Route 400 Express Lanes in Georgia use concessions, which allow a consortium in a public-private partnership to benefit from future use fees, such as revenue from tolls.
In exchange, the consortium puts forward a significant amount of cash to design, build, operate and maintain the roadways. For contractors, being a part of a consortium can potentially give them stable work and revenue for decades.
For example, in the case of the Georgia state Route 400 project, the consortium is Peach Partners, comprising Acciona Concessions, ACS Infrastructure and Meridiam, which will deliver and maintain the project under a 56-year public-private partnership. The consortium is providing a $3.8 billion concession fee to the state's DOT to help fund other roadway projects as part of the P3 to design, build, operate and maintain the express lanes, per the U.S. DOT.

#consortium #lanes #route

The yuan-denominated crude oil futures trading in China hit this week their highest level since the contract was launched in 2018 as escalating threats to Middle East's oil supply and increased purchases by Chinese refiners push prices higher.
Launched in March 2018, the INE crude oil futures contract (SC) is a physical-settlement contract priced and traded in Chinese yuan on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange.
The crude futures soared to as much as 929.4 yuan, or $138.50 per barrel, on the exchange, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The price spike followed the intensified concerns about supply from the Middle East after the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia was attacked by drones late last week, forcing the Kingdom to temporarily shut it down.
The international crude oil benchmarks also rallied at the start of this week. As of Tuesday, no timeline has been given as to when the pipeline would come back and continue helping Saudi Arabia bypass the Strait of Hormuz with shipments out of the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

#crude #futures #middle #saudi

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in ******* e, a remarkable revelation after previous warnings about countries such as Russia possibly weaponizing a global frontier long agreed in treaties to be used for only peaceful purposes.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Monday that the U.S. has fielded "on-orbit ******* e control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action."
Meink did not detail what the weapons were, how they work or if they were targeting other objects in ******* e or on Earth. The U.S. had warned two years ago that Russia was developing a new ******* e-based, anti-satellite weapon, though the White House said the danger wasn't imminent at the time.
But reports of the anti-satellite weapon reflected longstanding worries about ******* e threats from Russia and China, given that much U.S. infrastructure is dependent on satellite communications. The U.S. has also previously demonstrated its own abilities to shoot down satellites from Earth.
In his remarks to the Air and ******* e Forces ******* ociation's Air, ******* e & Cyber Conference, Meink also said the Air Force was adding more autonomous systems to its capabilities and predicted the service would look "radically different" by 2032. For example, he foresaw one-way attack drones replacing artillery as the "primary killer."

#space #earth

On August 4, Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK) reported second-quarter results that erased two consecutive quarterly losses in a single swing. Net income landed at $260 million, or $2.01 per share, compared with a $169 million loss just three months earlier and a $142 million loss a year ago. EBITDA nearly tripled from the second quarter of 2025. The numbers mark a sharp reversal for a company whose chemicals business had been bleeding red ink.
The turnaround centers on Performance and Essential Materials, the segment that makes chlorovinyls and other basic chemicals. PEM swung from a $318 million operating loss in the second quarter of 2025 to $185 million in income this quarter, while EBITDA excluding identified items jumped from a 3% margin to 21%. The driver was pricing: average sales prices across PEM rose 14% year over year, more than offsetting a 3% price decline in the Housing and Infrastructure Products segment. Combined with a 7% increase in companywide sales volume, excluding the effects of plant shutdowns and an acquisition, the pricing recovery pushed companywide EBITDA to $679 million from $210 million a year earlier.
Westlake is also working the balance sheet alongside the market recovery. The company reduced debt by $500 million during the quarter and returned $99 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Management says its three-pillar profitability improvement plan remains on track to deliver a $600 million operating income benefit, a target that, if it holds, would layer structural cost savings on top of whatever the market gives back in pricing.
Not every part of the story improved together. Housing and Infrastructure Products, the segment tied to home construction and building products, saw its EBITDA margin slip to 22% from 24% a year earlier, even as volume rose 6% excluding the ACI acquisition. Average sales prices in that segment fell 3% year over year, a sign that pricing power in housing products has softened even as the company sells more of it.
The improvement in the core chemicals business also leans heavily on price rather than volume. PEM's turnaround came from a 14% jump in average sales price, a figure that can move in either direction with commodity cycles. The first quarter of 2026 was a reminder of how quickly conditions shift: Westlake posted a $169 million net loss just three months before this result, weighed down by $85 million in identified items, including a $67 million charge to settle litigation over PVC pipe and fittings and $18 million tied to facility shutdowns. A year earlier, in the second quarter of 2025, the company absorbed another $130 million in shutdown-related charges. Restructuring and legal charges showed up in two of the last three reported quarters.

#million #quarter #westlake #earlier

Our ******* ysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here.
French manufacturing giant Vallourec has secured the entire carbon-steel line pipe and external coating scope for Petrobras's Sepia 2 offshore development, covering roughly 130 kilometers of subsea infrastructure.
The contract strengthens its position in Brazil's technically demanding pre-salt market and gives investors another reason to believe the group's offshore order book still has room to grow.
Vallourec shares rose around 6% after the premium pipe manufacturer announced a major contract with Subsea7 for the Sepia 2 project in Brazil's Santos Basin.
The agreement covers roughly 130 kilometers of rigid risers and flowlines, representing more than 15,000 tonnes of carbon-steel seamless line pipe designed for highly corrosive environments.

#pipe #vallourec #roughly

German lender Deutsche Bank (NYSE: $DB) plans to offer cryptocurrency custody to its institutional clients.
Germany's largest bank said in a news release that its digital **** et custody service is set to go live by the end of this year.
Deutsche Bank said the service will give European institutional and corporate clients regulated custody of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (CRYPTO: $BTC).
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MEXC Launches Earn Plus With Limited-Time Event Offering Up to 800% APR Booster

#bank #german #Bitcoin

Weitz Investment Management, an investment management firm, released its second-quarter Q2 2026 investor letter for the "Multi Cap Equity Fund". The letter can be downloaded here. The Multi Cap Equity Fund's Institutional Class returned 7.90% in Q2, underperforming the Bloomberg U.S. 3000 Index's 15.71% gain. Markets rose in the quarter on hopes of de-escalating Middle East tensions and easing oil flow. Investor focus shifted back to artificial intelligence, despite component shortages like processing chips affecting profits and valuations. Valuation-sensitive investors are selective within the AI sector, in contrast to valuation-agnostic indexes that adopt a more relaxed strategy. Additionally, reviewing the Fund's top five holdings could help identify its best picks for 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Weitz Multi Cap Equity Fund highlighted Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN). Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is a leading professional services company that provides consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services. On September 15, 2026, Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) closed at $193.40 per share. Over the past month, Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) was up 3.11%, and its shares lost 21.71% over the past 52 weeks. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) has a market capitalization of $118.33 billion.
Weitz Multi Cap Equity Fund stated the following regarding Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"IT services and management consultant Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) reported results in mid-June that did little to quell investor fears of AI-disintermediation. Accenture has a long history of helping clients navigate technological transformation, and we believe it will again play a role as AI permeates businesses. To date, however, we have maintained a smaller position given the higher-than-usual degree of uncertainty."
Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 69 hedge fund portfolios held Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) at the end of the second quarter, compared to 64 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

#multi #investment

In the early 2000s, house-flipping was the get-rich-quick trend that seemingly everyone with enough liquidity wanted to try their hand at. It was popularized by TV shows like Flip This House that showcased fixer-upper success stories and took viewers along for the ride.
Though the heyday ended with the 2008 housing crash, the practice was revived in the COVID-era housing lull and remains popular even now, despite not being as profitable as it once was given rising real estate, material, and labour costs. One way around those realities is to take advantage of the speculative nature of certain properties so a flip doesn't have to involve much renovation work (or any at all, if you're lucky).
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake. Here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
The tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028. Here are 4 moves to make before the window closes

#like #covid #bezos

Nicole Kidman brought high-fashion drama and ethereal elegance to the Emmys celebration this season. Posing behind the scenes during a sleek studio photoshoot, the Oscar-winning actress commanded complete attention in an unforgettable custom gown. She proved once again that true red-carpet icons never rest.
Nicole Kidman dressed in white ? at the 2026 #emmys
pic.twitter.com/fZ7DgYeIU7— The Hollywood Reporter (THR) September 14, 2026
For the prestigious awards event, Nicole selected a breathtaking cream-colored column gown straight from Chanel. The sophisticated dress features an off-the-shoulder silhouette with a dramatic plunging V-neckline. Soft, white feather-like appliqués line the entire neckline and shoulders, adding rich texture and movement to the structured bodice. A tight, sculpted waist hugging her figure gives way to a sleek ankle-length skirt with a sharp thigh-high side slit that reveals her legs as she moves.
She contrasted the light cream gown with classic black pointed-toe pumps that grounded the soft color palette. Nicole accessorized her high-fashion look with statement diamond jewelry that caught the studio lighting. As captured in a viral studio video shared on an Instagram post, she showed off multiple large diamond rings across her fingers along with matching drop earrings. A slim black watch on her left wrist added a touch of modern sophistication.

#nicole

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Quinn Mathews took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Alec Burleson had an RBI single to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.
Rookie catcher Leo Bernal also singled home a run for the Cardinals. Mathews (2-3) retired his first 10 batters before walking Bryce Eldridge in the fourth and didn't give up a hit until Grant McCray doubled leading off the sixth.
The 25-year-old rookie left-hander struck out eight and allowed a run on four hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings — the longest of his seven major league starts.
Ryne Stanek stranded two in a scoreless eighth and Riley O'Brien retired Christian Koss on a groundout with runners at second and third for his 37th save in 45 opportunities.
Thomas Saggese singled with one out in the fifth off Giants starter Landen Roupp (9-14) and stole second. Iván Herrera walked to chase Roupp, and Burleson singled on the first pitch from Reiver Sanmartin for his 110th RBI and 61st hit with runners in scoring position — both totals top the majors.

#singled #louis #Giants #sixth

Could Tamin Lipsey return to Iowa State for another season of college basketball?
The standout point guard has joined a growing list of athletes who are suing the NCAA with hopes of gaining an additional fifth year of eligibility. Court documents indicate Lipsey may return to the Cyclones if given a chance.
Lipsey was among a batch of approximately 90 athletes who entered a class-action lawsuit filed in the state of Indiana against the NCAA. Across the country, many athletes in various sports are suing the NCAA in an effort to get a fifth year of eligibility.
In June, the NCAA Division I Cabinet unanimously approved a new five-year, age-based eligibility model, also known as the "five-for-five rule," which went into effect starting with the 2026-27 academic year. The new rule provides student-athletes across all sports with five years of eligibility over five seasons.
Under the new guidelines, each player's eligibility clock begins upon initial full-time college enrollment or at the beginning of the academic year following the athlete's 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The "five-for-five rule" pertained to those enrolled in colleges for the 2026-27 school year. So those who concluded their collegiate careers in 2026, particularly high school athletes who graduated in 2022 and played four years of college without redshirting, were initially not included by the NCAA's new ruling.

#year #athletes #college #state

Deshaun Watson played poor football for all four quarters on Sunday, playing a key part in a 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was out of rhythm with his playmakers, lacked confidence in his throws, and made a handful of reckless decisions. However, if you asked Watson, it's just par for the course in being an NFL quarterback.
While speaking to the media after Sunday's loss, Watson downplayed his struggles, chalking it up to routine bad plays:
"Bad plays are going to happen all the time. Look all around the league, everyone throws interceptions, everyone makes bad plays. You got to give the defense credit."
It's getting to be beyond noticeable: Watson's lack of self-awareness. Instead of owning up to his mistakes- poor reads, bad timing, and irresponsible decision-making- he says that bad plays are going to happen? It leaves you wondering how long he can keep up this blatant disrespect, and how long he will keep the job in the first place.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Deshaun Watson gives dismissive comments on his performance in Week 1

#deshaun #poor #going #happen