Platinum ****** et Management, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter for "Platinum International Brands Fund". A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The fund returned over 4% in the quarter but lost 14% over the past year, primarily due to the dominance of tech stocks amid an AI investment boom. Consumer-focused sectors underperformed due to weak sentiment and challenges such as high interest rates and rising oil prices, which have contributed to record-low consumer confidence. However, the fund's holdings remain fundamentally strong, with top holdings averaging 13% sales growth and 19% profit growth. The letter noted that positive developments include resumed job growth, reduced oil prices, and easing fiscal policy, which potentially enhance consumer sentiment. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Platinum International Brands Fund highlighted Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK). Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK) engages in the manufacturing and distribution of footwear products. On July 28, 2026, Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK) closed at $41.85 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $7.7 billion. Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK) posted a one-month return of -4.95%, while its shares lost 19.67% over the past 52 weeks.
Platinum International Brands Fund stated the following regarding Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK) (+23%) was among our strongest contributors over the past quarter. The German sandal-maker, with two and a half centuries of heritage, keeps finding fresh ways to grow as a capable management team burnishes the brand, opens new product lines and expands overseas. It earns a 24% operating margin and a 40% return on capital and grew profits 25% on a year ago. Any private owner would be content with these numbers. The CEO, who bought millions of euros in stock this year, and the board, which recently launched a substantial buyback, plainly agree."
Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 32 hedge fund portfolios held Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK) at the end of the first quarter, compared to 41 in the previous quarter. In the second quarter of fiscal 2026, Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK) reported revenue of EUR 618 million, an 8% year-over-year increase on a reported basis. While we acknowledge the potential of Birkenstock Holding plc (NYSE:BIRK) 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.

#holding #birk #year #letter

This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter.
The Turner Building Cost Index rose 5.2% year over year in the second quarter, providing further evidence that construction costs are increasing on an annual basis, even as monthly numbers offered a momentary reprieve.
The construction cost yardstick from New York City-based Turner Construction, the industry's largest contractor by revenue, increased 1.4% from the first quarter as high-growth sectors drove demand for both labor and materials, according to a July 24 news release.
"Demand remains strongest in data centers, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and mission-critical facilities, particularly in the Midwest and Southeast," Attilio Rivetti, Turner's vice president responsible for compiling the index, said in the release. "The industry's biggest challenge continues to be the availability of skilled Mechanical and Electrical labor."
Monthly costs have whipsawed recently. In June, nonresidential input costs decreased 1.1% month over month, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But that dip came after a 2.6% month-over-month surge in May, a jump that helped spur the fastest annual increase since the pandemic.

#construction #dive #monthly

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh lauded star edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux following the team's second training camp practice of 2026.
In speaking with reporters, Harbaugh raved about the ways Thibodeaux has impressed him with his ability to generate passes defensed in practice this summer after Thursday's session concluded.
"I like to see a lot of that," Harbaugh said of the hands he has seen from Thibodeaux in practice. "That's what you want to see. I mean, he's a pretty athletic guy. He's aware. He does have good hands. The ability to rush the passer and also the awareness to bat **** down is massive."
Thibodeaux is best known for recording 11.5 sacks in the 2023 season, but he has also put up solid numbers in passes defensed, particularly early in his career. The 25-year-old recorded five passes defensed as a rookie in 2022 and four in 2023.
Following a down year in 2025 with New York, Thibodeaux will again be a heavily utilized member of the Giants' edge rusher rotation under Harbaugh. That role will require him to disrupt opposing quarterbacks in the passing lanes next season.

#edge

NASCAR's first-ever In-Season Challenge appears to have accomplished exactly what the sport and its newest broadcast partner hoped it would.
TNT Sports released new audience data this week highlighting strong growth throughout its five-race stretch of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, pointing to gains across television, streaming and younger audiences during the inaugural tournament.
The numbers offer an early indication that NASCAR's newest midseason competition resonated with fans while helping TNT build momentum during its first year back as a Cup Series broadcaster.
According to TNT Sports, coverage across TNT, truTV and HBO Max reached 16.6 million total viewers over the five-race In-Season Challenge, marking a 43% increase compared to 2025.
The network also reported its five Cup Series broadcasts averaged 2.0 million viewers. Excluding the weather-affected EchoPark Speedway race in Atlanta, which aired after a three-hour, nine-minute delay and produced the latest Cup Series finish in seven years, average viewership climbed to 2.2 million, an increase of more than 2.1 million viewers over the comparable races last season.

#race #viewers #sports #newest

Seattle Seahawks star Sam Darnold was money in the clutch last season.
Pro Football Focus appraised Darnold as being the fourth highest-graded quarterback in clutch situations in 2025, defined as situations where teams trail by 14 points or fewer, or hold a lead of eight points or fewer in the fourth quarter or overtime, excluding garbage time, among players with at least 45 dropbacks.
"Darnold ranked among the NFL's top five quarterbacks in several key efficiency metrics, including accurate throw rate (73.3%, third), negatively graded play rate (8.9%, fifth) and yards per attempt (8.4, fifth)," PFF's Mark Chichester said. "The combination of accuracy, efficiency and ball security helped produce one of the strongest clutch seasons of any quarterback in 2025."
The Seahawks were able to win the Super Bowl at the end of last season thanks in part to Darnold's ability to deliver in big moments down the stretch throughout the year, which helped them reach the NFL's biggest stage to begin with. The USC product's elite arm and sound decision making late helped him established himself as a quarterback capable of winning games in a variety of ways last season.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Numbers never lie: Sam Darnold was one of the most clutch QB's in 2025

#clutch #season #situations

Saints wide receiver Chris Olave didn't do team drills in the team's first training camp practice for what head coach Kellen Moore called business reasons, but there won't be any reason for Olave to limit his participation for the rest of camp.
Olave's agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus told ESPN that Olave has agreed to a four-year extension with the Saints. The deal is worth $132 million with $90 million in guaranteed money.
The agreement comes a couple of days after General Manager Mickey Loomis said that the team was hopeful to lock up the 2022 first-round pick beyond the fifth and final year of his rookie deal. Loomis also noted that Olave's injury history, which includes multiple concussions and last year's blood clot in his lung, as "an element" of the negotiations.
Given the size of the commitment the Saints are making, Olave's production — 291 catches for 3,728 yards and 19 touchdowns — was a bigger element and Olave is set to have five more years to build those numbers.

#loomis

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.
Here's a rather, um, fun diary entry from the annals of our AI-addled market: South Korea memory chip maker SK Hynix posted a 557% increase in operating profit for its most recent quarter on Wednesday. But rather than sending the once-hot stock to the moon, the print led to a mass sell-off that dragged South Korea's Kospi down with it.
SK Hynix said revenue rose to about $55 billion, up 257% from the same quarter a year prior. Net profits skyrocketed about 1,242%. Still, those eye-popping numbers weren't enough for investors addicted to four-digit growth in the chip sector.
South Korea-listed SK Hynix shares fell about 10% on Wednesday, and are down nearly 50% over the last month. The company's U.S.-listed ADRs, which first started trading on the Nasdaq on July 10, are down about 22%. When the East Coast wakes up, it's set to be a rout.
In other words, SK Hynix grew like that and still missed **** yst expectations. **** ysts penciled in about $44 billion in operating profit. SK Hynix delivered $41.6 billion — real money, just not enough to satisfy a market pricing in miracles.

#analysts #Stock #rather

AI is now greatly advancing both sides of the cybersecurity war, with data increasingly favoring attackers. This isn't an isolated data point, as Check Point's 2026 Cyber Security Report, its 14th annual study, found that organizations fell victim to an average of 1,968 cyberattacks per week back in 2025, a 70% increase from 2023, as attackers increasingly make use of automation and AI to move more quickly and operate across a number of attack surfaces at the same time. Meanwhile, Mandiant's M-Trends 2026 report further highlights the timeframe problem: 28.3% of revealed vulnerabilities are now exploited in less than 24 hours, with time-to-exploit effectively negative when ******* aults arrive before patches.
That narrow window between vulnerability discovery and attack is exactly the dynamic that is altering business security budgets, and Wall Street sees CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) as one of the companies best positioned to gain from it. In fiscal Q1 2027, the company's revenue reached $1.39 billion, up 26% year-over-year, while ending ARR was a record $5.51 billion, up 24%, with net new ARR of $256 million increasing 32% year-over-year, indicating an acceleration rather than a slowing in the pace of new business. Profitability scaled alongside the expansion, with non-GAAP net income growing to $283 million from $184.7 million the year before.
Although CrowdStrike's underlying trajectory remains robust, its valuation multiple is the key source of concern for institutional investors. Shares are currently trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 119.92x, which is a significant premium above prominent cybersecurity rivals such as Palo Alto Networks (84.74x), SentinelOne (39x), and Zscaler (32.72x). At almost 120x forward earnings, the current stock price requires sustained mid-to-high 20% annual revenue growth and continued margin improvement over several years to justify trading levels in hindsight.
Against this backdrop, Stifel's July 17 price target increase to $230 from $220, following investor meetings with CrowdStrike's CFO on AI tailwinds, fiscal 2027 confidence, and Falcon Flex traction, reads as sell-side confirmation of a growth story already supported by the company's own numbers, rather than primary evidence for it.
The firm also cited a growing sales pipeline supporting confidence in CrowdStrike's net-new annual recurring revenue guidance increase issued last quarter, as well as management's stated willingness to increase the size and pace of acquisitions, which would be funded with a combination of stock and debt.

#revenue

July 22 and 23 proved to be one of the most significant 48-hour periods of 2026's artificial intelligence trade, showing a clear flaw in how public equity markets reward massive capital spending. Both Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Alphabet published second-quarter financial results after the market closed on July 22, with both reporting negative quarterly free cash flow due to significant AI infrastructure investments. However, the market distinguished between spending connected to visible near-term margin conversion and spending ***** ociated with core margin compression and an indefinite payout period. While Alphabet had a modest reversal, Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) fell as much as 15% intraday, marking one of the company's worst single-day falls in history.
On the surface, Tesla's top-line headline numbers were strong, with second-quarter revenue reaching a record $28.24 billion, a 26% year-over-year increase that comfortably exceeded Wall Street consensus projections of $25.55 billion to $25.71 billion. Vehicle deliveries set a quarterly high of 480,126 units, while automotive revenue increased 23% to $20.52 billion. Auxiliary areas grew even faster, with Energy Generation and Storage up 13% to $3.14 billion and Services up 50% to a record $4.58 billion.
However, underneath these top-line gains lies considerable margin deterioration. Non-GAAP adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.33, roughly a third lower than the consensus forecast of $0.51 to $0.53, while GAAP operating income fell 57% year-over-year to $398 million, implying an operating margin of 1.4% versus slightly over 4% posted both in last quarter and the same quarter last year.
This profitability compression was directly related to Tesla's core vehicle price strategy. Total gross margin fell to 16.8%, down from 17.2% a year ago and well below ***** ysts' expectations of 19.4%. Tesla's decision to introduce lower-cost variants of the Model 3 and Model Y while discontinuing its higher-margin Model S and Model X flagship vehicles reduced average selling prices throughout the fleet. This structural decline in average selling price, combined with a rapid contraction in high-margin regulatory credit revenue, severely harmed profitability while fixed overhead increased.
An enormous spike in spending added to the core vehicle pricing pressures. Operating expenses increased by 47% year-over-year to $4.35 billion, while capital expenditures nearly doubled to $5.80 billion, resulting in a $1.10 billion negative free cash flow balance. This substantial cash burn represents significant expenditures in AI compute infrastructure, custom semiconductor development, battery material manufacture, and production capacity for the Cybercab and Optimus humanoid robots.

#vehicle #operating

NEW DELHI: Ajinkya Rahane never sought the spotlight. In an era dominated by classy stroke-makers and larger-than-life personalities, he quietly built a reputation as one of India's most dependable overseas batters and one of the country's most respected leaders.

On Thursday, the 38-year-old brought the curtain down on his international career, ending a journey that spanned more than a decade and produced some of Indian cricket's most memorable moments.

Having played 85 Tests, 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is, Rahane finished with 8,414 international runs, 15 centuries and 51 half-centuries. Yet, numbers only tell part of his story.

"The reality of life is that everything has a beginning, and everything has an end. When that time comes, you simply have to respect it and move forward. I always relied on timing in my batting, and I've always understood its important," Rahane said in his retirement video.
If there is one chapter that defines Rahane's legacy, it is India's remarkable 2020-21 Test series win in Australia.

After India were bowled out for 36 in Adelaide and Virat Kohli returned home on paternity leave, few believed the injury-hit side could compete, let alone win.

Rahane stepped in as captain and led a depleted Indian team to a stunning 2-1 series victory, one of the greatest triumphs in Indian cricket history.
His century in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne not only rescued India's campaign but also made him the only Indian to score a Boxing Day Test hundred against Australia both as a player and as captain.

Under his leadership, India never lost a Test match, making his captaincy record (6 matches with 4 wins and 2 draws) one of the finest in Indian cricket.
Rahane earned a reputation for producing his best performances away from home. He became the first Indian batter to score both his maiden Test and ODI centuries in SENA countries, proving his ability to thrive in the toughest conditions.

His 12 Test hundreds often came in pressure situations, and remarkably, India never lost a Test whenever Rahane scored a century. He was also the first Indian to score a century in the World Test Championship, adding another milestone to an already impressive career.
One of his finest individual performances came against South Africa when he became the only Indian batter to score centuries in both innings of a Test while batting at No. 5 or lower.

#test

When the Twins selected him with the 16th overall pick last July, Marek Houston was seen by most scouts as a lock to stick shortstop with elite defensive talent, but a fringy bat that projects for below average production in the major leagues. Just 27 games into his Double-A tenure, Houston is already producing offense at a high level, boasting a .325 batting average with a 135 wRC+. As he begins to pop up on top 100 prospect lists, there is a growing belief that his bat has a chance to provide some real impact for the Twins.
Standing at 6'3", Marek is a twitchy and fluid athlete. He is a plus runner, nabbing 38 bags so far this season while being caught just 4 times. He has an excellent approach at the plate. Very patient hitter who is running a chase rate around 17% this season with above-average walk rates. His swing mechanics have remained largely unchanged from his time at Wake Forest. The pre-swing hand load and leg kick is a little loud, but he breaks it down with 2 strikes, which has helped him limit strikeouts and put together mature at-bats despite posting average zone contact rates. His raw power is below average, but Houston has continued to tap into more and more juice as the season has gone on. There is quality gap power if he can consistently elevate the ball.
While the offensive ceiling is still limited, any doubt that Marek Houston may not have a major league caliber bat is effectively gone. If he doesn't tap into any more power, his profile is similar to that of Austin Martin or Luke Keaschall, a patient hitter who makes a lot of contact and provides value on the bases. While these guys don't hit for much power and have middling offensive numbers, they do more for the offense than the stats show. Combining that with plus defense at the shortstop position makes for an extremely valuable player and a guy who will find a way to make a positive impact on every game.
Marek Houston is squarely on track for a 2027 debut with an outside chance of making his way onto the opening day roster. He looks like a perfect fit for the Twins as a long-term solution at the shortstop position, where the team's -15 FRV since the start of 2025 ranks 28th in MLB. While he doesn't have a dynamite bat like Walker Jenkins or Emmanuel Rodriguez, Houston is worth getting excited about as one of the system's top prospects and arguably the prospect with the highest chance to be a productive big leaguer. He has been a Minnesota Twin for just over 12 months, but fans won't have to wait much longer to see him suited up at Target Field.

#chance

Brentford are moving decisively in the market, with Evening Standard reporting that the club are "closing in on a deal to sign Lens midfielder Mamadou Sangare as a replacement for Jordan Henderson". It is understood the Bees are making real progress, with talks described as advanced and confidence growing internally that an agreement can be reached.
The proposed package is significant. Sangare "would cost around €45million (£38.5m)", a figure that would place him among the biggest investments in Brentford's history and potentially make him the club's record signing. That alone underlines how seriously Brentford are treating this next step, particularly after Henderson's situation shifted quickly. The report adds that Brentford have alternatives in mind if negotiations hit a snag, but for now Sangare appears the leading option.
The 24-year-old brings a strong profile. He has four years left on his contract, has already earned 16 caps for Mali, and made five appearances at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. At club level, he helped Lens lift the Coupe De France, with Pierre Sage, now at Crystal Palace, also linked to the player. Palace's interest is said to be ongoing, which may sharpen the timetable if Brentford want to get this over the line.
Photo: IMAGO
Sangare's journey has been steady and upward. He made "his senior debut at Red Bull Salzburg", took in loan spells in Austria and Belgium, moved to Rapid Wien, then earned his switch to Lens. Last season, he "scored three times in 33 appearances", suggesting his game offers more than simple ball-winning. Brentford will likely value mobility, tactical discipline and room for further growth as much as the headline numbers.

#lens #earned

Updated July 28, 2026, 4:38 pm EDT / Original July 28, 2026, 10:02 am EDT
Sometimes the numbers are the story.
Copyright ©2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

#original #sometimes #reserved

The attraction to make short-term market bets is real. When you think what everyone knows is wrong, it's tempting to place a bet. And while Kalshi and Polymarket may be better venues for "someone is wrong on the internet" proof-trading, ETFs offer clean, efficient ways to lose your money too.
Or maybe -- maybe -- make some.
On a recent episode of ETF Zoo, Bloomberg's Eric Balchunas made the point that some speculators lately had been getting these market-timing calls right. He later ran the numbers on ProShares UltraPro QQQ, the 3x leveraged Nasdaq-100 ETF.
This toe-dip into matching flows with performance got me thinking about "the other big trade" of the last year or so that's not AI: Energy. That's where all the headlines about insider trading have been, so taking the cue from Eric, I had to figure out: have ETF investors been playing the energy trade this well?
Betting on energy is the least secret, least insider trade in the world right now—unless you have access to the Oval, like some traders apparently do. There should be no edge in it. Short-term trading here is simply a bet that you know something the most important commodity market in the world doesn't know (or, you have better hunch.) Historically, this is a bad idea. That was my prior: disaster.

#market #short #make

A single exchange-traded fund that pays you $1,000 a month in dividends sounds almost too clean, and one fund keeps landing at the center of that conversation.
The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) holds more than $102 billion in total net ******* ets as of July 2026, according to Schwab ******* et Management's fund page. A 3.3% trailing yield, a 0.06% expense ratio, and 14 straight years of dividend growth explain why it draws so much attention.
But run the numbers on what it actually takes to pull $1,000 a month from that yield, and the reality hits differently.
Generating $1,000 a month means earning $12,000 a year from one investment. Dividing that annual target by SCHD's current 3.3% distribution yield produces a required investment of roughly $364,000, the fund's yield data confirmed.
At a share price near $33.29 as of late July 2026, that's approximately 10,900 shares, a portfolio concentration that few individual investors would find comfortable or feasible.

#july #schd #asset

Distressed investors are, by their nature, optimists. They must be, since they see bargains and opportunities where other investors fear to tread. True to form, recent conversations with a number of distressed players reveal a significant distressed opportunity set in the back half of 2026 in the face of a roaring US equity bull market and a vibrant US economy.
Beginning on a positive note, "the US economy is doing well and isn't likely to turn south in the next six to 12 months," says Jeremy Burton, managing director and portfolio manager at PineBridge Investments. Even the rise of oil prices isn't of great concern for Burton, as he believes that the hit to consumers from rising oil prices in one region of the country will be offset by a healthy oil-and-gas-based economy in another region. As a result, the opportunities are more sector-specific, he believes.
Concurring with Burton's relatively sunny view are Morgan Stanley strategists Vishwas Patka and Joyce Jiang, who, in a recent piece covering their mid-year outlook, said "capex growth and a resilient consumer support a stable macro environment with strong earnings, while attractive yields anchor robust [debt] demand." This bodes well for business growth and equity generally, the pair said.
That health is reflected in the numbers. PitchBook LCD reported on July 1 that the trailing 12-month default rate for the Morningstar LSTA US Leveraged Loan index was only 0.97% by dollar amount and 1.34% by issuer count. The default rate by count, including Liability Management Exercises (LMEs), was 2.77%.
But danger in the leveraged loan index lurks. The index's distress ratio by amount (defined as the share of loans trading below 80 cents on the dollar) rose 34 bps in June, to 6.87%. In fact, the distress ratio has trended higher over the past nine months after plumbing a near-term low of 2.59% in September 2025. The peak for 2026 is 7.23% in March, which was the result of six consecutive monthly increases and marked the highest level since the distress ratio hit 7.36% in December 2022, in the midst of a series of US fed funds rate hikes by the FOMC. Roughly 45% of the debt trading under 80 is in software-related sectors.

#distressed #ratio #leveraged

O'Keeffe Stevens Advisory, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. During Q2 2026, the market experienced notable dispersion between perceived AI losers and winners. The firm has made investments early in AI infrastructure companies, which yielded gains during market repricing. The second quarter experienced strong equity rallies, with the S&P 500 gaining 15.2% and the Nasdaq 21.4%, marking the best quarter since Q2 2020. While the software sector faced challenges, with the iShares Software ETF dropping ~27% before a rally, reflecting high volatility. This volatility is seen as an opportunity, despite the potential for 'dead money' in underperforming stocks. The firm remains cautious, focuses on owning durable businesses at reasonable prices, holding cash, and hedging risks to navigate unpredictability. In addition, please check the Strategy's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, O'Keeffe Stevens Advisory highlighted Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:CALY). Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:CALY) is a global manufacturer of golf equipment, golf and lifestyle apparel, and other accessories. On July 27, 2026, Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:CALY) closed at $18.27 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $3.28 billion. Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:CALY) posted a one-month return of -2.77%, while its shares gained 89.72% over the past 52 weeks.
O'Keeffe Stevens Advisory stated the following regarding Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:CALY) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Callaway Golf Company (NYSE:CALY): Post the announced sale of their TopGolf business, the next catalyst to the story is demonstrating the clean, high-quality business of the remaining club, ball, and apparel business. Q1 net sales rose 9.2% to $687.5m, adjusted EBITDA climbed 31.1% to $163.7 million, and non-GAAP net income from continuing operations increased 96%, with gross margin up roughly 260 basis points, absorbing about $18m of incremental tariX expense. Management raised its full-year outlook, and the summer thus far has been a net positive for the golf industry. On capital return, through April 30, Callaway repurchased 5.6 million shares at an average cost of $14.08 ($79 million of the $200 million authorization), and on May 1 the company settled its $258 million of convertible notes in cash and remains in a net cash position. Our thesis continues to play out, and while the stock has materially appreciated, we still see upside to numbers. Management is acting exactly as expected, reducing debt, returning capital a complex-to-simple story easy for all to understand better."

#golf #caly #o 'keeffe #stevens

With chip stocks extending their sell-off, investors have rotated back into safety in the Big Tech patch.
Believe it or not, that now includes Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), which is only a few days removed from its stock being hammered by fears of AI overspending.
Talk about a short memory.
Quick insight: Alphabet stock started Tuesday's session above the key 200-day moving average after closing above it on Monday, according to Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace data (chart below). The stock broke below the 200-day moving average for the first time in more than three years on July 23 as investors digested the company's second quarter numbers.
The 200-day moving average is one of the most widely followed technical indicators as it helps investors distinguish a stock's long-term trend from short-term market noise. A stock trading above its 200-day moving average is generally viewed as being in a long-term uptrend.

#Stock #average #short #long

If you bought a home within the last few years, you might face some mortgage rate regrets. But as everyday people have told me, life doesn't wait for the market. You needed a home at the time you bought it, not before or after when rates were different.
While rates are still relatively high, they've fallen from their peak a few years ago. And if you're looking for a lower monthly payment, it's worth checking if you're paying more than today's average mortgage rate. If you are, a refinance may be on the table.
The math can be complicated, with interest rates, closing costs and amortization schedules to consider. And you can't always count on your lender to do this math for you.
But crunching the numbers is key to making the right refi move. Here's how three homeowners decided it was worth it for them.
When Bob Bradley, a 44-year-old publicist based in Orange County, Calif., married his wife, Kristy Andre, they needed a house to fit their blended family. He sold his 2%-rate condominium to fund a down payment on their family home. The couple bought at a 6.125% rate in June 2024.

#bought #payment

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) is among the top dividend stocks in President Trump's portfolio, according to his disclosures earlier this year. MCD has about 50 years of consecutive dividend increases under its belt. The company is scheduled to announce earnings on August 4. The stock is down about 10% so far this year. Is this an opportunity to buy?
McDonald's real business isn't food. About 95% of its restaurants are run by franchisees, not the company. McDonald's keeps the land and the buildings, and it collects rent and royalties on top of the franchise fee. Franchised locations run at roughly an 83% operating margin. Company-run restaurants sit closer to 12%, before corporate costs even get factored in. Franchisees eat the labor bills, the food cost swings, the day-to-day headaches. McDonald's just cashes the check.
Revenue was up 9.4% year over year. Comparable sales grew 3.8% globally and 3.9% in the US, and a chunk of that came from the McValue menu plus a Netflix crossover with K-Pop Demon Hunters that apparently got younger customers walking in.
Systemwide sales (this counts every franchised store, not just company-owned ones) were up 11% on a reported basis.
The Dividend Case, In Plain Numbers

#company #Dividend #Food #sales

By most financial measures, the second quarter at TFI International was strong.
Second quarter diluted earnings per share were up 41% to $1.65 from the corresponding quarter a year ago. EBITDA was up more than 11%.
But underneath that, and what came through in Monday evening's conference call with ****** ysts, is that the rise in profitability came from the Truckload operations at TFI, as well as its Logistics segment, while LTL, which provided 41% of the revenue, improved but not as much as Truckload.
The difference between the two at TFI (NYSE: TFII) was most stark in their respective EBITDA margins. It was 18% for LTL, and 24.1% for Truckload. (Logistics had a 16.3% EBITDA margin). In the first quarter, the respective numbers were 12.1% and 19.5%. While the percentage gain was more for LTL in the quarter, that measure of profitability continues to lag Truckload.
In one notable part of the conference call, CEO Alain Bedard and CFO David Saperstein talked about the differences in the markets for the two largest segments.

#profitability

The numbers tell one side of the story for Joel Piroe. 19 goals. Four ***** ists. 45 appearances. Top scorer in the Championship in 2024/25 and the main engine behind getting Leeds United back to the big time. Yet, stroll around West Yorkshire right now, and you quickly realise statistics mean precious little when a manager's mind is made up that he is a low-priority man. Daniel Farke wants a new leading man. Simple as that.
Farke wants a traditional centre-forward to hold up the ball, bully centre-backs, and trigger the team's pressing system off the ball. They have Dominic Calvert-Lewin for that. That leaves Joel Piroe in a tough spot.
Despite doing everything asked of him last season, the 26-year-old Dutchman finds himself pushed right to the edge of the first-team picture. Farke clearly harbours doubts about whether Piroe has the raw pace, athletic engine, and mobility required to lead the line in the top flight.
With just 12 months remaining on his contract at Elland Road, the hierarchy seems open to business. A cut-price departure before deadline day is now a genuine possibility, with Birmingham City already keeping close tabs on the situation.
LEEDS, ENGLAND – MARCH 03: Joel Piroe of Leeds United reacts during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Sunderland at Elland Road on March 03, 2026 in Leeds, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

#engine

It's been almost four weeks since Shohei Ohtani last pitched in a game, still managing the left knee inflammation that still isn't 100 percent. But that's not the only injury the Dodgers superstar is dealing with.
After Tuesday night's game, Ohtani revealed that his right bicep has also been bothering him. That was part of the reason that his planned bullpen session over the weekend in New York was scrapped.
"It started with the knee, and the bicep thing started when he took a swing — I don't know, three or four weeks ago. Then as we got to the break we wanted him to rest his knee, to rest his body and arm. Then as he started ramping back up, in the bullpen … it just wasn't responding. Nor was his knee," manager Dave Roberts told reporters Tuesday night, as shown on SportsNet LA. "There is an effect from the lower half to the compromising of the upper half. So trying to mitigate that, we stopped the throwing, stopped the bullpens, trying to take care of the knee and hopefully not try to create velocity with the arm that's not 100 percent."
Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic wrote about how Ohtani's injuries, which might prevent him from pitching in October (though the Dodgers insist his rest now is a precaution and that they expect him to pitch in the postseason), could increase the Dodgers likelihood to pursue Tarik Skubal before next Monday's trade deadline.
Ohtani homered and doubled on Tuesday, part of a three-hit game against the Mariners. But he's hitting .250/.307/.500 in July, decent numbers but well below his established norms. Since the All-Star break, Ohtani is hitting .238/.283/.405.

#tuesday #game #rest #since

The Atlanta Braves made the ultra-aggressive move to promote their star infield prospect Tate Southisene to Double-A at the age of 19 after just 104 professional games, but his run with the Clingstones is going to have an unfortunate interruption. In the second inning of his debut on Tuesday night Southisene was hit in the wrist by an errant sinker up-and-in, and while he initially remained in the game to run the bases he was pulled in between innings. The Columbus Clingstones announced that the Braves 2025 first round pick, who received a $2,622,500 signing bonus last summer, would be placed on the injured list, halting his meteoric rise through Atlanta's ranks.
Southisene has been nothing short of phenomenal in his first full season of professional baseball, with a 139 wRC+ split across Single-A Augusta and High-A Rome. He spent most of the season in Single-A, where he hit .297/.429/.500 with eight home runs and 36 stolen bases in 51 games, before what was seen as an aggressive call up to High-A in early June. Southisene took about a series to adjust to High-A pitching before going on a rampage and hitting .272/.393/.456 over his final 30 games in High-A. His power numbers did take a dip, but his ability to work deep counts and recognize the strike zone is years ahead of the typical 19-year-old and that approach is what gave the Braves confidence he could succeed in Double-A. Southisene is starting to get top 100 looks nationally, and though his ultimate defensive home is still up in the air he is seen as one of the best position player prospects in recent seasons for the Braves and a player who projects to being at least a solid major league regular.

#southisene #single #aggressive #professional

Bayern Munich's new defender Nathaniel Brown will wear the No. 11 shirt for the club.
The versatile left-back will be wearing the number in a rather unorthodox manner, as the No. 11 is normally ***** ociated with forward players. While defensive players definitely have worn similar numbers before, it is still considered a departure from tradition.
However, Bayern is no stranger to odd number choices, with backup striker Sandro Wagner choosing the No. 2 and central midfielder Xabi Alonso wearing the No. 3 in his debut season. The latter did switch to his preferred No. 14 in the season after, though.
According to board member for sport Max Eberl, as captured by iMiaSanMia, the number was originally offered to winger Michael Olise, who wears the number for France. However, Olise reportedly wanted to keep his No. 17 shirt for Bayern. Whether the number was also offered to fellow winger Luis Díaz is unknown.
Bayern's No. 11 has had a variety of owners over the past decade, including Douglas Costa, James Rodríguez, and Kingsley Coman. The number was most recently worn by Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson. Perhaps the most notable player who wore it was Stefan Effenberg, who captained Bayern to a Bundesliga and Champions League double while wearing said number.

#number #wearing #worn #season

Microsoft, Meta, and Qualcomm will kick off a parade of tech earnings after the bell on Wednesday, as Wall Street continues to question the validity of the broader AI trade that is sending chip stocks south.
Memory chip maker SK Hynix reported its results late Tuesday evening, with operating profit climbing a wild 557%. But even that wasn't enough to satisfy investors.
All eyes will be on capital expenditures numbers from Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, which reports Thursday, after Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) increased capex guidance spooked investors.
Meta, meanwhile, announced that it is entering into a $14 billion agreement with BlackRock to build a 1-gigawatt data center in Texas.
Apple, which has benefited thanks to its more restrained spending, saw its market capitalization briefly surpass the $5 trillion mark on Tuesday, making it just the second company to do so.

#Microsoft #tuesday

Kelsey Plum's two-season tenure with the Los Angeles Sparks is likely coming to an end, per LA Times reporter Marisa Ingemi. Ingemi reported that the Sparks will most likely trade Plum by Sunday's midseason trade deadline, and that they've gotten interest from across the league.
Plum is in the midst of a historic offensive season, albeit an injury-riddled one. She's averaging 23.9 points and 6.4 **** ists, while shooting 52.7% from the field. All of those numbers are career highs. She's also shooting 38.3% from three, her highest mark since 2023. But she's appeared in just 12 of 27 games as she's dealt with an ankle and a lower leg injury. The Sparks are currently out of the playoff mix, holding a 10-17 record and losers of 6 straight games.
Plum signed a one-year, $999,999 contract ahead of the season, after being traded to LA from Las Vegas in a three-team trade that saw the Seattle Storm get the No. 2 pick (and Li Yueru), and Las Vegas acquire Jewell Loyd. While Plum has individually excelled since arriving in Los Angeles, the team missed out on the playoffs in Year 1 and appears on track to do so again.

#trade #angeles

A single exchange-traded fund that pays you $1,000 a month in dividends sounds almost too clean, and one fund keeps landing at the center of that conversation.
The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) holds more than $102 billion in total net ****** ets as of July 2026, according to Schwab ****** et Management's fund page. A 3.3% trailing yield, a 0.06% expense ratio, and 14 straight years of dividend growth explain why it draws so much attention.
But run the numbers on what it actually takes to pull $1,000 a month from that yield, and the reality hits differently.
Generating $1,000 a month means earning $12,000 a year from one investment. Dividing that annual target by SCHD's current 3.3% distribution yield produces a required investment of roughly $364,000, the fund's yield data confirmed.
At a share price near $33.29 as of late July 2026, that's approximately 10,900 shares, a portfolio concentration that few individual investors would find comfortable or feasible.

#july

How he got to the Braves: 2024 6th round pick (#191 overall)
In a farm system full of intriguing young arms, Bagwell continues to fly under the radar despite putting up excellent numbers to begin his career.
Last season, Bagwell made a total of 10 starts with Augusta after dealing with an injury that sidelined him for a majority of the first half of the year. In those starts, he tossed 50 innings of 2.88 ERA ball while holding opponents to a .198 average. While the baseline numbers were solid, Bagwell's strikeout numbers left something to be desired as he only managed 30 strikeouts in those 50 frames.
In 2026, however, Bagwell has seen his strikeout rate jump while also keeping his impressive walk rate in check as well.
Bagwell made 13 starts for Augusta before being promoted to Rome, where he made his first high-A start on July 1 in which he tossed six scoreless innings, striking out six and walking one in the process.

#bagwell #first #strikeout

Everton have every right to play hardball over Iliman Ndiaye. According to Mirror, the club will demand around £70m for the Senegal forward as Manchester United and Al-Hilal weigh up moves. That figure is steep, but this is the market now, and Everton are under no obvious pressure to blink first.
Ndiaye, 26, has emerged as one of the more intriguing names of the summer. He has produced "a couple of eye-catching seasons on Merseyside", and while his output of 17 goals and three ******* ists in 71 appearances does not scream elite wide forward, context matters. Everton have not exactly been a free-flowing attacking machine, so numbers alone do not tell the whole story.
United are in the mix because they need solutions on the left side. The report states that "left wing" is among their priorities, and that Michael Carrick's side have "shortlisted Ndiaye and are tracking his situation". He has apparently moved up their list after Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea for £117m and Yan Diomande signalled a preference for Real Madrid.
Photo IMAGO
Al-Hilal are also there, and this part matters. The report says Ndiaye "is open to leaving Everton and his camp would encourage a bid from the Saudi Arabian side." That changes the dynamic. If a player is receptive and a Saudi club has interest, the financial ceiling can move quickly. Everton know this, which is one reason the £70m valuation has appeared now.

#ndiaye #hilal #saudi #matters