Alexander Skarsgård attended the Wicker screening during the 2026 BFI London Film Festival this evening, delivering another red carpet look that won't be forgotten anytime soon.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI
You won't have forgotten the Saint Laurent thigh-wader boots he wore at Cannes, and I doubt you'll forget your first sight of these Saint Laurent PVC shoes either. We've seen all manner of unusual footwear this year, including Margaret Qualley's Chanel soleless shoes, but Alexander continues to find new ways to surprise us.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI
If you thought he was going to return to safer style choices after his Pillion press tour, think again. He's clearly having far too much fun with fashion, and I love this for him.

#getty #images #saint #forgotten

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Credit: Netflix
Ben Affleck has spent so much of his adult life as tabloid fodder that some people probably know more about the alleged contents of his Dunkin' order than they do about some of his movies. Bennifer alone generated enough headlines for several lifetimes, and even relatively mundane activities tend to become internet events. Remember the Sad Affleck meme and those miserable-looking cigarette photos? Of course you do. Well, someone finally asked him about all that tabloid ink spilled on him and he's more candid than I'd ever have guessed.
During a new installment of GQ's One More Question, the outlet brought up one particularly bizarre stretch in early 2025, when the former Batman performer was simultaneously dealing with rumors that his home had burned in the Los Angeles fires and that the FBI had raided the property. His response was much more resigned than angry, as he explained:
I have them much less frequently now, which is nice, but there are still occasionally these strange flareups. At the time, there were both rumors that the FBI had raided my home and that my house had burned down. They can't both be true. It's like all these things, and then none of it turns out to be true, and ****** ody remembers it.

#much #affleck #true #credit

Chet Hanks and Eric André's long-running tension spilled into a public confrontation at ComplexCon, turning an old television-show grievance into an awkward face-off in front of a crowd.
Chet filmed himself approaching the 43-year-old comedian at the Los Angeles Convention Center, apparently looking to finally address comments André made about him years earlier.
However, while the model appeared pleased with the encounter afterward, André managed to get the final word with a pointed reference to Chet's famous father.
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A post shared by ᴄʜᴇᴛ ʜᴀɴᴋꜱ 🏴‍☠️ (chethanx)

#chet

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon sharpened his warning about the risks of a global bond sell-off on Tuesday, saying the world's massive competition for capital could begin squeezing corporate borrowers.
Dimon warned that the combination of rising government borrowing costs and spending on the AI boom could spill into corporate credit markets, pushing up the costs for companies to refinance or raise new debt.
"There will be a point where the market will ask for more and more and more, and yeah, at one point that'll feed into corporate debt, corporate credit spreads, and things like that, which is how it normally happens," Dimon said in a Bloomberg interview on the sidelines of a JPMorgan event in London.
"The best thing to do with any of these things is deal with it before it becomes a crisis. If it becomes a crisis, we will deal with it. It just will be in a much less pleasant way," he added.
The warning comes as a global rout in bonds has pushed longer-term borrowing costs sharply higher in recent weeks, with the benchmark US 10-year Treasury yield recently surpassing heights not seen since 2002.

#credit

Vistra (VST) stock opened in the green on Monday following reports that President Donald Trump's administration is finalizing a massive federal support package for the clean energy company. Chris Wright, U.S. Energy Secretary, is set to visit its Perry Nuclear Power Plant to officially announce up to $4.2 billion in government-backed loans aimed at upgrading three of VST's nuclear facilities.
Despite today's rally, Vistra stock is trading about 12% below its price at the start of this year.
Why It's Time to Load Up on Broadcom Stock Before It Touches $523
NVO vs. LLY: Novo's CEO Says Confidence Is Gone. Lilly Is Winning 7 in 10 New Seniors.
Billionaire Mark Cuban Says One Man Taking a Pill From $13.50 to $750 Is Why He Started Cost Plus Drugs, 'How Can This One Guy Take Control Of This Drug'

#Monday

Courtiers are trying to orchestrate a truce between Prince William and Prince Harry in the hopes of getting the estranged brothers together to talk about doing a tribute to Princess Diana for the 30th anniversary of her death next year, a source tells Star.
"Harry is all for it, but William's refused," spills the source.
The siblings' relationship has been strained since Harry, 42, and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior working members of the royal family in 2020 and has only deteriorated after their 2021 tell-all interview and Harry's 2023 memoir, Spare.
Even the Sussexes' recent return to the U.K. with their two young children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, hasn't eased tensions between the brothers.
"He's acting like they don't even exist," the source reveals. "Harry is genuinely shocked that there's not even been a shred of forgiveness on William's part."

#even #diana

Fashion Week is all about the front row, yet one moment away from the runway stole the spotlight. Moving through a busy, stone-arched hall, David Beckham kept his daughter Harper's hand firmly in his. The protective gesture became a highly talked-about image from Victoria Beckham's PFW show, where David and their kids turned out to cheer her on.
Victoria Beckham recently presented her Spring/Summer 2027 collection at Paris Fashion Week. The show was held in the historic Conciergerie, a former prison where Marie Antoinette was held, and models walked past candlelit rows of guests, including Eva Longoria.
The Beckhams made it a family evening. Three of David and Victoria Beckham's kids, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, joined him. Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull and Cruz's girlfriend Jackie Apostel were also there. Then came the moment fans noticed. In a short clip posted on X, David walks a step ahead, holding Harper's hand as they make their way through the guests.
Harper wore a deep plum dress with a fitted bodice, spaghetti straps, and a softly gathered neckline that appears to have a delicate lace-style trim. The skirt fell in a fluid, floor-grazing line that moved as she walked beside her dad. She kept the accessories minimal, with a fine pendant necklace at the collarbone, and wore her long blonde hair loose past her shoulders.
The dark, rich color sat well alongside David's black suit and the muted tones of the stone hall. In the family portrait, Harper's dress also stood out against the neutral and grey tailoring worn by the others. It is an endearing snapshot of a father keeping his youngest close in a packed room. A family portrait from the night shows David and Victoria's kids and their partners posing with their parents beside stone pillars.

#beckham

Veteran actor, singer, and stage star Illy Gorlizki, a defining figure in Israeli culture for more than seven decades, has died at 91.
Israeli actor, singer and theater figure Illy Gorlizki, one of the most recognizable figures in Israeli culture across generations, died at the age of 91, his partner and leading cultural institutions said on Monday.
Born in Tel Aviv in 1935, Gorlizki spent more than seven decades working in theater, film, television and Israeli music, taking part in some of the formative moments of Israeli popular culture.
Gorlizki began his theater career as a teenager. At 17, he was accepted to the drama school affiliated with the Ohel Theater and simultaneously began appearing in small roles. During his military service, he joined the Central Command entertainment troupe, where he sang and performed alongside several young talents who would later become pillars of Israeli entertainment.
He secured his place in Israel's cultural pantheon in 1964, when he starred as Shlomo in the celebrated musical King Solomon and Shalmai the Shoemaker alongside Yona Atari. The musical, based on a play by Sami Gronemann, translated and adapted by Nathan Alterman with music by Sasha Argov, became a huge success and was performed about 1,000 times.

#israeli #theater #illy #decades

Dakota Johnson's "Saturday Night Live" monologue was interrupted this week by the actress' "literal therapist," Taylor Swift, who bonded with the host over their shared experiences dating musicians who "don't wear shoes" and happen to be "terrible in bed."
Johnson kicked off her "SNL" run this week with a joke about her failed 2024 superhero movie "Madame Web," which she remarked she is still promoting because "it hasn't made any money yet." Afterward, the actress reflected on the other turns her life has taken since she last hosted "SNL."
"I went through two very public, very lame breakups with two very awesome musicians. Looking for a third," Johnson joked, referencing her splits from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Role Model singer-songwriter Tucker Pillsbury. While she vowed not to talk anymore about her personal life, Johnson's monologue was derailed again after she noted that her new movie, "Verity," is a psychosexual erotic thriller.
"So is dating musicians. Some of them don't wear shoes. Some of them are terrible in bed. But all of them are in my DMs," Johnson said. "Some people leave concerts with merch, and I leave concerts with a two-and-a-half year relationship." Thankfully, Johnson said she has "good friends" who do not judge her for her dating choices.
Enter: Swift, whom Johnson called her "literal therapist," much to the former's discomfort. "I'm not your therapist, actually. You just show up once a week at my house with an empty bottle of wine and ask if I want some," Swift said.

#week #musicians #monologue

A clash between two potential candidates for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination spilled into public this week.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) | AP
10/04/2026 05:15 AM GMT+9 |Updated: 10/04/2026 05:20 AM GMT+9
Sen. Ted Cruz fired back at JD Vance for suggesting he’s already focused on a 2028 presidential bid, calling the vice president “insecure” while insisting he’s focused on the 2026 midterms.

#focused #julio

Famous pals Tom Cruise and David Beckham share plenty of interests, says a source, including a love of beauty treatments.
"They're both obsessed with skincare," the source tells the National Enquirer. "Not a lot of men are as passionate about it as they are, so it's something that they've really bonded over."
According to the source, the retired athlete, 51, and the Top Gun star, 64, aren't simply trading grooming tips, either.
"Tom and David have been going for facials together," spills the source. "They've both gotten some pretty intense laser treatments too."
Thanks to the former soccer pro's wife, Victoria Beckham, "they have the numbers for all the best dermatologists and estheticians and hairstylists," adds the source. "And they have been putting them to use."

#cruise #they 're #enquirer

Prince Harry's homecoming has been anything but relaxing, a source tells Star.
More than a month after moving back to his native U.K. with wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, "Harry is running from one gig to the next," spills the source. "At the same time, he's working all his contacts to find other opportunities, and not just for himself — he wants to open doors for Meghan too. He promised her he would."
As Star previously reported, the Spare author, 42, even networked for his spouse during the WellChild Awards in London on Monday, September 21, agreeing to pitch Markle, 45, on hosting her own show on Magic Radio.
"Getting them all to England was just the first battle. Now, Harry has to prove that it was the right decision, which means a whole lot of hard work," adds the source. "He was adamant that this move would allow them to bring in more money."
MEGA

#meghan #markle #princess #lilibet

Kanye West's long-running feud with Taylor Swift isn't over yet, says a source, who claims the rapper is now hoping to recruit Blake Lively to get revenge on the singer.
"He genuinely believes that Blake's going to see this as an opportunity that's too good to pass up," spills the source. "It's not as though he can just call her up — she has layers of people that you need to get through before you can talk to her — so he's been hitting up everyone in her orbit to try and get in touch."
Swift, 36, and West's bad blood dates back to 2009, when he crashed her acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs, apologized for it and then later took his mea culpa back.
While the two eventually put their differences aside, the drama picked back up in 2016 after he released the song "Famous" — featuring controversial lyrics about Swift — and its corresponding, equally provocative video.
The "Gold Digger" hitmaker, 49, "is convinced that Taylor is the real reason he's an outcast in America," spills Star's source. "He blames her for everything that's gone wrong with his career, so the more success she has, the more bitter and angry he gets."

#source #spills

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to review a Trump administration policy denying bond hearings for immigrants as the government carries out a sweeping crackdown.
The justices will consider whether immigrants who have been living in the U.S. have a right to a hearing to determine if they should remain detained while challenging their possible deportation.
The case will test a key pillar of the Trump administration's hard-line immigration agenda.
Most appeals courts to have considered the issue have found that it violates federal law to detain immigrants, including those living in the U.S. illegally, without a bond hearing. Those decisions conflict with rulings by the 5th and 8th circuits, which held that immigrants accused of illegally entering and remaining in the U.S. must be detained while their deportation cases are pending.
The high court agreed to hear the case of Ricardo Aparecido Barbosa da Cunha, a citizen of Brazil. Authorities say he entered the United States illegally two decades ago and applied for asylum in 2016. He sought a bond hearing after an immigration judge determined that his detention was mandatory following his September 2025 arrest.

#Trump

BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that it has completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the Islamic State group. The last U.S. troops left an air base in northern Iraq under a deal between Baghdad and Washington.
The withdrawal, agreed on two years ago, comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war between the United States and Iran that has also sometimes spilled over into Iraq, with Iran-backed militias firing on U.S. troops and the U.S. striking the groups' strongholds.
Baghdad touted the end of the U.S. mission as a sign of the country's increasing strength and sovereignty.
The withdrawal was also celebrated by Iran-backed groups but raised concerns among some other Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region. Meanwhile, questions loom around the future of the Iraqi militias, which the Baghdad government has sought — with little success so far — to disarm.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that U.S. troops and equipment had completed an "orderly departure" from the air base in Irbil, in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

#baghdad #withdrawal #kurdish #northern

By Jana Choukeir and Doina Chiacu
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States exchanged new threats on Sunday, with President Donald Trump warning Iran would fail economically or face its leadership being wiped out if it didn't make a deal, and the Iranian ‌military saying it would retaliate harshly to any fresh attack.
The conflict has looked stalemated for months, with no sign either side was ready ‌for concessions even as it has deepened a global energy crisis, cratered swathes of Iran's economy and spilled over into new regional escalations.
In a phone call with a Fox News reporter, Trump said Iran's leaders should make a deal, rot economically or be wiped out, the reporter said.
However, with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian expected in New York this week for the United Nations General ***** embly, Trump said he would be open to meeting him, the Fox reporter added.

#reporter #Iran #make

ResMed Inc. (NYSE:RMD) is well positioned to benefit from the long-term growth of the global obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment market. Likewise, the company remains well positioned to benefit from growing awareness and penetration in the global market, backed by a robust product portfolio.
The company's OSA portfolio includes CPAP and APAP machines, led by the AirSense platform. The AirSense 10 series is one of the most widely used CPAP and APAP machine series. Beyond sleep therapy machines, it also offers nasal, nasal-pillow, and full-face masks, along with a wide range of accessories and related products.
The broad product portfolio offers multiple avenues for generating recurring revenue beyond the initial sale of a sleep therapy device.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com
In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, ResMed's revenue increased 9% year over year to $1.5 billion, supported by strong demand for sleep devices, masks, and accessories. Americas device revenue increased 6%, while total Americas Sleep and Breathing Health revenue rose 8%. Americas masks and other revenue increased 10%. The stronger performance is particularly important as it highlights the ability to monetize the installed patient base beyond the initial device purchase.

#sleep #increased

On August 10, Ferguson Enterprises Inc. (NYSE:FERG) reported results for the quarter ended June 30, and the numbers show a company growing straight through a soft housing market. Sales rose 4.6% to $8.8 billion, and management lifted its outlook for the full year. But profit grew more slowly than sales, and that gap is what makes this report worth a closer look.
The strongest engine was non-residential work, where US revenue jumped 8% on share gains in what management called a mixed market. Large capital projects are part of the story, with open order volumes growing and bidding activity strong, so there is a pipeline behind the current numbers. Housing, roughly half of revenue, is the weak spot. Yet residential sales still rose 2% in the US even though new construction is weak and repair work is soft, which means Ferguson is beating its markets rather than riding them.
Capital deployment is the second pillar. Ferguson closed five acquisitions in the quarter, and on July 13, it announced a deal for FWI Holdings, known as FloWorks, an industrial distributor of valves and flow-control products that is expected to close in the third quarter. The eight deals announced this year carry about $1.4 billion in annualized revenue, a second growth path alongside organic sales. Net debt sits at 1.3 times adjusted EBITDA, a level management calls strong. The company also returned cash, buying back $202 million of stock in the quarter and declaring a $0.89 dividend payable October 7 to holders of record on August 21. Management raised its full-year sales outlook to mid-single-digit growth, before counting FloWorks.
Start with the gap between sales and profit. Adjusted operating profit rose 2.9%, behind the 4.6% sales gain, and gross margin slipped 20 basis points to 31.0%. Ferguson notes that last year's gross margin was temporarily lifted by the timing of supplier price increases, which is fair context, but the direction is still down. Reported earnings per share of $3.43 rose 6.9%, while the adjusted figure of $3.39 grew a slower 5.3%.
Then there are the soft spots. About half of revenue comes from residential markets that management describes as subdued, so a 2% gain there is modest. Canada's sales slipped 1.9%, with a business divestment outweighing organic growth, and management calls the market there challenging, especially in residential. Management also describes the economic environment as uncertain, and the margin part of the guidance raise is small. The low end of the adjusted operating margin range moved from 9.4% to 9.5%, while the top stayed at 9.8%. The guidance also leaves out FloWorks, and net debt to adjusted EBITDA is 1.3 times, against 1.2 times a year ago.

#management

On September 7, 2026, Reuters reported that Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) halted two additional trials of its experimental cardiovascular drug ziltivekimab, further denting the Danish drugmaker's efforts to diversify beyond its blockbuster obesity and diabetes franchise.
The move follows a July disclosure that ziltivekimab failed to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events in a late-stage trial. An independent data monitoring committee found a "low likelihood" that the two additional heart-failure studies would produce a different result from that earlier failure, prompting Novo to end them ahead of schedule.
Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) still has one opportunity to create value from its cardiovascular program. The company will continue testing ziltivekimab in patients recovering from a heart attack, with results expected in the first half of 2027. A successful outcome could give Novo another growth opportunity outside its obesity and diabetes franchise.
Novo's core obesity and diabetes business remains the much larger driver of its financial performance. The oral Wegovy pill has already generated more than 2 million prescriptions shortly after its January 2026 launch. It gives Novo an important growth opportunity as the company competes with Eli Lilly in the oral GLP-1 market.
The company can also preserve capital by ending trials that show limited prospects for success. An independent data monitoring committee found a low likelihood that the two heart-failure studies would produce different results from the earlier failed trial. Novo can redirect the resources it would have spent on those studies toward higher-potential programs.

#obesity #diabetes

Every time Silicon Valley's biggest names line up behind a single message, someone eventually asks who benefits from such universal agreement. This time, that someone was the investor best known for calling the housing crash before almost anyone else saw it coming.
Michael Burry has spent the past year building a reputation as one of the AI industry's loudest skeptics. His latest target is not a stock but a story. When three of the sector's most powerful executives suddenly agreed the technology needed to slow down, Burry saw the timing as less about caution and more like a self-serving pitch.
Burry has spent much of 2026 building short positions against companies tied to the AI trade, disclosing bets against Nvidia, Tesla, Micron, Applied Materials, Caterpillar and a leading semiconductor ETF, according to TheStreet.
On September 14, Burry published a post on X and on his Substack, Cassandra Unchained, arguing that people should take a moment to understand how self-serving it is for OpenAI, Anthropic and other big hyperscaler executives to talk about slowing things down. The post circulated quickly across financial media, Yahoo Finance reported.
Related: Michael Burry doubles down on his surprising AI bet

#michael #time #someone

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has been a rewarding stock to hold, up about 53% over the past year against about 17% for the S&P 500. The change worth noticing over that stretch is quieter than the price. Management said sales still rose 5.6% despite a STELARA drag of about 460 basis points. Management is encouraging investors to evaluate the company's underlying momentum by presenting growth rates that exclude STELARA alongside its reported figures.
A year and a half ago, that drag was the headline. Management's own framing of the first quarter of 2025 noted an approximate 810 basis point headwind on Innovative Medicine sales.
By the second quarter of 2026, that segment-level drag remained heavy at roughly 760 basis points (or about 460 basis points across the total enterprise), yet management's emphasis shifted to highlighting double-digit operational growth excluding STELARA
The exclusion is not a rounding adjustment. STELARA sales fell 55.7% in the second quarter of 2026, and management put that drag at about 460 basis points of the whole company's 5.6% operational sales growth.
Two products show what the replacement looks like. TREMFYA booked $2 billion of sales in the second quarter of 2026, up over 70%, and management says ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the major drivers of that growth. ICOTYDE, a recently launched once-daily pill for psoriasis, is the second, which leadership has highlighted as a key pipeline priority for the immunology business.

#sales #basis #drag #quarter

Caterpillar (CAT) trades around $780. The market puts roughly a two-in-three chance that the stock finishes somewhere between about $525 and about $1,170 a year from now. That is not a forecast of direction. It is the size of the swing a holder is already carrying, and Caterpillar's own record says it is no exaggeration.
Measured from around $780, the floor of that range sits roughly a third below today's price and the ceiling close to half again above it. The extra room on the upside is arithmetic, not optimism. A stock cannot fall below zero and can rise without limit, so the upper end is always the longer one. There is also roughly a one-in-six chance of finishing above the band, and the same chance of finishing below it.
A third of the money in the position can go, and the band's low end is not the worst case. The same market pricing that drop is pricing a larger gain on the other side. The size of your position decides how much of that drop, or that gain, you actually feel.
None of that width is theoretical here. Caterpillar returned 83% over the past twelve months, against about 17% for the S&P 500, and it still trades about 26% below its 52-week high. Both of those belong to the same year. A stock that can do both is the kind an options market prices this wide.
Implied volatility of 39.9% is running level with the 40.0% the stock has actually delivered over the trailing year. The market is quoting the recent past forward rather than charging extra for fear. What could make the year ahead different sits inside the business.

#market #below #chance #around

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 #year #quarter #loss

Auxier ******* et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ******* et Management highlighted Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT). Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) is a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. On September 14, 2026, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) closed at $784.00 per share. Over the past month, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) declined 7.12%, but its shares are up 77.23% over the past year. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) has a market capitalization of $360.39 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $423.32 to $1,073.46.
Auxier ******* et Management stated the following regarding Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Industrials were the strongest performing sector during the quarter. Tech-facing industrial players benefited from a shift in investor focus toward AI buildout rather than the development of AI models. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) and Gates also benefited indirectly from the expansion of AI infrastructure, particularly through increased demand for energy generation and cooling capacity in data centers."
Photo from Hycroft Mining website

#letter

Auxier ******* et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ******* et Management highlighted Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES). Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) is a leading manufacturer of engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions. On September 14, 2026, Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) closed at $25.42 per share. Over the past month, Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) declined 6.17%, and its shares gained 0.77% over the past 52 weeks. Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) has a market capitalization of $6.44 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $20.88 and $30.34.
Auxier ******* et Management stated the following regarding Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Industrials were the strongest performing sector during the quarter. Tech-facing industrial players benefited from a shift in investor focus toward AI buildout rather than the development of AI models. Caterpillar and Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) also benefited indirectly from the expansion of AI infrastructure, particularly through increased demand for energy generation and cooling capacity in data centers."
Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 36 hedge fund portfolios held Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) at the end of the second quarter which was 37 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) 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

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) says its newly launched oral obesity drug Foundayo has captured more than 30% of new U.S. patients starting oral weight-loss medicines, a notable early gain against Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill. Reuters reports that Wegovy initially held roughly 90% of the oral market, making Lilly's rapid share capture an important sign that the oral GLP-1 market is becoming a two-player competition rather than a Novo-dominated segment. The broader U.S. obesity-drug market is expected to exceed $100 billion annually by 2030, with oral treatments potentially accounting for more than one-third of GLP-1 use.
The timing is strategically important for Lilly because Foundayo was only launched in the U.S. in April 2026. The drug starts at $149 per month for self-pay patients and can cost as little as $25 for eligible commercially insured patients, while Medicare beneficiaries can access it through the GLP-1 Bridge program at $50 per month. Lilly's SEC filing says Mounjaro and Zepbound already represented 65% of its revenue in the first six months of 2026, highlighting both the importance of the incretin franchise and the opportunity for Foundayo to broaden Lilly's cardiometabolic revenue base.
The strongest bullish implication is that Foundayo appears to be overcoming the biggest behavioral barrier in obesity treatment: patients' preference for an oral medicine over an injection. Capturing more than 30% of new oral patients only months after launch suggests Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is establishing meaningful competitive positioning before the oral GLP-1 market fully scales. Foundayo's formulation also has a practical advantage because it can be taken at any time of day without food or water restrictions, while Lilly's clinical data showed an average 27.3-pound, or 12.4%, weight reduction at the highest dose among patients who remained on treatment in ATTAIN-1.
The commercial opportunity could become considerably larger if Foundayo gains indications beyond obesity. Lilly reported that in the ACHIEVE-3 trial, Foundayo produced a 57.1% greater relative reduction in A1C and a 73.6% greater relative reduction in body weight compared with oral semaglutide 14 mg. Lilly submitted Foundayo for type 2 diabetes in the U.S., EU, and **** an, potentially expanding the addressable market beyond weight management.
The early oral-market traction also complements Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)'s existing injectable franchise rather than simply cannibalizing it. A Lilly trial found that patients switching from maximum-tolerated Wegovy to Foundayo maintained all but 0.9 kg of their previous weight loss after one year, while patients switching from maximum-dose Zepbound to Foundayo maintained all but 5.0 kg. That suggests Foundayo could serve as a maintenance or lower-burden treatment within Lilly's broader obesity portfolio, increasing lifetime value per patient rather than limiting the opportunity to new prescriptions.

#patients #weight #c

Auxier ****** et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ****** et Management highlighted Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT). Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) is a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. On September 14, 2026, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) closed at $784.00 per share. Over the past month, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) declined 7.12%, but its shares are up 77.23% over the past year. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) has a market capitalization of $360.39 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $423.32 to $1,073.46.
Auxier ****** et Management stated the following regarding Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Industrials were the strongest performing sector during the quarter. Tech-facing industrial players benefited from a shift in investor focus toward AI buildout rather than the development of AI models. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) and Gates also benefited indirectly from the expansion of AI infrastructure, particularly through increased demand for energy generation and cooling capacity in data centers."
Photo from Hycroft Mining website

#quarter #asset #management #focus

Auxier ******* et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ******* et Management highlighted Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES). Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) is a leading manufacturer of engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions. On September 14, 2026, Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) closed at $25.42 per share. Over the past month, Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) declined 6.17%, and its shares gained 0.77% over the past 52 weeks. Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) has a market capitalization of $6.44 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $20.88 and $30.34.
Auxier ******* et Management stated the following regarding Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Industrials were the strongest performing sector during the quarter. Tech-facing industrial players benefited from a shift in investor focus toward AI buildout rather than the development of AI models. Caterpillar and Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) also benefited indirectly from the expansion of AI infrastructure, particularly through increased demand for energy generation and cooling capacity in data centers."
Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 36 hedge fund portfolios held Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) at the end of the second quarter which was 37 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Gates Industrial Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:GTES) 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

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) says its newly launched oral obesity drug Foundayo has captured more than 30% of new U.S. patients starting oral weight-loss medicines, a notable early gain against Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill. Reuters reports that Wegovy initially held roughly 90% of the oral market, making Lilly's rapid share capture an important sign that the oral GLP-1 market is becoming a two-player competition rather than a Novo-dominated segment. The broader U.S. obesity-drug market is expected to exceed $100 billion annually by 2030, with oral treatments potentially accounting for more than one-third of GLP-1 use.
The timing is strategically important for Lilly because Foundayo was only launched in the U.S. in April 2026. The drug starts at $149 per month for self-pay patients and can cost as little as $25 for eligible commercially insured patients, while Medicare beneficiaries can access it through the GLP-1 Bridge program at $50 per month. Lilly's SEC filing says Mounjaro and Zepbound already represented 65% of its revenue in the first six months of 2026, highlighting both the importance of the incretin franchise and the opportunity for Foundayo to broaden Lilly's cardiometabolic revenue base.
The strongest bullish implication is that Foundayo appears to be overcoming the biggest behavioral barrier in obesity treatment: patients' preference for an oral medicine over an injection. Capturing more than 30% of new oral patients only months after launch suggests Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is establishing meaningful competitive positioning before the oral GLP-1 market fully scales. Foundayo's formulation also has a practical advantage because it can be taken at any time of day without food or water restrictions, while Lilly's clinical data showed an average 27.3-pound, or 12.4%, weight reduction at the highest dose among patients who remained on treatment in ATTAIN-1.
The commercial opportunity could become considerably larger if Foundayo gains indications beyond obesity. Lilly reported that in the ACHIEVE-3 trial, Foundayo produced a 57.1% greater relative reduction in A1C and a 73.6% greater relative reduction in body weight compared with oral semaglutide 14 mg. Lilly submitted Foundayo for type 2 diabetes in the U.S., EU, and ***** an, potentially expanding the addressable market beyond weight management.
The early oral-market traction also complements Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)'s existing injectable franchise rather than simply cannibalizing it. A Lilly trial found that patients switching from maximum-tolerated Wegovy to Foundayo maintained all but 0.9 kg of their previous weight loss after one year, while patients switching from maximum-dose Zepbound to Foundayo maintained all but 5.0 kg. That suggests Foundayo could serve as a maintenance or lower-burden treatment within Lilly's broader obesity portfolio, increasing lifetime value per patient rather than limiting the opportunity to new prescriptions.

#weight

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