19 hours ago
SK Hynix is exploring something it has never done before: manufacturing memory chips in the United States.
Reuters reported on September 16 that the Korean memory giant is discussing several possibilities with Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), including leasing part of Intel's long-delayed Ohio complex or forming a venture involving Intel and large cloud customers. SK Hynix said no specific plan has been finalized.
For Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), the talks matter because one of its strongest strategic advantages is being the major U.S.-based memory producer while AI has made DRAM and HBM increasingly scarce.
Intel has committed enormous capital to Ohio, with the broader project potentially reaching around $100 billion over time. Delays have pushed planned production into the next decade. A tenant or joint-venture partner could therefore help Intel share the financial burden of developing the Ohio site rather than relying entirely on its own foundry demand to justify the buildout.
That is the bull case. The bear case is that exploratory talks are a long way from revenue. Bringing advanced Korean memory production to the U.S. could face cost problems, technology-transfer restrictions and objections from Seoul. Intel still needs its core manufacturing roadmap to work.
#long
Reuters reported on September 16 that the Korean memory giant is discussing several possibilities with Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), including leasing part of Intel's long-delayed Ohio complex or forming a venture involving Intel and large cloud customers. SK Hynix said no specific plan has been finalized.
For Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), the talks matter because one of its strongest strategic advantages is being the major U.S.-based memory producer while AI has made DRAM and HBM increasingly scarce.
Intel has committed enormous capital to Ohio, with the broader project potentially reaching around $100 billion over time. Delays have pushed planned production into the next decade. A tenant or joint-venture partner could therefore help Intel share the financial burden of developing the Ohio site rather than relying entirely on its own foundry demand to justify the buildout.
That is the bull case. The bear case is that exploratory talks are a long way from revenue. Bringing advanced Korean memory production to the U.S. could face cost problems, technology-transfer restrictions and objections from Seoul. Intel still needs its core manufacturing roadmap to work.
#long
19 hours ago
Tiffany Trump's toddler son looked adorable in his mom's embrace in the latest photos. US President Donald Trump's daughter shared a couple of pictures on her Instagram Story. They included the mother-son duo posing near a lake. For those unversed, the 32-year-old shares one child, Alexander Trump Boulos, with her husband, Michael Boulos.
Tiffany Trump's toddler son's latest NYC photos have melted the internet. On her Instagram Story, the mother of one shared two photos of herself holding her child near a lake. It appeared to be a beautiful day, hinting at the upcoming fall season.
Tiffany wore a loose jacket, a black T-shirt, denim jeans, and high boots. With her hair let loose, Alexander's mom looked gorgeous yet sassy. But her expression had a gentle smile and love for her son in her arms.
The little one donned a comfortable T-shirt and pants with slip-on baby shoes. His hair seemed to have grown, as it was pulled up in a messy ponytail.
In the first photo, the two looked straight into the camera, clearly posing for a good snap. The background looked perfect, with New York City buildings that seemed near yet far. Big green trees, bushes, and a serene lake came between the buildings and the mother-son duo.
#tiffany #lake #story #boulos
Tiffany Trump's toddler son's latest NYC photos have melted the internet. On her Instagram Story, the mother of one shared two photos of herself holding her child near a lake. It appeared to be a beautiful day, hinting at the upcoming fall season.
Tiffany wore a loose jacket, a black T-shirt, denim jeans, and high boots. With her hair let loose, Alexander's mom looked gorgeous yet sassy. But her expression had a gentle smile and love for her son in her arms.
The little one donned a comfortable T-shirt and pants with slip-on baby shoes. His hair seemed to have grown, as it was pulled up in a messy ponytail.
In the first photo, the two looked straight into the camera, clearly posing for a good snap. The background looked perfect, with New York City buildings that seemed near yet far. Big green trees, bushes, and a serene lake came between the buildings and the mother-son duo.
#tiffany #lake #story #boulos
8 days ago
On September 17, Coherent Corp. (NYSE:COHR) announced an upgraded Pluggable Optical Line System that covers the full C-band and fits in a compact QSFP module, the same slot ordinary transceivers use. That is a lot of networking gear shrunk into a plug, and it follows a quarter of 34% revenue growth. Here is what the launch means, and where the stock's story gets harder to read.
Start with what the product does. The upgraded system can pack 32 wavelengths onto a single pair of fibers, which Coherent says adds up to as much as 25.6Tbps of traffic on links running 2km to 200km. It is designed for the latest 800G coherent optics, and it configures itself, handling link setup and laser safety without a technician tuning each connection. Coherent also says the system is generally available and already shipping in high volume, in 400G and 800G versions that work with existing network setups. Madhu Krishnaswamy, who runs the company's telecom transport unit, describes the goal as easing the usual trade-off between raw performance and operational simplicity.
The launch also sits on top of a business that is already moving. On August 12, Coherent reported results for its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended June 30: revenue of $2.05 billion, up 34% from a year earlier. Non-GAAP earnings per share rose to $1.74 from $1.00, and CEO Jim Anderson noted that for the full year, that measure grew more than twice as fast as revenue. Management guided to revenue of $2.2 billion to $2.4 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2027, and Anderson says AI data centers are increasingly moving from copper to optical links.
Now look at the two versions of profit. Coherent's non-GAAP earnings came to $1.74 per share, but under GAAP the figure was $1.19. The gap comes from items management leaves out, including stock-based pay, amortization on acquired intangibles, and restructuring and integration costs. Operating margin shows it more clearly, at 21.8% on a non-GAAP basis and 12.4% under GAAP. Some of those costs are non-cash, but they are real, and anyone anchoring on the higher figure is skipping them.
Then there is how much weight this launch can carry. The announcement puts no sales figure on the product, so its contribution to a company that booked $2.05 billion in a quarter cannot be sized from what has been published. The bullish story also rests on management's own read of where AI networks are headed, and on a capacity build-out that CFO Sherri Luther says gets priority in spending. Money spent on capacity only pays off if the demand management describes keeps arriving.
#gaap #revenue #launch #anderson
Start with what the product does. The upgraded system can pack 32 wavelengths onto a single pair of fibers, which Coherent says adds up to as much as 25.6Tbps of traffic on links running 2km to 200km. It is designed for the latest 800G coherent optics, and it configures itself, handling link setup and laser safety without a technician tuning each connection. Coherent also says the system is generally available and already shipping in high volume, in 400G and 800G versions that work with existing network setups. Madhu Krishnaswamy, who runs the company's telecom transport unit, describes the goal as easing the usual trade-off between raw performance and operational simplicity.
The launch also sits on top of a business that is already moving. On August 12, Coherent reported results for its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended June 30: revenue of $2.05 billion, up 34% from a year earlier. Non-GAAP earnings per share rose to $1.74 from $1.00, and CEO Jim Anderson noted that for the full year, that measure grew more than twice as fast as revenue. Management guided to revenue of $2.2 billion to $2.4 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2027, and Anderson says AI data centers are increasingly moving from copper to optical links.
Now look at the two versions of profit. Coherent's non-GAAP earnings came to $1.74 per share, but under GAAP the figure was $1.19. The gap comes from items management leaves out, including stock-based pay, amortization on acquired intangibles, and restructuring and integration costs. Operating margin shows it more clearly, at 21.8% on a non-GAAP basis and 12.4% under GAAP. Some of those costs are non-cash, but they are real, and anyone anchoring on the higher figure is skipping them.
Then there is how much weight this launch can carry. The announcement puts no sales figure on the product, so its contribution to a company that booked $2.05 billion in a quarter cannot be sized from what has been published. The bullish story also rests on management's own read of where AI networks are headed, and on a capacity build-out that CFO Sherri Luther says gets priority in spending. Money spent on capacity only pays off if the demand management describes keeps arriving.
#gaap #revenue #launch #anderson
8 days ago
On August 5, Cencora (NYSE:COR) reported results for its fiscal third quarter, which closed on June 30, and the headline numbers looked clean. Revenue rose 5.1% to $84.8 billion, adjusted earnings per share climbed 12.0% to $4.48, and management raised its full-year adjusted EPS outlook to $17.75 to $17.95. The company also repurchased $1 billion of its own stock during the quarter. But the profit story has moving parts, and a few of them pull in opposite directions.
Start with the gap between profit growth and sales growth. Adjusted operating income rose 17.0% while revenue grew only 5.1%. Much of the help came from gross profit, which jumped 23.2% on an adjusted basis as both segments contributed and the OneOncology acquisition in February lifted margins in the US business. In plain terms, adjusted gross margin widened 61 basis points to 4.16%, so the company keeps more gross profit from every dollar it sells.
The strength was not confined to one corner, either. US Healthcare Solutions grew operating income 15.9% on higher pharmaceutical sales and the OneOncology deal, while specialty volume to health systems and physician groups lifted its revenue. International Healthcare Solutions did better still, with operating income up 20.8% on strength in European distribution and global specialty logistics. Management also put cash to work, completing in one quarter the $1 billion of buybacks it had expected to finish by the close of calendar 2026. The board declared a $0.60 quarterly dividend as well, payable August 31, to holders of record on August 14.
Growth is costing more than it first appears. Adjusted operating expenses jumped 26.8%, faster than adjusted gross profit, because OneOncology brought expenses along with its profits. Even so, adjusted operating income amounts to just 1.46% of revenue, a thin cushion on a business this large. Financing adds weight too. Cencora funded part of the purchase with new senior notes plus variable-rate term loans, and net interest expense rose $58.9 million from a year earlier.
The sales mix carries its own drag. GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight loss are adding to revenue, but they earn lower gross margins, so each dollar of that growth is worth less to profit. Meanwhile, an oncology customer Cencora lost in 2025, and lower sales to a large mail order customer both held back US revenue, as did lower manufacturer prices on some brand pharmaceuticals. Cencora is also exploring strategic alternatives for a group of other businesses, and its April divestiture of US Consulting Services trimmed consulting sales.
#adjusted #revenue #august
Start with the gap between profit growth and sales growth. Adjusted operating income rose 17.0% while revenue grew only 5.1%. Much of the help came from gross profit, which jumped 23.2% on an adjusted basis as both segments contributed and the OneOncology acquisition in February lifted margins in the US business. In plain terms, adjusted gross margin widened 61 basis points to 4.16%, so the company keeps more gross profit from every dollar it sells.
The strength was not confined to one corner, either. US Healthcare Solutions grew operating income 15.9% on higher pharmaceutical sales and the OneOncology deal, while specialty volume to health systems and physician groups lifted its revenue. International Healthcare Solutions did better still, with operating income up 20.8% on strength in European distribution and global specialty logistics. Management also put cash to work, completing in one quarter the $1 billion of buybacks it had expected to finish by the close of calendar 2026. The board declared a $0.60 quarterly dividend as well, payable August 31, to holders of record on August 14.
Growth is costing more than it first appears. Adjusted operating expenses jumped 26.8%, faster than adjusted gross profit, because OneOncology brought expenses along with its profits. Even so, adjusted operating income amounts to just 1.46% of revenue, a thin cushion on a business this large. Financing adds weight too. Cencora funded part of the purchase with new senior notes plus variable-rate term loans, and net interest expense rose $58.9 million from a year earlier.
The sales mix carries its own drag. GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight loss are adding to revenue, but they earn lower gross margins, so each dollar of that growth is worth less to profit. Meanwhile, an oncology customer Cencora lost in 2025, and lower sales to a large mail order customer both held back US revenue, as did lower manufacturer prices on some brand pharmaceuticals. Cencora is also exploring strategic alternatives for a group of other businesses, and its April divestiture of US Consulting Services trimmed consulting sales.
#adjusted #revenue #august
8 days ago
On August 6, Aflac (NYSE:AFL) reported second-quarter numbers that point in opposite directions. Net earnings climbed to $825 million, helped along by investment losses that shrank to $153 million from $421 million a year ago. Adjusted earnings, though, fell 7.7% to $883 million. Both numbers are real, but they answer different questions. Which measure you trust changes the story, so here is what sits underneath.
Start with the yen, because it is muddying the picture. The average rate was 159.45 to the dollar, 9.3% weaker than a year earlier, and that cost adjusted earnings $0.05 a share. Take the currency out of the first half and adjusted earnings per share rose 4.1% to $3.57. ******* an is also running more profitably. Its pretax adjusted margin widened to 34.3% from 32.0% as claims took a smaller bite out of premiums, and yen-based pretax adjusted earnings rose 3.4%. So part of the decline in ******* an's dollar-reported profit is currency, not operations.
The US business is still growing at the top line. Net earned premiums rose 2.3% to $1.5 billion, and sales climbed 2.6% to $349 million, led by group voluntary benefits along with dental and vision plans. In ******* an, the refreshed Tsumitasu life policy and the new Anshin Palette medical product grew strongly in the quarter, and first-half sales rose 7.0% to ¥37.3 billion. Then there is the cash. Aflac returned $1.3 billion to shareholders in the quarter, $983 million of it through buybacks, and declared a $0.61 third-quarter dividend, payable September 1 to holders of record on August 19, 2026. Management notes 43 straight years of dividend increases through 2025 and says the board is on a path to extend that in 2026.
The catch is that ******* an's profit gains came from lower claims, not a bigger business. Net earned premiums in yen fell 3.7%, mainly because of a new external reinsurance deal and older limited-pay policies reaching paid-up status. Premium persistency, the share of policies customers keep, slipped to 92.7% from 93.7%. ******* an's pretax adjusted earnings still fell 2.1% once currency is stripped out, and new sales dipped 5.6% in the quarter against a tough comparison for the Miraito cancer product, which launched in March 2025.
The US segment has its own soft spot. Pretax adjusted earnings fell 4.6% to $370 million, and the margin narrowed to 20.9% from 22.5% as claims and benefits took a bigger share of premiums. Corporate and Other swung to a $10 million pretax adjusted loss from a $20 million gain a year earlier, with interest expense up 21.6% to $62 million. And adjusted book value per share, excluding foreign currency remeasurement, slid to $41.22 at June 30 from $42.97 a year earlier.
#earnings #fell
Start with the yen, because it is muddying the picture. The average rate was 159.45 to the dollar, 9.3% weaker than a year earlier, and that cost adjusted earnings $0.05 a share. Take the currency out of the first half and adjusted earnings per share rose 4.1% to $3.57. ******* an is also running more profitably. Its pretax adjusted margin widened to 34.3% from 32.0% as claims took a smaller bite out of premiums, and yen-based pretax adjusted earnings rose 3.4%. So part of the decline in ******* an's dollar-reported profit is currency, not operations.
The US business is still growing at the top line. Net earned premiums rose 2.3% to $1.5 billion, and sales climbed 2.6% to $349 million, led by group voluntary benefits along with dental and vision plans. In ******* an, the refreshed Tsumitasu life policy and the new Anshin Palette medical product grew strongly in the quarter, and first-half sales rose 7.0% to ¥37.3 billion. Then there is the cash. Aflac returned $1.3 billion to shareholders in the quarter, $983 million of it through buybacks, and declared a $0.61 third-quarter dividend, payable September 1 to holders of record on August 19, 2026. Management notes 43 straight years of dividend increases through 2025 and says the board is on a path to extend that in 2026.
The catch is that ******* an's profit gains came from lower claims, not a bigger business. Net earned premiums in yen fell 3.7%, mainly because of a new external reinsurance deal and older limited-pay policies reaching paid-up status. Premium persistency, the share of policies customers keep, slipped to 92.7% from 93.7%. ******* an's pretax adjusted earnings still fell 2.1% once currency is stripped out, and new sales dipped 5.6% in the quarter against a tough comparison for the Miraito cancer product, which launched in March 2025.
The US segment has its own soft spot. Pretax adjusted earnings fell 4.6% to $370 million, and the margin narrowed to 20.9% from 22.5% as claims and benefits took a bigger share of premiums. Corporate and Other swung to a $10 million pretax adjusted loss from a $20 million gain a year earlier, with interest expense up 21.6% to $62 million. And adjusted book value per share, excluding foreign currency remeasurement, slid to $41.22 at June 30 from $42.97 a year earlier.
#earnings #fell
8 days ago
On September 9, 2026, Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) reported second-quarter net profit of more than $52 million, reversing a net loss of over $9 million a year earlier, with adjusted earnings per share of $2.19 beating ***** yst estimates of $1.72 by a wide margin. It sent shares up as much as 24% in trading.
The parent of Kay Jewelers, Zales, and Jared also raised its full-year profit guidance for the second time this fiscal year. It also extended its consumer credit partnership with Bread Financial through 2035, a deal it said includes new profit-sharing terms expected to make more than $1 billion in incremental value over time.
Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) is showing demand improvement across its core jewelry brands. Same-store sales increased 2.2% in the second quarter, beating Wall Street's 1.9% expectation. Management reported positive comparable sales across all three months of the quarter. Performance also improved across Kay, Zales, Jared, and Blue Nile. It shows the recovery extends beyond a single brand or temporary sales spike.
Margin expansion is allowing Signet to make substantially stronger earnings despite limited revenue growth. Adjusted operating margin expanded 140 basis points to 7%, while adjusted EPS reached $2.19, well above ***** ysts' $1.74 estimate. Stronger bridal and timepiece sales, tighter inventory management, and operating improvements helped Signet expand profitability. Redesigned Kay and Jared websites provide additional opportunities to back up digital sales.
Signet's higher earnings outlook and shareholder returns solidify the investment case. The company raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $10.45-$12.15 versus $9.20-$11.00 and plans a $125 million accelerated share repurchase program. Signet also extended its consumer-credit partnership with Bread Financial through 2035. It added improved technology and data ***** ytics while supporting customer financing and marketing capabilities over the long term.
#adjusted #jewelers #limited
The parent of Kay Jewelers, Zales, and Jared also raised its full-year profit guidance for the second time this fiscal year. It also extended its consumer credit partnership with Bread Financial through 2035, a deal it said includes new profit-sharing terms expected to make more than $1 billion in incremental value over time.
Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) is showing demand improvement across its core jewelry brands. Same-store sales increased 2.2% in the second quarter, beating Wall Street's 1.9% expectation. Management reported positive comparable sales across all three months of the quarter. Performance also improved across Kay, Zales, Jared, and Blue Nile. It shows the recovery extends beyond a single brand or temporary sales spike.
Margin expansion is allowing Signet to make substantially stronger earnings despite limited revenue growth. Adjusted operating margin expanded 140 basis points to 7%, while adjusted EPS reached $2.19, well above ***** ysts' $1.74 estimate. Stronger bridal and timepiece sales, tighter inventory management, and operating improvements helped Signet expand profitability. Redesigned Kay and Jared websites provide additional opportunities to back up digital sales.
Signet's higher earnings outlook and shareholder returns solidify the investment case. The company raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $10.45-$12.15 versus $9.20-$11.00 and plans a $125 million accelerated share repurchase program. Signet also extended its consumer-credit partnership with Bread Financial through 2035. It added improved technology and data ***** ytics while supporting customer financing and marketing capabilities over the long term.
#adjusted #jewelers #limited
8 days ago
Morgan Stanley has cut Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) to Underweight on September 11, 2026. Semaglutide, the underlying molecule for Wegovy and Ozempic, generates roughly 75% of 2026 revenue. Morgan Stanley models that it will still represent 59% of total sales when its patent protection expires in 2031. And according to the firm, the valuation does not price in the impact it has on Novo's terminal value. The stock, currently trading at 10.6x earnings and down 33% from its 52-week high, slipped another 2% following the call. At this point, the question isn't about whether the patent cliff is real or not, but whether the 10x multiple reflects an actual bargain.
Semaglutide loses exclusivity in Europe in 2031 and the US in 2032. And Morgan Stanley believes Novo's oral-obesity business, projected to reach $10 billion by 2031, could not offset the pricing collapse after the arrival of generics. Growth decelerates to a 4% compound rate between 2027 and 2030. If the deceleration continues, it will justify 10x earnings as a fair price instead of a cheap one.
The 10.6x multiple already prices aggressive pessimism into a market leader of one of the fastest-growing drug classes in history. Morgan Stanley fueled the pessimism by discounting a 2031 cliff five years earlier. However, pharmaceutical patent expirations frequently face extensions and prove difficult to time. Second, the ***** umption that oral obesity treatments cannot offset patent losses relies on oral semaglutide being the bridge. But Novo's next-generation portfolio, including CagriSema and amycretin, offers a significant defense against the patent cliff. This remains unproven, however, specifically after CagriSema's earlier weight-loss data failed to impress, yet Morgan Stanley's terminal-value model discounts this pipeline almost entirely. The company is also expanding its franchise. On September 7, the STEP Young trial hit its endpoint in children aged six to twelve, strengthening the base its successors inherit.
The smart money is leaning in. As per the Insider Monkey database, 59 hedge funds held NVO in the second quarter of 2026, up from 55 in the first, indicating a slight increase in the modest institutional interest in the stock. Short interest on the ADR is negligible at about 0.7%. The positioning reflects a beaten-down value stock quietly seeing institutional accumulation while Wall Street turns increasingly bearish.
#semaglutide #oral
Semaglutide loses exclusivity in Europe in 2031 and the US in 2032. And Morgan Stanley believes Novo's oral-obesity business, projected to reach $10 billion by 2031, could not offset the pricing collapse after the arrival of generics. Growth decelerates to a 4% compound rate between 2027 and 2030. If the deceleration continues, it will justify 10x earnings as a fair price instead of a cheap one.
The 10.6x multiple already prices aggressive pessimism into a market leader of one of the fastest-growing drug classes in history. Morgan Stanley fueled the pessimism by discounting a 2031 cliff five years earlier. However, pharmaceutical patent expirations frequently face extensions and prove difficult to time. Second, the ***** umption that oral obesity treatments cannot offset patent losses relies on oral semaglutide being the bridge. But Novo's next-generation portfolio, including CagriSema and amycretin, offers a significant defense against the patent cliff. This remains unproven, however, specifically after CagriSema's earlier weight-loss data failed to impress, yet Morgan Stanley's terminal-value model discounts this pipeline almost entirely. The company is also expanding its franchise. On September 7, the STEP Young trial hit its endpoint in children aged six to twelve, strengthening the base its successors inherit.
The smart money is leaning in. As per the Insider Monkey database, 59 hedge funds held NVO in the second quarter of 2026, up from 55 in the first, indicating a slight increase in the modest institutional interest in the stock. Short interest on the ADR is negligible at about 0.7%. The positioning reflects a beaten-down value stock quietly seeing institutional accumulation while Wall Street turns increasingly bearish.
#semaglutide #oral
8 days ago
On September 17, B. Riley initiated coverage of Nokia Oyj (NYSE:NOK), giving the stock a Buy rating and setting the price target at $15. The firm pointed to the company's position in telecom infrastructure, cloud software, and hardware networking solutions.
Riley noted that the company's networking businesses are seeing strong growth. In Q2 2026, Optical Networks revenue increased 20% year-over-year, while IP Networks grew 16%. Net sales to AI and cloud customers also surged 105%. The research firm noted that hyperscalers continue to purchase Nokia Oyj's (NYSE:NOK) AI networking products to support large-scale computing clusters.
The company's AI and cloud opportunity is also reflected in its order book. Nokia Oyj (NYSE:NOK) reported EUR 2.8 billion in AI and cloud order intake during the second quarter of 2026. B. Riley pointed out that this provides revenue visibility into 2027. The firm also noted that the carrier inventory correction cycle that had weighed on global capital expenditures has now concluded.
Riley derived its $15 price target using a sum-of-the-parts valuation that separates the company's legacy ****** ets from its data center business. The firm applied a premium hardware multiple to the data center segment, reflecting its view of the potential operating leverage in that business.
Profitability Remains a Concern
#riley #NYSE #firm
Riley noted that the company's networking businesses are seeing strong growth. In Q2 2026, Optical Networks revenue increased 20% year-over-year, while IP Networks grew 16%. Net sales to AI and cloud customers also surged 105%. The research firm noted that hyperscalers continue to purchase Nokia Oyj's (NYSE:NOK) AI networking products to support large-scale computing clusters.
The company's AI and cloud opportunity is also reflected in its order book. Nokia Oyj (NYSE:NOK) reported EUR 2.8 billion in AI and cloud order intake during the second quarter of 2026. B. Riley pointed out that this provides revenue visibility into 2027. The firm also noted that the carrier inventory correction cycle that had weighed on global capital expenditures has now concluded.
Riley derived its $15 price target using a sum-of-the-parts valuation that separates the company's legacy ****** ets from its data center business. The firm applied a premium hardware multiple to the data center segment, reflecting its view of the potential operating leverage in that business.
Profitability Remains a Concern
#riley #NYSE #firm
8 days ago
On September 9, 2026, Reuters reported that AI music startup Suno launched a new suite of models, including its flagship v6 and exploratory v6-Wild, built in partnership with Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG) and BMG. It lets users make new music inspired by licensed recordings from participating artists. The launch follows Warner Music's copyright lawsuit settlement with Suno in November 2025, under which artists and songwriters can opt in to have their names, voices, and compositions used in AI-generated music in exchange for compensation.
Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG) can turn the Suno litigation dispute into a new licensing revenue opportunity. Suno has now launched its v6 models in partnership with Warner Music and BMG. It allows users to make music inspired by licensed works from participating artists. Warner previously sued Suno over copyright issues before reaching a licensing agreement. This gives the label a direct path to monetize AI-generated music rather than relying solely on litigation. The deal could create a new revenue stream as consumers increasingly adopt AI music tools.
Warner enters the AI-music market from a position of financial strength. The firm reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of $5.44 billion, up 9% year over year. Adjusted OIBDA increased 16% to $433 million, and its adjusted OIBDA margin expanded to 23.2%. Warner also said it had met or exceeded its financial targets for five consecutive quarters. That basic growth gives the company greater flexibility to invest in AI initiatives while using licensing agreements to add another potential growth driver to its existing streaming and publishing businesses.
Warner could help establish a more sustainable commercial model for AI-generated music. Suno said future products will include opt-in experiences that allow individual artists to participate and receive payment when users generate music around them. So Warner has an opportunity to help shape licensing and compensation practices as Spotify and other platforms develop their own AI-music products. If the industry increasingly adopts licensed models, Warner's large catalog and relationships with artists could solidify its negotiating position and create recurring AI-related revenue.
Suno's new licensing model does not eliminate the overall legal risks surrounding AI music. Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG) has reached an agreement with Suno, but other copyright owners are challenging the firm's technology. Independent publisher Round Hill sued Suno in August, alleging that the company used copyrighted songs to train its AI system. Suno also faces separate litigation from Universal Music Group and Sony Music. Hence, lawsuits could increase legal costs and create uncertainty over the licensing framework that Warner hopes to monetize.
#music #licensing #corp #revenue
Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG) can turn the Suno litigation dispute into a new licensing revenue opportunity. Suno has now launched its v6 models in partnership with Warner Music and BMG. It allows users to make music inspired by licensed works from participating artists. Warner previously sued Suno over copyright issues before reaching a licensing agreement. This gives the label a direct path to monetize AI-generated music rather than relying solely on litigation. The deal could create a new revenue stream as consumers increasingly adopt AI music tools.
Warner enters the AI-music market from a position of financial strength. The firm reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of $5.44 billion, up 9% year over year. Adjusted OIBDA increased 16% to $433 million, and its adjusted OIBDA margin expanded to 23.2%. Warner also said it had met or exceeded its financial targets for five consecutive quarters. That basic growth gives the company greater flexibility to invest in AI initiatives while using licensing agreements to add another potential growth driver to its existing streaming and publishing businesses.
Warner could help establish a more sustainable commercial model for AI-generated music. Suno said future products will include opt-in experiences that allow individual artists to participate and receive payment when users generate music around them. So Warner has an opportunity to help shape licensing and compensation practices as Spotify and other platforms develop their own AI-music products. If the industry increasingly adopts licensed models, Warner's large catalog and relationships with artists could solidify its negotiating position and create recurring AI-related revenue.
Suno's new licensing model does not eliminate the overall legal risks surrounding AI music. Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG) has reached an agreement with Suno, but other copyright owners are challenging the firm's technology. Independent publisher Round Hill sued Suno in August, alleging that the company used copyrighted songs to train its AI system. Suno also faces separate litigation from Universal Music Group and Sony Music. Hence, lawsuits could increase legal costs and create uncertainty over the licensing framework that Warner hopes to monetize.
#music #licensing #corp #revenue
9 days ago
Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) reported second-quarter 2026 net revenue of RMB15.7 billion, up 6% year over year, in results released September 15. Revenue on its international platform increased more than 50%, highlighting a promising source of expansion against slower group growth.
Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) also recognized a RMB5.2 billion antimonopoly penalty in general and administrative expenses. The investment question extends beyond that charge: can international expansion generate enough profitable growth to offset pressure on domestic monetization?
International expansion gives Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) a potential route to reducing dependence on revenue earned from domestic travel. A broader customer base could make growth less reliant on a single market's commercial practices and regulatory environment.
The opportunity is especially attractive if new customers become repeat users. Over time, repeat bookings could reduce acquisition spending per transaction and allow technology and service costs to be spread across more revenue. That would turn international scale into operating leverage, with profits growing faster than sales.
Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) also grew accommodation revenue 6% year over year despite a regulator-imposed revenue reduction. That result offers some evidence of resilience, although reservation growth and the revenue earned from those reservations remain separate considerations.
#NASDAQ
Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) also recognized a RMB5.2 billion antimonopoly penalty in general and administrative expenses. The investment question extends beyond that charge: can international expansion generate enough profitable growth to offset pressure on domestic monetization?
International expansion gives Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) a potential route to reducing dependence on revenue earned from domestic travel. A broader customer base could make growth less reliant on a single market's commercial practices and regulatory environment.
The opportunity is especially attractive if new customers become repeat users. Over time, repeat bookings could reduce acquisition spending per transaction and allow technology and service costs to be spread across more revenue. That would turn international scale into operating leverage, with profits growing faster than sales.
Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) also grew accommodation revenue 6% year over year despite a regulator-imposed revenue reduction. That result offers some evidence of resilience, although reservation growth and the revenue earned from those reservations remain separate considerations.
#NASDAQ
9 days ago
Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) fiscal 2026, which ended June 30, was arguably the strongest year in the software giant's history. Revenue grew 18% to $331.8 billion. Net income jumped 31% year over year, to $133.7 billion.
Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) is approaching that number from a different direction. The memory specialist earned $8.5 billion in its fiscal 2025.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ***** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
But for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2026, which ended in early September, management guided to earnings of $30.73 per diluted share, plus or minus $1.00, on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis. On about 1.15 billion diluted shares, the guidance works out to about $35 billion of profit in one quarter (about four times what the whole prior fiscal year produced).
Here's my prediction: In fiscal 2027, Micron will earn more than Microsoft. That means beating the year Microsoft is now in, not the one it just reported. It's a bold call, and it relies almost entirely on the price of memory.
#Microsoft #quarter
Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) is approaching that number from a different direction. The memory specialist earned $8.5 billion in its fiscal 2025.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ***** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
But for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2026, which ended in early September, management guided to earnings of $30.73 per diluted share, plus or minus $1.00, on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis. On about 1.15 billion diluted shares, the guidance works out to about $35 billion of profit in one quarter (about four times what the whole prior fiscal year produced).
Here's my prediction: In fiscal 2027, Micron will earn more than Microsoft. That means beating the year Microsoft is now in, not the one it just reported. It's a bold call, and it relies almost entirely on the price of memory.
#Microsoft #quarter
9 days ago
Definium Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:DFTX) has now delivered a third consecutive positive Phase 3 readout for its LSD-based medication, the second in generalized anxiety disorder. The result puts the company on a viable route toward a potential FDA approval of an LSD-based treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, and considering how closely psychedelic stocks have historically traded on each other's data, the reading carries far more weight than Definium's own ticker.
On September 14, Definium Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:DFTX) announced that its drug DT120, an orally disintegrating tablet formulation of LSD, was successful in Panorama, the company's second late-stage anxiety trial. Over 12 weeks, patients who received a 100-microgram dose experienced a 9.8-point decline on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, a typical clinical measure, compared to a 4.7-point drop with placebo.
The resulting 5.1-point placebo-adjusted improvement is similar to what the company's first pivotal anxiety trial, Voyage, showed back in August: an 11.6-point improvement versus 6.2 for placebo, a 5.4-point separation that Jefferies called one of the strongest placebo-adjusted efficacy results ever seen in generalized anxiety disorder, and that Stifel simply described as "a clean win."
Psychedelic equities have a history of trading as a group rather than as individual names, and this tendency applies both ways. In February 2026, when Compass Pathways, the sector's other clinical leader developing a psilocybin-based drug for treatment-resistant depression, reported positive late-stage data, shares of Definium Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:DFTX), Atai Beckley, GH Research, and Helus Pharma all rose, some by double digits.
That correlation is significant here because Definium's win is an independent validation of the broader therapeutic argument on which Compass and others are betting: a single dose of a classic psychedelic, administered in a controlled clinical setting, can produce lasting improvements in serious mental health conditions via pathways different from existing SSRIs and other standard-of-care drugs.
#definium #placebo
On September 14, Definium Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:DFTX) announced that its drug DT120, an orally disintegrating tablet formulation of LSD, was successful in Panorama, the company's second late-stage anxiety trial. Over 12 weeks, patients who received a 100-microgram dose experienced a 9.8-point decline on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, a typical clinical measure, compared to a 4.7-point drop with placebo.
The resulting 5.1-point placebo-adjusted improvement is similar to what the company's first pivotal anxiety trial, Voyage, showed back in August: an 11.6-point improvement versus 6.2 for placebo, a 5.4-point separation that Jefferies called one of the strongest placebo-adjusted efficacy results ever seen in generalized anxiety disorder, and that Stifel simply described as "a clean win."
Psychedelic equities have a history of trading as a group rather than as individual names, and this tendency applies both ways. In February 2026, when Compass Pathways, the sector's other clinical leader developing a psilocybin-based drug for treatment-resistant depression, reported positive late-stage data, shares of Definium Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:DFTX), Atai Beckley, GH Research, and Helus Pharma all rose, some by double digits.
That correlation is significant here because Definium's win is an independent validation of the broader therapeutic argument on which Compass and others are betting: a single dose of a classic psychedelic, administered in a controlled clinical setting, can produce lasting improvements in serious mental health conditions via pathways different from existing SSRIs and other standard-of-care drugs.
#definium #placebo
9 days ago
Morgan Stanley met privately with Gilead Sciences (GILD) leadership at its 2026 Global Healthcare Conference this month, and the feedback strengthened the bank's positive view on the stock.
Morgan Stanley's biopharma team hosted a meeting and a management dinner with Gilead Chairman and CEO Daniel O'Day and Chief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer Johanna Mercier. According to a Morgan Stanley research note shared with me, the discussion reinforced its Overweight rating on Gilead and singled out one franchise as the biggest reason to stay positive.
Gilead trades around $150.89, up about 24% year to date and roughly 111% over five years. That kind of run in a biotech stock usually needs a catalyst, and Morgan Stanley points to HIV prevention. The bigger question for investors now is whether the new HIV prevention business built around Yeztugo can keep growing at the pace of the last few quarters.
Terence Flynn, a Morgan Stanley equity **** yst who covers Gilead and other healthcare stocks has held an Overweight rating on the stock since January 2025.
According to the note, Gilead management described the company as being at "an important inflection point, supported by what it views as the most robust portfolio in the company's history," with no patent expiring until 2036.
#gilead #healthcare #management #note
Morgan Stanley's biopharma team hosted a meeting and a management dinner with Gilead Chairman and CEO Daniel O'Day and Chief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer Johanna Mercier. According to a Morgan Stanley research note shared with me, the discussion reinforced its Overweight rating on Gilead and singled out one franchise as the biggest reason to stay positive.
Gilead trades around $150.89, up about 24% year to date and roughly 111% over five years. That kind of run in a biotech stock usually needs a catalyst, and Morgan Stanley points to HIV prevention. The bigger question for investors now is whether the new HIV prevention business built around Yeztugo can keep growing at the pace of the last few quarters.
Terence Flynn, a Morgan Stanley equity **** yst who covers Gilead and other healthcare stocks has held an Overweight rating on the stock since January 2025.
According to the note, Gilead management described the company as being at "an important inflection point, supported by what it views as the most robust portfolio in the company's history," with no patent expiring until 2036.
#gilead #healthcare #management #note
9 days ago
Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) is about to significantly expand its operations in Venezuela. The company's CFO, Eimear Bonner, revealed at a Barclays conference on September 8 that the American oil giant plans to more than double the number of oil rigs it operates in the country as part of its five-year plan to increase output.
The statement follows the company's recent announcement that its joint venture partnerships in Venezuela would invest more than $7 billion to more than double oil output to 600,000 barrels per day by 2031. The current production from Chevron's three Venezuelan JVs totals around 290,000, which is all exported to the United States.
The move builds on Chevron's longstanding presence in Venezuela, as it was the only American oil major that continued operating in the country under a special US license, allowing it to produce and export oil despite the sanctions.
The expansion comes alongside a much larger agreement between Washington and Caracas announced this month, which gave the US majority control over around 20% of Venezuela's proven crude reserves. The White House has now invited American oil companies to revive and modernize the South American country's oil infrastructure and more than double its crude production in the next few years.
Chevron has maintained operations in Venezuela since 1923 and even stayed through the nationalizations that forced ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips to exit in 2007. This gives it a significant competitive advantage, since it already has a longstanding relationship with the state-owned PDVSA and extensive experience operating in the country's complex regulatory environment.
#around
The statement follows the company's recent announcement that its joint venture partnerships in Venezuela would invest more than $7 billion to more than double oil output to 600,000 barrels per day by 2031. The current production from Chevron's three Venezuelan JVs totals around 290,000, which is all exported to the United States.
The move builds on Chevron's longstanding presence in Venezuela, as it was the only American oil major that continued operating in the country under a special US license, allowing it to produce and export oil despite the sanctions.
The expansion comes alongside a much larger agreement between Washington and Caracas announced this month, which gave the US majority control over around 20% of Venezuela's proven crude reserves. The White House has now invited American oil companies to revive and modernize the South American country's oil infrastructure and more than double its crude production in the next few years.
Chevron has maintained operations in Venezuela since 1923 and even stayed through the nationalizations that forced ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips to exit in 2007. This gives it a significant competitive advantage, since it already has a longstanding relationship with the state-owned PDVSA and extensive experience operating in the country's complex regulatory environment.
#around
9 days ago
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) announced on September 8 that it had secured a loan of up to $1.9 billion from the U.S. Department of Energy to support the restart of a shuttered nuclear power plant in Iowa. The Duane Arnold Energy Center ceased operations in 2020 after 45 years of service. The plant is now expected to resume operations in early 2029, pending regulatory approvals.
The federal funding is intended to help restore the facility and add reliable generation capacity as the US electricity demand soars to record levels amid the AI boom. To help meet the growing demand, President Trump is making efforts to accelerate the expansion of nuclear energy. He has signed an executive order to get 10 large conventional reactors under construction by 2030 and has also called for federal funding to support the restart of shuttered nuclear plants.
John Ketchum, Chairman, President, and CEO of NextEra Energy, commented:
"Restarting Duane Arnold is about delivering new power to meet new demand while generating billions of dollars in economic value for Iowans. Just as importantly, it shows how America can support rapid economic growth and rising electricity demand while helping keep power affordable for existing customers. By bringing new generation online to serve new demand, we can strengthen the grid, create hundreds of good-paying jobs and help ensure Iowa families and businesses are not asked to bear the costs of growth. We appreciate the Administration's leadership in advancing America's nuclear renaissance and share its commitment to an all-of-the-above energy strategy that expands supply, strengthens energy security and keeps America competitive."
Photo by Frédéric Paulussen on Unsplash
#duane #arnold
The federal funding is intended to help restore the facility and add reliable generation capacity as the US electricity demand soars to record levels amid the AI boom. To help meet the growing demand, President Trump is making efforts to accelerate the expansion of nuclear energy. He has signed an executive order to get 10 large conventional reactors under construction by 2030 and has also called for federal funding to support the restart of shuttered nuclear plants.
John Ketchum, Chairman, President, and CEO of NextEra Energy, commented:
"Restarting Duane Arnold is about delivering new power to meet new demand while generating billions of dollars in economic value for Iowans. Just as importantly, it shows how America can support rapid economic growth and rising electricity demand while helping keep power affordable for existing customers. By bringing new generation online to serve new demand, we can strengthen the grid, create hundreds of good-paying jobs and help ensure Iowa families and businesses are not asked to bear the costs of growth. We appreciate the Administration's leadership in advancing America's nuclear renaissance and share its commitment to an all-of-the-above energy strategy that expands supply, strengthens energy security and keeps America competitive."
Photo by Frédéric Paulussen on Unsplash
#duane #arnold
9 days ago
On September 14, NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) and Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D) announced a "transformational" Virginia benefits package to address concerns regarding their proposed $66.8 billion merger. The Virginia supplier program, worth up to $1 billion annually for five years, will direct spending toward contractors, suppliers, and service providers in the state.
Additionally, the companies also proposed doubling residential bill credits to four years, protecting retail customers from grid costs tied to Northern Virginia's rapidly expanding AI data centers, and committing $100 million toward directly supporting workforce development in the Commonwealth. NextEra also stated that it plans to add 600 new energy jobs in Virginia, while expecting suppliers to create another 400 positions.
The updated package comes after the proposed merger attracted a great deal of political scrutiny due to the impact it can have on everyday consumers. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger also stated last month that she would formally intervene in the regulatory review to press for commitments on electric bill affordability, job protections, and clean-energy investments.
John Ketchum, Chairman, President, and CEO of NextEra Energy, commented:
"This is a Virginia-first package, and it starts with customers. We are proposing to double residential bill relief from two years to four years, along with expanded low-income financial ******* istance and long-term affordability benefits. We are also reaffirming our support for the State Corporation Commission, Governor and General ******* embly's efforts to protect residential and small business customers from costs ******* ociated with serving data centers. Just as important, this package would help Virginia build more of the clean energy and infrastructure it needs faster, so the Commonwealth can reduce its reliance on expensive imported power. And it would do that while positioning Virginia as a major energy leader, bringing NextEra Energy jobs, good-paying supplier jobs, workforce investment, economic development and national-scale energy technology and innovation to Virginia. This is the kind of customer-focused, job-creating package this combination makes possible."
#energy #years #Jobs
Additionally, the companies also proposed doubling residential bill credits to four years, protecting retail customers from grid costs tied to Northern Virginia's rapidly expanding AI data centers, and committing $100 million toward directly supporting workforce development in the Commonwealth. NextEra also stated that it plans to add 600 new energy jobs in Virginia, while expecting suppliers to create another 400 positions.
The updated package comes after the proposed merger attracted a great deal of political scrutiny due to the impact it can have on everyday consumers. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger also stated last month that she would formally intervene in the regulatory review to press for commitments on electric bill affordability, job protections, and clean-energy investments.
John Ketchum, Chairman, President, and CEO of NextEra Energy, commented:
"This is a Virginia-first package, and it starts with customers. We are proposing to double residential bill relief from two years to four years, along with expanded low-income financial ******* istance and long-term affordability benefits. We are also reaffirming our support for the State Corporation Commission, Governor and General ******* embly's efforts to protect residential and small business customers from costs ******* ociated with serving data centers. Just as important, this package would help Virginia build more of the clean energy and infrastructure it needs faster, so the Commonwealth can reduce its reliance on expensive imported power. And it would do that while positioning Virginia as a major energy leader, bringing NextEra Energy jobs, good-paying supplier jobs, workforce investment, economic development and national-scale energy technology and innovation to Virginia. This is the kind of customer-focused, job-creating package this combination makes possible."
#energy #years #Jobs
9 days ago
Ahead of the release of Zach Cregger's reboot today, there were already seven Resident Evil movies — six of them in a more action-oriented series starring Milla Jovovich, four of which were directed by her husband, Paul W.S. Anderson, plus an unrelated "reboot" in 2021 called Welcome to Raccoon City that went for more of a John Carpenter vibe and was an attempt to truly "adapt" the games. There's also a Netflix TV show version that ran for a single season in 2022. Countless other works in the horror genre have unofficially cribbed from the Resident Evil games over the years. It's an incredibly influential series.
And yet, Zach Cregger, hot off his Oscar-winning original horror film Weapons, is the first filmmaker to truly feel like he's adapting the experience of playing the games, arguably the scariest survival-horror ones ever made, rather than simply incorporating story and plot elements to explain the outbreak of infected people. In Cregger's hands, Resident Evil is pure crowd-pleasing popcorn cinema, best experienced in a packed movie theater with dozens of other people reacting loudly to the madness.
The premise couldn't be simpler — and the runtime a brisk 90ish minutes — as we follow a medical courier named Bryan (Austin Abrams, proving himself to be the Bruce Campbell for a new generation) who unwittingly finds himself fighting for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in a swirl of chaos. Fans of the video games will recognize various easter eggs and nods to game mechanics, including the importance of conserving ammo and checking every last drawer for more of it.
But you don't need to be familiar with the games at all to enjoy the movie, which is an efficient horror set-piece machine that just keeps putting Abrams in increasingly concerning situations. I can't stress enough how much this is a one-man show anchored by Abrams, and he crushes it. He's in every scene, earning tons of laughs simply by reacting as a normal person would in this situation; he's a true audience-surrogate character, ushering us through the chaos. His comedic timing, paired with Cregger's ****** ured camerawork and editing, is a match made in genre-movie heaven.
I didn't expect it to be so heavily inspired by genre classics like The Thing and Evil Dead. In fact, it's a better Evil Dead movie than the last several movies with "Evil Dead" in the ****** le, nailing the horror-comedy tone that only Sam Raimi and a few others can pull off with aplomb. Cregger has a ton of fun with the various monstrous forms that the infected take here, from fusing multiple humans together to crafting his own horror take on a big, scary guy like Dune's Baron Harkonnen. Resident Evil movies have thus far treated the zombies as pretty traditional movie zombies; Cregger's version gets at the attempt to create the next stage of human evolution.
#resident #dead
And yet, Zach Cregger, hot off his Oscar-winning original horror film Weapons, is the first filmmaker to truly feel like he's adapting the experience of playing the games, arguably the scariest survival-horror ones ever made, rather than simply incorporating story and plot elements to explain the outbreak of infected people. In Cregger's hands, Resident Evil is pure crowd-pleasing popcorn cinema, best experienced in a packed movie theater with dozens of other people reacting loudly to the madness.
The premise couldn't be simpler — and the runtime a brisk 90ish minutes — as we follow a medical courier named Bryan (Austin Abrams, proving himself to be the Bruce Campbell for a new generation) who unwittingly finds himself fighting for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in a swirl of chaos. Fans of the video games will recognize various easter eggs and nods to game mechanics, including the importance of conserving ammo and checking every last drawer for more of it.
But you don't need to be familiar with the games at all to enjoy the movie, which is an efficient horror set-piece machine that just keeps putting Abrams in increasingly concerning situations. I can't stress enough how much this is a one-man show anchored by Abrams, and he crushes it. He's in every scene, earning tons of laughs simply by reacting as a normal person would in this situation; he's a true audience-surrogate character, ushering us through the chaos. His comedic timing, paired with Cregger's ****** ured camerawork and editing, is a match made in genre-movie heaven.
I didn't expect it to be so heavily inspired by genre classics like The Thing and Evil Dead. In fact, it's a better Evil Dead movie than the last several movies with "Evil Dead" in the ****** le, nailing the horror-comedy tone that only Sam Raimi and a few others can pull off with aplomb. Cregger has a ton of fun with the various monstrous forms that the infected take here, from fusing multiple humans together to crafting his own horror take on a big, scary guy like Dune's Baron Harkonnen. Resident Evil movies have thus far treated the zombies as pretty traditional movie zombies; Cregger's version gets at the attempt to create the next stage of human evolution.
#resident #dead
9 days ago
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is one of the most successful stocks in history. Since launching its IPO in 1999, the stock has earned unprecedented returns, especially considering the 27-year time frame. So high are the gains that an investment of $1,000 at that time would deliver millions.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ****** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
The semiconductor stock launched its IPO on Jan. 22, 1999, at a split-adjusted price of $0.025 per share. At the time, that would have bought 40,000 split-adjusted shares worth $5.32 million. Add in the dividend income over that time, and the overall total grows to $5.70 million.
NVDA data by YCharts
Nvidia made its initial fortune as a leader in graphics cards. It later moved on to GPUs and, later, AI accelerators, which have made it an industry-leading chip stock. With that, it won the AI training race, or at least the first phase of it.
#missed #phase
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ****** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
The semiconductor stock launched its IPO on Jan. 22, 1999, at a split-adjusted price of $0.025 per share. At the time, that would have bought 40,000 split-adjusted shares worth $5.32 million. Add in the dividend income over that time, and the overall total grows to $5.70 million.
NVDA data by YCharts
Nvidia made its initial fortune as a leader in graphics cards. It later moved on to GPUs and, later, AI accelerators, which have made it an industry-leading chip stock. With that, it won the AI training race, or at least the first phase of it.
#missed #phase
9 days ago
On August 20, Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE:RCL) said it had completed a sale of $1.25 billion of notes that carry a 5.55% coupon and come due on January 20, 2034. The money is earmarked first for floating-rate term loans, with anything left over used to repay or refinance other debt, and the offering rode on a shelf registration filed on February 29, 2024. That sounds like routine upkeep. But next to an earnings beat and a flat third-quarter pricing outlook, the deal gives you a handy lens on where the company stands.
Start with the debt itself. Swapping floating-rate borrowings for notes with a stated 5.550% coupon takes some interest-rate guesswork out of the picture, and the notes don't mature until January 20, 2034. That matters because $2.7 billion comes due in 2027 and $3.4 billion in 2028. Against those bills, the company held $6.9 billion of liquidity as of June 30, and it added $250 million to its revolving credit line in July.
The business generating the cash is running well. On July 28, Royal Caribbean reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $4.21 per share, ahead of its own guidance on stronger last-minute demand, lower costs, and better results from joint ventures. Management then raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $17.73 to $17.87, which implies 14% growth. It also kept returning cash to shareholders in the second quarter, through $404 million of dividends and $199 million of buybacks. Booking volumes are running above last year, and 2027 bookings are tracking ahead of past years, even on routes that geopolitical events hit in 2026.
Beat or not, that $4.21 is still below the $4.38 from the same quarter in 2025. Costs excluding fuel per passenger cruise day rose 4.4%, and the cost beat came largely from the timing of expenses. Then there is pricing, where the story gets less rosy. Third-quarter net yields are guided to roughly flat against 2025 while capacity grows 8.5%, so the expected 8% revenue growth comes from more capacity, not from better yields. Management also says prolonged geopolitical activity has dented bookings on select itineraries. It calls the hit modest, but it is now built into guidance.
The refinancing also doesn't shrink the debt pile. New notes pay off old borrowings, so the total owed stays roughly where it was, and the company still expects net interest of $980 million to $990 million this year. Add roughly $4.7 billion of capital spending in 2026, mostly for new ships and destination projects, and it is clear this business needs a steady supply of capital. The April ship orders, Icon VI and Icon VII, extend that appetite, though their financing is already committed.
#billion #quarter #company #year
Start with the debt itself. Swapping floating-rate borrowings for notes with a stated 5.550% coupon takes some interest-rate guesswork out of the picture, and the notes don't mature until January 20, 2034. That matters because $2.7 billion comes due in 2027 and $3.4 billion in 2028. Against those bills, the company held $6.9 billion of liquidity as of June 30, and it added $250 million to its revolving credit line in July.
The business generating the cash is running well. On July 28, Royal Caribbean reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $4.21 per share, ahead of its own guidance on stronger last-minute demand, lower costs, and better results from joint ventures. Management then raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $17.73 to $17.87, which implies 14% growth. It also kept returning cash to shareholders in the second quarter, through $404 million of dividends and $199 million of buybacks. Booking volumes are running above last year, and 2027 bookings are tracking ahead of past years, even on routes that geopolitical events hit in 2026.
Beat or not, that $4.21 is still below the $4.38 from the same quarter in 2025. Costs excluding fuel per passenger cruise day rose 4.4%, and the cost beat came largely from the timing of expenses. Then there is pricing, where the story gets less rosy. Third-quarter net yields are guided to roughly flat against 2025 while capacity grows 8.5%, so the expected 8% revenue growth comes from more capacity, not from better yields. Management also says prolonged geopolitical activity has dented bookings on select itineraries. It calls the hit modest, but it is now built into guidance.
The refinancing also doesn't shrink the debt pile. New notes pay off old borrowings, so the total owed stays roughly where it was, and the company still expects net interest of $980 million to $990 million this year. Add roughly $4.7 billion of capital spending in 2026, mostly for new ships and destination projects, and it is clear this business needs a steady supply of capital. The April ship orders, Icon VI and Icon VII, extend that appetite, though their financing is already committed.
#billion #quarter #company #year
9 days ago
On August 6, Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) reported earnings of $1.84 per diluted share for the quarter that closed on June 30, up from $1.75 a year earlier, and lifted most of its full-year targets. Here is the odd part. The company moved less volume than it did a year ago and still grew profit. Understanding how that works, and how long it can last, is the whole story.
Start with pricing, because that is the engine. Core price on total revenue added 5.3% to growth, which helped lift total revenue by 4.6%. Inside the related business, price contributed 4.1% in the restricted portion and 7.8% in the open market. Management says price beat cost inflation, and the margin backs that up. Adjusted EBITDA reached $1.42 billion at a 32.1% margin, matching the prior year even after Republic absorbed a 50 basis point drag from event-driven landfill volumes it received in 2025.
Cash generation is just as sturdy. Through the first half of 2026, operations produced $2.38 billion, and adjusted free cash flow came to $1.58 billion. That paid for $860 million of acquisitions and $1.04 billion returned to shareholders, so Republic is buying growth and rewarding owners from the same pool. The board added 4.5 cents to the quarterly dividend, setting it at $0.670 per share with an October 2 record date and payment on October 15. Management also raised full-year revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow guidance, and set adjusted earnings at $7.23 to $7.28 per share.
The catch is that volume is moving the wrong way. Average yield added 3.4% to total revenue, while volume took away 1.6%, and the related business gave up 1.9% to volume. That makes this a price-led story, and price can only carry so much weight if volumes keep shrinking. Acquisitions also supplied 1.1% of the 4.6% total growth, so organic growth is smaller than the headline suggests.
Other lines were softer too. The environmental solutions business slipped 0.2%, so it added no lift. Recycled commodities sold for an average of $136 per ton at Republic's recycling centers, which is $13 lower than a year earlier. Margin only matched last year's level, and adjusted earnings per share rose 4.5%, just under revenue growth, so profit grew in step with sales rather than faster.
#year
Start with pricing, because that is the engine. Core price on total revenue added 5.3% to growth, which helped lift total revenue by 4.6%. Inside the related business, price contributed 4.1% in the restricted portion and 7.8% in the open market. Management says price beat cost inflation, and the margin backs that up. Adjusted EBITDA reached $1.42 billion at a 32.1% margin, matching the prior year even after Republic absorbed a 50 basis point drag from event-driven landfill volumes it received in 2025.
Cash generation is just as sturdy. Through the first half of 2026, operations produced $2.38 billion, and adjusted free cash flow came to $1.58 billion. That paid for $860 million of acquisitions and $1.04 billion returned to shareholders, so Republic is buying growth and rewarding owners from the same pool. The board added 4.5 cents to the quarterly dividend, setting it at $0.670 per share with an October 2 record date and payment on October 15. Management also raised full-year revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow guidance, and set adjusted earnings at $7.23 to $7.28 per share.
The catch is that volume is moving the wrong way. Average yield added 3.4% to total revenue, while volume took away 1.6%, and the related business gave up 1.9% to volume. That makes this a price-led story, and price can only carry so much weight if volumes keep shrinking. Acquisitions also supplied 1.1% of the 4.6% total growth, so organic growth is smaller than the headline suggests.
Other lines were softer too. The environmental solutions business slipped 0.2%, so it added no lift. Recycled commodities sold for an average of $136 per ton at Republic's recycling centers, which is $13 lower than a year earlier. Margin only matched last year's level, and adjusted earnings per share rose 4.5%, just under revenue growth, so profit grew in step with sales rather than faster.
#year
9 days ago
Cloudflare's Q2 beat and reaccelerating growth (36% revenue growth, 120% net dollar retention, record large customer adds) pushed NET stock to new highs, but the market has already paid up: NTM EV/Revenue sits at 35.17x, just below its all-time high of 36.30x and well above its roughly two-year average of 22.30x.
Free cash flow margin, the exact metric management points to as evidence of a credible path to GAAP profitability by 2028, has fallen for two straight quarters, from 14.55% in Q1 2026 to 9.71% in Q2 2026, even as severance and restructuring costs climbed toward $165 million for the year.
President Michelle Zatlyn, CFO Thomas Seifert, and director John Graham-Cumming all sold stock in August and September, Zatlyn alone disposing of roughly $44 million across two separate filings, while the company also raised $2.175 billion in convertible debt despite already holding $4.2 billion in cash.
Street consensus, which saw NET stock as 13% to 22% undervalued for most of late 2025 and early 2026, has now caught up: the mean ****** yst target of $336.81 sits just 4% above the September 18 close of $323.60, a far thinner cushion than investors had earlier in the rally.
Cloudflare's second quarter gave bulls plenty to like. Revenue grew 36% year over year to $696.1 million, beating the $665.5 million ****** yst estimate. The company added a record 986 large customers over the trailing year and net dollar retention accelerated to 120%, up six points from a year earlier. Management used that momentum to lean harder into its Act 4 story, the plan to turn Cloudflare's network into infrastructure for agentic commerce through products like Monetization Gateway, Wallets, and cloudflare.pay.
#revenue #dollar
Free cash flow margin, the exact metric management points to as evidence of a credible path to GAAP profitability by 2028, has fallen for two straight quarters, from 14.55% in Q1 2026 to 9.71% in Q2 2026, even as severance and restructuring costs climbed toward $165 million for the year.
President Michelle Zatlyn, CFO Thomas Seifert, and director John Graham-Cumming all sold stock in August and September, Zatlyn alone disposing of roughly $44 million across two separate filings, while the company also raised $2.175 billion in convertible debt despite already holding $4.2 billion in cash.
Street consensus, which saw NET stock as 13% to 22% undervalued for most of late 2025 and early 2026, has now caught up: the mean ****** yst target of $336.81 sits just 4% above the September 18 close of $323.60, a far thinner cushion than investors had earlier in the rally.
Cloudflare's second quarter gave bulls plenty to like. Revenue grew 36% year over year to $696.1 million, beating the $665.5 million ****** yst estimate. The company added a record 986 large customers over the trailing year and net dollar retention accelerated to 120%, up six points from a year earlier. Management used that momentum to lean harder into its Act 4 story, the plan to turn Cloudflare's network into infrastructure for agentic commerce through products like Monetization Gateway, Wallets, and cloudflare.pay.
#revenue #dollar
9 days ago
On September 15, Digital Realty (NYSE:DLR) made ServiceFabric MCP available, a software layer that lets AI agents design, monitor and troubleshoot network connections across more than 800 data centers, including third-party sites. That nudges a real estate company toward becoming a control panel for enterprise AI. It arrives after second quarter results reported on July 23, when Core FFO per share, the company's preferred earnings yardstick, excluding net promote rose to $2.13 from $1.87 a year earlier. Here is what the launch does, and what it has yet to prove.
The pitch is that enterprise AI needs more than servers. It needs power, cooling, and sovereign placement that software can control. ServiceFabric MCP handles four jobs: designing and provisioning connections, spotting capacity and watching live network health, managing access through OAuth 2, and handing troubleshooting to agents with links into chat and monitoring tools. It is also open by design. Customers do not have to live only in Digital Realty buildings or commit to a single AI model. An IDC research VP argues that public cloud interfaces alone cannot give enterprises enough control over data movement and policy, which favors providers that pair global reach with programmable interconnection. Digital Realty runs the system on its own AI workloads, and See All AI, a medical imaging developer, leans on the Boston campus and ServiceFabric to move large datasets quickly and securely.
The financial engine underneath is running hot. Renewal leases in the second quarter were signed at rates 25.4% higher on a cash basis, which shows customers will pay more to stay put. Signed leases waiting to start added up to a $1.9 billion backlog of annualized base rent at 100% share, so future revenue is already lined up. Management responded by lifting its 2026 Core FFO per share outlook, excluding net promote, to $8.15 to $8.20.
Start with what the launch has not shown yet. Digital Realty itself calls MCP an emerging standard, and ServiceFabric MCP is still being validated across internal, enterprise, and partner deployments. The announcement puts no dollar figure on what it could add to revenue, and the company describes it only as the first programmable surface of a larger architecture that may later stretch into ***** e, power and inventory. Until customers pay for this layer, it is a promising idea more than a line item.
Then there is the bill for the physical side. Digital Realty carried about $18.6 billion of debt at June 30, 2026, and its 2026 development spending outlook, net of partner contributions, now sits at $4.25 billion to $4.75 billion. The outlook also ***** umes new long-term debt priced at 4.5% to 5.5%, up from the earlier 4.0% to 4.5%. To help pay for growth, the company has sold roughly 13.5 million shares this year for about $2.5 billion, which spreads future earnings across more owners. And the quarter's headline flattered a bit: Core FFO per share of $2.65 included a $18
The pitch is that enterprise AI needs more than servers. It needs power, cooling, and sovereign placement that software can control. ServiceFabric MCP handles four jobs: designing and provisioning connections, spotting capacity and watching live network health, managing access through OAuth 2, and handing troubleshooting to agents with links into chat and monitoring tools. It is also open by design. Customers do not have to live only in Digital Realty buildings or commit to a single AI model. An IDC research VP argues that public cloud interfaces alone cannot give enterprises enough control over data movement and policy, which favors providers that pair global reach with programmable interconnection. Digital Realty runs the system on its own AI workloads, and See All AI, a medical imaging developer, leans on the Boston campus and ServiceFabric to move large datasets quickly and securely.
The financial engine underneath is running hot. Renewal leases in the second quarter were signed at rates 25.4% higher on a cash basis, which shows customers will pay more to stay put. Signed leases waiting to start added up to a $1.9 billion backlog of annualized base rent at 100% share, so future revenue is already lined up. Management responded by lifting its 2026 Core FFO per share outlook, excluding net promote, to $8.15 to $8.20.
Start with what the launch has not shown yet. Digital Realty itself calls MCP an emerging standard, and ServiceFabric MCP is still being validated across internal, enterprise, and partner deployments. The announcement puts no dollar figure on what it could add to revenue, and the company describes it only as the first programmable surface of a larger architecture that may later stretch into ***** e, power and inventory. Until customers pay for this layer, it is a promising idea more than a line item.
Then there is the bill for the physical side. Digital Realty carried about $18.6 billion of debt at June 30, 2026, and its 2026 development spending outlook, net of partner contributions, now sits at $4.25 billion to $4.75 billion. The outlook also ***** umes new long-term debt priced at 4.5% to 5.5%, up from the earlier 4.0% to 4.5%. To help pay for growth, the company has sold roughly 13.5 million shares this year for about $2.5 billion, which spreads future earnings across more owners. And the quarter's headline flattered a bit: Core FFO per share of $2.65 included a $18
9 days ago
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) has constructed an artificial intelligence (AI) empire over the past few years. The company sells the world's most powerful AI chips, known as graphics processing units (GPUs), and an entire portfolio of related tools that are generating triple-digit growth and record levels of revenue.
Investors have piled into Nvidia stock to gain access to this incredible growth story, and so far, they've scored a major win. The stock has soared about 800% over the past five years. But, in recent times, investors have worried about one particular challenge: competition. Though Nvidia remains in the lead, a number of companies also sell AI chips -- and these products are becoming more powerful with each update.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ***** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
These players include chip companies like Advanced Micro Devices as well as broader tech giants like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). All of this has prompted some investors to pause before getting in on Nvidia stock at this stage of the AI story. Nvidia stock has climbed about 14% this year, which isn't a big leap for this stock.
Just recently, however, some bright news emerged during Amazon's earning call. In fact, these 15 words from Amazon chief Andy Jassy may eliminate Nvidia's biggest risk.
#chips
Investors have piled into Nvidia stock to gain access to this incredible growth story, and so far, they've scored a major win. The stock has soared about 800% over the past five years. But, in recent times, investors have worried about one particular challenge: competition. Though Nvidia remains in the lead, a number of companies also sell AI chips -- and these products are becoming more powerful with each update.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ***** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
These players include chip companies like Advanced Micro Devices as well as broader tech giants like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). All of this has prompted some investors to pause before getting in on Nvidia stock at this stage of the AI story. Nvidia stock has climbed about 14% this year, which isn't a big leap for this stock.
Just recently, however, some bright news emerged during Amazon's earning call. In fact, these 15 words from Amazon chief Andy Jassy may eliminate Nvidia's biggest risk.
#chips
9 days ago
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) primarily generates its revenue by designing, developing, manufacturing, and selling the critical fabrication equipment, specialized factory automation software, and materials engineering solutions utilized to produce integrated circuits for customers globally.
While launching multiple new hardware systems to address technical production challenges in advanced memory scaling, it formalized a joint development agreement for augmented reality optics and reported a 34% operating margin for the quarter ended July 26, 2026.
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) primarily generates its revenue by designing, developing, and manufacturing commercial central processing units, discrete graphics processors, and edge computing components, alongside operating its independent wafer fabrication and advanced packaging services.
It finalized a large-scale public common stock offering and confirmed pending organizational workforce reductions within its data center operations, while reporting a 12% operating margin for the quarter ended June 27, 2026.
Revenue establishes a fundamental baseline for investors seeking to measure the total incoming capital a business generates before any operating expenses, interest, or taxes are deducted. This metric reveals whether an organization is successfully attracting customers and growing its overall business volume over time.
#generates #primarily
While launching multiple new hardware systems to address technical production challenges in advanced memory scaling, it formalized a joint development agreement for augmented reality optics and reported a 34% operating margin for the quarter ended July 26, 2026.
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) primarily generates its revenue by designing, developing, and manufacturing commercial central processing units, discrete graphics processors, and edge computing components, alongside operating its independent wafer fabrication and advanced packaging services.
It finalized a large-scale public common stock offering and confirmed pending organizational workforce reductions within its data center operations, while reporting a 12% operating margin for the quarter ended June 27, 2026.
Revenue establishes a fundamental baseline for investors seeking to measure the total incoming capital a business generates before any operating expenses, interest, or taxes are deducted. This metric reveals whether an organization is successfully attracting customers and growing its overall business volume over time.
#generates #primarily
9 days ago
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) has outlined its growth targets for 2026 and beyond. This comes as the company advances plans to acquire Dominion Energy Inc (NYSE:D). It's a $67 billion all-stock transaction expected to close before the end of next year. If the merger is completed as expected, it would result in the largest US electricity producer.
NextEra's business is already growing, and Dominion is expected to increase the growth rate. The deal's promise is exciting, but its value to investors ultimately depends on NextEra securing regulatory approvals and successfully integrating Dominion ***** ets.
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) has reaffirmed its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.92 to $4.02 and said it was targeting the high end of that range. NextEra also said it expects adjusted EPS to grow at a compound annual rate of at least 8% through 2032 and is targeting the same growth rate through 2035, off the 2025 base.
NextEra also plans to continue rewarding its shareholders with higher dividends. The company expects its dividend per share to grow at a roughly 10% annual rate through 2026, off the 2024 base. It expects the dividend to grow 6% a year through 2028 from the 2026 base.
The EPS and dividend growth projections give investors a financial foundation for evaluating the Dominion deal. NextEra does not need Dominion simply to prevent a growth slowdown. Instead, it's looking to add another growth engine through the acquisition.
#dominion #rate
NextEra's business is already growing, and Dominion is expected to increase the growth rate. The deal's promise is exciting, but its value to investors ultimately depends on NextEra securing regulatory approvals and successfully integrating Dominion ***** ets.
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) has reaffirmed its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.92 to $4.02 and said it was targeting the high end of that range. NextEra also said it expects adjusted EPS to grow at a compound annual rate of at least 8% through 2032 and is targeting the same growth rate through 2035, off the 2025 base.
NextEra also plans to continue rewarding its shareholders with higher dividends. The company expects its dividend per share to grow at a roughly 10% annual rate through 2026, off the 2024 base. It expects the dividend to grow 6% a year through 2028 from the 2026 base.
The EPS and dividend growth projections give investors a financial foundation for evaluating the Dominion deal. NextEra does not need Dominion simply to prevent a growth slowdown. Instead, it's looking to add another growth engine through the acquisition.
#dominion #rate
9 days ago
The CLARITY Act failed to pass votes in the Senate earlier this week, a piece of legislature that would set out guardrails and ground rules for crypto **** ets in the U.S. With the failure of passage, the Securities and Exchange Commission took matters into its own hands, passing a conditional exemption Thursday for tokenized stocks. This Innovation Exemption allows for a limited type of tokenized securities to trade on specific Tokenized Securities Venues (TSVs), giving them a 5-year runway to prove their trading chops.
Tokenization is one of the latest trends in the investing world, whereby an **** et is represented digitally on a blockchain. It's seen as the next frontier in finance, with digital trading opening up greater access both for a broader investor base as well as the potential to trade 24/7, while also offering the potential for increased efficiency. However, some argue that tokenized **** ets come with added, unique risks and that by moving investments to the blockchain you introduce greater exposure to bad actors in an as-yet unregulated **** e in the U.S. That is, until now.
The SEC exemption allows for a specific type of tokenized stocks to be traded, specifically ones that retain the investor rights of the stock they are tied to (voting and dividends for example). Only tokenized U.S. National Market System (NMS) stocks qualify that trade through U.S. venues who have established standards for who can trade, limit trading volumes to a certain percentage of the stock, and make public their trading activities as well as any affiliates on the TSV. In addition, venues must halt trading when the primary exchange halts, and leverage is not permitted. Any company that does not want tokenized shares has 30 days to object and prevent their shares from being created.
It's important to note that currently there are two main types of tokenized securities, those that are directly linked to the **** et they represent digitally and those that provide synthetic exposure. Of the two, only the direct exposure tokenized stocks qualify that meet all of the exemption's restrictions.
"The Commission is not cementing today's technology as the standard for tomorrow. Instead, it is allowing the market to evolve, monitoring its development, and using that insight to inform a nimbler and future-ready regulatory framework," SEC Chair Paul Atkins said in a statement.
#exposure #commission
Tokenization is one of the latest trends in the investing world, whereby an **** et is represented digitally on a blockchain. It's seen as the next frontier in finance, with digital trading opening up greater access both for a broader investor base as well as the potential to trade 24/7, while also offering the potential for increased efficiency. However, some argue that tokenized **** ets come with added, unique risks and that by moving investments to the blockchain you introduce greater exposure to bad actors in an as-yet unregulated **** e in the U.S. That is, until now.
The SEC exemption allows for a specific type of tokenized stocks to be traded, specifically ones that retain the investor rights of the stock they are tied to (voting and dividends for example). Only tokenized U.S. National Market System (NMS) stocks qualify that trade through U.S. venues who have established standards for who can trade, limit trading volumes to a certain percentage of the stock, and make public their trading activities as well as any affiliates on the TSV. In addition, venues must halt trading when the primary exchange halts, and leverage is not permitted. Any company that does not want tokenized shares has 30 days to object and prevent their shares from being created.
It's important to note that currently there are two main types of tokenized securities, those that are directly linked to the **** et they represent digitally and those that provide synthetic exposure. Of the two, only the direct exposure tokenized stocks qualify that meet all of the exemption's restrictions.
"The Commission is not cementing today's technology as the standard for tomorrow. Instead, it is allowing the market to evolve, monitoring its development, and using that insight to inform a nimbler and future-ready regulatory framework," SEC Chair Paul Atkins said in a statement.
#exposure #commission
9 days ago
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh has revealed himself. If not a card-carrying monetarist, he is at least a camp follower. This represents a dramatic change at the Fed, where the past Chairman Jerome Powell repeatedly rejected the basic tenets of monetarism.
This is a welcomed earthquake. After all, there are almost no monetarists left in the world (except for us, and we've been fighting a lonely rearguard action for over 40 years). The Federal Reserve has rejected monetarism consistently — and on the record — because it preferred other models for understanding the economy. In academia, monetarism has been out of fashion for decades. But by his own words, a monetarist is now leading the central bank.
Just what is monetarism? It's a doctrine which holds that money has a major influence on both the level of ***** et prices, economic activity, and the price level. Any discussion of national income determination must, therefore, center on the quantity of money and the banking system, since banks produce most of the money in modern economies. When it comes to monetary policy, its objectives are best met by targeting the rate of growth of the money supply.
Today, most economists pooh-pooh monetarism. Money and banking are nowhere to be found in their macroeconomic models, or their discourses about the course of ***** et prices, economic activity, and prices. Indeed, their forecasting exercises are typically based on elaborations of Keynesian income-expenditure models that exclude money and banking.
If that's not enough, we think that the Fed's backroom staff, mostly Keynesian-leaning Democrats, don't want alignment with a philosophy usually affiliated with Milton Friedman, but that's another story. Just look at what Joe Biden said in 2020 about how the dean of monetarism wasn't "running the show anymore."
#monetarist
This is a welcomed earthquake. After all, there are almost no monetarists left in the world (except for us, and we've been fighting a lonely rearguard action for over 40 years). The Federal Reserve has rejected monetarism consistently — and on the record — because it preferred other models for understanding the economy. In academia, monetarism has been out of fashion for decades. But by his own words, a monetarist is now leading the central bank.
Just what is monetarism? It's a doctrine which holds that money has a major influence on both the level of ***** et prices, economic activity, and the price level. Any discussion of national income determination must, therefore, center on the quantity of money and the banking system, since banks produce most of the money in modern economies. When it comes to monetary policy, its objectives are best met by targeting the rate of growth of the money supply.
Today, most economists pooh-pooh monetarism. Money and banking are nowhere to be found in their macroeconomic models, or their discourses about the course of ***** et prices, economic activity, and prices. Indeed, their forecasting exercises are typically based on elaborations of Keynesian income-expenditure models that exclude money and banking.
If that's not enough, we think that the Fed's backroom staff, mostly Keynesian-leaning Democrats, don't want alignment with a philosophy usually affiliated with Milton Friedman, but that's another story. Just look at what Joe Biden said in 2020 about how the dean of monetarism wasn't "running the show anymore."
#monetarist
9 days ago
The first full week of trading in September didn't give Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) investors much to celebrate. During the shortened trading week that followed Labor Day, Zscaler dropped about 3%. This week, however, is a very different story, thanks to a firm providing an auspicious outlook for the cybersecurity stock.
According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, Zscaler shares were up 20.7% from the end of trading last Friday through 3:37 p.m. today.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ******* ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
Maintaining its outperform rating, Bernstein hiked its price target on Zscaler stock to $298 from $224 on Thursday morning. Based on Zscaler's closing price of $191.58 on Wednesday, the Bernstein price target implies 56% upside.
According to Thefly.com, Bernstein based its improved outlook on the belief that there's growing positive market sentiment toward cybersecurity stocks. In addition, Bernstein notes that cybersecurity stocks it had previously identified as "too cheap" are now reasonable valued, yet Zscaler is one option that still provides material upside.
#week
According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, Zscaler shares were up 20.7% from the end of trading last Friday through 3:37 p.m. today.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ******* ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
Maintaining its outperform rating, Bernstein hiked its price target on Zscaler stock to $298 from $224 on Thursday morning. Based on Zscaler's closing price of $191.58 on Wednesday, the Bernstein price target implies 56% upside.
According to Thefly.com, Bernstein based its improved outlook on the belief that there's growing positive market sentiment toward cybersecurity stocks. In addition, Bernstein notes that cybersecurity stocks it had previously identified as "too cheap" are now reasonable valued, yet Zscaler is one option that still provides material upside.
#week
9 days ago
Choosing between claiming Social Security at 62 or waiting until 70 can create a wide gap in your monthly income. Starting early gives you more years of payments, while delaying may increase the amount of each check. The tradeoff comes down to how long you expect to collect benefits and how much income you need along the way. Comparing the break-even point can help show when waiting may produce more ****** ulative benefits.
A financial advisor can help you plan for retirement at any age.
The size of your monthly retirement check largely depends on the age at which you start collecting. Your earnings history establishes the foundation for your payment, but when you claim affects the portion you receive each month.
Age 62 is generally the earliest you can begin collecting Social Security retirement benefits. Claiming that early comes with a permanent reduction in your monthly payment. Social Security calculates the reduction based on how many months before your full retirement age (FRA) you begin receiving benefits.
For people born in 1960 or later, FRA is 67. In that case, claiming at 62 means starting benefits 60 months early. This generally reduces a worker's retirement benefit by 30% compared with the amount available at FRA. For example, someone entitled to $2,000 per month at FRA would receive approximately $1,400 at 62, before considering other adjustments.1
#monthly #early #starting #income
A financial advisor can help you plan for retirement at any age.
The size of your monthly retirement check largely depends on the age at which you start collecting. Your earnings history establishes the foundation for your payment, but when you claim affects the portion you receive each month.
Age 62 is generally the earliest you can begin collecting Social Security retirement benefits. Claiming that early comes with a permanent reduction in your monthly payment. Social Security calculates the reduction based on how many months before your full retirement age (FRA) you begin receiving benefits.
For people born in 1960 or later, FRA is 67. In that case, claiming at 62 means starting benefits 60 months early. This generally reduces a worker's retirement benefit by 30% compared with the amount available at FRA. For example, someone entitled to $2,000 per month at FRA would receive approximately $1,400 at 62, before considering other adjustments.1
#monthly #early #starting #income
9 days ago
Accenture (ACN) stock has gone down for a year while the market has gone up. At around $190, it sits toward the cheap end of its own ten-year history on earnings. The risk sits in what those earnings are made of.
Accenture Stock Is Already Priced For Bad News
Accenture stock is down about 17% over the past year, while the S&P 500 gained about 17%. The stock has recovered some of that ground over the past three months. It trades at about 15 times earnings.
The question is whether the market has marked down the right thing.
But Accenture's Operating Margin Is At The High End Of Its Range
#accenture #down #market
Accenture Stock Is Already Priced For Bad News
Accenture stock is down about 17% over the past year, while the S&P 500 gained about 17%. The stock has recovered some of that ground over the past three months. It trades at about 15 times earnings.
The question is whether the market has marked down the right thing.
But Accenture's Operating Margin Is At The High End Of Its Range
#accenture #down #market
