This story was originally published on Supply Chain Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Supply Chain Dive newsletter.
TJX Companies is confident in navigating weather-related events such as El Niño due to its warehouse distribution model, CEO Ernie Herrman said in a Q2 earnings call on Aug. 19.
Herrman said since the company keeps its liquidity and shipping out of its warehouses, it has better control than traditional retailers. Inventory doesn't need to go straight to the stores if the off-price retailer thinks there's going to be an unusual weather pattern in a certain region, he added.
"[T]his is a benefit of our model where we stage goods in our warehouses versus goods at most brick-and-mortar retailers come into the warehouse and have to go out," Herrman told **** ysts. He added that the company's "planning organization is really good at reacting to any wild swings in weather or natural disasters or any of those red flags."
Off-price retailers and classic retailers tend to have different supply chain models when it comes to how they manage their inventory, but it's not one-size fits all, Dheera Anand, a partner at Bain and Co., told Supply Chain Dive in an interview. The supply chain strategy Hermann described in TJX's earnings call is known as the hold and flow, or staged, model, Anand said.

#supply

Industrial automation company Rockwell (ROK) has joined Project Glasswing, Anthropic's initiative focused on using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to improve cybersecurity across critical infrastructure. For Rockwell, this is especially relevant because its systems sit inside factories, warehouses, semiconductor plants, and other industrial operations.
The timing also matters. ROK stock has already had a strong run this year, while its latest results showed solid demand and expanding margins. But shares have pulled back from their June 52-week high of $497.36. That leaves investors asking whether Project Glasswing can become another growth driver or simply adds another layer to Rockwell's long-term technology story.
Mark Cuban Says He Was Dizzy for Months, So He Built a VR Fix That Does at Home 'Much Of What A 180k Machine' Does
Bank of America Just Declared a 'Generational Entry Point' in U.S. Bonds. Why Investors Should Be Backing Up the Truck on Treasuries Here.
Nvidia, OpenAI, and Oracle's $745B Financing Circle Just Hit Its First Stress Test: A Fed Rate Hike

#june #cuban

Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) and Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) have expanded their US delivery partnership to 47 states, up from 17, making nearly 600 Costco locations available through the Uber Eats platform.
The companies said the expanded service allows Costco members to place orders for on-demand or scheduled delivery through the Uber Eats app.
Customers can purchase fresh produce, bulk groceries and household products, link their Costco membership during checkout and track their deliveries in real time.
The expansion increases the geographic reach of Costco's delivery service through Uber Eats, giving members access to products from participating warehouses.
Nearly 600 Costco locations are now available on the platform, according to the companies' joint statement.

#costco #expanded #available #platform

Auxier ******* et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ******* et Management highlighted The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR). The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is a leading supermarket chain that operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. On September 14, 2026, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) closed at $60.91 per share. Over the past month, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) returned 10.12%, but its shares are down 7.06% over the past year. The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) has a market capitalization of $37.32 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $54.15 to $76.58.
Auxier ******* et Management stated the following regarding The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Consumer staples underperformed during the quarter. Elevated inflation, high interest rates and rising gas prices contributed to lower consumer spending, impacting companies like The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) and PepsiCo. Although Kroger's stock has been weak, its new CEO Greg Foran brings exceptional leadership that promises positive change. While he was President of Walmart US from 2014-2019, the company achieved 20 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth and scaled its online grocery pickup. Since joining Kroger he has aggressively reduced prices and boosted the growth in private label and organic offerings. The stock trades at a mere 12 times earnings which is a significant discount to both Costco and Walmart."

#Growth #asset

Auxier ***** et Management, an investment advisory firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Following a strong rebound from the first-quarter decline, the S&P 500 gained 15.2% as accelerating capital spending toward artificial intelligence infrastructure drove significant gains across technology hardware companies. Semiconductor and data-center-related businesses benefited from supply constraints and strong demand, while enterprise software remained under pressure as investors reassessed AI disruption risks and compressed valuations. In the quarter, Auxier Focus Fund's Investor Class gained 8.82% and 10.70% for the six months ended June 30, 2026. Despite strong earnings growth across the broader market, Auxier highlighted concerns around rising margin debt, increased leverage, and elevated capital flows into high-growth technology areas that could amplify future volatility. The firm continues to focus on identifying enduring businesses with strong competitive advantages, resilient cash flows, and sustainable long-term growth potential. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Auxier ***** et Management highlighted The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR). The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is a leading supermarket chain that operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. On September 14, 2026, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) closed at $60.91 per share. Over the past month, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) returned 10.12%, but its shares are down 7.06% over the past year. The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) has a market capitalization of $37.32 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $54.15 to $76.58.
Auxier ***** et Management stated the following regarding The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Consumer staples underperformed during the quarter. Elevated inflation, high interest rates and rising gas prices contributed to lower consumer spending, impacting companies like The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) and PepsiCo. Although Kroger's stock has been weak, its new CEO Greg Foran brings exceptional leadership that promises positive change. While he was President of Walmart US from 2014-2019, the company achieved 20 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth and scaled its online grocery pickup. Since joining Kroger he has aggressively reduced prices and boosted the growth in private label and organic offerings. The stock trades at a mere 12 times earnings which is a significant discount to both Costco and Walmart."

#NYSE #quarter #Growth #strong

SOFIA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Bulgaria is investigating the cause of a fire at a weapons storage facility operated by EMCO, including the possibility of sabotage and a link to a previous blaze at ‌another of the company's facilities in August, the interior minister said.
No injuries were reported in the fire, ‌which broke out near the village of Tsareva Livada and lit up the night sky, according to videos broadcast locally. The incident came weeks after an explosion and fire at another EMCO weapons depot in western Bulgaria.
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev told journalists on Saturday that the fire was under control and that an investigation was underway.
"We will review previous cases in which similar fires occurred in the warehouses of this company, as well as at other companies, in order to look for a possible connection or a ‌similar pattern," he said.
"We are not ruling ⁠out outside interference."

#previous

Harbor Funds, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter for "Harbor Mid Cap Value Fund". The letter can be downloaded here. Global equities experienced a sharp rally in Q2 2026, with the S&P 500 returning 15.2%, its strongest quarter since 2020, driven by a shift from software to hardware in the Artificial Intelligence capital spending cycle. Small caps outperformed large caps, with the Russell 2000® gaining 21.5% compared to the Russell 1000's 15.1%. Growth stocks led within large caps, while Information Technology rose about 33%, contributing significantly to the S&P 500's return. The Harbor Mid Cap Value Fund returned 13.99%, outperforming its benchmark, the Russell Midcap Value Index. Strong stock selection in Consumer Discretionary, Real Estate, and Financials contributed positively, although an underweight in Information Technology negatively impacted results. Despite ongoing economic uncertainties, the investment philosophy remains committed to a disciplined value approach. Check the fund's top five holdings for its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Harbor Mid Cap Value Fund highlighted The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR). The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is a leading supermarket chain that operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. On September 04, 2026, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) closed at $58.59 per share. Over the past month, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) returned 1.83%, but its shares are down 15.42% over the past year. The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) has a market capitalization of $35.89 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $54.15 to $76.58.
Harbor Mid Cap Value Fund stated the following regarding The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Other detractors were The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the Consumer Staples sector and Matador Resources in the Energy sector. Kroger was down more than 20% as slowing same-store sales and inflation weighed on the stock. Competition from lower cost providers has forced Kroger to reduce prices to maintain market share."
The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 56 hedge fund portfolios held The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) at the end of the second quarter, up from 52 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

#NYSE #value #fund

Small and midsize shippers are often forced to stitch together various tools for parcel labels, freight quotes, tracking, and much more. The fragmentation gets more expensive as a business grows past pure e-commerce, since the moment a merchant needs to move inventory between warehouses or ship a pallet instead of a box, they're forced out of whatever platform runs their day-to-day shipping and into unfamiliar territory.
ShipStation Global CEO Tom Madine has built the company's post-merger strategy around closing that gap, knowing that the same merchants who came to the platform for parcel labels are increasingly buying freight, too, and would rather not leave the software to do it.
The LTL rollout is the first major product integration since Thoma Bravo acquired WWEX Group (parent of Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz, Unishippers, JEAR Logistics and BLX Logistics) and merged it with Auctane, the parent company of ShipStation, this past June. The combination created ShipStation Global, a company now valued at roughly $12 billion. CEO Tom Madine described the logic of putting the two businesses together as less about scale for its own sake and more about closing a gap both companies kept running into with customers.
"If you think about an e-commerce merchant that's selling through multiple channels, using multiple carriers with inventory in multiple places, it makes that a much more seamless and stress-free process for them, and allows them to manage everything through a single pane of glass," Madine said of the legacy ShipStation product, before pointing to what it had been missing. "There's nothing else like it on the market."
According to Madine, that gap had shown up repeatedly in customer surveys. "One of the most common requests that ShipStation would get in the legacy Auctane world was, 'When are you going to add other modes to the platform?'" he said. "Prior to today, if you were a ShipStation user, you were managing your entire workflow in ShipStation, except when you needed to move freight." Merchants who needed to move inventory between warehouses had to leave the platform entirely, log into a separate freight system, and reconcile the two.

#freight #inventory #multiple #auctane

Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) completed a cold-storage joint venture with EQT's Active Core Infrastructure fund covering 12 U.S. temperature-controlled warehouses with more than $1.3 billion of gross ***** et value. EQT acquired 70% of Americold-EQT Cold Storage Partnership, while Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) retained 30% and became the day-to-day manager.
Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) received approximately $1.1 billion of net cash proceeds and intends to use the cash to repay outstanding consolidated debt. Based on rounded announced figures, the proceeds equal approximately 25% of the latest reported net debt of $4.4 billion. Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) projects that the eventual debt repayment will reduce annual interest expense by approximately $46 million and lower leverage by roughly 0.75 turn.
The structure remains more complicated than a simple ***** et sale. The joint venture drew $845.5 million under mortgage financing at closing. Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) and EQT each appoint three members to the six-person board. Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) also has maximum net exposure of up to $70 million under a 10-year income-support arrangement if specified performance thresholds are not achieved.
Those savings should offset part of the surrendered income while improving financial flexibility and reducing refinancing pressure.
Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) retains exposure to distributions and appreciation through the 30% ownership interest. The management role preserves operating continuity, while equal board representation provides governance influence despite the minority economic stake.

#americold #trust #NYSE #debt

A former employee has filed a class action lawsuit against Ceva Logistics, alleging the freight giant failed to protect highly sensitive personal information stolen during a recent cyberattack that impacted operations in Europe.
Hackers gained access to Ceva Logistics systems and data in late July, which disrupted operations at eight warehouses that provide store replenishment and e-commerce fulfillment for retailers in the Netherlands and other European countries, as FreightWaves reported. The legal action suggests that customers were not the only ones affected by the data breach.
Why It Matters: France-based Ceva is one of the largest third-party logistics providers, with more than 1,000 warehouses worldwide. Last year the company generated $18.3 billion in revenue.
Kevin Krupa, a former employee, sued Ceva Logistics late last month in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, in Houston, where Ceva's U.S. headquarters is located.
The complaint alleges that the personal information of employees, including bank account details and social security numbers, was stolen during the cyber intrusion, which never would have happened had the company taken appropriate precautions following a similar incident a year earlier.

#ceva

Costco did not even sell merchandise on its website until 1998, and in those days, the selection was very limited.
Sure, Costco Travel lived there, but the website was more about advertising ancillary services such as TurboTax access than about selling anything to members.
In recent years, however, Costco has offered a greatly expanded selection, and it allows members to use Instacart and Shipt to order select items directly from its warehouses.
It had also been building on that with its digital-only program, Costco Next, which lets members access items the warehouse club does not stock. It's not a new service; it has technically been around since 2017. But Costco does not promote the offering, and it's something I, and many other members, did not know about.
Now, that service has been shut down with no notice.

#website #selection #travel

Russia launched a massive bombardment across Ukraine, targeting warehouses and damaging private homes, according to local officials. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is vowing retaliation, warning that Russia's airspace will be swarmed with drones to ground flights and close air traffic. "Russian airspace will effectively closing," he said. NBC's Richard Engel reports for TODAY.

#airspace #president #richard #engel

Costco did not even sell merchandise on its website until 1998, and, in those days, the selection was very limited.
Sure, Costco Travel lived there, but the website was more about advertising ancillary services, like TurboTax access than selling anything to members
In recent years, however, Costco has a greatly expanded selection, and it allows members to use Instacart and Shipt to order select items directly from its warehouses.
It had also been building on that with its digital-only program, Costco Next, which lets members access items the warehouse club does not stock. It's not a new service; it has technically been around since 2017. But Costco does not promote the offering, and it's something I, and many other members, did not know about.
Now, that service has been shut down with no notice.

#service

Peter Lynch built an impressive track record as the fund manager for Fidelity's Magellan Fund. Under his stewardship, from 1977 to 1990, the fund beat the S&P 500 index in 11 out of the 13 years. And it produced an impressive 29% average annual return.
Fortunately, Lynch shares his wisdom in a book called One Up on Wall Street. He describes his philosophy, which is buy what you know, research the company's fundamentals, and plan to make a long-term commitment.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
With this in mind, here are two consumer goods companies that fit the bill.
Many people continue to shop at Costco Wholesale's (NASDAQ: COST) giant warehouses. If you've ever gone into one, you can usually see a crowd.

#NVIDIA #fund #flashing #years

With a market cap of $192.5 billion, PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) is a global leader in the manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of a broad range of beverages and convenient foods. The company distributes its products through direct-store-delivery, customer warehouses, third-party networks, and e-commerce platforms, serving a wide variety of retail and foodservice customers worldwide.
Companies valued at $10 billion or more are generally classified as "large-cap" stocks, and PepsiCo fits this criterion perfectly. Its diverse portfolio includes iconic brands such as Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay, Quaker, Gatorade, Tropicana, and Mountain Dew, operating across seven segments spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Asia Pacific region.
Wu-Tang Clan Member Raekwon Is a Palantir 'OG,' Visiting Headquarters 16 Years After Receiving His Custom PLTR Jacket
Tesla Stock Could Benefit as Trump Locks Down the U.S. Power Grid
Tesla Just Killed Its Solar Roof After Years of Struggling to Scale. What It Means for TSLA Stock.

#tesla

By Dan Peleschuk and Anna Pruchnicka
KYIV, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Recent Russian air attacks have destroyed around 90% of retailers' food logistics, Kyiv's agricultural minister said on Friday, revealing the scope of Moscow's mounting attacks on Ukrainian logistics.
Both countries ‌have stepped up strikes in recent weeks on economic targets like major retailers, with Russia targeting warehouses for Ukraine's premier supermarket chains, ‌top postal service and home-goods stores.
"As of today, roughly speaking, 90% of food logistics operated by retail chains have been destroyed, but that doesn't mean Ukrainians will be left without food," farm minister Taras Vysotskyi was cited by the Ukrinform agency as saying.
His comments to reporters in Kyiv are the most frank official ****** sment of the damage Russia's escalating strikes have brought on Ukraine's increasingly fragile economy in the fifth year of war.

#minister

Aug 26 (Reuters) - A drone attack caused a massive fire that destroyed a warehouse run by Russian e-commerce ‌giant Wildberries, officials said early on Wednesday, as Ukraine ‌pushes ahead with its campaign to hurt Moscow's economy by targeting online retailers.
Two people were wounded in the overnight strike in Russia's Tambov region, its governor Evgeniy Pervyshov wrote on the MAX messaging app.
The logistics centre was "completely destroyed by fire," he said. ‌Earlier he said about ⁠100,000 square metres (1.1 million square feet) of the facility was burning, the equivalent of 14 ⁠soccer pitches.
Ukraine has been hitting Wildberries facilities since mid-July and broadened its strategy in recent days to include the retailer's main rival, Ozon.
More than 20 Wildberries and Ozon warehouses have been ‌attacked with at least 1.9 million square metres of warehouse **** e severely damaged by fire, according to Reuters **** ysis of satellite imagery.

#FIRE #ukraine

MOSCOW, Aug 24 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday handed the Russian state the power to take control of critically important ‌infrastructure if it is deemed to be poorly protected from ‌Ukrainian drone attacks and other threats.
The special powers, set out in a presidential decree, will allow the state to take over temporary administration of such facilities at a time when Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on oil refineries and retail warehouses.
The state will be able to take control of physical and financial ‌assets and formal ownership rights ⁠if entities responsible for such facilities are judged to have failed in their duty to protect them and are ⁠too slow to repair them after any attack, according to the decree.
It applies to fuel, energy, industrial, communications, transport and logistics facilities and other objects regarded as critically-important for ensuring the security and economic stability of the state ‌and the population.
First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said the measure should not be viewed as a precursor to nationalisation and would not be used on a broad scale.

#state #control

This story was originally published on FSR. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily FS Insider.
I grew up in a small business. My parents ran one, and I learned the business the way most independent owners do, from the inside, on my feet, watching the money and the mistakes up close.
I notice something whenever the subject of chains comes up with independent owners. There seem to be two main reflexes, both can lead to problems. Some wave the chains off entirely. They look at chains like they're a world apart, with different rules, and nothing to learn from a place that ships their sauce from their own warehouses. On the reverse side, there are owners who quietly envy the whole machine and start attempting to bolt pieces of it onto a twelve-table dining room. Both of these directions can be costly mistakes.
The owners who get ahead in the cutthroat business of restauranteering have made peace with a more useful idea. Chains are worth studying, but only if you know what you are trying to learn. National chains are engines built to reproduce the same experience across thousands of locations run by franchise owners who will never meet each other. Almost everything impressive about chain restaurants, and almost everything "soulless" about them, comes back to that single design goal.
Once you see it, studying them gets easier. Some will strengthen your restaurant. Others will slowly turn it into a worse version of the place down the street. Here is how I sort them.

#almost #mistakes #learn #place

MOSCOW, Aug 24 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday handed the Russian state the authority to take ‌control of critically-important infrastructure facilities if they are ‌deemed to be poorly protected from Ukrainian drone attacks and other threats.
The special powers, set out in a presidential decree, will allow the state to take over temporary administration of such facilities at a time when Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks ‌on oil refineries and ⁠retail warehouses.
The state will be able to take control of physical and financial ****** ets and ⁠formal ownership rights if the entities responsible for such facilities are judged to have failed in their duty to protect them and are too slow to repair them after any attack, ‌according to the decree.
It listed fuel, energy, industrial, communications, transport and logistics facilities and other objects regarded as critically-important for ensuring the security and economic stability of the state and the population as falling within the new decree's scope.
Putin ‌last week ordered the government to launch a programme to rebuild commercial warehouses damaged or destroyed by Ukraine in recent weeks.

#facilities

Aristotle Capital Boston, LLC, an investment advisor, released its "Small Cap Equity Fund" Q2 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The Fund returned 13.69% in the second quarter of 2026, trailing the Russell 2000 Index's 21.49% gain as security selection in information technology and industrials weighed on performance despite positive allocation effects. Top contributors included MACOM Technology Solutions and Mercury Systems, which benefited from strong demand in semiconductor, aerospace, and defense markets, while Alamos Gold and Huron Consulting Group detracted due to operational challenges, weaker gold prices, and investor concerns surrounding artificial intelligence disruption. During the quarter, the fund initiated positions in IPG Photonics and UMB Financial, citing opportunities tied to advanced manufacturing, automation, reshoring trends, and diversified financial services, while exiting Americold Realty Trust, Byline Bancorp, and Verra Mobility. Looking ahead, management remains constructive on U.S. small-cap equities, noting that valuations remain attractive relative to large caps and that earnings growth is expected to accelerate into late 2026 and 2027. Factors such as increased merger and acquisition activity, improving domestic manufacturing due to reshoring and infrastructure investments, and a favorable regulatory environment are expected to support this ***** et class in the long term. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Aristotle Small Cap Equity Fund highlighted stocks like Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD). Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) owns and operates temperature-controlled warehouses and provides cold-chain logistics services for the global food supply chain. The one-month return of Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) was 7.38% while its shares traded between $10.10 and $16.88 over the last 52 weeks. On August 19, 2026, Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) stock closed at approximately $15.08 per share, with a market capitalization of about $4.35 billion.
Aristotle Small Cap Equity Fund stated the following regarding Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
Americold Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:COLD) is a real estate investment trust focused on the ownership, operation, development and acquisition of temperature-controlled warehouses. The position was liquidated due to deteriorating fundamentals.

#trust #americold #NYSE #fund

MOSCOW, Aug 19 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian government on Wednesday to launch a programme to ‌rebuild commercial warehouses damaged or destroyed by Ukraine in ‌a month of targeted attacks.
Ukraine has carried out drone strikes against at least two dozen warehouses of Russia's top online retailer Wildberries since July 18, causing explosions and fires that have destroyed a large chunk of its storage capacity.
Putin, without naming the company, said a number ‌of logistic sites needed ⁠rebuilding with state involvement, and told the government to work on this.
"It is essential to ensure ⁠that the restoration of damaged facilities is carried out at a qualitatively new technological level," he said in televised comments to a conference of ministers and business leaders on the economy.
Putin said the ‌economy was growing modestly despite external pressure — a reference to Western sanctions — and despite Ukrainian attacks on industrial and infrastructure facilities.

#government #warehouses #economy

A massive structural shift is on the way in financial markets, where artificial intelligence hardware could increasingly become collateral for securitized credit. During the August 11 episode of CNBC's Mad Money, host Jim Cramer detailed how major investment institutions are preparing to issue "compute bonds" backed by data center equipment, drawing direct parallels to established securitized credit markets.
Cramer opened his commentary by pointing out how Wall Street leadership, including Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, aligned with NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang to champion data center ***** ets as long-lasting collateral:
Today, we're learning about the possibility of institutions offering compute bonds. This time, trading compute, that's a data center ***** et class, not unlike those securitizations in auto loans. There's Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, talking about the viability of the data center, long-lasting value of the chips in these warehouses full of servers. Then you had a series of ***** ans of finance talk about how logical the whole thing is. Then David Solomon, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, piped up and pushed them too.
To digest the mechanics of these proposed instruments, Cramer highlighted that compute bonds operate under the exact same structural framework as mortgage-backed or auto loan securities:
What you didn't hear, or at least I didn't hear until I digested it, was that these would be securitizations, just like securities backed by home loans or auto loans. Hence the strong endorsement of Goldman's David Solomon who can see the logic… Now, you may be wondering, will these pieces of paper be backed by the full faith and credit of Jensen Huang and NVIDIA? That's very funny, but no. But neither are the securities based on auto loans or home loans. There's a construct at work here, though. There's a belief that the ***** ets don't depreciate quickly, if at all.

#backed #center #jensen

A warehouse robotics company is generating cash like a high-yield bond, yet the market is pricing it as if that cash flow could vanish.
Symbotic (SYM) builds the AI-powered robot fleets that automate large warehouses. Yet for a company at the center of physical automation, its stock has performed poorly, returning -15.0% over the past year and trading about 47% below its 52-week high. This has created a stark mathematical divide. The market appears to be pricing Symbotic for significant risk, but its financial profile tells a story of high, stable cash generation and growth.
The question is simple: Is the market right to demand such a high return for the perceived risk, or is it overlooking a cash-generating machine that also grows?
This Coupon Pays 13.0% and Is Growing
An investor today has a choice. You can lend to the U.S. government for 10 years and receive a 4.8% yield, the risk-free rate. Or you can own a piece of Symbotic, whose free cash flow alone provides a 13.0% yield at the current price. That is a spread of 8.2% over the safest **** et available. This isn't a one-time event driven by accounting quirks; the company's 3-year average free-cash-flow yield is a still-healthy 8.0%.

#free #generating

Sixty-five owner-operators is not the same thing as sixty-five trucks.
Watch the full episode: 65 owner-operators, one standard, and a lot of hard lessons about what keeps independent contractors running your freight when they have every other option to leave.
That distinction sits underneath everything Christian Martinez does. As director of operations at Voyager Nation in Mulberry, Florida, he manages a fleet that is 100% owner-operator, which means he manages 65 independent business owners who have no obligation to stay and every other option available to them.
"That's 65 worlds, 65 minds," Martinez said. "They all want to run their businesses a little bit different. Whether certain guys are willing to go to certain regions, home time, all of that looks different. However, the outcome has to be the same. They have to be making enough money or have enough cash flow to their business to be successful."
Martinez came up through loading docks, warehouses, ports, last-mile recruiting, and fleet acquisitions before he landed in operations, and he appeared on a recent episode of The Long Haul to talk about the thing most small carriers handle badly: recruiting and keeping owner-operators. His conclusions run against most of what the industry does by reflex.

#martinez #episode #independent

Bristol Gate Capital Partners, an investment management company, published its Q2 2026 investor letter for the "US Equity Strategy". A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The Strategy lagged the S&P 500 Total Return Index in the quarter in terms of returns, but outperformed in dividend growth. Despite debate over capital cycle returns, AI remained the dominant market theme, expanding from early adoption to broader enterprise adoption. The firm continues to focus on high-dividend-growth companies while maintaining discipline around valuation and earnings durability. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Bristol US Equity Strategy highlighted Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST). Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is a leading US-based multinational retailer that specializes in the operation of membership-only warehouses. On July 22, 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) closed at $927.31 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $411.24 billion. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) posted a one-month return of -1.58%, and its shares lost 0.70% over the past 52 weeks.
Bristol US Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) operates a membership-based model with a durable competitive moat in retail, anchored by industry-leading renewal rates and a value proposition that strengthens with scale. The recurring membership-fee stream is high-margin, predictable, and compounds alongside member growth and periodic fee increases. Backed by an experienced and capable management team, we believe this combination will translate into continued high dividend growth."
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 107 hedge fund portfolios held Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) at the end of the first quarter, up from 106 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

#corporation #cost #Equity

Bristol Gate Capital Partners, an investment management company, published its Q2 2026 investor letter for the "US Equity Strategy". A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The Strategy lagged the S&P 500 Total Return Index in the quarter in terms of returns, but outperformed in dividend growth. Despite debate over capital cycle returns, AI remained the dominant market theme, expanding from early adoption to broader enterprise adoption. The firm continues to focus on high-dividend-growth companies while maintaining discipline around valuation and earnings durability. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Bristol US Equity Strategy highlighted Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST). Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is a leading US-based multinational retailer that specializes in the operation of membership-only warehouses. On July 22, 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) closed at $927.31 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $411.24 billion. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) posted a one-month return of -1.58%, and its shares lost 0.70% over the past 52 weeks.
Bristol US Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) operates a membership-based model with a durable competitive moat in retail, anchored by industry-leading renewal rates and a value proposition that strengthens with scale. The recurring membership-fee stream is high-margin, predictable, and compounds alongside member growth and periodic fee increases. Backed by an experienced and capable management team, we believe this combination will translate into continued high dividend growth."
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 107 hedge fund portfolios held Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) at the end of the first quarter, up from 106 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

#costco #NASDAQ #bristol #Equity

MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Online retailer Wildberries, Russia's answer to Amazon, and the merchants who trade through it are grappling with losses in the wake of Ukrainian attacks on warehouses operated by the retailer, the Kremlin said ‌on Tuesday.
Drones targeted two large logistics hubs in the cities of Kotovsk and Elektrostal on Saturday. The strikes killed ‌eight workers, sparked fires and disrupted operations at Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, which can handle over 20 million orders per day.
While the extent of the damage remains unclear, the attacks on a company so central to the consumer economy appear to mark a widening of Kyiv's strategy of using long-range drones to disrupt Russia's war effort and pressure the Kremlin to make peace.
Asked about the attacks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists: "The situation is indeed difficult because of the losses suffered both by the company itself and by representatives of small and medium-sized businesses."
He ‌denied accusations from Ukraine that Wildberries handles military ⁠supplies.

#drones #company

The warehouses of computer servers powering artificial intelligence are growing so fast that their electricity appetite is beginning to reshape household budgets.
The CEO of the company supplying most of the hardware in those facilities just laid out a projection that makes the current spending look modest by comparison.
Jensen Huang, who cofounded Nvidia (NVDA) and still runs the company, has told investors across multiple recent earnings calls that he expects global annual data-center capital expenditure to reach $3 trillion to $4 trillion by the end of the decade, CNBC reported.
On Nvidia's first-quarter FY27 earnings call on May 20, Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress said the company expects to reach that target by the end of this decade.
The gap between Huang's projection and what most of Wall Street expects is striking and reveals the extent of disagreement about the trajectory of artificial intelligence spending over the next several years.

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Every big real estate boom leaves a few good neighborhoods behind.
Housing prices are high, and real estate investment trusts focused on data centers have been all the rage, but if financial advisors think all REITs have lofty valuations, they're missing opportunities to find some bargains and diversify their portfolios. Many public ones are still trading at a discount to net **** et value, said Sam Adams, co-founder of Vert **** et Management, which holds 150 REITs globally. They can offer value as well as diversification away from the artificial intelligence and technology concentration in large-cap equities worrying some investors. "One of the things that real estate does is it gives you exposure to a real physical **** et. So, when intangible **** ets like tech companies struggle, sometimes the market rotates to real **** ets as a safety haven," he said.
Given REITs' lower valuations compared with the AI and tech sector, real estate might be in a better position if the market cycle changes. Adams points to the dot-com bubble as an example: From 2000 to 2002, REITs saw an annual return of 14.6%, while the S&P 500 lost 14.6% annually. While many of the products underperformed after the Federal Reserve's rate hikes a few years ago and COVID, which repriced much commercial real estate, REITs may still offer an alternative to expensive traditional stocks and bonds.
For advisors interested in adding REITs, whether public or private, there are a few criteria to consider, as well as strategies for investors seeking to exit their physical holdings in a tax-efficient way. Once advisors move beyond data center and senior housing public REITs, Adams said a broad swath of **** ets from hotels and resorts to self-storage, warehouses and shopping malls trade under net **** et value despite many having strong revenue and operating income. "Everything else is still kind of in the bargain drawer," he said.