LAW AND ORDER: Kering has promoted Sophie Maddaloni, its longtime group tax director, to general secretary of the group, effective immediately.
Maddaloni, who is based in Paris, also joins Kering's executive committee and reports to Jean-Marc Duplaix, group chief operating officer.
More from WWD
Inside Kering's Caring for Women Dinner With Simone Biles, Salma Hayek Pinault, Julianne Moore and Colman Domingo
Caring for Women Dinner Returns for Fifth Edition

#dinner

UK-based energy company Kistos has been granted a Royal Decree by the Sultanate of Oman relating to its acquisition of onshore Blocks 3 and 4 (Afar & Ghunaim) in Oman from Mitsui E&P Middle East.
Formal completion of the sale and purchase agreement with Mitsui is expected soon.
This will address the final completion adjustments and accounting requirements for the period since signing the original agreement, following the transfer of legal ownership.
Kistos confirmed that the acquisition of Block 9 (Suneinah) from Mitsui remains ongoing. The transaction is following a separate schedule due to its exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) framework.
The total consideration for the acquisition of Blocks 3, 4 and 9 is $148m (£109.38m), with an effective date of 1 January 2025, according to Kistos.

#mitsui #acquisition #agreement #blocks

Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL) has seen a reversal of fortunes this year after gaining nearly 65% in 2025 to clock its second-best year ever. The stock was the best-performing Magnificent 7 stock last year by a fairly good margin, but 2026 has been a different ballgame.
Alphabet is up just 6.5% this year and is underperforming the S&P 500 Index ($SPX). The stock peaked above $400 in May and has since plunged almost 18%. It is now nearing a bear market, which, by definition, is a drawdown of 20% from recent highs. As I noted in my article in January, I did not expect GOOG to repeat its stellar 2025 performance this year. In this article, we'll explore whether the stock's valuations are now attractive enough to make it a "buy" or whether investors should continue to stay on the sidelines.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says His $3.5 Billion MediaTek Deal Is 'Not Circular' Because 'They Do Their Own Business'
Strategy's Strategy Appears to Have Failed, and the Outlook of MSTR Stock Is Unfavorable
A Potential ****** eX Deal Could Meaningfully Accelerate Growth for Technip Stock

#alphabet #best #article #magnificent

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
Upgrade path: You could earn your security deposit back and upgrade to an unsecured Quicksilver card with responsible use.
Why we like this card for earning simple rewards: The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards has a straightforward earning rate of 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases. That means you don't have to worry about different spending categories or rates, making it easy to use one card for everything.
Upgrade path: Your account is automatically evaluated yearly to see if you can upgrade to a Chase Freedom Unlimited card. To qualify for an upgrade, you must have:
An open Freedom Rise account

#back #earning #account

December Euro currency (E6Z26) futures present a selling opportunity on more price weakness.
See on the daily bar chart for the December Euro currency futures that last week's price action negated a price uptrend and prices on Friday closed at a technically bearish weekly low close. See, too, at the bottom of the chart that the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) indicator has just produced a bearish line crossover signal, whereby the blue MACD line crossed below the red trigger line. The Euro currency bears have momentum on their side.
Dear Sandisk Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for August 31
Wu-Tang Clan Member Raekwon Is a Palantir 'OG,' Visiting Headquarters 16 Years After Receiving His Custom PLTR Jacket
Dear Palantir Stock Fans, Here's What Maven's Billion-Dollar ARR Means for PLTR

#euro #december #macd

Artificial intelligence has spent years fueling fears that machines could replace American workers. But the AI boom is creating another problem altogether: the U.S. may not have enough people to power it.
As tech companies race to build data centers and utilities expand the transmission lines and power plants needed to keep them running, demand is surging for electricians, engineers and construction workers. The trouble is that many of those workers are already in short supply and a sizable share are nearing retirement.
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake. Here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
The tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028. Here are 4 moves to make before the window closes

#ramsey #americans

Boston Scientific disclosed Wednesday that a cyberattack detected the previous day is disrupting its global operations, including its ability to process and ship customer orders.
The company identified the incident on Tuesday, August 25, and activated its incident response protocols, bringing in third-party cybersecurity experts to ****** s and contain the threat, the company said. The full scope of the attack, including its operational and financial impact, remains unknown, and Boston Scientific said it has not yet determined whether the incident is likely to have a material effect on the company.
"While the company is working diligently to restore affected functions and systems access, the timeline for a full restoration is not yet known," the filing said.
Boston Scientific stock fell 5.8% in premarket trading Wednesday.
The cyberattack comes at a difficult moment for the Marlborough, Massachusetts-based company. Boston Scientific stock had already lost close to half its value this year heading into Wednesday's disclosure, according to CNBC, pressured by investor concern following a disappointing profit outlook issued earlier in the year.

#incident

Home insurance is supposed to be there when things go wrong. A fire, flood or damaged roof can leave homeowners facing tens of thousands of dollars in repairs and insurance is meant to help soften that financial blow.
But while homeowners wait for that money, insurers can continue earning investment income on funds they haven't yet paid out.
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake. Here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
The tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028. Here are 4 moves to make before the window closes

#insurance #bezos #dave #security

Over the last few months, it has become apparent that Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) is Warren Buffett's favorite artificial intelligence (AI) stock. Although he retired from his role as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025, he was the one who initiated its initial investment in the tech giant -- a stake that has grown into its third-largest equity holding under his successor, Greg Abel.
Buffett has repeatedly stated that forever is his favorite holding period for an investment, and even now, he appears to retain his talent for finding such stocks. Thus, Berkshire's newest megastock is likely a good fit for individual portfolios as well, and two reasons explain why.
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 »
For all of the hype about artificial intelligence (AI), Alphabet continues to earn most of its revenue from digital advertising. It began applying AI to its applications back in 2001. However, it has likely drawn more attention with Google Gemini, which seems to have answered the competitive threats from ChatGPT and Claude.
Moreover, it has leveraged the technology to drive growth at Google Cloud, the platform through which it provides foundational models, developer tools, and infrastructure for AI, including support for Google Gemini. So successful is its approach that Google Cloud grew its revenue by 82% year over year in the second quarter of 2026.

#NASDAQ

China's Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) reported its second-quarter results today, missing Wall Street estimates as continued weakness in its advertising business overshadowed growth in artificial intelligence.
Baidu reported second-quarter earnings per share of RMB7.22, missing the ****** yst estimate of RMB9.84. Meanwhile, revenue came in at RMB31.33 billion, down 4% year-over-year.
Baidu's traditional mainstay, online marketing revenue, was down 19% to 13.1 billion yuan compared to a year earlier due to cautious advertisers amid a stagnant macroeconomic environment.
Underneath the advertising decline, the company's AI-related businesses stood out. Baidu's AI Cloud Infrastructure revenue rose 50% year-over-year to RMB7.3 billion. GPU Cloud revenue within that segment shot up 283% year-over-year backed by rising demand for public cloud-based AI computing, up from 184% growth in the prior quarter.
AI applications rose 3% to 2.5 billion yuan, while AI marketing services were flat at 2.6 billion yuan. According to Baidu founder and CEO Robin Li Yanhong, the growing momentum in Baidu's core AI-powered business reaffirms its transition from an internet-centric company to an AI-first company.

#baidu #quarter #rmb7

Plug Power (PLUG) shares have inched higher ahead of the company's second-quarter results scheduled for release today, Aug. 10, after market close.
Consensus is for the hydrogen fuel cell specialist to record a loss of $0.08 per share, which would represent about a 50% improvement versus the same quarter last year.
Don't ****** ume Micron Will Share SanDisk's Fate. Here's Why.
The Nvidia-SpaceX Deal Is Sending a Clear Signal on AI Dominance
Rocket Lab Investors Have Plenty to Cheer Ahead of Q2 Earnings Today

#Share

Long Cast Advisers, an independent registered investment adviser, released its Q2 2026 investor letter. A copy can be downloaded here. The firm reported strong earnings in the second quarter, with results improving 20%, bringing year-to-date returns to +19%. While performance trailed the Russell 2000 and iShares US MicroCap ETF, it remained well ahead of the iShares SmallCap EAFE (ex-N. Am) ETF. Since inception in 2015, ****** ulative returns stand at 343% (15% CAGR), reflecting the firm's strategy of concentrated, patient investments in small and micro‑cap companies. The firm remains cautious in this environment, emphasizing patience and endurance while avoiding margin and volatility. In addition, please check the firm's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Long Cast Advisers highlighted NRC Health (NASDAQ:NRC). NRC Health (NASDAQ:NRC) provides ****** ytics and insights to enhance the patient and employee experience of healthcare organizations in the United States. NRC Health (NASDAQ:NRC) was formerly known as National Research Corporation and changed its name in April 2026. On August 7, 2026, NRC Health (NASDAQ:NRC) closed at $20.34 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $449.9 million and a year‑to‑date gain of 9.30%. NRC Health (NASDAQ:NRC) posted a one‑month return of ‑6.02%, while its shares gained 35.95% over the past 52 weeks.
Long Cast Advisers stated the following regarding NRC Health (NASDAQ:NRC) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"On NRC Health (NASDAQ:NRC), our newest investment, I discussed the company's evolution from owner / operator to professionally led management team, and the expected benefits from putting a growth focused, incentivized and entrepreneurial executive suite behind this strong and recognizable brand, in a business with strong FCF generation and in a market where the two leading competitors just merged in a PE backed $6.5B deal.
Quantitative evidence that supports our optimism includes the recently announced largest contract in company history, leading to the highest 12-mos backlog in history. Deferred revs are also growing and this typically leads sales. Furthermore, management indicated that the second year of the aforementioned contract is materially larger than the first, which infers that in one year's time, 12-mos backlog could be even larger, and with capacity to do more. We continue to add opportunistically."

#NASDAQ #letter #investment

HYPE has turned a $10,000 entry since its November 2024 launch into roughly $175,000 today, dwarfing XRP's $14,110 return since 2021.
XRP's $28 price target by 2030 could turn $10,000 into $271,800, but the Senate delayed the CLARITY Act vote until at least September.
HYPE generates fees from every trade that fund monthly buybacks, tying token growth to trading volume rather than legislative outcomes.
Two retirees, same $1 million, same 4% rule, buy one finished with $1.4 million, the other hit $0 in 12 years. Our free reader guide explains the flaw that separated them, and the income-first method built to avoid it.
A $10,000 investment in XRP on January 1 at $1.85 is now worth $5,568, marking a 44% decline over the last seven months. Over the same period, Hyperliquid performed better, turning a $10,000 investment at $25 into $22,400, which represents a 124% gain.

#same #hype #senate #january

By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK, July 30 (Reuters) - Coinbase won the dismissal on Thursday of much of a lawsuit in which customers accused the largest U.S. ‌cryptocurrency exchange of illegally selling securities without registering as an exchange or ‌broker-dealer.
Customers sued over 60 tokens, including XRP and dogecoin, that they claimed were unregistered securities, seeking unspecified damages in the proposed class action.
• U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan dismissed all claims based on "matched" transactions where Coinbase paired customers' buy and sell orders. These accounted for an estimated 99.97% of trading volume, equal to hundreds of billions of dollars.
• The judge also said ‌customers may pursue claims over "inventory" ⁠transactions, where Coinbase fills orders from tokens it owns. These accounted for the remaining trading volume, comprising at least $178 million in sales.

#Coinbase #accounted

Freight broker Landstar System said Tuesday that its larger scale and long track record of safety will become more attractive to shippers in a post-Montgomery world. The company saw a more material turnaround in operations during the second quarter even though results fell short of ****** ysts' expectations.
Revenue generated by Landstar's (NASDAQ: LSTR) business capacity owners (BCOs) increased 22% year over year to $563 million, as loads were up 10% and revenue per load was up 11%. Landstar's BCOs are owner-operators who haul almost exclusively for the company. Changes among this segment of capacity have historically signaled turns in the broader truckload market.
Trucks provided by BCOs increased 68 units sequentially to 8,544 units in the second quarter. This was the largest increase since the 2022 first quarter. The tractor count is up another 49 units so far in July. BCO turnover improved 310 bps y/y to 28.3% as utilization improved 12% y/y.
BCO revenue per mile—Landstar's preferred metric for TL pricing as it excludes fluctuations in diesel fuel prices—was up 11% y/y and 10% y/y on dry van and flatbed shipments, respectively.
Management sees this segment of capacity potentially growing faster following the Supreme Court's Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II ruling, which widened liability exposure for freight brokers found negligent in their driver hiring practices. The company said it is also having success courting small brokers looking to partner with brokers with better tech, vetting protocols and insurance programs.

#brokers

Amkor Technology (AMKR) reported its second-quarter results on July 27. By almost every measure, the quarter was a record. Revenue reached $1.90 billion, up roughly 26% from a year earlier. The company beat the high end of its own guidance. Earnings of $0.70 a share came in far ahead of the $0.48 that ***** ysts expected. EBITDA of $400 million also comfortably beat the estimates. The growth came from computing and the automotive and industrial markets. Both of these achieved quarterly records on AI data center demand. Margins also widened for a clear reason. Over the past two quarters, average factory utilization climbed from the 50s into the 70s, with several platforms now even running at full capacity.
Despite such a strong performance, the stock fell 6.54% after the report. The reason was the outlook, not the quarter. Amkor guided third-quarter revenue to about $2 billion at the midpoint, just below Wall Street's $2.09 billion consensus. The outlook had another weak spot. Communications revenue is set to fall in the next quarter, with Android sales already down 20% due to memory supply constraints. The stock had more than doubled since late March, hitting a 52-week high of $96.68 on June 22. At that level, expectations were high enough that a soft guidance number was all it took.
Ahead of Microsoft Earnings, Here's What Barchart Data Says Comes Next for MSFT Stock
Nasdaq Futures Plunge as Chip Selloff Rages On, FOMC Meeting and Earnings on Tap
Broadcom Leads 3 AI Stocks Quietly Raising Their Dividends, One by 161%

#Stock

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang said the U.S. should embrace, not ban, China's AI models, arguing that high-quality open-source technology should be used rather than feared.
In an interview with Axios on Tuesday, Huang called the Chinese models "excellent" and dismissed concerns that OpenAI and Anthropic should fear open AI models, saying they broaden AI adoption by attracting new users, while many customers will still pay for the superior performance and reliability of closed models.
Huang pushed back on fears that downloaded Chinese AI models create a "backdoor" to Beijing, arguing they can be securely customized and isolated.
Don't Miss:

#chinese #arguing #finance #NVIDIA

One of Wall Street's largest publicly traded companies, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA)(NYSE: BRKB), has entered a new era. With Warren Buffett officially retiring as CEO on Dec. 31, 2025, after more than half a century at the helm, it's his protégé, Greg Abel, now calling the shots.
Berkshire's more than five dozen owned companies more or less run themselves. The focus of Berkshire Hathaway's operating results tends to be on what, if any, moves have been made in the company's $352 billion investment portfolio. Although Abel has been an aggressive buyer of Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL)(NASDAQ: GOOG) stock of late, stock market dynamics strongly suggest he was a net seller of equities in the second quarter.
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 »
If accurate, this would mark the 15th consecutive quarter that Buffett and/or Abel have sold more stocks than they've purchased.
As of March 31, Warren Buffett and Greg Abel had collectively sold approximately $194.8 billion more in stocks than they've purchased since Oct. 1, 2022. While some investors had postulated that Buffett was raising cash to give Abel a treasure chest to work with when he took over, the more likely catalyst behind this selling is the stock market's otherworldly valuation.

#abel #signal #NYSE

This story was originally published on Payments Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Payments Dive newsletter.
With no sign of innovation in payments slowing down, five podcasts below might help listeners keep up on the latest trends in payments and provide insights to fine tune plans for 2027.
Already in the first half of this year, stablecoins took a big step toward becoming a mainstream payment option, payments providers advanced their artificial intelligence strategies and cybersecurity firms pursued stronger data security tools to thwart criminals.
While most of the podcasts reviewed below avoid sponsored content, some of those commercials do show up, usually with disclosures.
For the rest of the summer, maybe you want to ditch a book and take one of these five payments industry podcasts to the beach instead.

#payments

Corn is trading with early gains of 6 to 7 cents on Wednesday morning. Spillover from double-digit gains in wheat is supportive. Futures found strength late in the session, with contracts up 2 to 3 ¼ cents across the front months. Modest new buying interest was noted, with open interest rising 3,833 contracts. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price was up 3 ¼ cents at $4.21.
The weekly Crop Progress report showed condition ratings back down 1% at 67% in good to excellent condition, as the Brugler500 index slipped 1 to at 372. Ratings in ND (-18), SD (-14), CO (-23), WI (-8), KS (-7), MO (-7) and MN (-5) all took a dip in that week. The I-States were improving, with IL up 3 and IN/IA rising 5 points, as NE improved 4 and OH up 1.
Coffee Prices Erase Early Gains on Forecasts for Dry Weather in Brazil
Grain Bulls Are Showing Resilience: What's Keeping Uptrends in Corn, Soybean, and Wheat Prices Alive
Short Covering Lifts Cocoa Prices

#gains #wheat #rising

The popular index fund asks a higher price than its recent past, but the powerful growth of its biggest holdings makes a strong case for the premium.
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) trades at a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 28.2, a clear step up from its five-year average of 24.7. Before you even consider the stocks inside, that price presents a stark choice: the fund's aggregate earnings yield of 3.5% is well below the 4.6% you can get from a 10-year US Treasury. The question is whether what's inside this basket is growing fast enough to justify that trade-off.
A Price Tag With High Expectations
By the simple yardstick of its own history, VOO looks expensive. Today's price is about 14% above the average P/E investors have paid over the last five calendar year-ends. You are paying more for each dollar of the S&P 500's collective earnings than at almost any point in recent memory. An index fund has no star manager to justify a higher price; the value must come directly from the 505 positions it holds.
The Growth Engine Under the Hood

#earnings #fund

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
Gold August (GC=F) futures opened at $4,084.70 this morning, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, up 0.2% compared to Tuesday's closing price. The price of gold was up this morning to $4,131.10 as of 8:15 a.m. ET.
Gold opened above $4,050 for the first time this week and eclipsed $4,100 in early trading. Rising safe-haven demand for the precious metal may be the catalyst, prompted by escalating tensions in the Middle East. U.S. strikes have continued for more than a week, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has requested an additional $67 billion in war funding for this budget year. Estimated spending to date is $37.5 billion.
The war applies opposing forces to the gold price. On the one hand, continued high oil prices raise the likelihood of higher interest rates this year. On the other hand, geopolitical tensions can push investors to use gold when stocks and currencies become unpredictable.
The opening price of gold futures on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, was up 0.2% compared to Tuesday's opening price. Here's how the opening gold price has changed versus last week, month, and year:

#opened

What happens if you're ready to retire, have enough money to spend your golden years in comfort, but your partner is too scared to stop working?
Meg, 63, has been married to Jo, 58, for more than 20 years. Meg, a social worker, is ready to retire. But Jo, who works in finance, is paralyzed over the question of when to retire.
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
Millionaires under 43 hold only 25% of their wealth in stocks. Here's where their money is actually going