PayPal Shares Jump On Report Of Takeover Interest PayPal shares were briefly halted due to volatility and are now up 9% after a Bloomberg report said the digital payments firm is attracting takeover interest from potential buyers , as the stock slid to a decade low. The report, based on unnamed sources, has not been confirmed by PayPal. Interest in a PayPal takeover is in the early stages , according to people familiar with the matter. They say the company has met with banks amid unsolicited interest from suitors . The sources described one of the suitors as a "large rival" looking to purchase the entire digital payments firm , while others are only interested in certain PayPal assets. Before the news hit, PayPal shares in New York were at 2017 lows (with a market capitalization of around $37 billion) and down more than 85% from the 2021 high of $291.48. Year to date, shares are down 30%. Wall Street analysts are largely neutral on the stock, with 12 "Buys," 31 "Holds," and six "Sells." The average 12-month price target is $50.08. PayPal was one of the pioneers of digital payments, but has been losing market share as consumers shift to alternatives like Apple Pay and Google Pay. Bloomberg notes a leadership shakeup of the firm is underway, with board chair Enrique Lores set to become president and CEO on March 1, following the ouster of Alex Chriss earlier this month. The latest earnings have disappointed, with quarter four profit and revenue missing estimates and signs of a continued slowdown in payment volume. Tyler Durden Mon, 02/23/2026 - 11:49

要点 Anthropic CEO 达里奥・阿莫迪本周将在五角大楼与国防部长皮特・赫格塞斯会面。 双方就 Anthropic AI 模型的使用条款谈判时出现分歧。 此次会面有望帮助双方确定后续合作方向。 Anthropic 首席执行官达里奥・阿莫迪 据美国国防部一名高级官员透露，Anthropic 首席执行官达里奥・阿莫迪将于周二上午在五角大楼与国防部长皮特・赫格塞斯会面，讨论军方如何使用这家初创公司的人工智能模型。 最近几周，Anthropic 与美国国防部的谈判陷入僵局，双方在该公司技术的 使用条款 上存在分歧。 Anthropic 希望确保其模型不会被用于 自主武器 或 监控美国公民 。而国防部明确表示，希望将 Anthropic 模型用于 “所有合法场景”， 不设限制 。 截至今年 2 月，Anthropic 是唯一一家将模型部署在国防部机密网络中，并为国家安全客户提供定制模型的 AI 公司。该公司去年获得了国防部一份价值 2 亿美元 的合同。 此次分歧是 Anthropic 与特朗普政府关系日趋紧张的最新障碍，近几个月政府曾公开批评该公司。阿莫迪与赫格塞斯的会面，有望帮助双方达成解决方案并确定后续路径。 Anthropic 发言人周一表示：“Anthropic 致力于利用前沿 AI 支持美国国家安全。” 该公司还补充称，正与国防部进行 “富有成效、真诚的对话”，以妥善处理这些复杂问题。 Anthropic 于 2021 年由一批前 OpenAI 研究人员创立，以开发 Claude 系列 AI 模型闻名。该公司本月早些时候完成一轮 300 亿美元 融资，估值升至 3800 亿美元 。 责任编辑：郭明煜

Apple TV sets new thriller “Unconditional” to premiere Friday, May 8 Apple

York Space Systems shares have slid since the company debuted in January, but some analysts think the company has technological and financial advantages over rivals.

Mexico’s government laid out details of how it located the country’s most-wanted drug kingpin, stressing that US security agents didn’t actively participate in President Claudia Sheinbaum ’s most direct confrontation with the cartels yet. The most valuable information about Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel known as “El Mencho,” who was killed Sunday — came from tracking a lover, according to Sheinbaum’s top soldier. After the cartel leader’s location was identified, a fierce confrontation ensued, Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo told reporters Monday, speaking alongside Sheinbaum and her security chief. Oseguera managed to escape with his bodyguards circle to a wooded area, holding long weapons that included two rocket launchers. The criminals were then surrounded by Mexican special forces and seriously wounded. While being transported to a hospital nearby, Oseguera died and his body was taken to Mexico City for security reasons. Sheinbaum, wearing all black, stressed that while Washington provided some intelligence that helped locate the drug kingpin, Mexico conducted the raid on its own. “It is very important to note,” the president said, “that all operations are carried out by federal forces. There is no involvement by US forces, but rather a significant exchange of information.” Nearly three dozen criminals were killed in the operation and violence that flared across the country afterward, Security Minster Omar García Harfuch said. The National Guard lost 25 of its members, and one civilian was slain. Taking out Oseguera is a huge political success for Sheinbaum, who has faced immense pressure from President Donald Trump over national security and the flow of drugs, with her US counterpart offering many times to use American military might to combat Mexico’s cartels. US drones fly over Mexican territory and last year Navy ships patrolled close to Mexico’s territorial waters. Oseguera rose to prominence after hel...

narvo vexar/iStock via Getty Images M&A is back in the biotech industry. After a disappointing January and almost no activity to date in February, Gilead ( GILD ) brings some joy back with up to $7.8 billion acquisition of partner Arcellx ( ACLX ). The two companies were already collaborating, and this move rounds up Gilead’s ownership of the jointly developed asset—the BCMA-directed CAR-T cell therapy anito-cel, which is in late-stage development for the treatment of multiple myeloma and a late December 2026 PDUFA date with the FDA. This looks like a fair deal for Gilead considering the significant potential of anito-cel, and a nice exit for Arcellx shareholders. I've had Arcellx in my Coverage Universe since November 2023 and am ending coverage today due to the pending acquisition by Gilead with a total return of 127% as of this writing. I rate Gilead as neutral/hold, as I am not covering the stock, and in today's article, I examine what the deal means to both parties. Increasing Evidence of Safety Differentiation Versus Carvykti The sales trajectory of Johnson & Johnson’s ( JNJ ) and Legend Biotech’s ( LEGN ) must have been a big motivator for Gilead to pull the trigger on the deal. Without evidence of strong commercial uptake of BCMA-directed CAR-T cell therapies for the treatment of multiple myeloma, a deal of this size was unlikely. And the sales trajectory of Carvykti would have been even better if J&J and Legend had not suffered from constrained manufacturing throughout most of the launch period. Johnson & Johnson earnings reports The other and very important motivation for Gilead was the increasing evidence of safety differentiation of anito-cel versus Carvykti. The clinical data to date look really good with similar efficacy to Carvykti and better safety of anito-cel with lower incidence of CRS (cytokine release syndrome), lower incidence of ICANS (immune effector-cell associated neurotoxicity syndrome), no evidence to date of delayed neurotoxicity, and lo...

Mazda is among the global automakers facing renewed pressure after President Trump announced a new 15-percent global tariff. The move raises fresh questions about costs, pricing and demand across the auto industry. Against that backdrop, Mazda is rolling out the all-new CX-5, a key model expected to power its next phase of growth as it navigates volatility and uncertainty. Tom Donnelly, Chief Executive Officer of Mazda North America joined Bloomberg Open Interest to talk about his strategy, and what's next for the automaker. (Source: Bloomberg)

On February 19, 2026, Wick Capital Partners, LLC disclosed a sale of 58,822 shares of Goldman Sachs ETF Trust - Goldman Sachs Nasdaq-100 Premium Income ETF (NASDAQ:GPIQ) , an estimated $3.11 million trade based on quarterly average pricing. According to an SEC filing dated February 19, 2026, Wick Capital Partners, LLC reduced its stake in Goldman Sachs ETF Trust - Goldman Sachs Nasdaq-100 Premium Income ETF by 58,822 shares. The estimated transaction value was approximately $3.11 million, based on average unadjusted closing prices for the fourth quarter of 2025. The fund’s quarter-end GPIQ position value fell by $2.43 million, a figure that reflects both trading volume and changes in GPIQ’s market price. After the sale, GPIQ represents 1.07% of Wick Capital Partners, LLC’s 13F reportable assets. Continue reading

Pla2na/iStock via Getty Images Written by Nick Ackerman Another option expiration has come and gone, and we are once again locking in a round of option premiums with trades coming to a conclusion. This included NNN REIT ( NNN ), VICI Properties ( VICI ), and Brookfield Renewable Partners LP ( BEP ) short put positions, as well as the covered calls on Blackstone Secured Lending Fund ( BXSL ). We tend to roll these types of trades ahead of time, booking the profits and reloading. However, this week the trades were so far out of the money; it was a holiday-shortened week, and I was traveling away on vacation. With that, I decided to let them all go ahead and expire worthless. This allowed us to lock in 100% of the expected premium. However, I plan to reload some of these trades in the next week to bring in the next round of option premium harvesting and generate additional cash flow on at least a few of these names. #1 NNN REIT We originally wrote these puts on January 9, 2026, but it was part of a previous string of writing puts, with the latest being our fourth round of rolling. We also had another short put trade expire worthless before this latest string of trades, which helped bring in even more premium. With that, the latest move saw us lock in another $0.66 as shares rose in a fairly healthy upward trend away from our $40 strike price selected. YCharts This is a long position in my Core Portfolio, and one I am looking to add to while it looks to be relatively undervalued. I believe that is still the case, so with the latest expirations, I'm still considering writing more puts and/or potentially adding to shares directly. REITs saw a lot of pressure when rates started to rise, both short-term and long-term rates. With short-term rates easing and longer-term Treasuries looking relatively stable, that bodes well for REITs. NNN REIT has been one of those that has been able to grow AFFO, despite the challenging environment—and including even its own tenant issues, th...

Kathleen Quirk, President and CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, joins Bloomberg Open Interest from the BMO Metals & Mining Conference to break down the impact of President Trump’s tariffs, the future of global copper supply, and where the next big mining M&A deals could emerge. (Source: Bloomberg)

格隆汇2月24日｜明晟公司MSCI北欧国家指数跌2.4%，创2025年7月29日以来最大单日跌幅，报383.03点。 在十个板块中，北欧医疗保健板块跌幅最大。 权重股诺和诺德暴跌16.5%，在一众北欧个股里表现最差。

Earnings Call Insights: Stepan Company (SCL) Q4 2025 Management View President and CEO Luis Rojo described 2025 as a “transformational year,” highlighting the divestiture of two manufacturing plants, progress in optimizing the global footprint, and the implementation of a more disciplined operating model. Rojo stated, “We delivered the best year on safety results in our history... Despite a challenging macro environment, the continued pressure across the chemical sector, unprecedented raw material inflation and tariff impacts, we delivered full year adjusted EBITDA growth of 6%.” Rojo noted strategic investments, including the commissioning of the Pasadena alkoxylation facility and the launch of Project Catalyst, which is designed to optimize the asset base and drive further efficiency. The company increased its dividend for the 58th consecutive year and reported a net leverage ratio improvement from 2.8x to 2.5x. CFO Ruben Velasquez stated, “Fourth quarter 2025 adjusted net loss was $0.5 million or down $0.02 per diluted share. Reported net income was $5 million, up 49% versus prior year, primarily reflecting the gain on sale of assets and certain nonrecurring items.” Outlook Rojo announced Project Catalyst, targeting $100 million in pretax savings over the next two years, with approximately 60% expected in 2026. He said, “Project Catalyst is not a short-term cost reduction program alone. It is a strategic transformation designed to enhance the competitiveness of our cost base while preserving customer service and growth flexibility.” The company expects the Pasadena facility to reach 70-80% utilization in 2026 and full utilization in 2027. Rojo emphasized, “We believe we are well positioned to deliver adjusted EBITDA growth and positive free cash flow in 2026 despite the ongoing market challenges.” Financial Results Velasquez reported consolidated adjusted EBITDA of $33.8 million for Q4 2025, compared to $35 million in the prior year, a 3% decrease, citing lower S...

Earnings Call Insights: Freshpet (FRPT) Q4 2025 Management View CEO William Cyr stated that "the challenges we faced in 2025 taught us quite a bit about our strengths and weaknesses and have made us a much stronger company for 2026 and beyond." He highlighted a slowdown in category growth and net sales growth dropping from 27% in 2024 to 13% in 2025, which led to broad strategic adjustments including changes in messaging, value focus, and capacity expansion plans. Cyr noted, "Our growth was more than 10 points better than the category. We've built significant market share, and we exceeded the $1 billion net sales target we set in 2020." Cyr shared that Freshpet expanded distribution in a large club customer, began testing rural lifestyle retail, and achieved positive free cash flow. The company also installed breakthrough manufacturing technology and expanded its digital channel, now accounting for 14% of business. The CEO emphasized, "We are disproportionately gaining share despite heightened competition, particularly in retail." The company confirmed the appointment of John O'Connor as CFO and Ana Lopez as SVP, Supply Chain, noting their relevant industry experience. Cyr also revealed a previously undisclosed investment in Ollie, yielding proceeds of approximately $95.5 million in January. CFO John O'Connor stated, "The fourth quarter results demonstrated our ability to deliver category-leading growth while also achieving positive free cash flow." He detailed broad-based consumption growth and noted, "Fiscal 2025 net sales were $1.102 billion, up 13% year-over-year." Outlook Cyr announced, "We expect net sales growth to be between 7% and 10% for the year and adjusted EBITDA to be between $205 million to $215 million." He added, "At our current planned level of capital expenditures, we expect to be free cash flow positive in 2026." O'Connor explained, "This guidance for the year assumes that there is no material change in the macroeconomic environment compared to w...

格隆汇2月24日｜据央视，当地时间2月23日，墨西哥国防部长特雷维利亚在晨间新闻发布会上表示，从辛鲍姆政府2024年10月1日上任以来，墨西哥全国缴获贩毒集团使用武器约23000件，其中超过80%的武器来自美国。特雷维利亚表示，此次贩毒集团与政府军队武装对抗中使用的武器，大致也是同样的比例，即大部分贩毒集团使用的武器来自美国。

要点 受强风暴袭击东海岸影响，航空公司已取消周二前的数千架航班。 风暴于周日登陆东海岸主要人口密集区，降雪持续至周一上午。 各航空公司已在风暴来临前免除航班改签与取消费用。 周一，一场强暴风雪导致纽约、波士顿、费城及美国东部其他地区的主要机场航空运输几乎陷入停摆。混乱局面预计至少持续至周二，这将再次考验航空公司在寒假尾声的航班恢复能力。 美国国家气象局表示，从马里兰州到缅因州的东海岸大部分地区已发布暴风雪警报，新泽西州和纽约长岛部分地区积雪已累计近 2 英尺 。强阵风预计将持续一整天，暴风雪导致能见度极低，出行将 极度危险 。 航空数据公司 Cirium 显示，截至美国东部时间上午 9：40，周一美国已有超过 4800 架 国内出港航班被取消，接近当日计划总量的 20%，而平日取消率通常仅为 1% 左右。近四分之一的入境国际航班也已取消。 纽约拉瓜迪亚机场周一超过 1000 架次进出港航班取消，约占当日计划的 98% ；波士顿洛根国际机场超 90% 航班、费城国际机场及新泽西州纽瓦克自由国际机场超 80% 航班均被取消。 FlightAware 数据显示，周二航班混乱仍将持续：拉瓜迪亚机场和纽约约翰・F・肯尼迪国际机场约 40% 航班取消，波士顿取消比例大致相同。 航空公司通常会在大型风暴来临前提前取消航班，避免飞机与机组人员调配错位，以便风暴过后更快恢复运营。 美国航空、达美航空、捷蓝航空、精神航空和联合航空均已免除乘客改签费与票价差价，旅客最晚可改期至 2 月 26 日。西南航空表示，旅客可在两周内重新预订或候补登机，无需补差价。 今年 1 月袭击东海岸大部的冬季风暴及随后的极寒天气，曾在美国大片地区造成大规模出行混乱。 美国航空当时恢复艰难，遭到机组人员严厉批评 —— 部分人员滞留机场，只能在机场过夜，加剧了一线员工与首席执行官罗伯特・艾萨姆之间的矛盾。 该公司上月在财报电话会议上表示，那场风暴导致美国航空损失 1.5 亿至 2 亿美元 收入。 责任编辑：郭明煜

The Panamanian government on Monday issued a decree ordering the occupation of two ports at the entrances of the Panama Canal, a move triggered by a final Supreme Court ruling that declared the operating concession held by the Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison unconstitutional. The decree authorises the Panama Maritime Authority to occupy the ports for “reasons of urgent social interest”. The occupation includes all movable property within or outside the Balboa and Cristobal terminals,...

Image source: The Motley Fool. Monday, February 23, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email pr@fool.com Continue reading

Investing in real estate is one of the many ways to generate passive income. Among the most passive real estate investments is buying shares of a real estate investment trust (REIT). A few top REITs pay monthly dividends, enabling you to generate recurring cash flow to help cover your routine expenses. Here's how much you'd need to invest in three top monthly dividend stocks to produce over $250 of passive dividend income each month: Dividend Stock Continue reading

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) today is down -0.22%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI ) (DIA ) is down -0.24%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) is down -0.66%. March E-mini S&P futures (ESH26 ) are down -0.25%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures...

Wheat is trading with 2 to 6 cent losses on Monday morning The wheat complex was in rally mode to round out the week. Chicago SRW futures posted 13 to 14 cent gains at the close, with March up 24 ¾ cents on the week. KC HRW futures were 6...

DNY59/E+ via Getty Images By Chris Turner, Global Head of Markets and Regional Head of Research for UK & CEE , Dmitry Dolgin, Chief Economist, CIS , Francesco Pesole, FX Strategist and Padhraic Garvey, CFA, Regional Head of Research, Americas 1. Is the dollar genuinely ‘weak’ in historical terms? Not by long-term standards. For all the talk of the dollar being weak, it is still very strong by historical standards. One of the best ways to appreciate the overall level of the dollar is to look at a trade-weighted currency measure, which is adjusted for relative consumer price levels – or what is called a ‘real’ rather than a nominal exchange rate. Looking at the Fed’s measure of the dollar against 26 trading partners, last year’s sell-off has barely scratched the 45% rally since 2011. No wonder investors last year bought into the concept of a Mar-a-Lago accord to weaken the dollar, as Washington sought to level the global playing field for US manufacturers. In short, the dollar is not particularly weak and could fall a lot further should it be warranted. We've only just begun: Broad, real, trade-weighted dollar comes lower 2. Are investors changing their $ hedge ratios? Yes, but only gradually. FX hedging, or the management of currency risk by portfolio managers, is a very important FX flow. The severity of the dollar’s sell-off last April, and the subsequent resilience of US asset markets, has lent much focus to the role of buy-side currency hedging. At the time, this was examined in a BIS study , where it looked like Asian investors had had a big say – even though Fed Chair Powell seems to disagree with the report’s conclusions. We agreed with the report’s findings that high dollar hedging costs had kept investor dollar hedge ratios low, although it was notable – looking at EUR/USD hedging levels anyway – that investors were relatively underhedged early last year. The consensus view at the time was that the dollar would stay strong as tariffs took their toll on the c...

sankai/E+ via Getty Images Overview Small-cap stocks in developing nations posted modest gains during the fourth quarter, supported by expectations for easier U.S. monetary policy following the Federal Reserve's mid-September rate cut. The asset class also benefited from the resilience of emerging economies, which have held up well despite shocks to global trade and other geopolitical headwinds. Against this backdrop, the benchmark MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index rose 1.63% for the quarter. The Wasatch Emerging Markets Small Cap Fund—Investor Class surpassed the benchmark with a total return of 4.86%. Equities advanced in Taiwan and Korea as optimism about artificial intelligence (AI) coincided with strong demand across global supply chains for semiconductors and technology hardware. Meanwhile, China's stock market moved lower amid uneven economic conditions and ongoing policy restraint. As a result, underweight positioning in China improved the Fund's return relative to the benchmark while underexposure to Korea worked against us. Stock selection in Taiwan and China were primary sources of outperformance relative to the benchmark. Drawing on insights from our three research trips to Taiwan in 2025 and our continued fundamentals research, we did some repositioning to the Fund's holdings to align more closely with opportunities across the AI ecosystem and semiconductor value chain. Those efforts proved effective during the fourth quarter as our Taiwan stocks outpaced the benchmark's Taiwanese positions, enhancing relative results. Additional sources of Fund outperformance in the quarter included holdings in Mexico and Thailand. Our stock in the Baltic region was the Fund's primary source of weakness against the benchmark. Annual Overview As part of our fourth quarter commentary, we also want to provide an update on performance for the 2025 calendar year. For the year, the MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index rose 18.58% while the Fund was up 4.86%. For the yea...

Josh Simons ran the think tank when it commissioned a report which investigated the background of a journalist.

The judge said the actions were a "more or less complete undermining" of rules designed to ensure passenger flights are safe.

Key PointsEngine Capital bought 397,772 shares of UniFirst; the estimated transaction value was $67.13 million based on quarterly average pricing.

Key PointsBuffett believes in wealthier people helping the less wealthy -- and productive workers contributing to those in their post-productive years.