Harry Brook’s side have been unconvincing against the turning ball and will face a team that has an attack packed with spinning options After four wins in five games, and now just one away from sealing a place in the semi‑finals, it is hard to describe England’s progress through the World Cup as ugly. But it hasn’t been straightforward. Like an inverted swan, everyone can see them struggling – yet...
Harry Brook’s side have been unconvincing against the turning ball and will face a team that has an attack packed with spinning options After four wins in five games, and now just one away from sealing a place in the semi‑finals, it is hard to describe England’s progress through the World Cup as ugly. But it hasn’t been straightforward. Like an inverted swan, everyone can see them struggling – yet somehow their progress has been, up to this point, serene. There are no bonus points available for artistic merit and to win tournaments it is necessary only to be, at each stage, slightly better than your opponents. Australia’s T20 champions of 2021, for example, were a side few considered the best in that competition – and were notably annihilated by England in the group stages – until Aaron Finch raised the trophy in Dubai. Continue reading...
LeoPatrizi/E+ via Getty Images I'm revising SK Telecom Co., Ltd.'s ( SKM ) (017670.KS) rating from "Hold" to "Buy." Catalysts relating to dividend restoration and the Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) stake monetization justify my bullish view of this name. My December 11, 2025, article touched on the negative outlook for its shareholder returns and the "Data Center/DC" division's solid prospects. Anticipating...
LeoPatrizi/E+ via Getty Images I'm revising SK Telecom Co., Ltd.'s ( SKM ) (017670.KS) rating from "Hold" to "Buy." Catalysts relating to dividend restoration and the Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) stake monetization justify my bullish view of this name. My December 11, 2025, article touched on the negative outlook for its shareholder returns and the "Data Center/DC" division's solid prospects. Anticipating Payout Reinstatement SKM's CFO emphasized at the FY2025 briefing in early February that "we will do our best to return to the previous dividend payout levels" in '26. The group suspended its cash distributions for 3Q/4Q25. This resulted in the full-year payment dropping 53% to ₩1,660/share. I noted in the Dec '25 piece, "It seems unlikely that the payout will be restored in Q4." My reasoning was that some "clients impacted by the (Apr 2025) cyberattack" could have "traded down to lower-priced wireless plans" after having "their data quota expanded by 50,000MB for free." Moving forward, my bet is on the firm honoring its commitment to returning capital to stockholders again. In its investor slides , SKM attributed the two-fifths drop in last year's "Operating Profit/OP" to expenses regarding the "cybersecurity incident" and "early retirement program." My calculations point to ₩1 trillion of FY25 charges pertaining to rightsizing efforts and hacking-related penalties. These should be non-recurring this year. A leaner workforce will likely translate into lower operating costs, too. Separately, my end-of-2025 write-up highlighted that "SKM's rivals KT Corporation ( KT ) and LG Uplus also suffered from data breaches." Similar woes at its rivals have already boosted the former's performance in early '26. "The Korea Times" reported in the prior week that around 0.3 million subscribers "switched to SK Telecom" from LG/KT in Jan. Also, I believe SKM's DC arm will continue to do well in the near term. Its DC-related topline surged by +59% and +34% for 4Q2025 and FY2025, respectively...
KanawatTH Broadcom ( AVGO ) is still considered the “best-in-class” in the custom application specific integrated circuit market, but Marvell ( MRVL ), Arm ( ARM ), and perhaps surprisingly, Qualcomm ( QCOM ), are making inroads, Evercore said. “AVGO mentioned as both best-in-class in IP and execution as well as the priciest,” analyst Mark Lipacis wrote in a note to clients. “MRVL is viewed as hig...
KanawatTH Broadcom ( AVGO ) is still considered the “best-in-class” in the custom application specific integrated circuit market, but Marvell ( MRVL ), Arm ( ARM ), and perhaps surprisingly, Qualcomm ( QCOM ), are making inroads, Evercore said. “AVGO mentioned as both best-in-class in IP and execution as well as the priciest,” analyst Mark Lipacis wrote in a note to clients. “MRVL is viewed as highly capable and believed to have AWS’s Trainium 4, some of Trainium 3 and MSFT’s Maia. ARM ( ARM ) is also competing aggressively for CPU, DPU, and XPU programs, and QCOM is viewed as making progress in the AI-ASIC market, with its chips running small language models in Meta’s Ray Bans and other AI wearables.” Delving deeper, Broadcom is considered the “premium, one-stop shop” for ASICs, given that it has leading intellectual property in both analog and digital and is the best at execution, Lipacis added. The company also has strength in its high-speed I/O offering, and its experience working with Taiwan Semiconductor ( TSM ) and its deep, technical bench are both assets, Lipacis explained. Conversely, its high cost (margins are 10% higher than Marvell) and its lack of flexibility are considered negatives, he added. For Marvell, its flexibility compared to Broadcom is considered a major strength, Lipacis added, notable, given its intellectual property assets are not as strong as Broadcom's. However, it does have advantages over its Taiwanese competitors, notably its “superior front-end circuit design capabilities,” Lipacis explained. It also has two major customers—Amazon ( AMZN ) and Microsoft ( MSFT )—with its Amazon work improving, as the defect rate may have been cut by 65% when it took over work on Trainium 2. It is also seen as “indispensable” for Microsoft's Maia program. (Microsoft released a new Maia AI accelerator last month.) Arm, on the other hand, is working to “aggressively” compete for development programs at the major hyperscalers and show off its capabiliti...
Anthropic PBC said three leading artificial intelligence developers in China worked to “illicitly extract” results from its AI models to bolster the capabilities of rival products, adding to growing concerns in the US about Chinese firms improperly gaining an edge. The San Francisco-based company said DeepSeek , MiniMax Group Inc. and Moonshot violated its terms of service by generating more than ...
Anthropic PBC said three leading artificial intelligence developers in China worked to “illicitly extract” results from its AI models to bolster the capabilities of rival products, adding to growing concerns in the US about Chinese firms improperly gaining an edge. The San Francisco-based company said DeepSeek , MiniMax Group Inc. and Moonshot violated its terms of service by generating more than 16 million exchanges in total with its Claude models using thousands of fraudulent accounts. With this tactic, known as distillation, Chinese AI labs can rapidly improve their models by training them on the outputs from more powerful systems, Anthropic said. Anthropic rival OpenAI warned US lawmakers earlier this month that DeepSeek had used distillation techniques as part of “ongoing efforts to free-ride on the capabilities developed by OpenAI and other US frontier labs.” Other US officials, including White House AI czar David Sacks , have also expressed concerns that DeepSeek used this method. “These campaigns are growing in intensity and sophistication,” Anthropic said in a blog post on Monday. “The window to act is narrow, and the threat extends beyond any single company or region.” Representatives for DeepSeek, MiniMax and Moonshot did not respond to requests for comment after normal business hours. DeepSeek upended the AI landscape a year ago with the release of R1, a competitive model purportedly built at a fraction of the cost of leading US alternatives. Since then, China has flooded the market with a wave of affordable text, video and image models. That has threatened to undercut adoption of AI software from US firms, making it harder to monetize the technology. MiniMax made its public market debut in January. Moonshot, meanwhile, is targeting a $10 billion valuation in a new financing round. Anthropic said the three firms each used “fraudulent accounts and proxy services to access Claude at scale while evading detection.” Proxy networks can be used to provide a ...
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) today is down -1.20%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI ) (DIA ) is down -1.58%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) is down -1.47%. March E-mini S&P futures (ESH26 ) are down -1.23%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures...
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) today is down -1.20%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI ) (DIA ) is down -1.58%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) is down -1.47%. March E-mini S&P futures (ESH26 ) are down -1.23%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures...
Using Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Z TriFold is supposed to feel like living in the future, one where you can get by with just one handheld device for most of your computing needs. But after spending a month with the $2,899 device, which recently went on sale in the US, it’s more like an over-engineered experiment on the road to getting there. Samsung is not the first to dabble in this new har...
Using Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Z TriFold is supposed to feel like living in the future, one where you can get by with just one handheld device for most of your computing needs. But after spending a month with the $2,899 device, which recently went on sale in the US, it’s more like an over-engineered experiment on the road to getting there. Samsung is not the first to dabble in this new hardware form — also called trifolds, with a lowercase — but it’s the only company to debut one in the US. By folding in two places, these cutting-edge devices can transform from a smartphone into a full-size tablet. In the TriFold’s case, you can alternate between a 6.5-inch outer screen and a widescreen 10-inch display that offers better multitasking and productivity features than any conventional phone is capable of. The pitch will be familiar to anyone who has tried a book-style foldable like Samsung’s own Galaxy Z Fold 7, which only folds once (and costs far less). But the TriFold’s ambitious design allows for a meaningfully larger “tablet.” And it arrives at a time when the global tablet market is cooling, and the laptop segment has been on shaky footing since the pandemic. Regular foldables, meanwhile, are finally starting to show signs of traction . Early buyers have snatched up the limited TriFold inventory that’s been made available so far, with each of Samsung’s restocks quickly selling out. Foldables could eventually obviate the need for a standalone tablet. For some people, they already have. The category is aimed at techies who have grown bored with ordinary smartphones. (Samsung is scheduled to introduce more of those at an event this week.) But the TriFold’s unheard-of price only adds to the challenges that foldables are already facing, all but but guaranteeing such devices will join the ranks of niche toys like Apple Inc.’s $3,499 Vision Pro. All of this leaves a narrow audience for the TriFold. Still, the premise of a do-it-all device is intriguing and offers...
SAN JOSE, Calif., February 23, 2026--Ayar Labs, the leader in co-packaged optics (CPO) solutions for AI scale-up, announced the appointment of Sankara Venkateswaran as Vice President of Engineering. He joins at a pivotal stage as the company scales its solution for mass production to support hyperscale AI workloads.
SAN JOSE, Calif., February 23, 2026--Ayar Labs, the leader in co-packaged optics (CPO) solutions for AI scale-up, announced the appointment of Sankara Venkateswaran as Vice President of Engineering. He joins at a pivotal stage as the company scales its solution for mass production to support hyperscale AI workloads.
Social Security is a lifeline for many retirees, with some relying on their benefits as their primary or even sole source of retirement income. Unfortunately, the program isn't as reliable as it once was. With two significant problems plaguing Social Security, retirees and soon-to-be retirees may need a backup plan to secure their financial futures. Here's what you need to know. Image source: Gett...
Social Security is a lifeline for many retirees, with some relying on their benefits as their primary or even sole source of retirement income. Unfortunately, the program isn't as reliable as it once was. With two significant problems plaguing Social Security, retirees and soon-to-be retirees may need a backup plan to secure their financial futures. Here's what you need to know. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images When Klarna Group plc ( KLAR ) went public in September of last year, I concluded that investors should pay later. While I had real reservations about the prospects for the business, I did not expect a 70% drop in the share price in less than half a year. As one of the dominant players in the buy-now-pay-later space, the company acts as a crucial player b...
hapabapa/iStock Editorial via Getty Images When Klarna Group plc ( KLAR ) went public in September of last year, I concluded that investors should pay later. While I had real reservations about the prospects for the business, I did not expect a 70% drop in the share price in less than half a year. As one of the dominant players in the buy-now-pay-later space, the company acts as a crucial player between over a hundred million consumers and about a million merchants. Despite this positioning, I feared losses reported, slower growth, rising credit losses, and some operating deleverage of the business. Fearing fierce competition, ironically, growth has been solid in the second half of 2025, yet this came with higher credit losses, making it so that some operating deleverage was observed. This and fears about credit quality make investors nervous, very nervous given the price action, as frankly the re-rating seems quite aggressive, as now it looks like an opportune time to get involved. Saving Time And Money While Having Control Klarna Group offers more flexible ways to pay, catering to both consumers and merchants with flexibility and management of their own goals. Klarna offers consumer services by finding both products and deals while offering multiple options to pay (and manage these payments). Merchants benefit from additional channels to reach customers and additional promotion options. Originally a Swedish business, Klarna became a UK-based business, and after breaking the billion gross merchandise value mark (also known as GMV) in 2010, this number jumped to $50 billion in 2020, to exceed $100 billion in about five years' time. Believing that banking was based on trust, and this has been lacking in traditional banking relations, the company has focused on simple operations. These include the elimination of late fees and revolving credit, and while there was and still is skepticism about its business model, Klarna claims cheaper and more transparent payment optio...
blackdovfx/E+ via Getty Images Tesla, Inc. ( TSLA ) stock, down 7.5% since my last analysis , is currently at the dawn of anchoring a new autonomous world order. It is that, or a return to history, which we currently appear to be descending back into amid perceived multipolarity, but that I predict will not reemerge in totality. Tesla's autonomous technologies represent the largest at-scale produc...
blackdovfx/E+ via Getty Images Tesla, Inc. ( TSLA ) stock, down 7.5% since my last analysis , is currently at the dawn of anchoring a new autonomous world order. It is that, or a return to history, which we currently appear to be descending back into amid perceived multipolarity, but that I predict will not reemerge in totality. Tesla's autonomous technologies represent the largest at-scale productivity project of the 21st century, only rivaled by other Big Tech companies following similar lines of intelligent code. Tesla differentiates itself by being all-in on the kinetic. In this analysis, we'll see if and how its progress and vision can realistically rival the resource-rich China in commanding global leadership. Autonomous Technology Will Deliver Major Geopolitical Reform We've only really seen autonomy fully active in text format, but physical-world autonomy execution has a high likelihood of raising productivity and fiscal capacity enough to shift relative growth trajectories and geopolitical influence. That said, breadth of adoption needs to be strong, and constraints need to be overcome, particularly related to energy and the gross cost of compute. Overabundant supply, which is the most logical long-term target, is only plausible if energy, grid capacity, cooling, and permitting scale fast and reliably enough. The IEA itself has stated that a data center can be operational in two to three years, while the broader energy system often requires longer lead times. Tesla is expecting 2026 capex above $20B, driven by AI, particularly compute infrastructure and data centers. As I will get to in the last section of this analysis, this setup gives a present advantage to states and firms that can finance and permit energy infrastructure faster: specifically China, and also SpaceX/Tesla with space-bound solar power . I won't be covering space-bound solar power in this piece, instead focusing on China's resource abundance. Tesla's 10-K explicitly states that its mission...
adventtr/iStock via Getty Images Market Overview Risk assets in general capped off a strong year with a solid fourth quarter. In contrast with recent trends, non-US equity markets led the way in 2025. While the threats to market stability that have prevailed throughout the year were undiminished during the quarter, investors continued to embrace risk. The S&P 500 Index gained 2.7% for the fourth q...
adventtr/iStock via Getty Images Market Overview Risk assets in general capped off a strong year with a solid fourth quarter. In contrast with recent trends, non-US equity markets led the way in 2025. While the threats to market stability that have prevailed throughout the year were undiminished during the quarter, investors continued to embrace risk. The S&P 500 Index gained 2.7% for the fourth quarter and 17.9% for the year, while the MSCI World Index returned a respective 3.12% and 21.09%. Gold, meanwhile, surged 65% during the year, its largest annual return since 1979. The US Double Bind Gets Tighter Despite ample motivation for conservatism in an environment of pronounced macro, financial, geopolitical and structural concerns, risk perception in US markets remains low pretty much wherever you look. Equity market valuation multiples are rich, high yield spreads are tight and implied volatility is low. While the post-pandemic normalization of certain macro factors has been encouraging, the country's fiscal settings remain far off-kilter. The US federal deficit remains historically outsized relative to the unemployment rate—as it has since the outbreak of Covid-19. Normally, high unemployment rates and recession beget large fiscal deficits, as lower tax revenues combine with increased government spending. Conversely, low unemployment rates and robust economic growth typically support higher tax revenues and tighter fiscal policy, causing deficits to contract or even turn into surpluses. If the economy were in balance, we'd expect budget deficits of around 2% of GDP—not the 5.8% at the end of fiscal year 2025. We believe this persistent deficit spending helps explain the decoupling of gold and Treasuries seen in recent years. The price of gold surged 65% during 2025—its largest annual gain since 1979—and has more than doubled over the past two years in an apparent acknowledgement of the double-bind facing US policymakers: Doing nothing to address the deficit could...
The post Fiduciaries Are Legally Obligated to Work In Your Best Interests. Money Pickle Can Help You Find One in Minutes, And Your First Meeting is Complimentary by Benzinga Contributors appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. Benzinga Money is a reader-supported publication. We may earn a commission from the advertisers associated with this article. Read o...
The post Fiduciaries Are Legally Obligated to Work In Your Best Interests. Money Pickle Can Help You Find One in Minutes, And Your First Meeting is Complimentary by Benzinga Contributors appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. Benzinga Money is a reader-supported publication. We may earn a commission from the advertisers associated with this article. Read our Advertiser Discloser . Nearly half of Americans believe that financial advisors are only for wealthy people, according to a survey by Lending Tree. Another 25% believe they don’t need an advisor until they’re middle-aged. Both of those statements couldn’t be further from the truth. A well-vetted financial advisor can help you achieve your financial goals whether you’re just joining the workforce, or are planning for retirement. In fact, 95% of Americans who use an advisor say it’s well worth the money. Finding one is easier said than done. That’s where Money Pickle comes in. Money Pickle helps people connect with trustworthy financial advisors, without the hassle or pressure. All you have to do is take a quick quiz and they match you with a vetted fiduciary for a no-cost, 1-on-1 strategy session tailored to your financial goals. Whether thatʼs retirement, tax strategy, investing, or simply getting organized. Every advisor they partner with is legally obligated to act in your best interest. No sales gimmicks. Just clear, personalized guidance built around your life whether you’re building wealth, preserving it, or planning for the future. Money Pickle makes getting expert help feel easy, human, and worth your time. Sign up today to receive your no-cost, no-obligation 1-on-1 strategy session from the comfort of your home. A fiduciary is always in your corner Every advisor in the Money Pickle network is a fiduciary, meaning they’re legally obligated to act in your best interest, not to sell products. That peace of mind matters. Non-fiduciary financial advisors are held to d...