Alex Wong The U.S. economy has stopped making progress on inflation and urged the Federal Reserve to pay attention, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said on Tuesday. "Stalling out at 3% is not a safe place to be for a myriad of reasons we know all too well," he said in a speech at the National Association for Business Economics Conference. "We need to make more progress." Overall, though, he ...
Alex Wong The U.S. economy has stopped making progress on inflation and urged the Federal Reserve to pay attention, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said on Tuesday. "Stalling out at 3% is not a safe place to be for a myriad of reasons we know all too well," he said in a speech at the National Association for Business Economics Conference. "We need to make more progress." Overall, though, he believes the U.S. economy is strong. "For all the talk about artificial intelligence data centers, I believe the main driver of growth in the economy in the last year was solid, broad-based consumer spending," he said. While there have been large investments in AI, it's not boosting GDP growth much yet. A recent Fed paper on AI investment in data centers estimated that AI accounted for "a tad over four-tenths of GDP growth in 2025, but that properly subtracting off the imported content meant that the net impact of data center investment cut it by more than half — to less than two-tenths of a percentage point." He said the labor market has "mostly held steady, despite low headline job numbers." He's optimistic that there can be more rate cuts this year, "but that hinges on seeing actual progress on inflation that shows we are on a path back to 2%," he said. Still, he's wary about front-loading too many rate cuts. "In every economic survey we have seen and in the many meetings we have had with businesses and consumers across the Seventh District, people express that prices are one of their most pressing concerns," Goolsbee said. "Let’s pay attention." While there is a wealth effect at play, some descriptions of the K-shaped economy are overstated, he said. "It's hard to have consumer spending growing at a 3% rate without it being spread" beyond just the top 1% of the income spectrum, Goolsbee said . Furthermore, consumer spending growth indicates that the job market is stronger than headline numbers would suggest. More on Monetary Policy Fed's Waller isn't sure how to think a...
Apple (AAPL.US) is strongly supporting the return of manufacturing to the United States. The Mac mini, which gained popularity due to OpenClaw, will soon be manufactured in the U.S. 富途牛牛
Apple (AAPL.US) is strongly supporting the return of manufacturing to the United States. The Mac mini, which gained popularity due to OpenClaw, will soon be manufactured in the U.S. 富途牛牛
Loop Capital sees key headwinds easing as catalysts materialize for Qualcomm . The investment firm upgraded the semiconductor company to a buy rating from hold. Analyst Gary Mobley also hiked his price target to $185 from $140. That implies upside of 32%. Shares of Qualcomm are down 13% over the past 12 months and have tumbled 18% this year alone. QCOM 1Y mountain QCOM 1Y chart "There are many rea...
Loop Capital sees key headwinds easing as catalysts materialize for Qualcomm . The investment firm upgraded the semiconductor company to a buy rating from hold. Analyst Gary Mobley also hiked his price target to $185 from $140. That implies upside of 32%. Shares of Qualcomm are down 13% over the past 12 months and have tumbled 18% this year alone. QCOM 1Y mountain QCOM 1Y chart "There are many reasons why QCOM's shares have underperformed the chip sector on a YTD, 1-yr-, 3-yr & 5-yr basis. Most obvious, the company is not a data center AI beneficiary, at least not yet. YTD, the share price underperformance has been fueled by a perfect storm of circumstances," the analyst wrote. He added that, however, memory chips will not remain in short supply forever, and believes that the stock market should recover accordingly from this initial stock. When relief comes, Qualcomm shares should benefit, he wrote. Mobley also expects another catalyst to come from Qualcomm's next analyst day, most likely to be held in early June. There, he believes the team will highlight progress in growing its non-smartphone revenue and provide more details on its data center roadmap. "This revenue diversity away from Smartphones should be key for QCOM shares to re-rate higher," Mobley wrote. The analyst also foresees the company announcing another data center customer ahead of this analyst day. Mobley believes that several key headwinds facing Qualcomm should also ease by next year. For instance, the company's sales to Samsung should stabilize, while chip shipments to Apple will fall below 10% of total revenue, meaning that Qualcomm's declining chip sales to the iPhone maker will already be somewhat priced in. At the same time, the analyst believes that investors are likely to gain confidence as Qualcomm's automotive and Internet of Things businesses grow to rival or surpass handset sales by fiscal 2029, marking a key milestone in the company's diversification strategy.
adventtr/iStock via Getty Images This is my first cover of Archer Aviation ( ACHR ). In this article I will talk about their business, the moat they have, and explain why the recent downtrend gives us an excellent buying opportunity. Introduction and Macro Picture I believe we are witnessing the most significant change in commercial aviation since the jet engine. Just as cars are moving towards el...
adventtr/iStock via Getty Images This is my first cover of Archer Aviation ( ACHR ). In this article I will talk about their business, the moat they have, and explain why the recent downtrend gives us an excellent buying opportunity. Introduction and Macro Picture I believe we are witnessing the most significant change in commercial aviation since the jet engine. Just as cars are moving towards electric, I believe aerial transportation is next in line. Megacities like Los Angeles are overwhelmed by traffic, and the eVTOL industry is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this economic situation. According to Grand View Research , the global eVTOL industry is projected to reach approx. $29 billion by 2030 with a projected CAGR of 55%. Currently, eVTOL stocks aren't generating much revenue and are experiencing volatility due to retail investors, regulatory news, and fears about dilution. As of late February 2026, Archer's share price has been trading around $7. Its 52-week high stands at $14.62, and the stock has previously traded above $17.00. I believe the market has mispriced this stock. I believe that the old obstacle to urban air mobility was with helicopters being too loud and costly due to their build complexity. eVTOLs clearly solve this issue with electric propulsion that is quieter and cheaper. Replacing a large combustion engine with several electric motors reduces mechanical complexity while reducing emissions. In my opinion the technology is ready. High energy density batteries, allowing for longer flights, are entering the market, with Amprius Technologies ( AMPX ) announcing the launch of their 450 Wh/kg SiCore™ lithium-ion battery. Additionally, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are progressing toward harmonizing eVTOL certification standards, allowing eVTOL companies to have the same design of an aircraft in different continents. Hawthorne Airport Archer signed definitive agreements to ac...
Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Tuesday: Morgan Stanley upgrades Booking Holdings to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley says the online travel company stock is underappreciated. "We see BKNG staying a key driver of travel even as agentic tools evolve. BKNG will still own the customer, capture robust traveler data and use those to drive high margin direct business." Read more....
Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Tuesday: Morgan Stanley upgrades Booking Holdings to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley says the online travel company stock is underappreciated. "We see BKNG staying a key driver of travel even as agentic tools evolve. BKNG will still own the customer, capture robust traveler data and use those to drive high margin direct business." Read more. JPMorgan upgrades Domino's to overweight from neutral JPMorgan upgraded the stock following earnings. " Domino's steady share-taking value-driven business model again screens well to buy at the current ~$400 level." RBC initiates Blackstone as outperform RBC says the private equity company is firing on all cylinders. "Blackstone is a leading beneficiary of secular retail growth over the medium-term coupled with an improving real estate cycle that is gaining momentum, both of which should drive continued ~20% earnings growth near-term." Wolfe initiates Alkermes as outperform Wolfe said in its initiation o f Alkermes that it sees a wide range of positive catalysts for the biotech company. "We believe the company's emerging narcolepsy franchise would drive a key inflection point." UBS upgrades America Movil to buy from neutral UBS says it sees upside potential to the LatAm telecommunications company. "We update our AMX model, raising PT to $30.00 (from $23.60) and upgrading the stock to Buy." TD Cowen reiterates Broadcom as buy TD Cowen lowered its price target on the stock to $405 per share from $450 ahead of earnings. "Positive on Broadcom as Google's guide to almost double its CapEx in C2026 should be a tailwind to Broadcom's XPU business." Seaport upgrades Fox to buy from neutral Seaport says investors should buy the dip. "We believe the post-earnings, sports betting exposure, and post-accelerated share buyback drawdown in FOX/A shares has been overdone." DA Davidson initiates Rubrik as buy DA Davidson says investors should buy the weakness in the cybersecurity company. "...
Facebook owner Meta Platforms will buy artificial intelligence chips from Advanced Micro Devices in a deal that will also give it the opportunity to buy up to a 10% stake of the chip company. Meta will buy AMD's latest chips, the MI450, to help power data centers. The companies said that AMD issued Meta a performance-based warrant for up to 160 million shares of its common stock at $0.01 a piece, ...
Facebook owner Meta Platforms will buy artificial intelligence chips from Advanced Micro Devices in a deal that will also give it the opportunity to buy up to a 10% stake of the chip company. Meta will buy AMD's latest chips, the MI450, to help power data centers. The companies said that AMD issued Meta a performance-based warrant for up to 160 million shares of its common stock at $0.01 a piece, structured to vest as long as certain milestones are achieved.
Early Tax Refunds Are Showing A 14% Increase, IRS Says Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, The average tax refund for American taxpayers has increased on a year-over-year basis, the IRS said in a Feb. 20 update. The average refund amount increased 14.2 percent in 2026 to $2,476 as of Feb. 13, according to the agency. Last year, the average refund for the same time period was $2,169. Mea...
Early Tax Refunds Are Showing A 14% Increase, IRS Says Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, The average tax refund for American taxpayers has increased on a year-over-year basis, the IRS said in a Feb. 20 update. The average refund amount increased 14.2 percent in 2026 to $2,476 as of Feb. 13, according to the agency. Last year, the average refund for the same time period was $2,169. Meanwhile, the average direct deposit refund amount for taxpayers is up 13.1 percent year over year, from $2,252 in 2025 to $2,548 in 2026. The IRS added that the total number of tax returns that the agency has received and processed is down slightly year over year. About 32,175,000 tax returns have been filed as of Feb. 13, a 2.6 percent decrease year over year. For the same time period last year, 33,040,000 tax returns were filed, the agency said. The total number of returns processed by the IRS paints a similar picture. Some 31,795,000 tax returns have been processed as of Feb. 13, a year-over-year decline of 3.1 percent. “Average refund amounts are strong,” the IRS said in its update, adding that the agency is required by federal law to hold refunds until Feb. 15 for returns that claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). “It’s important to note this week’s refund numbers do not include millions of EITC and ACTC refunds to these taxpayers. This means the refund numbers expected to be released Feb. 27, for refunds processed through Feb. 20, are expected to be higher.” Also, since some taxpayers were “still waiting for important tax documents at the end of January, the IRS expects the tax return filing numbers generally will catch up in the following weeks,” the agency said. The final average refund amount last year was $3,167, IRS figures show. The data release comes as President Donald Trump and administration officials have been touting their tax plan under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that was passed in Congress and sig...