Oil surged to the highest since June 2022, with no end in sight to the US-Iran conflict or choked-off energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, heightening concerns over a rapidly shrinking global supply cushion. Brent, the global benchmark, rose more than 7% to trade above $119.50 a barrel, a fresh high since the Iran war began. West Texas Intermediate was trading around $107 a barrel. Prices ha...
Oil surged to the highest since June 2022, with no end in sight to the US-Iran conflict or choked-off energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, heightening concerns over a rapidly shrinking global supply cushion. Brent, the global benchmark, rose more than 7% to trade above $119.50 a barrel, a fresh high since the Iran war began. West Texas Intermediate was trading around $107 a barrel. Prices have now erased all losses since the US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire earlier this month, with investors bracing for a protracted war. The two-month old conflict has already led to a record supply shock and a global energy crisis. There were multiple signs that peace negotiations had fallen flat, including on Tuesday, when President Donald Trump discussed steps the US could take to prolong its blockade of Iran during a meeting with oil and trading industry executives. Axios reported Trump had rejected a recent proposal from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where vital energy flows have come to a standstill. “As long as there is no game plan to end this mess or at least open the Strait of Hormuz, the market will continue to tick higher,” said Robert Yawger , director of the energy futures division at Mizuho Securities USA. A market-wide shift toward expecting a longer conflict has sharpened focus on US supplies, now all-the-more critical to offset disruptions to Middle Eastern flows. Government data published Wednesday show that domestic oil stockpiles are declining as American exports surge to record highs. The US naval blockade is a key sticking point between Washington and Tehran, with the Islamic Republic insisting it won’t restart negotiations or reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the restrictions stay in place. Flows of crude, natural gas and oil products from the Persian Gulf remain effectively cut off since the conflict began in late February. The crisis has sent prices of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel surging, raising inflation fears around the worl...
News that OpenAI missed internal growth goals briefly pressured AI chip names, but NVIDIA (NVDA) still sits on strong recent earnings, firm guidance and large multi year commitments from major cloud customers. See our latest analysis for NVIDIA. Even with the recent 1 day share price return of 1.59% and volatility around OpenAI related headlines, NVIDIA still reflects strong momentum, with a 30 da...
News that OpenAI missed internal growth goals briefly pressured AI chip names, but NVIDIA (NVDA) still sits on strong recent earnings, firm guidance and large multi year commitments from major cloud customers. See our latest analysis for NVIDIA. Even with the recent 1 day share price return of 1.59% and volatility around OpenAI related headlines, NVIDIA still reflects strong momentum, with a 30 day share price return of 29.06% and a 1 year total shareholder return of 95.76%. This points to...
Many investors followed Warren Buffett's stock purchases for Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB) for fresh investing ideas. Many of its top holdings -- including Apple , American Express , and Coca-Cola -- have been reliable long-term winners that easily withstood recessions and other macro headwinds. Before stepping down as Berkshire's CEO at the end of 2025, Buffett approved one final m...
Many investors followed Warren Buffett's stock purchases for Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB) for fresh investing ideas. Many of its top holdings -- including Apple , American Express , and Coca-Cola -- have been reliable long-term winners that easily withstood recessions and other macro headwinds. Before stepping down as Berkshire's CEO at the end of 2025, Buffett approved one final major new investment for that portfolio: Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) . That investment was surprising because Buffett had avoided tech stocks for most of his career; he sold many of Berkshire's other top holdings in 2025, and Alphabet still faces macro and regulatory headwinds. However, I also believe it's a compelling long-term buy for one simple reason: AI. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Bank of America upgraded Molina Healthcare ( MOH ) to Buy from Underperform and lifted its price target to $250 from $152 per share on Wednesday, citing a favorable margin outlook for the company’s Medicaid business. The analyst Kevin Fischbeck argued that Molina’s ( MOH ) Medicaid margins are likely to bottom out in 2026, with its path to reach target margins “being more a matter of time and math...
Bank of America upgraded Molina Healthcare ( MOH ) to Buy from Underperform and lifted its price target to $250 from $152 per share on Wednesday, citing a favorable margin outlook for the company’s Medicaid business. The analyst Kevin Fischbeck argued that Molina’s ( MOH ) Medicaid margins are likely to bottom out in 2026, with its path to reach target margins “being more a matter of time and math” as states slowly respond to trend/risk pool shifts in 2024/25, raising rates and margins next year. “The dramatic changes in Medicaid enrollment since 2023 have created negative risk pool shifts, making it difficult for states to forecast costs and trend, resulting in margin pressure for the industry,” the analyst wrote. Assuming the company’s long-term targets and normalized margins in 2029, Fischbeck expects Molina’s ( MOH ) earnings per share to improve by more than $30, generating significant upside for the stock over the next three years. While there remains a large disparity in Medicaid rates/trends and uncertainty in the company’s other business areas, “MOH could conservatively establish a $30 2029 EPS target (vs. $5 in 2026), which, according to Fischbeck, is nearly twice as large as the consensus of $17.32. More on Molina Healthcare Molina: Q1 Beat Proves The Cost Story, Now Comes Hard Decision For The Management Molina Healthcare, Inc. (MOH) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Molina Healthcare: A Cyclical Long-Term Buying Opportunity Molina signals 2026 premium revenue of ~$42B and at least $5 EPS while lifting Medicaid attrition outlook to 6% Molina Healthcare soars 15% after beating Q1 earnings, reaffirms FY26 guidance
From Peep Show to Half Man, some of the best television can be the hardest to watch. Get ready to look through your fingers at these supremely squirm-inducing scenes It’s not exactly how anyone imagines their first time. Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer follow-up, bruising BBC drama Half Man , is full of disturbing scenes but none more so than in the opening episode, when teen delinquent Ruben orchest...
From Peep Show to Half Man, some of the best television can be the hardest to watch. Get ready to look through your fingers at these supremely squirm-inducing scenes It’s not exactly how anyone imagines their first time. Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer follow-up, bruising BBC drama Half Man , is full of disturbing scenes but none more so than in the opening episode, when teen delinquent Ruben orchestrates his younger step-sibling Niall losing his virginity. It makes for one of those TV moments where it’s physically impossible to sit comfortably on your sofa. But what are the all-time most unsettling? From bad rapping to DIY dentistry, here’s our selection of 15 scenes that made us wince, squirm and watch through our fingers … Continue reading...
FILE PHOTO: Former FBI Director James Comey testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Senate Hart building on Capitol Hill, on Thursday, June 8, 2017. Cheriss May | Nurphoto | Getty Images Former FBI Director James Comey is expected to appear in Alexandria, Virginia, federal court on Wednesday to face a two-count indictment accusing him of threatening to kill President Donald ...
FILE PHOTO: Former FBI Director James Comey testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Senate Hart building on Capitol Hill, on Thursday, June 8, 2017. Cheriss May | Nurphoto | Getty Images Former FBI Director James Comey is expected to appear in Alexandria, Virginia, federal court on Wednesday to face a two-count indictment accusing him of threatening to kill President Donald Trump last May by posting on Instagram a photo of seashells arranged to form the message "86 47" on a North Carolina beach. "I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let's go," Comey said Tuesday, after the indictment — the second against him in less than a year — was unsealed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, where the case will be prosecuted. Comey will appear in Alexandria for the first hearing in the case because that is the closest federal court to his home. Trump and the Department of Justice have claimed that the numbers "86 47" represented a threat to assassinate Trump. "86" is slang for ejecting or removing a person, according to dictionaries, and Trump is the 47th president of the United States. Comey said last May that he took the photo of the shells after seeing them on the beach during a vacation in North Carolina, and that he assumed it was a "political message." "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence," Comey said after backlash to the photo that erupted shortly after he posted it. "It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down." Comey removed the photo less than a day after posting it. FBI Director Kash Patel said at a news conference on Tuesday announcing the charges against Comey that the FBI has been investigating the case for the past "nine, 10, 11 months." But the three-page indictment against Comey is notably sparse on details of any evidence that the FBI might have dug up against him, other than...
suwadee sangsriruang/iStock via Getty Images Infrastructure ( UTF ) is one of my favorite sectors to look for dividend growth opportunities because it combines all of the major ingredients that I look for when investing. First, many infrastructure businesses have durable and defensive business models due to serving vital functions for the economy and being highly contracted and/or regulated. For e...
suwadee sangsriruang/iStock via Getty Images Infrastructure ( UTF ) is one of my favorite sectors to look for dividend growth opportunities because it combines all of the major ingredients that I look for when investing. First, many infrastructure businesses have durable and defensive business models due to serving vital functions for the economy and being highly contracted and/or regulated. For example, utilities ( XLU ) companies like NextEra Energy ( NEE ) are highly regulated and/or contracted with their assets for lengthy terms, often with investment-grade counterparties, and therefore able to generate resilient cash flows regardless of the economic environment. Many infrastructure companies are also able to command strong investment-grade credit ratings, given how durable and defensive their cash flow profile is, which enables them to carry a reasonable amount of leverage while still having a strong investment-grade credit rating. Since their underlying cash flows are often bond-like in nature, they have durable defensive business models and strong balance sheets. This then enables them to be attractive dividend payers and consistent dividend growers, because the strong cash flow and financial profiles enable them to consistently return a set amount to shareholders. As long as they are prudently managed, they are often able to increase those payouts over time at a rate that meets or beats inflation, since many of them have inflation protections and/or inflation escalators on their cash flows and can invest in attractive growth opportunities to grow cash flows at least at a rate that keeps up with inflation and population growth. We can see this in many infrastructure companies, such as Enbridge ( ENB ), which has grown its dividend consistently year after year for over a quarter century, as well as names like Clearway Energy ( CWEN , CWEN.A ) Brookfield Renewable Partners ( BEP , BEPC ) and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners ( BIP , BIPC ), all of which have i...
The low-carbon fertilizer industry is getting a boost as buyers shift to long-term contracts amid rising geopolitical risks, according to the top executive at Atome PLC . The UK-based company is developing what it describes as the world’s first industrial scale green fertilizer project in Paraguay. And in September, it signed a 10-year offtake deal with Yara International ASA of Norway for the pla...
The low-carbon fertilizer industry is getting a boost as buyers shift to long-term contracts amid rising geopolitical risks, according to the top executive at Atome PLC . The UK-based company is developing what it describes as the world’s first industrial scale green fertilizer project in Paraguay. And in September, it signed a 10-year offtake deal with Yara International ASA of Norway for the plant’s entire production. Long-term agreements such as that make “green fertilizer projects much more bankable,” Chief Executive Officer Olivier Mussat said this week in an interview. “Until now, the offtakes had always been very, very short term. You don’t finance a $600 million project with a spot offtake.” War in Iran has severely disrupted fertilizer shipments from the key Persian Gulf production region to the breadbaskets of Asia, Europe and the Americas, leaving farmers to grapple with surging prices. Low-carbon fertilizers, including those made from ammonia produced with renewable energy, are also getting a boost from food companies like PepsiCo Inc. and Heineken NV looking to reduce the environmental footprint of their agricultural ingredients. Last week, Atome announced the final investment decision for its $665 million project in Paraguay. The plant will use Chinese electrolyzers running on cheap Paraguayan hydropower to strip hydrogen from water molecules for further processing into 260,000 metric tons per year of calcium ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Farmers in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay are heavily dependent on costly imported fertilizers produced from fossil fuels and largely sourced from Russia and the Middle East. Most of Atome’s fertilizer will be sold in Argentina and Brazil at about half the price of imports that include hefty shipping costs, Mussat said. “You want to go where you have relatively competitive power in a place where the product is very expensive. We never wanted to be reliant on a green premium or a subsidy,” Mussat said about the company’...
In many ways, Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU) could be described as the Rodney Dangerfield of streaming; it doesn't get any respect. However, while investors weren't looking, the growth stock got its mojo back, soaring 65% over the past year (as of this writing). Perhaps more importantly, the company has expanded beyond its industry-leading streaming platform and implemented new growth strategies that are beg...
In many ways, Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU) could be described as the Rodney Dangerfield of streaming; it doesn't get any respect. However, while investors weren't looking, the growth stock got its mojo back, soaring 65% over the past year (as of this writing). Perhaps more importantly, the company has expanded beyond its industry-leading streaming platform and implemented new growth strategies that are beginning to pay off. Image source: The Motley Fool. Continue reading
Readers respond to the British Medical Association’s warning that the increasing use of ‘non-doctors’ in medical roles is unsafe I am an advanced clinical practitioner in acute respiratory medicine, and the British Medical Association’s (BMA) characterisation of practitioners like me as unsafe “substitute doctors” demands a response ( Safety fears as UK hospitals use nurses to cover for doctors du...
Readers respond to the British Medical Association’s warning that the increasing use of ‘non-doctors’ in medical roles is unsafe I am an advanced clinical practitioner in acute respiratory medicine, and the British Medical Association’s (BMA) characterisation of practitioners like me as unsafe “substitute doctors” demands a response ( Safety fears as UK hospitals use nurses to cover for doctors due to shortage of medics, 25 April ). Every shift, I assess and manage patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations, pulmonary embolisms, pneumonia and acute respiratory failure, taking clinical responsibility in a consultant-led multidisciplinary team, underpinned by a master’s-level qualification and over a decade of specialist experience. This is not doctor substitution. This is advanced practice: a distinct, evidence-based clinical role that enhances patient care rather than compromising it. Continue reading...
It isn’t a story of villains and victims, but a housing system under strain, writes Nick Vernoum . Plus a letter from John Farquhar Your article on landlords ( I thought landlords were unchallengeable – until I met one of mine at a party, 22 April ) paints them as shadowy figures wielding quiet power, but the reality is often more ordinary – and more complicated. I’m an “accidental landlord”. In m...
It isn’t a story of villains and victims, but a housing system under strain, writes Nick Vernoum . Plus a letter from John Farquhar Your article on landlords ( I thought landlords were unchallengeable – until I met one of mine at a party, 22 April ) paints them as shadowy figures wielding quiet power, but the reality is often more ordinary – and more complicated. I’m an “accidental landlord”. In my 40s, after working long hours to buy a modest home, I became seriously ill with chronic fatigue and had to move back in with my parents. Letting my house wasn’t about exploitation; it was about survival – covering a mortgage I could no longer sustain through work. Over time, I reinvested carefully, and I now own a small number of properties. The income isn’t lavish; it has supported my parents and given me a chance to rebuild my life. I know my tenants well. They can contact me any time, and I sort problems quickly. Continue reading...
Peter Foreshaw Brookes says economic conditions and smartphone usage (and its effects on coupling) are more likely causes The global drop in fertility has a number of causes, but rising biological infertility (infecundity) is not one ( Toxins plus climate harms likely cause of reduced fertility, study finds, 26 April ). Recent reports of a paper by Shanna Swan, the writer of Spermageddon, and othe...
Peter Foreshaw Brookes says economic conditions and smartphone usage (and its effects on coupling) are more likely causes The global drop in fertility has a number of causes, but rising biological infertility (infecundity) is not one ( Toxins plus climate harms likely cause of reduced fertility, study finds, 26 April ). Recent reports of a paper by Shanna Swan, the writer of Spermageddon, and others have claimed the paper shows that exposure to pollutants has been driving down biological fertility and may be contributing to the downturn of fertility rates in recent years. This is unlikely. A meta-analysis published last year, which controlled for regional variation, found that sperm counts increased in the US in recent years. Although there are other mechanisms by which biological fertility could be affected, time to pregnancy (TTP) directly tracks how quickly couples conceive. TTP increased in Britain in the late 20th century , and has been stable between 2002 and 2017 in the US for women under 30, only increasing by about 4% for women who already had a child. Meanwhile, infertility has been staying around the same or decreasing in developed countries in recent years. Continue reading...
Westminster drinking culture | Cocking things up | Fragile over-60s? | Victory over Trump | Jobs for Neets | Heavy lifting The Labour MP Alex Sobel says he has never “actually seen anyone smell of booze” ( Hannah Spencer riles fellow MPs with attack on parliament’s drinking culture, 27 April ). That’s a relief, otherwise I would have wondered whether we were all living in a strip cartoon in The Da...
Westminster drinking culture | Cocking things up | Fragile over-60s? | Victory over Trump | Jobs for Neets | Heavy lifting The Labour MP Alex Sobel says he has never “actually seen anyone smell of booze” ( Hannah Spencer riles fellow MPs with attack on parliament’s drinking culture, 27 April ). That’s a relief, otherwise I would have wondered whether we were all living in a strip cartoon in The Dandy or Beano. Pete Lavender Woodthorpe, Nottinghamshire • Now we know why they make such a cock-up of everything. Michael Fuller Ampthill, Bedfordshire Continue reading...
Two of the restaurant concepts with the best expansion opportunities right now are Cava Group (NYSE: CAVA) and Dutch Bros (NYSE: BROS) . However, one clearly looks like the better stock to own for the long term. Let's dig into both stocks to see which is the better one to buy. Image source: The Motley Fool. Cava is a fast-growing fast-casual restaurant focused on Mediterranean cuisine. The company...
Two of the restaurant concepts with the best expansion opportunities right now are Cava Group (NYSE: CAVA) and Dutch Bros (NYSE: BROS) . However, one clearly looks like the better stock to own for the long term. Let's dig into both stocks to see which is the better one to buy. Image source: The Motley Fool. Cava is a fast-growing fast-casual restaurant focused on Mediterranean cuisine. The company saw huge same-store sales growth following the introduction of grilled steak in 2024. However, its strong comparable restaurant sales growth came to a screeching halt after it overlapped the introduction of this popular menu item. Those tough comparisons are finally behind the company, and it is forecasting 3% to 5% same-store sales growth this year. Meanwhile, the introduction of salmon could be its next growth driver. Continue reading
In this article PSKY WBD Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT CEO of Paramount Skydance David Ellison speaks on stage during the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 16, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Valerie Macon | AFP | Getty Images Paramount CEO David Ellison is trying to do something that no other studio has done in the modern age of ...
In this article PSKY WBD Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT CEO of Paramount Skydance David Ellison speaks on stage during the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 16, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Valerie Macon | AFP | Getty Images Paramount CEO David Ellison is trying to do something that no other studio has done in the modern age of cinema — release 30 films annually. Ellison once again promised this theatrical feat in front of thousands of exhibitors at CinemaCon earlier this month. Applause erupted from the crowd after he made the pronouncement. But privately, movie theater operators have expressed concerns and skepticism about the proposed future slate of films. While a massive string of releases would help cinemas, companies doubt he will be able to follow through on the promise. His 30-film plan would hinge on Paramount receiving regulatory approval for its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which the latter company's shareholders approved last week. Ellison noted that each studio would produce 15 films a year. However, Ellison has not provided many details about those 30 releases, and it's not clear how he would hit the ambitious goal. Representatives for Paramount did not reply to CNBC's request for comment. It's unclear if all of the films would have wide releases (meaning they eventually play in at least 1,500 theaters, though the typical benchmark is 2,000). It's also not certain whether the company will count films it distributes but doesn't produce as part of this figure, or how many of those proposed titles will be considered tentpole blockbusters. Movie theater operators and industry experts are skeptical that Paramount would be able to sustain a 30-film slate after the initial merger. After all, part of the consolidation process is eliminating redundancies, which inevitably leads to layoffs as well as cost-cutting measures that often result in fewer productions. "When it comes ...