Hong Kong's Bright Smart Securities announced the full completion of Ant Group's controlling stake acquisition deal. Photo: VCG Hong Kong listed brokerage Bright Smart Securities & Commodities Group Ltd. dismissed market speculation that it plans to expand services to clients in the Chinese mainland or move into Web3 assets, following the completion of its takeover by Ant Group Co. Ltd. In a state...
Hong Kong's Bright Smart Securities announced the full completion of Ant Group's controlling stake acquisition deal. Photo: VCG Hong Kong listed brokerage Bright Smart Securities & Commodities Group Ltd. dismissed market speculation that it plans to expand services to clients in the Chinese mainland or move into Web3 assets, following the completion of its takeover by Ant Group Co. Ltd. In a statement released Wednesday, the firm said it will continue to focus on serving local Hong Kong customers and has no plans to provide brokerage services to mainland investors or engage in tokenized-asset businesses. Bright Smart added it will comply with regulatory requirements in both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong to ensure stable operations.
GoodLifeStudio/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images By transforming from a transactional marketplace to a “sophisticated” work platform and focusing on higher-value work with a greater profit margin, online marketplace Fiverr ( FVRR ) realized a 975% increase in unadjusted net income and a 300 basis point increase in adjusted EBITDA margin. These results, coupled with upbeat guidance for both the cu...
GoodLifeStudio/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images By transforming from a transactional marketplace to a “sophisticated” work platform and focusing on higher-value work with a greater profit margin, online marketplace Fiverr ( FVRR ) realized a 975% increase in unadjusted net income and a 300 basis point increase in adjusted EBITDA margin. These results, coupled with upbeat guidance for both the current quarter and full year, fueled a 20% surge in the company’s share price to a 10-week high. “We are seeing a healthy flywheel effect in the high-value work on Fiverr, with growth momentum across clients and talent who are engaged in complex projects,” said Micha Kaufman, founder and CEO of Fiverr. Added CFO Esti Levy Dadon, “Our performance in the first quarter demonstrates the underlying strength and profitability of our core marketplace. We remain committed to funding our transformation with strict financial discipline, ensuring that our long-term investments are balanced with near-term profitability. Over the past year, the Tel Aviv-based company has made significant investments in AI technology, including an AI video hub and “smart matching” that connects clients to the right freelancers more efficiently. By leaning on AI for much of these tasks, Fiverr ( FVRR ) has reduced its workforce by 30% and driven down the company’s cost of revenue by 8% in Q1. As a result, operating income went from a loss of $5.2M last year to a profit of $8.5M in Q1, translating to a profit of $0.23 per share from a profit of $0.02 on an unadjusted basis. This helped offset underwhelming metrics for the quarter, including a 1.6% decline in revenue, a 13.6% drop in marketplace revenue, and a 17.8% loss in annual active buyers. However, the buyers who remained on the platform spent 15.4% more, and services revenue increased by 30% year-over-year. Accordingly, GAAP gross margin in the first quarter rose 110 basis points to 82.1%, while non-GAAP gross margin was up 40 basis points to 84.8%. T...
Central Pacific Financial ( CPF ) declares $0.29/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 3.42% Payable June 15; for shareholders of record May 29; ex-div May 29. See CPF Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Central Pacific Financial Central Pacific Financial misses Q1 topline Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Central Pacific Financial Historical earning...
Central Pacific Financial ( CPF ) declares $0.29/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 3.42% Payable June 15; for shareholders of record May 29; ex-div May 29. See CPF Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on Central Pacific Financial Central Pacific Financial misses Q1 topline Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Central Pacific Financial Historical earnings data for Central Pacific Financial Dividend scorecard for Central Pacific Financial Financial information for Central Pacific Financial
Even before the Trump administration went to war against DEI and attempts to address historical discrimination, diversity efforts in the US were controversial. A pivotal moment came in 2023, when the Supreme Court ruled that race-based affirmative action programs violated the Constitution. The decision partly rested on universities' inability to clearly measure the benefits of diverse student bodi...
Even before the Trump administration went to war against DEI and attempts to address historical discrimination, diversity efforts in the US were controversial. A pivotal moment came in 2023, when the Supreme Court ruled that race-based affirmative action programs violated the Constitution. The decision partly rested on universities' inability to clearly measure the benefits of diverse student bodies and the lack of defined standards to determine when equity had been achieved and such programs should end. A new paper highlights the uncertainty. "Learning theory argues that racial diversity promotes student learning, which should increase salaries," its authors write. "However, well-documented racial wage discrimination indicates that higher racial diversity should decrease salaries." But the authors—Debanjan Mitra, Peter Golder, and Mariya Topchy—have developed a metric suggesting that graduates benefit financially if they graduate with a diverse peer group. The researchers argue that this evidence should be sufficient to prompt courts to reconsider earlier rulings. Read full article Comments
Salameh dibaei/iStock via Getty Images Waste Management ( WM ) down 0.7% in Wednesday's trading after reporting better-than-expected Q1 adjusted earnings and reaffirming guidance for FY 2026 revenue of $26.425B-$26.625B, in line with the $26.5B FactSet analyst consensus. Q1 profit rose to $723M, or $1.79/share, from $637M, or $1.58/share, in the year-earlier quarter, while adjusted EBITDA improved...
Salameh dibaei/iStock via Getty Images Waste Management ( WM ) down 0.7% in Wednesday's trading after reporting better-than-expected Q1 adjusted earnings and reaffirming guidance for FY 2026 revenue of $26.425B-$26.625B, in line with the $26.5B FactSet analyst consensus. Q1 profit rose to $723M, or $1.79/share, from $637M, or $1.58/share, in the year-earlier quarter, while adjusted EBITDA improved 8% Y/Y to $1.85B and revenue rose 3.5% to $6.23B, helped by higher prices as well as increased volumes in the company's recycling and renewable energy businesses. Waste Management ( WM ) reported improved operating profitability across its operations, saying operating EBITDA in its Collection and Disposal business unit increased by $154M while its margin expanded 190 bps, driven by favorable price-to-cost spread as it invests in making improvements in frontline retention and leverages technology and automation to reduce costs. But Q1 collection and disposal volumes fell 1.5%, largely because of winter weather and shedding of residential business with lower margins, as well as the absence of wildfire cleanup that lifted results in the same period a year earlier, the company said. "The momentum in our business, combined with our confidence in our ability to execute on our plan for the balance of the year, sets us up to achieve the full-year financial outlook we provided last quarter," CEO Jim Fish said. "Though characterized as in line with its expectations, Waste Management’s 1% revenue and EBITDA miss raise questions about its ability to achieve affirmed full-year targets," Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Scott Levine wrote. More on Waste Management Waste Management: A Fully Valued Defensive Compounder Waste Management: A Dividend Darling, But The Premium Stinks Waste Management: A Top Defensive Stock For A Bumpy 2026
Key Bridge Nightmare: Contractor Dropped After Costs Spiral Left-wing Gov. Wes Moore's claim that the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild is the "fastest-moving large infrastructure project in the United States" just hit a major roadblock . Fox Baltimore's Gary Collins reports that Maryland officials canceled Kiewit Infrastructure Co.'s contract for Phase 2 of the bridge rebuild, the construction pha...
Key Bridge Nightmare: Contractor Dropped After Costs Spiral Left-wing Gov. Wes Moore's claim that the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild is the "fastest-moving large infrastructure project in the United States" just hit a major roadblock . Fox Baltimore's Gary Collins reports that Maryland officials canceled Kiewit Infrastructure Co.'s contract for Phase 2 of the bridge rebuild, the construction phase, after the contractor's proposal reportedly far exceeded state estimates . BREAKING NEWS: The contract for Phase 2 for the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild has been officially cancelled. The contract is expected to go up for rebid beginning in May. https://t.co/WdquWgcvg8 — Gary M. Collins (@realgarycollins) April 28, 2026 This massive setback raises new questions about whether Moore's administration can actually control costs, properly manage the rebuild, and deliver the "fastest-moving large infrastructure project in the U.S.," given ballooning expenses. Collins quoted U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who explained the decision to remove Kiewit after its Phase 2 proposal " far exceeded " state estimates. Those estimates have surged from roughly $1.8 billion to more than $5.2 billion. Phase 2 of the rebuild would have included final design work, steel-pile installation in the Patapsco River, roadway approaches, and bridge-span construction. Now, Moore's administration must scramble to find a new contractor. Let’s get it! The Key Bridge no longer under contract 🤯 @WCBM680 https://t.co/9fWKpMVCAC pic.twitter.com/5T1cn7M5gr — Kimberly Klacik (@kimKBaltimore) April 29, 2026 Duffy stated in a federal announcement that the project has been plagued from the beginning by ballooning costs and delays. "The Trump Administration is always working to secure the best possible team for hardworking American taxpayers," Duffy continued. "It's my job to ensure the American people's tax dollars are used efficiently and that major projects are completed on time and on budget." He ...