X-Energy’s stock soared out of the gate after the AI-power play’s upsized IPO priced well above the expected range. But how a stock starts out doesn’t dictate how it will perform over the longer term.
X-Energy’s stock soared out of the gate after the AI-power play’s upsized IPO priced well above the expected range. But how a stock starts out doesn’t dictate how it will perform over the longer term.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts and ranking member of Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, during a confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Samuel Corum | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Department of Justice's criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is merely "temporarily paused," a pair of Democratic se...
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts and ranking member of Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, during a confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Samuel Corum | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Department of Justice's criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is merely "temporarily paused," a pair of Democratic senators said in a letter sent to the department Friday and obtained first by CNBC. "Your announcement leaves the door wide open for you to relaunch the criminal probe against Chair Powell – or future baseless investigations into Powell or other Fed Governors and a future Fed Chair – should it once again become politically expedient for you to do so," Sens. Elizabeth Warren , D-Mass., and Dick Durbin, D-Il., said in the letter addressed to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. Pirro said in a statement Friday that the Fed's inspector general had been asked to investigate cost overruns an ongoing renovation project. Pirro didn't specify who had made the request. Powell had last year asked the inspector general to look into the issue. Read more CNBC politics coverage Trump’s lack of focus on economy is spooking Republicans as 2026 election looms Trump orders Navy to ‘shoot and kill any boat’ laying mines in Hormuz Strait U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan leaving Trump administration: Pentagon "I have directed my office to close our investigation as the IG undertakes this inquiry," Pirro said. "Note well, however, that I will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so." Pirro's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Fed declined earlier Friday to comment on Pirro's decision. Powell in January said he had received subpoenas from Pirro's office. He denounced them as a pretext and said the Trump administration was displeased with him for not cutting interest rates faster and deeper than the Fed belie...
Why Palantir Stock Is Slumping in 2026—and Why It Could Bounce Back Barron's Why Palantir’s Story Just Entered A New Phase (NASDAQ:PLTR) Seeking Alpha Palantir Technologies (PLTR): The Trillion-Dollar Contender Nobody Is Talking About Yahoo Finance
Why Palantir Stock Is Slumping in 2026—and Why It Could Bounce Back Barron's Why Palantir’s Story Just Entered A New Phase (NASDAQ:PLTR) Seeking Alpha Palantir Technologies (PLTR): The Trillion-Dollar Contender Nobody Is Talking About Yahoo Finance
MetroCity Bankshares press release ( MCBS ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $0.77 beats by $0.05 . Revenue of $50.84M (+41.2% Y/Y) beats by $0.24M . More on MetroCity Bankshares Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on MetroCity Bankshares Dividend scorecard for MetroCity Bankshares Financial information for MetroCity Bankshares
MetroCity Bankshares press release ( MCBS ): Q1 GAAP EPS of $0.77 beats by $0.05 . Revenue of $50.84M (+41.2% Y/Y) beats by $0.24M . More on MetroCity Bankshares Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on MetroCity Bankshares Dividend scorecard for MetroCity Bankshares Financial information for MetroCity Bankshares
Nikada The Nasdaq Composite Index ( COMP:IND ) hit a record high on Friday as the U.S. continued ceasefire negotiations with Iran. The index rose 1.6% to close at a record 24,836.60. Semiconductor stocks rallied sharply on Friday, with Intel at the forefront, which soared as much as 24% after reporting blockbuster first-quarter results. On a weekly basis, the tech-heavy index was pulled higher by ...
Nikada The Nasdaq Composite Index ( COMP:IND ) hit a record high on Friday as the U.S. continued ceasefire negotiations with Iran. The index rose 1.6% to close at a record 24,836.60. Semiconductor stocks rallied sharply on Friday, with Intel at the forefront, which soared as much as 24% after reporting blockbuster first-quarter results. On a weekly basis, the tech-heavy index was pulled higher by chip stocks led by Arm Holdings ( ARM ), which logged the highest gains this week. Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) was second on the list of gainers this week. Meanwhile, decliners were spread across a range of sectors, including communications, technology, and industrials. Top gainers of the week: Arm Holdings ( ARM ) +40.20% Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) +24.57% Texas Instruments ( TXN ) +20.49% Intel ( INTC ) +18.93% Marvell Technology ( MRVL ) +17.21% Top losers for the week: Charter Communications ( CHTR ) -24.66% Cognizant Technology ( CTSH ) -10.15% Honeywell ( HON ) -8.73% CoStar ( CSGP ) -8.23% GE HealthCare ( GEHC ) -7.85% More on Markets Intel: The Prodigal Son Returns (Rating Upgrade) Pricing 'The Compute Theory Of Everything', Texas Instruments Hitting Inflection Point Charter Communications: Broadband Panic Is Overly Dramatic 3 things to look out for on Monday S&P 500, Nasdaq snatch another record as U.S. continues ceasefire negotiations with Iran
Belgium was cut by S&P Global Ratings, the second downgrade by a credit assessor in a week on the country running the euro area’s biggest budget deficits. The company lowered its score by one step to AA-, its fourth-highest level , and put a stable outlook on that view. “Belgium faces significant fiscal challenges, illustrated by a widening budget deficit in 2025 and its slow budgetary consolidati...
Belgium was cut by S&P Global Ratings, the second downgrade by a credit assessor in a week on the country running the euro area’s biggest budget deficits. The company lowered its score by one step to AA-, its fourth-highest level , and put a stable outlook on that view. “Belgium faces significant fiscal challenges, illustrated by a widening budget deficit in 2025 and its slow budgetary consolidation planned for 2026-2029, which may prove difficult to implement,” S&P said in a statement . “As a result, we now project that net government debt will increase to 109% of GDP in 2029 from 103% in 2025, with a corresponding increase in interest payments.” The move, just one week after Moody’s Ratings delivered its own downgrade , means Belgium has only one remaining score left within the upper tier of AA from the three major assessors. Its exclusion from that category from others means that some funds with ultra-strict investment criteria may already have been forced to sell the country’s bonds. The S&P move amounts to further condemnation of a once-solid sovereign borrower that apparently lacks the political capacity to change its budgetary trajectory. Speaking at a meeting of the bloc in Cyprus earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Bart De Wever acknowledged the country’s fiscal failings. “We have completely neglected public finances and are the worst in all of Europe,” he told reporters. “We cannot continue down this path.” Such as the dire state of Belgium’s fiscal outlook that the International Monetary Fund ’s Fiscal Monitor this month projected the country to have the fastest-growing debt of any advanced economy other than the US. Officials at the Washington lender project deficits to stay consistently above 5% of output for the foreseeable future. Belgium’s fiscal delinquency has kept the country firmly within the EU’s special monitoring regime, known as the Excessive Deficit Procedure, for failing to keep deficits under 3% of gross domestic product. While the governmen...
Why Did China Reserve A Vast Offshore Airspace For 40 Days Without Explanation? Authored by via The Epoch Times, China has imposed a 40-day offshore airspace restriction larger than Taiwan without explanation, signaling a potential shift toward sustained military readiness near Japan and U.S. allies. China filed Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) reserving offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and Eas...
Why Did China Reserve A Vast Offshore Airspace For 40 Days Without Explanation? Authored by via The Epoch Times, China has imposed a 40-day offshore airspace restriction larger than Taiwan without explanation, signaling a potential shift toward sustained military readiness near Japan and U.S. allies. China filed Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) reserving offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6 , a 40-day window, without announcing any military exercises or offering a public explanation. The reserved zones cover an area larger than Taiwan’s main island, spanning from the Yellow Sea facing South Korea to the East China Sea facing Japan, including airspace north and south of Shanghai. The restrictions carry no vertical ceiling, designated SFC-UNL, meaning surface to unlimited altitude. Civil aviation remains unaffected. Commercial flights are still permitted to pass through these areas, but must coordinate carefully with Chinese air traffic control authorities. NOTAMs of this type have previously been used to signal Chinese military exercises, which typically last a few days. China has issued comparable restrictions along the same coastline at least four times in the past 18 months, but those lasted only three days and were openly linked to announced exercises, missile launches, or live-fire training events. This time, Beijing provided no warning, no declared exercise, and no explanation. China’s Ministry of Defense and civil aviation authorities issued no statements and did not respond to requests for comment. The November and December 2024 precedent is directly relevant. In November 2024, Shanghai air traffic control issued a NOTAM restricting seven large sections of airspace off China’s coast for periods spanning three days. Those zones overlapped with airspace subsequently used during large-scale military exercises in December 2024. China provided no reason for the November restrictions, and they passed relatively unnoticed by ...
Alexander Sikov The Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) surged to a record close on Friday, climbing +1.6% in a rally that Seeking Alpha analyst Alex King of Cestrian Capital Research said has been powered by an unstoppable semiconductor sector. “This week’s market was brought to you by the letters Q, Q, and Q,” King wrote. “The mighty Nasdaq came to life, powered by semiconductors, which continue to he...
Alexander Sikov The Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) surged to a record close on Friday, climbing +1.6% in a rally that Seeking Alpha analyst Alex King of Cestrian Capital Research said has been powered by an unstoppable semiconductor sector. “This week’s market was brought to you by the letters Q, Q, and Q,” King wrote. “The mighty Nasdaq came to life, powered by semiconductors, which continue to head skywards. Thus far there is no sign of cooling off in tech, any attempts to fade the move since the March lows have just left investors battered, bruised, and resentful.” The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ( SOX ) crossed the 10,000 mark this week, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF ( SOXX ) posting its 17th consecutive positive session. Also, Intel’s ( INTC ) first-quarter earnings beat, and upbeat guidance added fuel to the rally. King now poses a provocative question: What if software joins the party? “The signs are there in IGV,” he said about the Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF ( IGV ). “We look forward to this most hated of moves becoming…even more hated.” Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist at BofA Global Research, warned the semiconductor index ( SOX ) appears “bubbly,” reaching overbought levels not seen since June 2000. However, he noted the breakout among “blue collar” chip firms like ON Semiconductor ( ON ), STMicroelectronics ( STM ), and Texas Instruments ( TXN ) signals expectations for robust manufacturing expansion. Michael Kantro of Piper Sandler pointed to broadening market participation, with more companies seeing positive earnings revisions alongside strong PMI readings. Ryan Detrick of Carson Group added historical context: “Sell in May” periods tend to perform significantly better when stocks are already positive year-to-date, as they are now. More on NASDAQ Composite Index 2026 Inflation Outlook Makes Rule Of 20 Particularly Misleading The Market's All-Time High Is A Warning Sign Macro Insights: The 'Spoils Of The Iran War' Hidden In...
Since Tim Cook took over as Apple 's (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO in 2011, the company has grown into a $4 trillion behemoth. Where the technology company was focused on innovation under Steve Jobs, Cook turned it into a financial juggernaut. Investors are rightfully questioning what the next chapter in the tech giant's development will look like under heir apparent John Ternus. There are two reasons I beli...
Since Tim Cook took over as Apple 's (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO in 2011, the company has grown into a $4 trillion behemoth. Where the technology company was focused on innovation under Steve Jobs, Cook turned it into a financial juggernaut. Investors are rightfully questioning what the next chapter in the tech giant's development will look like under heir apparent John Ternus. There are two reasons I believe that investors should be excited about this new CEO. First, Ternus is a visionary engineer whose fingerprints are on almost every product in Apple's storied history over the past 25 years. Secondly, he has a chance to return Apple's primary focus to engineering innovation. Continue reading
Earnings Call Insights: Sensient Technologies (SXT) Q1 2026 Management View Paul Manning said the company had “a very strong start to 2026,” citing “7% local currency revenue growth, 10% local currency adjusted EBITDA growth, and 14% local currency adjusted EPS growth,” and added that results “exceeded our early expectations and position us nicely for the year.” Manning highlighted Color Group mom...
Earnings Call Insights: Sensient Technologies (SXT) Q1 2026 Management View Paul Manning said the company had “a very strong start to 2026,” citing “7% local currency revenue growth, 10% local currency adjusted EBITDA growth, and 14% local currency adjusted EPS growth,” and added that results “exceeded our early expectations and position us nicely for the year.” Manning highlighted Color Group momentum and conversions: “Commercial activity around natural color conversions continues to be very strong and the momentum is building,” adding, “we are starting to see an uptick in customer orders for conversion of their synthetically colored products in the U.S., and the pipeline to $1 billion continues to look very promising.” Manning framed strategy and capital focus around the U.S. shift to natural colors: “the preparations for the wholesale conversion of synthetic colors to natural colors in the United States remains our priority and current strategic focus,” and he reiterated that “the U.S. conversion to natural colors is the single largest opportunity in Sensient’s history.” On geopolitics, Manning said, “we do not have any significant operations in the Middle East,” while adding the company is “working to mitigate any potential supply chain risks that may result from the overall increase in fuel and certain commodity prices,” and that with the war in Iran, “we have proven our ability to adjust prices where necessary.” Tobin Tornehl said, “Sensient’s revenue was $435.8 million in the first quarter of 2026,” and added, “cash flow used in operations was $14 million in the first quarter of 2026,” with “capital expenditures…$29 million,” while noting “our net debt to credit adjusted EBITDA is 2.4x as of March 31, 2026.” Outlook Manning said, “we are increasing our local currency ranges for the year,” and the company “now expect[s] our local currency revenue to be up high-single to double-digits,” with “local currency adjusted EBITDA and EPS to grow at high-single to doub...
One by one, high-conviction trades on Wall Street are falling out of favor. USO , the biggest US ETF tracking crude oil, is on pace for its steepest monthly outflow since 2009. SOXX , one of the largest semiconductor funds, is poised for its second-largest weekly withdrawal ever — a week after reeling in record cash. Both are among the market’s most-crowded trades. Both keep paying off. Yet risk-m...
One by one, high-conviction trades on Wall Street are falling out of favor. USO , the biggest US ETF tracking crude oil, is on pace for its steepest monthly outflow since 2009. SOXX , one of the largest semiconductor funds, is poised for its second-largest weekly withdrawal ever — a week after reeling in record cash. Both are among the market’s most-crowded trades. Both keep paying off. Yet risk-minded investors are cashing out. Oil and chipmakers have been the holdouts. They survived the AI-disruption scare that ripped through software and credit in February. They continued to draw money during March’s macro reshuffle following the US-Iran conflict, which pushed the dollar higher and knocked down international stocks — inverting most of the big calls traders carried into 2026. Those positions are starting to unwind. Zig-zags happen in markets, and most mean little. The two forces — AI and war — are leaving imprints across Wall Street, and neither has resolved. Investors are rethinking which businesses compound and which get hollowed out by AI innovations. And the war is pushing asset correlations out of whack. Against that backdrop, the case for oil and chipmakers has been clear. Chipmakers have been riding the AI capex wave. Oil has benefited from supply fears after the Strait of Hormuz closure. Both have been drawing money for months. Now, positioning is doing the driving. When trades get crowded, flows often shift before fundamentals do — and before prices catch up. Gold’s shock selloff in recent months was one example. The exit from oil and chips this week is another, even as both still hold onto this year’s gains. To Dan Niles , founder of Niles Investment Management, the pullback looks like rational profit-taking, not panic. “It’s very smart that investors are looking at that and saying, ‘I think I want to exit these trades for now and wait for a better time to get involved again,’” he said. “You want to be buying when everybody else is panicking, and you wan...
greenleaf123/iStock via Getty Images Overview I'm previewing Eli Lilly and Company's ( LLY ) Q1 earnings that are expected to be announced at the end of the month, April 30. Now, I'm going to view this through the lens of a “heavyweight battle” between Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk ( NVO ). My last analysis on Eli Lilly was in January. I reiterated my “ Buy ” rating on the company as it appeared they...
greenleaf123/iStock via Getty Images Overview I'm previewing Eli Lilly and Company's ( LLY ) Q1 earnings that are expected to be announced at the end of the month, April 30. Now, I'm going to view this through the lens of a “heavyweight battle” between Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk ( NVO ). My last analysis on Eli Lilly was in January. I reiterated my “ Buy ” rating on the company as it appeared they were positioned for a clean pivot from “scarcity” in the obesity treatment market to “access economics.” A lot of what is going on right now in the obesity market is related to expanding access and increasing volume. It’s essentially a “land grab.” However, the battle is more nuanced than that. Both pharma giants and their oral obesity drugs have distinct advantages and disadvantages. For instance, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy (semaglutide) pill had a first-mover advantage, as it was launched in early January. And because it shares the same brand name as its popular injectable, it has immediate brand awareness. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly’s Foundayo (orforglipron) was just approved on April 1 and is distinct from Eli Lilly’s popular injectable, Zepbound (tirzepatide). The marketing plans for both companies are a bit different as well. As you might have heard already, Novo Nordisk is friends again with Hims & Hers Health ( HIMS ), and of course, Hims & Hers Health is incentivized to market the fact that it has Wegovy in stock. Whereas Eli Lilly continues to focus on LillyDirect, which is its own digital platform that provides direct-to-consumer access. At least in the early innings, these surface-level nuances likely explain why Eli Lilly's newly launched oral obesity drug appears to be underperforming compared to Wegovy. Following the release of early script trends, at writing, Novo Nordisk stock is up 5%, while Eli Lilly stock is down 4%. But in my view, this is like panicking when the opposing team scores first by hitting a field goal two minutes into the first quarter. It’s just way ...
In trading on Friday, shares of the Invesco S&P SmallCap Consumer Staples ETF (Symbol: PSCC) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $33.07, changing hands as high as $33.11 per share. Invesco S&P SmallCap Consumer Staples shares are currently trading up about 0.9
In trading on Friday, shares of the Invesco S&P SmallCap Consumer Staples ETF (Symbol: PSCC) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $33.07, changing hands as high as $33.11 per share. Invesco S&P SmallCap Consumer Staples shares are currently trading up about 0.9
In trading on Friday, shares of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $99.31, changing hands as low as $99.24 per share. First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund shares are curre
In trading on Friday, shares of the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund ETF (Symbol: QQXT) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $99.31, changing hands as low as $99.24 per share. First Trust NASDAQ-100 Ex-Technology Sector Index Fund shares are curre
In trading on Friday, shares of the Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF (Symbol: KBWP) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $121.83, changing hands as low as $121.08 per share. Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance shares are currently trading dow
In trading on Friday, shares of the Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETF (Symbol: KBWP) crossed below their 200 day moving average of $121.83, changing hands as low as $121.08 per share. Invesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance shares are currently trading dow
naphtalina/iStock via Getty Images Wall Street's major averages ended mixed on Friday, but the S&P 500 ( SP500 ) and the Nasdaq ( COMP:IND ) achieved another record close as investors digested the latest developments in the Middle East, including a three-week extension to the truce between Israel and Lebanon. The benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) ended +0.8% reaching the all-time high close of 7,165.08 ...
naphtalina/iStock via Getty Images Wall Street's major averages ended mixed on Friday, but the S&P 500 ( SP500 ) and the Nasdaq ( COMP:IND ) achieved another record close as investors digested the latest developments in the Middle East, including a three-week extension to the truce between Israel and Lebanon. The benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) ended +0.8% reaching the all-time high close of 7,165.08 points, while the heavy-tech Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) closed +1.6%, also at the record close of 24,836.60 points. Meanwhile, the blue-chip Dow was -0.2%. Now, here are three focus points for investors on Monday: Notable companies due to report include Verizon ( VZ ), Public Storage ( PSA ), Nucor ( NUE ), and Domino's Pizza ( DPZ ). Options trading implies a double-digit swing for Rambus ( RMBS ) after it reports. Pershing Square USA ( PSUS ) is expected to price its IPO and begin trading. Buyers of the new company will get exposure to Bill Ackman’s investing vehicle plus a small stake in the Pershing Square (PS) management company. The analyst quiet period expires on HMH Holding ( HMH ) to free up analysts to post ratings. Monday has U.S. Treasury auctions for 3-month ( US3M ) bills, 6-month ( US6M ) bills, 2-year ( US2Y ) notes and 5-year ( US5Y ) notes, ahead of the Federal Reserve's rate decision later in the week. More on the Markets U.S. Consumer Sentiment Under Pressure From War And Rising Oil Prices Dow Jones And U.S. Stock Market Outlook - Nasdaq And Tech Continue To Outperform Stocks Are Rising Despite Falling Liquidity Amid Mounting Risks S&P 500, Nasdaq snatch another record as U.S. continues ceasefire negotiations with Iran More than 25% chance the S&P 500 will hit 8,000 in 2026 – Kalshi
Pyxis Tankers ( PXS ) on Friday said Chief Financial Officer Henry Williams will step down at the end of April 2026, with Fotis Giannakoulis set to take over the role effective May 1, 2026. The company said Williams had served since its 2015 public listing. Giannakoulis brings about 25 years of experience in ship finance, including roles in lending, research and investment banking. Source: Press R...
Pyxis Tankers ( PXS ) on Friday said Chief Financial Officer Henry Williams will step down at the end of April 2026, with Fotis Giannakoulis set to take over the role effective May 1, 2026. The company said Williams had served since its 2015 public listing. Giannakoulis brings about 25 years of experience in ship finance, including roles in lending, research and investment banking. Source: Press Release More on Pyxis Tankers Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Pyxis Tankers Historical earnings data for Pyxis Tankers Financial information for Pyxis Tankers
Comprehensive cross-platform coverage of the U.S. market close on Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, and YouTube with Romaine Bostick, Katie Greifeld, Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. (Source: Bloomberg)
Comprehensive cross-platform coverage of the U.S. market close on Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, and YouTube with Romaine Bostick, Katie Greifeld, Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. (Source: Bloomberg)