China set its most modest growth target in more than three decades, in a tacit acknowledgment that the model powering the country’s rapid rise for four decades is showing strains. The goal — a range of 4.5% to 5% — was in a copy of the government’s annual work report seen by Bloomberg News. It marks the first formal downgrade since 2023 and the least ambitious expansion goal since 1991. While wide...
China set its most modest growth target in more than three decades, in a tacit acknowledgment that the model powering the country’s rapid rise for four decades is showing strains. The goal — a range of 4.5% to 5% — was in a copy of the government’s annual work report seen by Bloomberg News. It marks the first formal downgrade since 2023 and the least ambitious expansion goal since 1991. While widely anticipated by economists, it carries symbolic weight in a country where growth figures function as political statements as much as economic forecasts. No target was set in 2020 because of the pandemic. The shift signals Beijing’s comfort with a slower pace while seeking more sustainable growth drivers to replace debt-fueled property and infrastructure investment. A lower target also reduces the pressure on officials to deploy aggressive stimulus despite a volatile global trade environment. Premier Li Qiang is expected to officially announce the target Thursday morning in Beijing. The report to the national parliament will also detail objectives for employment and inflation that will dictate the scale of 2026 fiscal support. The legislative session begins as external uncertainties threaten China’s export-led recovery. Widening Middle East conflicts risk disrupting trade routes and complicate a summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump just weeks away. Surging exports accounted for a third of China’s 5% growth last year, the highest share since 1997. This reliance highlights a deepening imbalance as efforts to boost domestic spending have so far failed to offset the impact of a property market collapse. Read More: Xi Eyes Consumers to Lead New Era for China’s Unbalanced Economy A conservative growth target would reduce the prospects of forceful stimulus. The government is reluctant to roll out sweeping easing as it did in previous downturns , for fear of worsening a record debt-to-GDP ratio and squeezing profit margins at state banks. Still, t...
Thursday is forecast to be the warmest day so far of 2026 - beating the 18.7C (65.7F) maximum reached in the last week of February at Kew Gardens in London. However, make the most of the warmth if you can because Friday will bring a dramatic change in the temperatures. The weekend looks warmer again but next week could bring more rain for some of us. The early season warmth will be welcomed by man...
Thursday is forecast to be the warmest day so far of 2026 - beating the 18.7C (65.7F) maximum reached in the last week of February at Kew Gardens in London. However, make the most of the warmth if you can because Friday will bring a dramatic change in the temperatures. The weekend looks warmer again but next week could bring more rain for some of us. The early season warmth will be welcomed by many, but not if you suffer from tree pollen.
European Wax Center, Inc. (EWCZ) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.1 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.04 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.16 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +130.95%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post earnings of $0.14 per ...
European Wax Center, Inc. (EWCZ) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.1 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.04 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.16 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +130.95%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post earnings of $0.14 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.25, delivering a surprise of +78.57%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times. European Wax Center, which belongs to the Zacks Cosmetics industry, posted revenues of $45.1 million for the quarter ended December 2025, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.88%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $49.74 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. European Wax Center shares have added about 59.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of 0.4%. What's Next for European Wax Center? While European Wax Center has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of e...
Vermilion Energy (VET) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.63 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.3 per share. This compares to a loss of $0.09 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +110.00%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this oil and natural gas explorer would post earnings of $...
Vermilion Energy (VET) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.63 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.3 per share. This compares to a loss of $0.09 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +110.00%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this oil and natural gas explorer would post earnings of $0.04 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.02, delivering a surprise of -150%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates just once. Vermilion, which belongs to the Zacks Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - International industry, posted revenues of $329.06 million for the quarter ended December 2025, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 15.43%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $360.48 million. The company has not been able to beat consensus revenue estimates over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Vermilion shares have added about 37.1% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of 0.4%. What's Next for Vermilion? While Vermilion has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harne...
Degraded Schools Authored by Larry Sand via American Greatness , Many students are chronically absent or have dropped out of school. Nat Malkus , a senior fellow in education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, oversees the Return to Learn Tracker, which monitors chronic absenteeism in U.S. schools. His latest report, released in early February, includes data from 39 states and Wa...
Degraded Schools Authored by Larry Sand via American Greatness , Many students are chronically absent or have dropped out of school. Nat Malkus , a senior fellow in education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, oversees the Return to Learn Tracker, which monitors chronic absenteeism in U.S. schools. His latest report, released in early February, includes data from 39 states and Washington, D.C. He states that after reaching a high of 29 percent in the 2021–22 school year, the chronic absenteeism rate—missing 10 percent or more of school days in an academic year—fell by 2.6 percentage points the following school year and by 2.2 percentage points the following school year. This progress was encouraging, but it stalled last school year , with rates falling by just over one percentage point on average. This leaves the average chronic absenteeism rate for most of the country at 23 percent, roughly 50 percent higher than the pre-pandemic baseline. This chronic absence problem is especially egregious in our large urban areas. In Los Angeles , more than 32 percent of students were chronically absent during the 2023–24 school year. Thirty-four elementary schools have fewer than 200 students, and 29 use less than half of their buildings. Chicago is even worse, with a chronic absentee rate of 41 percent. Malkus concludes that these patterns suggest that shifts in attitudes and behavior are largely driving the across-the-board increases in post-pandemic absenteeism. Six years into the pandemic, students and their parents are placing less value on attending school each day. One realistic way to address chronic absenteeism—and save taxpayer dollars—would be to close ineffective schools. But government educrats and teacher union bosses refuse to allow that to happen. In fact, school closures have slowed over time. An analysis by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics shows that in 2014–15, the closure rate—the share of schools nationwide that were open one year and ...
One of the best-performing stocks on Hump Day was from an under-the-radar company that's been plying its trade for almost 160 years. Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW +45.80%), which concentrates on the design and sale of power-generation assets, saw its share price zoom nearly 46% higher that trading session, on news of the start of a new project. A $2.4 billion win Before market open that day, Ba...
One of the best-performing stocks on Hump Day was from an under-the-radar company that's been plying its trade for almost 160 years. Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (BW +45.80%), which concentrates on the design and sale of power-generation assets, saw its share price zoom nearly 46% higher that trading session, on news of the start of a new project. A $2.4 billion win Before market open that day, Babcock & Wilcox announced it had received a full notice to proceed with a design-build project with power producer Base Electron. The goal of the project, which the company said will earn it $2.4 billion, is to deliver 1.2 gigawatts of new electricity generation capacity for Base Electron's owner, artificial intelligence (AI) data center operator Applied Digital. Babcock & Wilcox is the key contractor on this project. It said it will not only design the power plant, but also procure equipment for its operation, and construct the facility. The company was clearly excited about the project. It quoted CEO Kenneth Young as saying that the work "further underscores the strategic role B&W plays in supporting the rapidly expanding power needs of large‑scale AI data centers." Additionally, Babcock & Wilcox reported its fourth quarter and full-year results that day. For the quarter, its revenue was down marginally year over year to $161 million. The company narrowed its net loss under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to $3.5 million from the year-ago shortfall of $53.8 million. Expand NYSE : BW Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises Today's Change ( 45.80 %) $ 3.71 Current Price $ 11.81 Key Data Points Market Cap $900M Day's Range $ 9.32 - $ 12.00 52wk Range $ 0.22 - $ 12.00 Volume 634K Avg Vol 2.9M Gross Margin 26.77 % The right activity at the right time It's not only the large scale of the project -- even for a company as well-established as Babcock & Wilcox -- it's also the nature of the work. Data center operators can't build out AI-supporting infrastructure fast enough, so...
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total value of $33,934.88. Following the sale, the director owned 18,418 shares in the company, valued at $5,580,469.82. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was d...
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) Director Frances Arnold sold 112 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.99, for a total value of $33,934.88. Following the sale, the director owned 18,418 shares in the company, valued at $5,580,469.82. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Frances Arnold also recently made the following trade(s): On Thursday, January 29th, Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of Alphabet stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.00, for a total value of $34,680.00. On Wednesday, December 31st, Frances Arnold sold 102 shares of Alphabet stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.45, for a total value of $31,971.90. Get Alphabet alerts: Sign Up Alphabet Stock Down 0.0% Shares of NASDAQ GOOG traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $303.45. The company had a trading volume of 19,955,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,095,281. Alphabet Inc. has a 1-year low of $142.66 and a 1-year high of $350.15. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm's 50 day moving average is $321.14 and its 200-day moving average is $285.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.67 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.10. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The information services provider reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $113.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.24 billion. Alphabet had a net margin of 32.81% and a return on equity of 35.01%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the sa...
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney might be one of the most outspoken people in the history of the world. He fought two of the world’s most valuable and powerful compani...
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney might be one of the most outspoken people in the history of the world. He fought two of the world’s most valuable and powerful companies almost all the way to the US Supreme Court, insulting them again and again: “crooked,” “deceitful,” “insanely sneaky,” calling Android a “fake open platform,” calling both companies “gangster-style businesses that will do anything they think they can get away with,” telling me how Google’s Project Hug was “an astonishingly corrupt effort at a massive scale.” But Google has finally muzzled Tim Sweeney. It’s right there in a binding term sheet for his settlement with Google. On March 3rd, he not only signed away Epic’s rights to sue and disparage the company, he signed away his right to advocate for any further changes to Google’s app store polices. He can’t criticize Google’s app store practices. In fact, he has to praise them. The contract states that “Epic believes that the Google and Android platform, with the changes in this term sheet, are procompetitive and a model for app store / platform operations, and will make good faith efforts to advocate for the same.” He may even have to appear in other courts around the world to defend this deal with Google, and Google gets to make sure his public statements are supportive of the deal from here on out. And while Epic can still be part of the “Coalition for App Fairness,” the organization that Epic quietly and solely funded to be its attack dog against Google and Apple, he can only point that organization at Apple now. Previous Next 1 / 4 You can take a peek at the relevant sections of the term sheet above, and Sweeney’s digital signature. According to the signed document, it will expire five years after Google’s done makin...
Fabian Hürzeler accused Arsenal of playing by their own rules in a void left by weak Premier League refereeing in a furious broadside at their approach. The Brighton manager boiled over after his team lost 1-0 at home to them on Wednesday night, Bukayo Saka’s early goal moving Arsenal seven points clear at the top of the table. Hürzeler had called out Mikel Arteta for Arsenal’s time-wasting before...
Fabian Hürzeler accused Arsenal of playing by their own rules in a void left by weak Premier League refereeing in a furious broadside at their approach. The Brighton manager boiled over after his team lost 1-0 at home to them on Wednesday night, Bukayo Saka’s early goal moving Arsenal seven points clear at the top of the table. Hürzeler had called out Mikel Arteta for Arsenal’s time-wasting beforehand and he did not hold back after witnessing a game in which he said there was “only one team who tried to play football”. He raged about how the Arsenal goalkeeper, David Raya, went down injured three times and insisted the authorities had to have stronger rules to help referees or the future of the game would be undermined. Arteta was keener to focus on a vital victory, which looked even better after Manchester City could only draw 2-2 at home against Nottingham Forest. But he did make a number of terse replies to Hürzeler’s criticisms. “I ask you one question,” Hürzeler said. “Did you see in a Premier League game a goalkeeper going down three times? You can’t control these kind of things … therefore the Premier League has to find a rule. I made my point before the game and I stick to it. In the end I think [against] these kind of opponents, you can only punish [them] by winning so today I have no arguments on my side. If I would have a 2-1 win, a deserved 2-1 win, I could speak differently.” Hürzeler was asked whether the ends justified the means for Arsenal. “But that’s what I mean … [it is] a different kind of winning,” he said. “If they win the Premier League, no one will ask how they win the Premier League. You can really feel that they do everything now to win and, in the end, it’s about the rules. So if the Premier League, if the referee, allows everything, then it’s difficult. Then, they make their own rules. At the moment, I have the feeling they are doing their own rules, no matter how they are playing. “I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Eric Stang Chief Financial Officer — Shig Hamamatsu Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Development — Matt Robison Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Revenue -- $74.6 million in the quarter, reflecting 15% year-over-year growth. -- $74.6 ...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Eric Stang Chief Financial Officer — Shig Hamamatsu Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Development — Matt Robison Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Revenue -- $74.6 million in the quarter, reflecting 15% year-over-year growth. -- $74.6 million in the quarter, reflecting 15% year-over-year growth. Business Subscription and Services Revenue -- Accounted for 67% of total subscription and services revenue, up from 61% in the prior year quarter. -- Accounted for 67% of total subscription and services revenue, up from 61% in the prior year quarter. FluentStream and Phone.com Revenue Contribution -- approximately $6.1 million added in the quarter, nearly all ($6.0 million) from business subscription. -- approximately $6.1 million added in the quarter, nearly all ($6.0 million) from business subscription. Product and Other Revenue -- $5.9 million, up 30% year over year, attributed to growth in add-on installations. -- $5.9 million, up 30% year over year, attributed to growth in add-on installations. Adjusted EBITDA -- $11.5 million in the quarter (15% margin), up from 11% margin a year ago. -- $11.5 million in the quarter (15% margin), up from 11% margin a year ago. Quarterly Non-GAAP Net Income -- $9.4 million, a 62% increase year over year. -- $9.4 million, a 62% increase year over year. Annual Exit Recurring Revenue -- $291 million, up 24% year over year, incorporating acquired users. -- $291 million, up 24% year over year, incorporating acquired users. Net Dollar Subscription Retention Rate -- 99%, unchanged from the previous quarter. -- 99%, unchanged from the previous quarter. ARPU -- $15.99, representing a 5% increase year over year, excluding the acquisitions’ partial-quarter effect. -- $15.99, representing a 5% increase year over year, excluding the acquisitions’ partial-quarter effect. Core Users -- 1,4...
Key Points These three stocks offer you the best of Buffett’s investing principles. They’ve been winners for the billionaire and remain key holdings in the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › Warren Buffett spent 60 years at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, and during that time, he helped deliver market-beating returns. Over that period, the comp...
Key Points These three stocks offer you the best of Buffett’s investing principles. They’ve been winners for the billionaire and remain key holdings in the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › Warren Buffett spent 60 years at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, and during that time, he helped deliver market-beating returns. Over that period, the compounded annual gain surpassed 19% -- that's compared to a little more than 10% for the S&P 500. That's why investors have readily turned to him for investing inspiration. Though Buffett retired from the job at the end of 2025, he remains chairman of the holding company -- so he's still around and likely to share his thoughts on investing from time to time. On top of this, he shared much wisdom over the years, and since his strategy is evergreen, we can use it as a guide at any point. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Buffett focused on long-term investing, buying quality companies for reasonable prices and then accompanying them along their path. The billionaire favored players with a strong presence in their respective markets, ensured by a moat, or competitive advantage. Though the investing giant has retired, you still can invest like him by adding the following Buffett favorites to your portfolio... 1. Apple Buffett sold some shares of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) over the past year, and he might have done this to lock in gains. He's held the shares since 2016, and since then, they've climbed about 800%. But there are two reasons to believe the billionaire still loves Apple. First, as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, it remains the biggest holding in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio. And second, Buffett praised Apple chief Tim Cook during the Berkshire Hathaway meeting with shareholders la...
Warren Buffett spent 60 years at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, and during that time, he helped deliver market-beating returns. Over that period, the compounded annual gain surpassed 19% -- that's compared to a little more than 10% for the S&P 500. That's why investors have readily turned to him for investing inspiration. Though Buffett retired from the job at the end of 2025, he remains chairman...
Warren Buffett spent 60 years at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, and during that time, he helped deliver market-beating returns. Over that period, the compounded annual gain surpassed 19% -- that's compared to a little more than 10% for the S&P 500. That's why investors have readily turned to him for investing inspiration. Though Buffett retired from the job at the end of 2025, he remains chairman of the holding company -- so he's still around and likely to share his thoughts on investing from time to time. On top of this, he shared much wisdom over the years, and since his strategy is evergreen, we can use it as a guide at any point. Buffett focused on long-term investing, buying quality companies for reasonable prices and then accompanying them along their path. The billionaire favored players with a strong presence in their respective markets, ensured by a moat, or competitive advantage. Though the investing giant has retired, you still can invest like him by adding the following Buffett favorites to your portfolio... 1. Apple Buffett sold some shares of Apple (AAPL 0.39%) over the past year, and he might have done this to lock in gains. He's held the shares since 2016, and since then, they've climbed about 800%. But there are two reasons to believe the billionaire still loves Apple. First, as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, it remains the biggest holding in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio. And second, Buffett praised Apple chief Tim Cook during the Berkshire Hathaway meeting with shareholders last year. Expand NASDAQ : AAPL Apple Today's Change ( -0.39 %) $ -1.02 Current Price $ 262.73 Key Data Points Market Cap $3.9T Day's Range $ 261.45 - $ 266.13 52wk Range $ 169.21 - $ 288.62 Volume 1.7M Avg Vol 48M Gross Margin 47.33 % Dividend Yield 0.39 % Why should you get excited about this tech giant? Apple has built a smartphone empire over the past several years, resulting in a solid brand moat. Customers are loyal to the iPhone and will wait eagerly to get ...