It's easy to speculate about where MercadoLibre (MELI 3.59%) could be by 2029. Will it solidify its dominance across Latin America? Will fintech become the primary growth engine? Will competition permanently compress margins? Those are essential questions. But long-term investors don't need speculation; they need signals. Over the next three years, three indicators will reveal whether MercadoLibre...
It's easy to speculate about where MercadoLibre (MELI 3.59%) could be by 2029. Will it solidify its dominance across Latin America? Will fintech become the primary growth engine? Will competition permanently compress margins? Those are essential questions. But long-term investors don't need speculation; they need signals. Over the next three years, three indicators will reveal whether MercadoLibre is evolving into a durable compounder, or a growth platform with structurally thinner economics. Signal 1: What's the margin profile in the coming years? Revenue growth has remained strong in recent years, so that's not the concern. The real issue is whether MercadoLibre can translate scale into operating leverage (can it translate its growth into profit). In recent quarters, the company has leaned into free shipping, expanded logistics, and intense promotion -- especially in Brazil. Those decisions defend market share, but they pressure margins. The signal to watch isn't a single quarter of margin compression -- it's the trend. Are fulfillment costs per order declining as volumes increase? Is advertising becoming a larger, higher-margin contributor? Do operating margins stabilize, even modestly, despite competitive pressure? If margins begin to recover as scale increases, that suggests MercadoLibre's ecosystem still carries structural leverage. But if they remain stuck despite continued growth, that implies the competitive environment has permanently altered industry economics. Scale without leverage is not the same as scale with pricing power, and that's a key trend to track. Expand NASDAQ : MELI MercadoLibre Today's Change ( -3.59 %) $ -63.86 Current Price $ 1713.14 Key Data Points Market Cap $90B Day's Range $ 1660.58 - $ 1720.26 52wk Range $ 1654.24 - $ 2645.22 Volume 43K Avg Vol 576K Gross Margin 44.50 % Signal 2: Does MercadoLibre have credit discipline? Mercado Pago has gradually become a significant part of MercadoLibre's investment thesis, with good reason. Payme...
Key Points Margins will reveal the real story. Fintech discipline matters more than fintech growth. Rational competition is the swing factor. 10 stocks we like better than MercadoLibre › It's easy to speculate about where MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI) could be by 2029. Will it solidify its dominance across Latin America? Will fintech become the primary growth engine? Will competition permanently com...
Key Points Margins will reveal the real story. Fintech discipline matters more than fintech growth. Rational competition is the swing factor. 10 stocks we like better than MercadoLibre › It's easy to speculate about where MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI) could be by 2029. Will it solidify its dominance across Latin America? Will fintech become the primary growth engine? Will competition permanently compress margins? Those are essential questions. But long-term investors don't need speculation; they need signals. Over the next three years, three indicators will reveal whether MercadoLibre is evolving into a durable compounder, or a growth platform with structurally thinner economics. 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 » Signal 1: What's the margin profile in the coming years? Revenue growth has remained strong in recent years, so that's not the concern. The real issue is whether MercadoLibre can translate scale into operating leverage (can it translate its growth into profit). In recent quarters, the company has leaned into free shipping, expanded logistics, and intense promotion -- especially in Brazil. Those decisions defend market share, but they pressure margins. The signal to watch isn't a single quarter of margin compression -- it's the trend. Are fulfillment costs per order declining as volumes increase? Is advertising becoming a larger, higher-margin contributor? Do operating margins stabilize, even modestly, despite competitive pressure? If margins begin to recover as scale increases, that suggests MercadoLibre's ecosystem still carries structural leverage. But if they remain stuck despite continued growth, that implies the competitive environment has permanently altered industry economics. Scale without leverage is not the same as scale with pricing power, and that's a key trend to ...
New Jersey Faces Structural Deficit Crisis And Democrats Blame Trump When all else fails, blame Trump. It might be the only political strategy the Democrats have left but it doesn't work for everything. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, who took office this year, warns that the state faces a serious structural deficit (spending exceeding revenues annually) of roughly $3 billion, despite a projec...
New Jersey Faces Structural Deficit Crisis And Democrats Blame Trump When all else fails, blame Trump. It might be the only political strategy the Democrats have left but it doesn't work for everything. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, who took office this year, warns that the state faces a serious structural deficit (spending exceeding revenues annually) of roughly $3 billion, despite a projected surplus of $7.2 billion by the end of 2026. The notice comes as she prepares to unveil her first state budget on March 10th. Shockingly, Sherrill admits that Covid relief funds are drying up and that the stimulus helped to paper over the many budgetary problems within NJ (this is something alternative economists have asserting for years). However, she immediately launched into an attack on the Trump Administration, blaming federal cuts for the state's incoming fiscal crisis. New Jersey's extreme deficit earns them a membership in an exclusive club of states, all of them run by Democrat governors. California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Maryland all have deficits of $3 billion or more (California and New York are running deficits above $30 billion). It would seem there is a discernible pattern here, and it has nothing to do with Trump. New Jersey's total state government debt was roughly $213 billion as of late 2025, ranking among the highest in the nation. Furthermore, in August 2023 the New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) think tank issued an analysis cited "red flags" in the FY 2024 budget, including a structural deficit estimated at $1.5 billion for that year (spending exceeding revenues annually). They warned of a looming crisis with revenues projected to fall short by $3-4 billion annually in coming years if trends continued, citing declining year-over-year revenues in many states (including NJ) and unsustainable spending growth. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, was governor on NJ in 2023. Republicans accused him in 2025 of trying to hide the budget crisis and th...
Among the bunch of big-time spenders concerning the AI frenzy, a pair of Mag 7 members involved in the cloud, including Microsoft MSFT and Alphabet GOOGL, stick out considerably, with each pouring billions into their respective AI efforts. Extremely high capital expenditures (CapEx) have been a sensitive topic among the bunch, though all three remain more than committed to the future growth runway...
Among the bunch of big-time spenders concerning the AI frenzy, a pair of Mag 7 members involved in the cloud, including Microsoft MSFT and Alphabet GOOGL, stick out considerably, with each pouring billions into their respective AI efforts. Extremely high capital expenditures (CapEx) have been a sensitive topic among the bunch, though all three remain more than committed to the future growth runways expected to stem from the investments. Let’s take a closer look at just how much the tech giants are spending. Microsoft Bets Big Microsoft posted a double-beat relative to our consensus expectations in the latest release, continuing its established history of exceeding expectations. Adjusted EPS of $4.14 grew by 24% year-over-year, whereas sales of $81.3 billion grew 17% from the year-ago period. But while the growth is impressive, investors have expressed concerns about CapEx for cloud and AI offerings and, importantly, a slowdown in Azure growth. For years, investors have placed a strong emphasis on accelerating cloud revenue, which has often dictated post-earnings reactions across the space, including with Amazon’s AWS. CapEx for the period totaled $37.5 billion, of which $29.9 billion was for property and equipment, such as GPUs and CPUs to support Azure demand. Its broader Intelligent Cloud segment, which includes Azure, saw sales grow 28% year-over-year to $32.9 billion, though the segment’s gross margin took a hit due to continued AI investments. Below is a chart illustrating its CapEx on a quarterly basis. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Alphabet Guides Huge CapEx Similar to its peer MSFT, Alphabet posted a double-beat relative to our consensus expectations, with adjusted EPS of $2.82 shooting 31% higher year-over-year alongside a 18% sales increase. Importantly, Google Cloud results were notably strong, with revenues increasing by a mighty 48% to $17.7 billion. Growth was driven by increased adoption of Google Cloud Platform (GC...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has opened an internal investigation into allegations that Gregory Bovino, a senior border patrol official, made disparaging remarks about the Jewish faith of Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor, the New York Times reported. Bovino, who became the public face of the heavily scrutinized immigration crackdown in Minnesota that left two US citizens dead at the...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has opened an internal investigation into allegations that Gregory Bovino, a senior border patrol official, made disparaging remarks about the Jewish faith of Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor, the New York Times reported. Bovino, who became the public face of the heavily scrutinized immigration crackdown in Minnesota that left two US citizens dead at the hands of federal agents, allegedly mocked federal prosecutor Daniel Rosen during a January phone call with state prosecutors. According to the Times, Bovino allegedly made sarcastic comments about Rosen’s observance of Shabbat – the weekly period of rest from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset – and used the phrase “chosen people” in a derisive tone during the 12 January call. The call came after Bovino requested a meeting with Rosen to push the Minnesota US attorney’s office into a stronger response toward criminalizing people whom Bovino believed were impeding federal agents from enforcing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the state, the Times reported on Saturday. On Tuesday, the Times reported that John Breckenridge, a special investigator with Customs and Border Protection, had launched an “official inquiry into the allegation” that Bovino made “unprofessional comments”. Breckenridge contacted the Times seeking assistance with the inquiry but did not say whether other aspects of Bovino’s conduct were under review. DHS did not immediately reply to the Guardian’s request for comment. Bovino was ultimately removed as head of “Operation Metro Surge” after federal immigration agents fatally shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti within two weeks of each other. In the aftermath, Donald Trump dispatched his “border czar”, Tom Homan, to take control of the operation; Homan announced a drawdown of the roughly 3,000 federal agents deployed across Minnesota. Separately, a Minnesota prosecutor announced Monday that her office was pursuing a criminal investigation that co...
Cannell Capital reported a sale of 128,224 shares of Turning Point Brands (TPB 0.63%), an estimated $12.54 million trade based on quarterly average pricing, in its February 17, 2026, SEC filing. What happened In a regulatory disclosure dated February 17, 2026, Cannell Capital reported selling 128,224 shares of Turning Point Brands during the fourth quarter of 2025. The estimated transaction value ...
Cannell Capital reported a sale of 128,224 shares of Turning Point Brands (TPB 0.63%), an estimated $12.54 million trade based on quarterly average pricing, in its February 17, 2026, SEC filing. What happened In a regulatory disclosure dated February 17, 2026, Cannell Capital reported selling 128,224 shares of Turning Point Brands during the fourth quarter of 2025. The estimated transaction value was $12.54 million, calculated using the average closing price for the quarter. The fund’s quarter-end position dropped in value by $12.18 million, a figure that incorporates both share sales and changes in the underlying stock price. What else to know Following the sale, the position makes up 2.73% of Cannell Capital’s 13F reportable AUM. Top five holdings after the filing: NYSE: NOA: $15.45 million NASDAQ: EOSE: $14.99 million NASDAQ: SNDL: $14.54 million NYSE: NPKI: $11.21 million NYSE: NGS: $10.98 million As of Tuesday, shares of Turning Point Brands were priced at $107.57, up 53% over the past year and outperforming the S&P 500’s roughly 16% gain in the same period. Company overview Metric Value Price (as of Tuesday) $107.57 Market Capitalization $2.1 billion Revenue (TTM) $435.72 million Net Income (TTM) $52.37 million Company snapshot Turning Point Brands products and services include rolling papers, cigar wraps, moist snuff, chewing tobacco, CBD isolate, and vapor products, with leading brands such as Zig-Zag and Stoker's. The company generates revenue primarily through the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of branded tobacco and alternative smoking products across three business segments. Main customers are wholesale distributors, retail merchants, and non-traditional retail channels serving convenience stores, tobacco outlets, and online platforms. Turning Point Brands, Inc. is a diversified consumer products company focused on the tobacco and alternative smoking sector, operating through established brands and a multi-channel distribution network. What thi...
CALGARY, Alberta, March 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (“Gran Tierra” or the “Company”) (NYSE American:GTE) (TSX:GTE) (LSE:GTE) today announced the Company’s financial and operating results for the fourth quarter ( “the Quarter” ) and year ended December 31, 2025. Gran Tierra’s 2025 year-end reserves were evaluated by the Company's independent qualified reserves evaluator McD...
CALGARY, Alberta, March 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (“Gran Tierra” or the “Company”) (NYSE American:GTE) (TSX:GTE) (LSE:GTE) today announced the Company’s financial and operating results for the fourth quarter ( “the Quarter” ) and year ended December 31, 2025. Gran Tierra’s 2025 year-end reserves were evaluated by the Company's independent qualified reserves evaluator McDaniel & Associates Consultants Ltd. ( “McDaniel” ) in a report with an effective date of December 31, 2025 (the “GTE McDaniel Reserves Report” ). All reserves values, future net revenue and ancillary information contained in this press release have been prepared by McDaniel and calculated in compliance with Canadian National Instrument 51-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities ( “NI 51-101” ) and the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook ( “COGEH” ) and derived from the GTE McDaniel Reserves Report, unless otherwise expressly stated. The following reserves categories are discussed in this press release: Proved Developed Producing ( “PDP” ), Proved ( “1P” ), 1P plus Probable ( “2P” ) and 2P plus Possible ( “3P” ). All dollar amounts are in United States (“ U.S. ”) dollars and all production volumes are on an average working interest before royalties (“ WI ”) basis unless otherwise indicated. Production is expressed in barrels (“ bbl ”) of oil equivalent (“ boe ”) per day (“ boepd ” or “ boe/d ”) and are based on WI sales before royalties. Reserves are expressed in boe or million boe (“ MMBOE ”), unless otherwise indicated. For per boe amounts based on net after royalty (“ NAR ”) production, see Gran Tierra’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed March 4, 2026.
The Tennis Channel is looking to take a bigger swing at the online TV market. The company, owned by broadcaster Sinclair Inc. , has started selling its streaming service on Amazon.com Inc. ’s Prime Video Channels store, an initial step in an expansion that will include Roku Inc. ’s premium subscriptions and other distributors. The service costs $11.99 month and is showing matches from the BNP Pari...
The Tennis Channel is looking to take a bigger swing at the online TV market. The company, owned by broadcaster Sinclair Inc. , has started selling its streaming service on Amazon.com Inc. ’s Prime Video Channels store, an initial step in an expansion that will include Roku Inc. ’s premium subscriptions and other distributors. The service costs $11.99 month and is showing matches from the BNP Paribas Open beginning March 4. Its namesake TV cable channel has also secured distribution in sports-focused TV packages sold by DirecTV , FuboTV Inc. and Comcast Corp . Amazon’s store has been a boon for smaller streaming services like Starz. The popularity of tennis has surged since the pandemic sent people looking for outdoor activities. More than 27 million people played the sport in 2025, according to the US Tennis Association, an increase of 54% since 2019. The largest tournaments – the four majors, as well as the Masters 1000 level events – are setting attendance records. Tennis Channel Chief Executive Officer Jeff Blackburn is trying to convert the growing number of tennis enthusiasts into customers. The company’s traditional TV network is one of only a few to grow its audience during the twilight years of cable. “Everyone wants to bundle, and Tennis Channel is the perfect add to a bundle,” Blackburn said in an interview. While traditional TV accounts for as much as 80% of the company’s viewership, the future of the business is online via its paid streaming service, free streaming channels and social media feeds. Blackburn, who was previously one of Jeff Bezos ’ top lieutenants at Amazon, is investing a lot of resources to improve the technology and product, as well as the programming, he said.
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 5 p.m. ET Call Participants Chief Executive Officer — Michael Benstock Chief Financial Officer — Michael W. Koempel President, Branded Products — Jake Himelstein Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Revenue -- $147 million, up 1% year over year and 6% sequentially from fiscal Q3 2025, reflecting a back-...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 5 p.m. ET Call Participants Chief Executive Officer — Michael Benstock Chief Financial Officer — Michael W. Koempel President, Branded Products — Jake Himelstein Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Revenue -- $147 million, up 1% year over year and 6% sequentially from fiscal Q3 2025, reflecting a back-end-weighted cadence. (Fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2025.) -- $147 million, up 1% year over year and 6% sequentially from fiscal Q3 2025, reflecting a back-end-weighted cadence. (Fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2025.) Branded Products Revenue -- $97 million, up 5% year over year and increased by more than $10 million sequentially due to the Three Point acquisition and organic growth. -- $97 million, up 5% year over year and increased by more than $10 million sequentially due to the Three Point acquisition and organic growth. Healthcare Apparel Revenue -- $29 million, down 5% year over year, attributed to ongoing "macro uncertainty" affecting both wholesale and institutional healthcare channels. -- $29 million, down 5% year over year, attributed to ongoing "macro uncertainty" affecting both wholesale and institutional healthcare channels. Contact Centers Revenue -- $22 million, down 8% year over year, with sequential stabilization after customer attrition not yet offset by new business wins. -- $22 million, down 8% year over year, with sequential stabilization after customer attrition not yet offset by new business wins. Consolidated Gross Margin -- 36.9%, nearly flat versus the prior-year quarter's 37.1%. -- 36.9%, nearly flat versus the prior-year quarter's 37.1%. Branded Products Gross Margin -- 34.4%, up 50 basis points year over year, despite "higher tariffs." -- 34.4%, up 50 basis points year over year, despite "higher tariffs." Healthcare Apparel Gross Margin -- 33.6%, down 10 basis points from the previous year. -- 33.6%, down 10 basis points from the previous year. Contact...
CNBC's Jim Cramer said investors need to stay in the game as the U.S.-Iran war persists, pointing to Tuesday's partial market recovery as proof of how quickly the situation can change. "I want you to be thinking that these are companies you're investing in, not trading cards you're shuffling," Cramer said on "Mad Money." Wall Street got off to an ugly start Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial A...
CNBC's Jim Cramer said investors need to stay in the game as the U.S.-Iran war persists, pointing to Tuesday's partial market recovery as proof of how quickly the situation can change. "I want you to be thinking that these are companies you're investing in, not trading cards you're shuffling," Cramer said on "Mad Money." Wall Street got off to an ugly start Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing more than 1,200 points in the early going. At their session lows, the S & P 500 was off by 2.5%, while Nasdaq was down 2.7%. Cramer said stocks were trading like investors feared a prolonged war that would be difficult for the U.S. and Israel to win. Surging oil prices also weighed heavily on stocks early in the session. However, stocks rebounded throughout the day and the indexes ultimately closed well off their lows, albeit still firmly in negative territory. President Donald Trump offered some commentary that appeared to help sentiment, including saying the U.S. Navy would escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz following Iran's threats to attack vessels attempting to cross the vital oil waterway. U.S. oil benchmark WTI settled at $74.56 a barrel, well below its session highs of almost $78. "If you took action in the morning, if you did a proverbial 'get out now,' you didn't have time to get back in once the averages started bouncing from their lows. You never do," Cramer said. "If you think that you should be taking action on every drone, every missile, go trade in the predictions market. Get out of our house. That's gambling," he added later. "I prefer to focus on investing and that's less connected to the war than you might think and a lot more connected ... to the performances of the companies themselves." And beneath the surface of the indexes, Cramer said he sees some interesting dynamics that investors should not ignore. Specifically, Cramer pointed to a group of enterprise software stocks he's dubbed the "big four": Adobe , Salesforce , ServiceN...
VanderWolf-Images/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It seems to be a theme for me to cover companies where I have to be honest and say "yes, I was positive on the company, held shares, BUT..." usually followed by me selling my position at a valuation I thought too high for long-term comfort or justification for the business. So if you've read some of my latest articles for this market that we're c...
VanderWolf-Images/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It seems to be a theme for me to cover companies where I have to be honest and say "yes, I was positive on the company, held shares, BUT..." usually followed by me selling my position at a valuation I thought too high for long-term comfort or justification for the business. So if you've read some of my latest articles for this market that we're currently in, it's likely that you'll recognize some of the considerations and weightings I make here. BAE Systems ( BAESY ) was a superb holding of mine. I invested when the company was "dirt cheap" - not as good as Rolls-Royce ( RYCEF ) or Rheinmetall in Germany, which were examples of some very superb companies that I actually entered at dirt-cheap valuations (same with Thyssenkrupp, but that's not as pure-play defense as here), but again, exited. The same has happened to BAE, what happened to other companies. Overvaluation continued. Market inflation continued. As the geopolitical volatility increased further, as we've seen recently, these companies are likely to see further increases and upsides, at the very least in the short term. Given the current Iran conflict, it makes sense. And while I'm loath to give specific forecasts for anything like this, I think we can say with some degree of certainty that the conflict at least won't be solved this or next week. Does this mean that defense companies such as BAE Systems are somehow "BUY"'s again and that we should go in here and consider the valuations cheap? I would answer this with a firm "No". Every company needs to be viewed in a longer term context. If you're doing short-term valuations and investments, then that is something I don't typically cover. I may act short-term on investments that I have , but I don't invest (typically) with a short-term mindset. There's a big difference between these two things, typically related to long-term fundamentals and company qualities. So, let's see what we have going for BAE System...