wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Even without gas stations, retail sales jumped, powered by e-commerce, auto dealers, general merchandise stores, and other retailers. Retail sales soared in March by 1.7% from February, seasonally adjusted. Compared to March last year, sales jumped by 4.5%, not seasonally adjusted. But there was this spike in the price of gasoline, which caused sales at gas statio...
wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Even without gas stations, retail sales jumped, powered by e-commerce, auto dealers, general merchandise stores, and other retailers. Retail sales soared in March by 1.7% from February, seasonally adjusted. Compared to March last year, sales jumped by 4.5%, not seasonally adjusted. But there was this spike in the price of gasoline, which caused sales at gas stations to spike. So the question arises: Did Americans cut spending on other stuff that they buy at retailers in order to buy gasoline? Nope, not Americans. Born to splurge. Retail sales without gas stations jumped by 0.61% in March from February, after having already jumped by 0.67% in February, seasonally adjusted (red line in the chart). Year-over-year, retail sales without gas stations rose by 3.5% not seasonally adjusted (blue). Avid inflation-adjusters, note: Most inflation is in services , and retailers don’t sell services; they sell goods. CPI inflation in durable goods was close to 0% in March, both month-to-month and year-over-year. And CPI inflation in food bought at grocers was 0% in March and less than 2% year-over-year. The CPI for gasoline spiked, and that explains the spike in gasoline sales; see the chart further below. Inflation in services, which is where Americans do two-thirds of their spending, was over 3%. But you cannot adjust retail sales to inflation in services that retailers don’t sell. You have to adjust retail sales to inflation in the goods that retailers sell. And outside of gasoline, there wasn’t much. The largest categories of retailers . E-commerce sales (18% of total retail sales) have been soaring relentlessly, gobbling up market share from brick-and-mortar retailers, growing year-over-year at over twice the rate of overall retail sales. This includes e-commerce sales by retailers with brick-and-mortar stores, such as Walmart ( WMT ), Macy’s ( M ), Costco ( COST ), etc. Their online sales count here, and their brick-and-mortar sales count in...
Boy Wirat/iStock via Getty Images Introduction In my view, Aegon Ltd. is a bullish stock because the market still values the company as an old European insurance conglomerate, even though in reality it is quickly becoming more of a US capital-friendly financial services platform. Aegon Ltd. ( AEG ) is an international financial services controlling company whose operations fully transitioned into ...
Boy Wirat/iStock via Getty Images Introduction In my view, Aegon Ltd. is a bullish stock because the market still values the company as an old European insurance conglomerate, even though in reality it is quickly becoming more of a US capital-friendly financial services platform. Aegon Ltd. ( AEG ) is an international financial services controlling company whose operations fully transitioned into the US market through the brand Transamerica. After the recently announced agreement to sell the UK’s insurance business to the Standard Life group for 2 billion pounds, the company simplified its structure even further, trying to reach a fully capital-independent business model. 2025 fiscal year results show that operating profits reached 1.7 billion euros, which is a 15% growth compared to 2024, mostly due to the strong commercial dynamic in US life insurance and in pension accumulation segments. Free cash flow in 2025 was 829 million euros, just over the management's goal of 800 million euros, which allowed the company to increase the dividend yield 14% to 0.40 euros per share, which is a yearly yield of almost 6%. Currently, in the market, shares are valued at around 11.7 P/E, which is close to the ten-year median, though the P/B ratio reaching 1.38 shows that the market has finally stopped valuing the company with a discount, which is not unusual for the complex European conglomerates. The strategic plan for 2028 is to move the main headquarters into the US and change its name to Transamerica Inc. It is a direct response to the fact that around 70% of the group's operating profits are generated in North America. Even though net income grew 45% in 2025, investors need to keep in mind that operating capital generation is growing more slowly at around 5% in a year, which limits the ability to increase capital returns more aggressively without additional asset sales. Also in January 2026, the company started a share buyback program, which maintains the share price around t...
Nobel Physicist Predicts 'End-Date' For Modern Civilization Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Nobel Prize-winning physicist David Gross has provided a sobering timeline for the potential end of modern civilisation, citing the escalating risks of nuclear war. The 2004 Nobel laureate estimates that humanity may have roughly 35 years remaining before facing existential catastrophe from nuc...
Nobel Physicist Predicts 'End-Date' For Modern Civilization Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Nobel Prize-winning physicist David Gross has provided a sobering timeline for the potential end of modern civilisation, citing the escalating risks of nuclear war. The 2004 Nobel laureate estimates that humanity may have roughly 35 years remaining before facing existential catastrophe from nuclear conflict. In an interview, Gross detailed his assessment based on probability calculations similar to radioactive half-life models. He noted that after the Cold War, estimates put the annual chance of nuclear war at one percent. However, he believes the figure is now closer to two percent. Chilling warning from Nobel physicist as date is set for humanity's final destruction https://t.co/WKhFHWcIs3 — Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) April 20, 2026 “Even after the Cold War ended, when we had strategic arms control treaties, all of which have disappeared, there were estimates that there was a one percent chance of nuclear war every year,” Gross said. He continued, “I feel it’s not a rigorous estimate that the chances are more likely two percent. So that’s a one-in-50 chance every year. The expected lifetime, in the case of two percent per year, is about 35 years.” Gross pointed to deteriorating global conditions as justification for his higher estimate. “Things have gotten so much worse in the last 30 years, as you can see every time you read the newspaper,” he stated. He highlighted ongoing conflicts and nuclear proliferation. There are now nine nuclear powers, complicating arms control significantly. “Even three is infinitely more complicated than two,” Gross observed. Recent developments include the expiration of the New START treaty on February 5, 2026, with no major nuclear arms-control agreements signed in the past decade. Gross also raised concerns about advancing technology, particularly automation and artificial intelligence in weapons systems. “The agreements, the ...