Tea Nagode/iStock via Getty Images Overview Markets were off to a rough start in the first quarter of 2026, and this caused many high-quality equity funds to experience a pullback. The Liberty All-Star Growth Fund Inc. ( ASG ) was no exception, as the fund also remains down on a YTD basis. At the time of my last coverage, I initiated a buy rating due to the fund's attractive valuation and sustainable dividend at the time. Since then, the fund has released an updated annual report that prompted me to revisit its overall value proposition, performance expectations, and outlook over the next few years. When I previously covered ASG several quarters ago, the fund traded at a discount to NAV of 8.25%. Following the choppy markets over the last few months, ASG now trades at a slightly larger discount to NAV of 11.03%. Referring to the red line on the graph below, we can see that ASG remains at one of the deepest discount to NAV levels over the last decade. For instance, ASG traded at an average discount to NAV of 3.72% over the last five years. The caveat is that this is only true for investors that specifically want to focus on income generation above all else. CEF Data ASG is unique because despite its straightforward structure, the fund offers a starting yield of about 8.5%. Furthermore, the fund typically issues its distributions in a tax-efficient manner, which improves the flexibility for how the fund is utilized by investors. The fund is directly aligned to participate in the expansion of the AI market, but there are some issues that I have. For instance, the underlying NAV growth and long-term performance are a bit weak when compared to alternatives. Therefore, ASG's high yield may actually be stealing from the future growth of the fund, especially since distributions generally aren't adjusted based on market conditions. Fund Strategy Instead of focusing on one specific index, ASG takes an actively managed approach. The fund is managed by three different firms tha...

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cameraguy/iStock via Getty Images I'm staying bullish on Lear Corporation ( LEA ). I anticipate that its 1Q26 earnings will exceed expectations. The earlier December 8, 2025, update highlighted LEA's strengthening fundamentals driven by industry dynamics and self-help measures. This momentum can be sustained, judging by my assessment of its business updates. My Bet is on a First Quarter Outperformance The group's upcoming results will be revealed this week on May 1. I think that analysts have underestimated LEA's financial improvement potential. The consensus bottom-line projection for Jan-Mar '26 is $3.50/share . This implies a deceleration from 4Q2025's +16% to 1Q2026's +12%. The sell-side is also predicting a 3.1% net margin in the first three months of this year. That's a modest 10 bps higher on both YoY and sequential terms. In my opinion, LEA has a good chance of beating the market's downbeat expectations. I've identified several favorable read-throughs from management's disclosures at the "Bank of America ( BAC ) Global Automotive Summit " in mid-March. The firm lifted its forecast of 1Q2026 normalized EBIT by 4% from $0.26B to $0.27B at this above-mentioned event. The CFO's explanation was that "we're feeling pretty good about how the year is starting out." I'm encouraged to know that the updated figure is still conservative. It stressed that there are "some commercial negotiations that are in process that could move that (guidance) up a bit." LEA's 1st quarter profitability could have been boosted by larger-than-anticipated reimbursements from clients, in my view. Also, I've gained more conviction in its cost optimization. My Dec '25 write-up drew attention to the company "targeting yearly efficiency gains amounting to $65-75 million for the '26-27 timeframe" via "automation." At the BAC conference, LEA gave a specific example of how it's aiming for a 50% increase in 2026 expense savings associated with "cycle time deviation." Separately, the enterprise dis...

When Texas Instruments ( TXN ) reports its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, Wall Street expects the chip maker to post an EPS of $1.37, while revenue is expected to rise 11.3% to $4.53B for the quarter. The chip maker, in the previous quarter, missed both revenue and EPS estimates but guided Q1 estimates above market consensus on the back of improving orders throughout the quarter and stronger bookings. The company expects Q1 revenue in the range of $4.32 billion to $4.68 billion and earnings per share in the range of $1.22 to $1.48. Mizuho upgraded Texas Instruments to Neutral from Underperform and increased its price target to $215 from $160. The brokerage firm noted that NVDA GPU and custom ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) push to 800V/48V/12V DC AI server architectures is driving upside to power analog demand for TXN. Analysts led by Vijay Rakesh believe strong AI server and industrial demand are driving TXN and other analog suppliers to raise prices in China over 10% in April (a big positive driving JunQ upside). In addition, the analysts believe that Texas Instruments is a beneficiary of an industrial recovery, and recent segment-specific price hikes of over 10% for stock-keeping units, or SKUs, in power semis for AI servers are driving further upside. Wall Street analysts and Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating are bullish, rating TXN a Buy and above. On the other hand, Seeking Alpha analysts are cautious, rating it a Hold. Seeking Alpha analyst Grassroots Trading noted that TXN's near-term growth is driven by data center and automotive segments, while industrial demand remains ~25% below prior peak and is due for a rebound. “However, China is becoming both a major growth opportunity and an increasingly competitive market, with local manufacturers offering considerably lower prices than their competitors,” the analyst added. Over the last three months, EPS estimates have seen eight upward revisions and no downward moves, while revenue estimates hav...

Looking at options trading activity among components of the S&P 500 index, there is noteworthy activity today in PayPal Holdings Inc (Symbol: PYPL), where a total volume of 79,409 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approxim

Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Applovin Corp (Symbol: APP), where a total of 38,490 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 3.8 million underlying shares. That amounts to about 86.9% o

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watch now VIDEO 3:10 03:10 Here's how jet fuel crisis in Europe threatens summer travel plans Digital Original Looming jet fuel shortages could throw a wrench into Americans' summer travel plans, especially for people flying overseas on international airlines. But there are a few steps consumers can take to insulate themselves and minimize disruption, travel experts said. The Iran war and an associated disruption to global oil supplies are triggering fears that jet fuel stocks may soon begin to dwindle in certain parts of the world. The International Energy Agency said on Thursday that Europe may have just six weeks' worth of jet fuel left , for example. Potential shortages and rising jet fuel costs have led some airlines to cut their flight schedules — potentially upending plans for those who must find alternative flights or choose to defer or cancel their travel altogether. And while flight reductions have largely been modest to date, they could worsen just as peak summer travel season approaches. "It's almost like they're on a timer," said Katy Nastro, a travel expert at Going, a travel deal website. "It's like the SATs: Once the timer is done" it's over, and they can't fly anymore, she said. Jet fuel shortage tied to Iran war, Strait of Hormuz In this screen grab from a video released by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces operating in the Arabian Sea enforced naval blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on April 19, 2026 in the Arabian Sea. U.S. Central Command | Getty Images The ongoing Middle East conflict has led Iran and the U.S. to impose a blockade on Iranian ports in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime route through which roughly 20% of the global oil supply transits. About 25% to 30% of the world's jet fuel — which is refined from oil — also flows through the waterway, said Stephen Rooney, lead economist at Tourism Economics. The U.S. is somewhat insulated from a potential jet fuel short...

A new lawsuit alleges that the company profited from scam advertising and intentionally allowed fake promotions to continue despite public promises to crack down.

A 14-year-old boy was among those shot dead, according to the mayor of al-Mughayyir.

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Dan Rohinton's Top Picks: Microsoft, Taiwan Semiconductor & Visa BNN Bloomberg

Microsoft has dropped the price of its video game subscription service and the platform will ‌not include future "Call of Duty" game releases on launch ‌day, the company said on Tuesday, in the first major strategy shift under ​new gaming boss Asha Sharma. Starting Tuesday, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will now cost $22.99 a month from $29.99 while PC Game Pass is priced at $13.99 from $16.49 monthly, the software firm said in a blog. After ‌years of betting that ⁠subscription services and cloud gaming would become the next big driver for the Xbox brand, consistent ⁠Game Pass price hikes, declining console sales and a lack of compelling titles left Microsoft trailing rivals Sony and Nintendo.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called on the Department of Justice to end its probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for the Fed building cost overruns so he can support Kevin Warsh’s nomination. Tillis praised Warsh during the Senate hearing for Trump’s pick for Fed chair, saying, “I look forward to supporting your nomination, and I look forward to this investigation being taken down.” Tillis expanded on the Fed building's renovation costs, saying, “There were a variety of reasons why this building went over budget. And as a matter of fact, if we put everybody in prison in federal government that had had a budget go over, we’d have to reserve an area roughly the size of Texas for a penal colony because of way government projects work.” (Source: Bloomberg)

John Ashby, 32, admits using Islamophobic slurs during attack on Sikh woman he thought was Muslim A man who racially abused a Sikh woman as he raped her has pleaded guilty to the assault after being confronted in court by a member of the public. John Ashby pleaded guilty to rape, religiously aggravated assault, intentional strangulation, robbery and religiously aggravated assault of the woman at her home in Walsall. Continue reading...

Inquiry launched after Ofcom received evidence that suggested illegal content was being shared on messaging platform Ofcom has launched an investigation into whether the Telegram messaging platform is failing to prevent the sharing of child sexual abuse material under the UK’s Online Safety Act. The communications regulator carried out an assessment and decided to launch an investigation after receiving evidence from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection that suggested child sexual abuse material was allegedly present and being shared on Telegram. Continue reading...

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Thomas_Moore/iStock via Getty Images With quarterly results approaching, we have the news from April 7 that the Government of Panama has authorized the processing of the stockpile at Cobre Panamá. We are talking about a mine that produces 350,000 tons of copper per year, and that has been shut down since November 2023, together with a monthly preservation cost of more than $15M with no return, representing a 10% EBITDA outflow. Considering that the company’s annual production last year was 396,000 tons, the news of the reactivation of 47% is a good opportunity to reassess the company. Above all because I consider this authorization a positive sign of institutional support from the government of Panama toward a resolution of the process that will decide, at least, the direction of the mine in the long term this June 2026. So, let us see the state of health of First Quantum Minerals ( FQVLF ) ( FM:CA )and of the value chain in which it participates. A Bit Of Context In my article on Lundin Mining (LU: CA ) ( LUNMF ), I explained how the collapse in TC/RC is one of the signals showing that power within the copper value chain is shifting toward miners. So for First Quantum Minerals, the case is no different. What I can add as relevant is that during this past 2025, three of the twenty most important copper mines globally practically stopped operating normally in a “simultaneous” manner. On one hand, we have Grasberg Mine in Indonesia, which suffered a landslide in September. Kamoa-Kakula , in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, flooded after an earthquake last May. And finally, El Teniente , in Chile, had a tunnel collapse in July. This means practically more than 1M tons of copper no longer flowing to the market normally, and at least until 2027 no full recovery in production levels is expected. And this brings us to Cobre Panamá, since it is part of the twenty most important mines in the world, and it has a catalyst this coming June with the statement from the gover...

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In this article NVDA Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, speaks during CNBC's Invest In America Forum in Washington, April 15, 2026. Aaron Clamage | CNBC Michael and Susan Dell announced Tuesday that they have committed $750 million to the University of Texas at Austin that will fund the development of a new medical center and research campus. The billionaire CEO told CNBC that the new medical center, which will include a hospital and research facility, will use artificial intelligence and advanced computing to deliver earlier and more precise treatment for patients. "There are a lot of medical centers out there," Dell said in an interview. "But what you get with the opportunity to build something new is that you can design it from the start with data and computing and AI built in. It allows you to make better decisions earlier and coordinate care more effectively and ultimately create better outcomes." The university expects to break ground on Dell Medical Center later this year and open the facility in 2030. The new medical campus will also include a cancer center, which is already under development. The Dells' donation will also go toward student scholarships and UT's supercomputing center. A conceptual rendering of the UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research, which is expected to open in 2030. Courtesy: The University of Texas at Austin The couple's donation is one of the largest ever to an American public university. Dell founded his namesake technology firm from his dorm room at UT Austin in 1984 when he was a premed student. He dropped out of UT Austin before his sophomore year. "I think about this as the next step in a timeline that actually goes back to my parents sending me off to UT to become a doctor," he said. "Obviously, that part didn't work out, but I never stopped thinking about that." With the latest commitment, the couple has contributed more than $1 billion in total to UT Austin, inclu...

Michael Dell famously started his computer business from a University of Texas dorm room. Now he’s giving back to the school with one of the largest philanthropic commitments in American higher education. Dell and his wife, Susan , will donate $750 million to the university’s flagship Austin campus to help the school build new research centers in life sciences and academic medicine. The gift will establish the UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research and the UT Dell Medical Center, while also funding undergraduate scholarships, student housing and a supercomputing research center. “By bringing together medicine, science and computing in one campus designed for the AI era, UT can create more opportunity, deliver better outcomes and build a stronger future for communities across Texas and beyond,” the Dells said in a statement Tuesday. The commitment extends a giving spree for the couple, raising their lifetime donations to the Texas university to more than $1 billion. Separately, they gave $6.25 billion last year to seed investment accounts for 25 million US children with $250 each as part of President Donald Trump’s Invest America initiative, with the Dells targeting kids 10 and under who weren’t already eligible for the government money. The Dells’ previous support for the University of Texas included, among other projects, a $50 million pledge in 2013 to help establish Dell Medical School and $100 million in 2020 to start a program that supports high-achieving students who have financial needs. The new medical center will be integrated with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as part of the effort to improve early detection and personalized care. The connection “will drive the next generation of medical breakthroughs,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in the statement. The University of Texas System’s sprawling health-care footprint already includes medical schools in Galveston and Dallas, as well as the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate...

Two of the fastest-growing stocks in the entire market are Nebius (NASDAQ: NBIS) and CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV) . Both of these players are neocloud companies, cloud computing companies that specialize in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Clearly, right now is a perfect time to be in this industry, and both of these companies are taking advantage of it by capturing customers and securing partners for years to come. But which one is the better investment? Let's take a look at their business models, financials, and valuation to determine which is the better stock pick. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading

Roman Tiraspolsky/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Blackstone's ( BX ) private credit fund saw an increase in non-accruals at cost and fair value to 2.4% and 1.4%, respectively. The two largest contributors to the non-accrual increase were Medallia, a software platform, and Affordable Care Holding, a consumer-healthcare company focused on tooth replacement solutions. More on Blackstone Wall Street Lunch: Jersey Mike's Eyes $1B IPO To Fuel Global Sandwich Spree Blackstone: Asset Management Juggernaut, 3.7% Dividend Yield, Phantom Crisis Blackstone: A Discounted Opportunity Blackstone raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer Blackstone Digital Infrastructure Trust files for IPO

Key PointsBitcoin has dropped 40% from its all-time high.

Following the surprising timing of Apple ( AAPL ) naming John Ternus as its next CEO, succeeding Tim Cook, a number of Wall Street analysts and investors have praised the tech giant for the move. Count Needham analyst Laura Martin among those championing the decision, even as she repeatedly pushed Apple to aggressively move away from its core ethos and delve deeper into advertising and M&A. “We are supportive of the succession plan announced yesterday by AAPL, whereby Tim Cook will leave as CEO on Sept. 1 (to become Executive Chairman of the Board), and John Ternus, currently SVP of Hardware Engineering, will become the CEO of AAPL,” Martin wrote in a note to clients. “We are optimistic about value creation from this transition because we believe Ternus will bring a sense of urgency (i.e., speed) and risk-taking (i.e., innovation) to AAPL's product line.” Martin, who has a rare Hold rating on Apple, continued to pound the table that Apple move further into advertising. She went so far as to say that she believes the company “has been destroying shareholder value by underexploiting high-margin advertising [revenues].” In her estimate, Apple generated roughly $10B in ad revenue in 2025, less than 10% of revenue from its Services segment and less than 3% of total revenue. “We believe this revenue stream should be closer to ~50% of Services revs and, at ~80% margins, a key upside profit driver for AAPL,” Martin added. Last month, Apple opened up its near-ubiquitous Maps app to advertising and recently expanded advertising inside the App Store. Martin also said that Apple needs to buy (or at least partner with) media giant Walt Disney ( DIS ), a deal she has repeatedly championed to no avail. “We believe AAPL should partner with, or buy, Disney, in order to drive longer engagement lengths and give it differentiated assets (i.e., films and TV series) that have pricing power and powerful moats,” Martin explained. “We believe AAPL should also be using M&A, partnerships, and...

格隆汇4月22日｜美元指数DXY短线走高逾10点，最新报98.52。非美货币走低，欧元兑美元和澳元兑美元日内跌超0.50%；美元兑瑞郎和美元兑日元日内涨超0.50%。

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Mark Alan Peterson, EVP & Chief Financial Officer, reported the sale of 9,091 shares of EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) via an indirect open-market transaction on April 14, 2026, as disclosed in an SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 reported price ($55.00). EPR Properties is a specialty REIT targeting enduring experiential properties that facilitate out-of-home leisure and recreation. The company leverages a focused investment approach and rigorous underwriting standards to provide stable and attractive returns. Its scale, sector specialization, and disciplined tenant selection contribute to its competitive positioning in the experiential real estate market. Continue reading