FREDERICA ABAN/iStock via Getty Images Market Review Global equities rose in the fourth quarter, with signs that market leadership was beginning to broaden. Notably, the monthslong artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rally appeared to enter a new phase, with investors becoming increasingly cautious about the sustainability of elevated AI capital expenditure. Many perceived AI winners—mainly compan...
FREDERICA ABAN/iStock via Getty Images Market Review Global equities rose in the fourth quarter, with signs that market leadership was beginning to broaden. Notably, the monthslong artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rally appeared to enter a new phase, with investors becoming increasingly cautious about the sustainability of elevated AI capital expenditure. Many perceived AI winners—mainly companies investing in or enabling AI infrastructure—sold off as the pace of spending on chips and data centers, which has been significantly reliant on debt financing, showed no signs of moderating, leading many to question the returns such investments would ultimately generate. However, AI-linked stocks staged a recovery in the closing weeks of the period; ultimately, nine of the top 10 contributors to the MSCI All Country World Index’s fourth-quarter gain were AI-levered names, which, combined, accounted for 62% of the index’s return. In the US, investors cheered as the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates at three consecutive policy meetings despite disagreements among officials about the path ahead. At its December policy meeting, the central bank hinted that it would likely pause further cuts as it collects more data to assess labor market and inflation conditions. Investors also reacted positively to a delayed release of third-quarter US GDP data showing stronger than expected growth driven by resilient consumer spending, powering stocks in the region to new highs toward the end of the period. Meanwhile in Europe, stocks advanced after the European Central Bank held interest rates steady amid signs that the eurozone’s economic outlook was improving, suggesting its easing cycle was largely complete. The Bank of England lowered interest rates in December to their lowest level in nearly three years but signaled a slower pace of future reductions. Central banks in Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway left their key interest rates unchanged during the quarter. In Japan, equities r...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have completed a $170 million purchase of a mansion on Indian Creek Island in Biscayne Bay, in a deal that people familiar with the matter say closed on Monday and may reset expectations for the top end of Miami's housing market. The property at 7 Indian Creek Island Road wa...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have completed a $170 million purchase of a mansion on Indian Creek Island in Biscayne Bay, in a deal that people familiar with the matter say closed on Monday and may reset expectations for the top end of Miami's housing market. The property at 7 Indian Creek Island Road was acquired from celebrity plastic surgeon Aaron Rollins and his wife, Marine, and includes a partially completed mansion. At $170 million, the transaction surpasses the prior Miami-Dade County record set in 2025, when developer Vlad Doronin sold his Star Island estate for $120 million, marking what appears to be a new benchmark for the region. The acquisition places Zuckerberg among a widening group of Silicon Valley billionaires purchasing ultra-luxury properties in South Florida, a trend that has gathered pace following discussion of a proposed billionaires' tax in California. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) co-founder Larry Page has spent $188 million on three Miami-area properties, while Sergey Brin is purchasing a $50 million home in Miami Beach. Indian Creek, often referred to as the billionaire bunker, functions as its own municipality, with private roads, a country club and golf course closed to the public, and counts Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Carl Icahn (Trades, Portfolio) and Tom Brady among its residents. Danny Hertzberg of the Jills-Zeder Group, who represented the sellers, described the deal as the highest sale in Miami's history by a wide margin and suggested it could signal additional nine-figure transactions, pointing to other properties and offers currently in the market. Zuckerberg, whose net worth is listed at $231 billion on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, already owns homes in Palo Alto and Lake Tahoe, California, as well as in Washington, DC, and on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It remains uncertain whether the Miami property will serve as a primary res...
The global economy must be reordered to ensure it serves ordinary people around the world rather than the “frivolous and destructive demands of the ultra-rich,” according to a leading UN figure. Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, says politicians must stop prioritising “socially and ecologically destructive growth” that only increases the profits – ...
The global economy must be reordered to ensure it serves ordinary people around the world rather than the “frivolous and destructive demands of the ultra-rich,” according to a leading UN figure. Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, says politicians must stop prioritising “socially and ecologically destructive growth” that only increases the profits – and serves the consumption demands – of the world’s richest individuals and corporations. Instead, to tackle the interwoven crises of rising inequality, ecological collapse and a resurgent far-right politics, a new economic agenda is needed. “The scarce resources we have should be used to prioritise the basic needs of people in poverty and to create what is of societal value rather than serve the frivolous desires of the ultra-rich.” De Schutter said an economy that uses its limited resources to prioritise building large mansions rather than social housing, or powerful cars rather than public transportation systems is “grossly inefficient” and “will inevitably fail to satisfy the basic needs of people living on low incomes”. The intervention follows the Guardian’s Beyond Growth series published last month which highlighted calls for an end to the relentless focus on indiscriminate growth that critics say is driving not only ecological collapse but also rising inequality. Next month, De Schutter said he will publish his “roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth”, the result of an informal “beyond growth coalition” he formed that includes UN agencies, academics, civil society and unions. The aim of the roadmap is to expand the range of policy options available to governments, multilateral institutions and development agencies in the fight against poverty. Among the moves it is considering are a universal basic income, job guarantees, debt cancellation or an extreme wealth tax. Critically, De Schutter says the roadmap will coincide with two other initiatives: one instigat...
bopav/iStock via Getty Images The Defiance R2000 Weekly Distribution ETF ( IWMY ) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with weekly income by managing a call options strategy on the Russell 2000 Index (RUT). The strategy was designed to target a 30% annualized distribution rate, an appealing value proposition if executed accordingly. The strategy currently provi...
bopav/iStock via Getty Images The Defiance R2000 Weekly Distribution ETF ( IWMY ) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with weekly income by managing a call options strategy on the Russell 2000 Index (RUT). The strategy was designed to target a 30% annualized distribution rate, an appealing value proposition if executed accordingly. The strategy currently provides full exposure to the Russell 2000 Index through the use of short- and long-dated call options with no direct exposure to a tracking ETF. Investment Case for IWMY IWMY will inherently provide investors with indirect exposure to the Russell 2000 Index through the purchase and sale of call options as well as direct exposure through the use of Index-tracking ETFs. The current makeup of the portfolio is entirely invested in a call options strategy with no direct exposure to the Index. With the current holdings, IWMY is essentially a synthetic covered call strategy, purchasing long-dated call options on the underlying Index while selling short-dated call options. Corporate Filings While many investors may criticize covered call strategies for their performance relative to the underlying Index, I believe there may be value in investing in these types of strategies. As an alternative equity strategy designed to maximize income, I’d argue that buy-write and covered call strategies may be more appropriately categorized as a hybrid fixed income strategy, more appropriately compared to high-yield fixed income funds. Though derivatives may expose investors to greater risk relative to high-yield corporate bond funds or preferred shares, the nature of the overall fund strategy is relatively similar in which the portfolio invests in riskier assets with the intention of gaining high income exposure. The key risks involved in investing in IWMY are geared more towards the time value of the options strategy, particularly the long-dated call options that are used to gain long exposure to th...
Waddell & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,691 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 876 shares during the quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC's...
Waddell & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,691 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 876 shares during the quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, WFA Asset Management Corp lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 42.6% in the second quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 67 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Meta Platforms alerts: Sign Up Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total value of $5,106,100.36. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 2,841 shares in the company, valued at $1,793,352.84. This trade represents a 74.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 55...
(RTTNews) - Village Super Market, Inc. (VLGEA) reported a profit for its second quarter that Increased, from last year The company's bottom line totaled $17.87 million, or $1.21 per share. This compares with $16.89 million, or $1.14 per share, last year. The company's revenue for the period rose 6.9% to $640.96 million from $599.65 million last year. Village Super Market, Inc. earnings at a glance...
(RTTNews) - Village Super Market, Inc. (VLGEA) reported a profit for its second quarter that Increased, from last year The company's bottom line totaled $17.87 million, or $1.21 per share. This compares with $16.89 million, or $1.14 per share, last year. The company's revenue for the period rose 6.9% to $640.96 million from $599.65 million last year. Village Super Market, Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings: $17.87 Mln. vs. $16.89 Mln. last year. -EPS: $1.21 vs. $1.14 last year. -Revenue: $640.96 Mln vs. $599.65 Mln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Krot Studio/iStock via Getty Images Westlake ( WLK ) is dealing with volume and pricing pressure particularly in the performance and essential materials segment - things like chlorovinyls, PVC resin and polyethylene. Significant supply shutdowns have been undertaken to improve EBITDA and react to oversupply in the industry both domestically and in export markets and those exposed to tariffs on Chi...
Krot Studio/iStock via Getty Images Westlake ( WLK ) is dealing with volume and pricing pressure particularly in the performance and essential materials segment - things like chlorovinyls, PVC resin and polyethylene. Significant supply shutdowns have been undertaken to improve EBITDA and react to oversupply in the industry both domestically and in export markets and those exposed to tariffs on China, discussed in our previous coverage . These have seemed to have bottomed out the market but sustained improvement is unclear and based on demand. Tensions in the Middle East will also be helping make more scarce the part of the petrochem value chain that WLK participates in downstream of ethylene. We made a relative valuation argument on the basis that the more specialty businesses look a little ignored at WLK. But the underlying markets are not very good, also for the specialty businesses in terms of volume, with housing starts as one metric not really picking up despite lower rates. Higher oil prices are also not going to be helping matters as it will be a cost push increase to ethylene prices, which we have understood they offtake from ( WLKP ) at a markup still. Though stalled, vertically integrated petrhochem capacity in affected regions will be a positive supply effect for the operational assets under WLK in the ethylene value chain. Cost push inflation may also prevent some of the pernicious effects of when prices are expected to fall, and suppliers therefore run lower inventories than normal - a prevention of deflationary spirals. Shut capacity is a little constructive to prices in some markets but it's coming from capitulation by Westlake and other producers, so it's not good news as it reflects a pretty poor demand environment which we aren't expecting to improve particularly quickly given macro dynamics, with unemployment still quite high and the rate cuts not yet really juicing real estate activity. But there are considerable cost improvements coming. If thos...
LeoPatrizi/E+ via Getty Images uniQure Overview My last analysis of uniQure N.V. ( QURE ) followed a setback for its Huntington’s gene therapy, AMT-130. In an apparent reversal, the FDA reportedly no longer endorsed uniQure’s Phase 1/2 data—which featured a natural history external control. The company was hoping that the trial could serve as the backbone to a BLA. Then, uniQure intended to meet w...
LeoPatrizi/E+ via Getty Images uniQure Overview My last analysis of uniQure N.V. ( QURE ) followed a setback for its Huntington’s gene therapy, AMT-130. In an apparent reversal, the FDA reportedly no longer endorsed uniQure’s Phase 1/2 data—which featured a natural history external control. The company was hoping that the trial could serve as the backbone to a BLA. Then, uniQure intended to meet with the FDA. While I argued that AMT-130’s Phase 1/2 data is the “most clinically persuasive in Huntington's to date, and there is value in that,” I didn’t think it was unreasonable for the FDA to request more robust data. Although a 2026 BLA was apparently off the table, I thought that QURE was worth speculation (“Buy”) “should AMT-130 regain a credible path.” That said, an easy path wasn’t my base case for QURE. I modeled AMT-130 with the assumption that uniQure would need a new clinical trial. On Monday, the company revealed that the FDA “strongly recommended uniQure to conduct a prospective, randomized, double-blind, sham surgery-controlled study.” Data by YCharts I take a closer look below. The Bad News The Phase 1/2 data I talked about back in October 2025 , while promising (“75% reduction in Huntington’s progression per cUHDRS at 36 months"), had obvious limitations (e.g., small sample size and use of external controls). And AMT-130 is clearly not something to quickly “pat down.” It involves invasive neurosurgery, and follow-up has been limited. So it makes sense that the FDA would require rigorous clinical trial data before green-lighting it. Events like these are of particular interest to me because there are tangible ways to measure market expectations. Why do these biotech stocks fall like this on news like this? When I originally modeled AMT-130 back in October, my Probability of Success was 75% because the company had reported that it was aligned with the FDA regarding a BLA via the accelerated approval path. My Market Entry Year was set at 2027 (BLA filing 202...
Advantage Solutions Inc. (ADV) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.22 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.1 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.08 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +131.58%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post earnings of $0.24 per sh...
Advantage Solutions Inc. (ADV) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.22 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.1 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.08 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +131.58%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post earnings of $0.24 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.11, delivering a surprise of -54.17%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates just once. Advantage Solutions, which belongs to the Zacks Consumer Products - Discretionary industry, posted revenues of $932.13 million for the quarter ended December 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.27%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $892.28 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. Advantage Solutions shares have lost about 37.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 0.5%. What's Next for Advantage Solutions? While Advantage Solutions has underperformed 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 ...
908 Devices Inc. (MASS) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.32 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.35. This compares to loss of $0.23 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 8.57%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post a loss of $0.29 per share when it actuall...
908 Devices Inc. (MASS) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.32 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.35. This compares to loss of $0.23 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 8.57%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post a loss of $0.29 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.23, delivering a surprise of 20.69%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times. 908 Devices , which belongs to the Zacks Medical - Instruments industry, posted revenues of $18.82 million for the quarter ended December 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.03%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $14.35 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three 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. 908 Devices shares have lost about 10% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -0.5%. What's Next for 908 Devices? While 908 Devices has underperformed 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 earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of...
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. › Tounjian Advisory Partners LLC has lowered its stake in Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) by 46.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to a recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm now owns 12,362 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock, down from 22,906 shares previously. Why it matters Micron Technology is a maj...
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. › Tounjian Advisory Partners LLC has lowered its stake in Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) by 46.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to a recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm now owns 12,362 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock, down from 22,906 shares previously. Why it matters Micron Technology is a major player in the semiconductor industry, producing memory and storage solutions used in a wide range of computing and electronic devices. Changes in institutional ownership can signal shifts in market sentiment and future performance expectations for the company. The details According to the filing, Tounjian Advisory Partners sold 10,544 shares of Micron Technology during the quarter, reducing its total position to 12,362 shares worth approximately $2.07 million. The hedge fund cited unspecified reasons for the portfolio adjustment. Tounjian Advisory Partners lowered its Micron Technology stake during the 3rd quarter of 2026. The players Tounjian Advisory Partners LLC A hedge fund that previously held a position in semiconductor manufacturer Micron Technology. Micron Technology, Inc. A global semiconductor company that designs and manufactures memory and storage solutions for a wide range of computing and electronic devices. Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›
mphillips007/iStock via Getty Images The first thing to understand about your portfolio is that the numbers on the right-hand side of your statement, listing the current value of stocks, bonds, and other assets, do not actually sum up to what you would realize if you sold them. They actually overstate the value of your holdings, possibly by a very large amount. The amount will vary widely dependin...
mphillips007/iStock via Getty Images The first thing to understand about your portfolio is that the numbers on the right-hand side of your statement, listing the current value of stocks, bonds, and other assets, do not actually sum up to what you would realize if you sold them. They actually overstate the value of your holdings, possibly by a very large amount. The amount will vary widely depending upon the amount of time you have held your assets (most likely stocks) and the level of success you have had with stock selection. Long term success produces a portfolio with long-term capital gains taxes embedded in the stock price, which will have to be paid when you sell. The amount you must pay, of course, depends upon your tax bracket, federal and state. You must also consider your age and the probable amount of time before you need to realize cash or pass the stock over to an heir. It's important to remember that the number you see when you look at your portfolio reflects what the market thinks of your various stocks at a particular moment. You should always have a broad estimate of its fair value and how far its current price diverges from it. A bear market generally occurs at a moment when stock prices as a whole are overvalued, and some very solid companies get pulled up with the market leaders to a point from which these stocks are also overvalued. It's a basic market principle that the majority of stocks move in the same direction as the market. The question is how much they move and for how long. My poster child for stocks pulled up by the market has for several years been Walmart ( WMT ), a great company that has seen its price rise to a P/E ratio of more than 43, at which its expected return is 2.3% per annum. This is about what my hometown bank passbook yielded in the 1950s when my father introduced me to savings and interest rates. What are people thinking when they buy a slow-growing stock like WMT with the basic equity risks? It should be noted that WMT ...
Tuesday, EVgo announced fourth-quarter adjusted Ebitda of $25 million from sales of $118 million. Wall Street was looking for Ebitda of $2.5 million from sales of $103 million.
Tuesday, EVgo announced fourth-quarter adjusted Ebitda of $25 million from sales of $118 million. Wall Street was looking for Ebitda of $2.5 million from sales of $103 million.
Intuitive Surgical’s ISRG push into digital monetization may meaningfully materialize in 2026 as its My Intuitive+ (MIA+) subscription transitions from bundled value-add to paid recurring revenue. Introduced alongside da Vinci 5, MIA+ integrates Telepresence, simulation and case insights to enhance surgeon performance and collaboration. At launch, MIA+ was bundled with a one-year free period for d...
Intuitive Surgical’s ISRG push into digital monetization may meaningfully materialize in 2026 as its My Intuitive+ (MIA+) subscription transitions from bundled value-add to paid recurring revenue. Introduced alongside da Vinci 5, MIA+ integrates Telepresence, simulation and case insights to enhance surgeon performance and collaboration. At launch, MIA+ was bundled with a one-year free period for da Vinci 5 customers. Following a significant software update in 2025, that free-use window was extended, with associated accounting deferrals shifting a portion of system revenue into service revenue over time. Beginning around mid-2026, customers will face renewal decisions and potentially start paying for continued access. Renewal rates and realized ASPs will depend on the perceived clinical and workflow value, particularly from case insights and Telepresence functionality. This marks a pivot toward non-hardware monetization. While ISRG already derives 81% of revenue from recurring streams, MIA+ introduces a software-led layer with incremental invoicing tied to digital engagement rather than procedure volume alone. Management also highlighted synergies between case insights and Force Feedback, suggesting that as Force instruments reach full supply, the analytical value proposition could strengthen, supporting renewals. From a financial perspective, even modest attachment and renewal rates across the expanding da Vinci 5 installed base could provide a higher-margin service tailwind. If adoption proves durable, digital subscriptions may incrementally accelerate service revenue growth in 2026 and beyond — diversifying ISRG’s monetization model beyond capital placements and instruments. Peers Implementing Digital Infrastructure Apart from ISRG, other robotic players like Globus Medical GMED and Stereotaxis STXS are implementing digital services tied to their robotic surgery systems, which have the potential to bring additional revenues with strong margins. Globus Medical is i...
Rachel Reeves insisted Labour has “the right economic plan” for a world that has become “yet more uncertain” as she delivered a spring forecast that downgraded growth for this year. The chancellor was addressing MPs against the backdrop of surging energy prices, as investors fret about the impact of the spiralling conflict in the Middle East. The cost of a barrel of Brent crude was up another 7% o...
Rachel Reeves insisted Labour has “the right economic plan” for a world that has become “yet more uncertain” as she delivered a spring forecast that downgraded growth for this year. The chancellor was addressing MPs against the backdrop of surging energy prices, as investors fret about the impact of the spiralling conflict in the Middle East. The cost of a barrel of Brent crude was up another 7% on Tuesday, at $83.20. Reeves said she was in close touch with the Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, as they monitor the situation and would meet representatives of the North Sea energy industry on Wednesday. She said new forecasts from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), published alongside her statement, showed that, “inflation is down, borrowing is down, living standards are up and the economy is growing”. “This government has restored economic stability,” she claimed, in a deliberately low-key statement that as expected contained no substantive policy announcements. Reeves conceded that GDP growth is now expected to be “slightly slower” this year, however, down to 1.1% from the previous forecast of 1.4%, after weaker than expected data in the final quarter of 2025 – but stronger in future years, at 1.6% in 2027 and 2028, and unchanged at 1.5% in 2029 and 2020. The OBR also predicts unemployment will rise to a peak of 5.3% this year – but Reeves stressed it is then expected to decline to 4.1% by the end of the forecast period: lower than when Labour came to power. Despite instructing the OBR not to judge her against her fiscal rules at this spring forecast, Reeves stressed that her buffer – or “headroom” – has increased in its latest projections, to £23.6bn from £21.7bn at the time of the November budget. This improvement has been aided by lower gilt yields, or borrowing costs, though these have been rising again in recent days as investors bet on resurgent inflation. As the Middle East conflict deepens, the chancellor promised that she would “c...
lcva2/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Khaveen Jey, CFA, FMVA, Portfolio Manager @ Khaveen Investments & Nicholas Tan, Investment Research Analyst @ Khaveen Investments. In our previous analysis of Microsoft ( MSFT ), we believed that Microsoft’s growth outlook remains robust, supported by its Microsoft Azure cloud growth, as we expected its top cloud market positioning and its Azure OpenAI pa...
lcva2/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Khaveen Jey, CFA, FMVA, Portfolio Manager @ Khaveen Investments & Nicholas Tan, Investment Research Analyst @ Khaveen Investments. In our previous analysis of Microsoft ( MSFT ), we believed that Microsoft’s growth outlook remains robust, supported by its Microsoft Azure cloud growth, as we expected its top cloud market positioning and its Azure OpenAI partnership to bolster its Azure growth outlook. Despite a maturing console cycle and slower-than-expected Game Pass adoption for its smaller Gaming segment (below 8%), we maintained a positive outlook for its larger segments. In this analysis, we cover the company again following its Q2 FY2026 earnings release, whereby, despite growing its quarterly revenue and operating income by 17.4% YoY and 20.9% YoY, which are higher than our projections of 14.1% and 9.5%, its stock price had declined 10.0% post earnings and is currently down 17.0% YTD. To determine the potential reasons for its stock price decline, we compile analysts’ commentary on Microsoft after the company released its earnings. Stifel, Piper Sandler, Bernstein, KeyBanc, Guggenheim, Scotiabank, Daiwa Securities, Goldman Sachs, Khaveen Investments Based on analysts' commentary, we believe that the potential reasons that could have impacted its stock price include lower-than-expected Azure growth due to a lack of allocated data center capacity, compressed gross margins, lower FCF margins because of higher capex spending, as well as intensifying competitive pressures from Google’s ( GOOG ) Gemini and Anthropic. We thus analyze the key issues facing Microsoft amid the selloff and whether it affects our valuation of the company. We first analyze whether the company could still retain its strong LLM market positioning, as highlighted from our previous analysis, by updating its competitive table. We then evaluate whether its cloud and segment growth outlook remains robust by analyzing its historical and recent performance...
lcva2/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Khaveen Jey, CFA, FMVA, Portfolio Manager @ Khaveen Investments & Nicholas Tan, Investment Research Analyst @ Khaveen Investments. In our previous analysis of Microsoft ( MSFT ), we believed that Microsoft’s growth outlook remains robust, supported by its Microsoft Azure cloud growth, as we expected its top cloud market positioning and its Azure OpenAI pa...
lcva2/iStock Editorial via Getty Images By Khaveen Jey, CFA, FMVA, Portfolio Manager @ Khaveen Investments & Nicholas Tan, Investment Research Analyst @ Khaveen Investments. In our previous analysis of Microsoft ( MSFT ), we believed that Microsoft’s growth outlook remains robust, supported by its Microsoft Azure cloud growth, as we expected its top cloud market positioning and its Azure OpenAI partnership to bolster its Azure growth outlook. Despite a maturing console cycle and slower-than-expected Game Pass adoption for its smaller Gaming segment (below 8%), we maintained a positive outlook for its larger segments. In this analysis, we cover the company again following its Q2 FY2026 earnings release, whereby, despite growing its quarterly revenue and operating income by 17.4% YoY and 20.9% YoY, which are higher than our projections of 14.1% and 9.5%, its stock price had declined 10.0% post earnings and is currently down 17.0% YTD. To determine the potential reasons for its stock price decline, we compile analysts’ commentary on Microsoft after the company released its earnings. Stifel, Piper Sandler, Bernstein, KeyBanc, Guggenheim, Scotiabank, Daiwa Securities, Goldman Sachs, Khaveen Investments Based on analysts' commentary, we believe that the potential reasons that could have impacted its stock price include lower-than-expected Azure growth due to a lack of allocated data center capacity, compressed gross margins, lower FCF margins because of higher capex spending, as well as intensifying competitive pressures from Google’s ( GOOG ) Gemini and Anthropic. We thus analyze the key issues facing Microsoft amid the selloff and whether it affects our valuation of the company. We first analyze whether the company could still retain its strong LLM market positioning, as highlighted from our previous analysis, by updating its competitive table. We then evaluate whether its cloud and segment growth outlook remains robust by analyzing its historical and recent performance...
CalypsoArt/iStock via Getty Images February 2026: Rose's Income Garden "RIG"/Raises 24 Income Payers This month is a new beginning for FMAN 2026 dividends = February, May, August, and November quarterly payers, of which "RIG" has 14, along with 9 monthly and 1 twice yearly, to make a total of 24. The 9 monthly payers include 3 returning ones, which are ( BITO ), ( SHYG ) and ( NPFD ) as they paid ...
CalypsoArt/iStock via Getty Images February 2026: Rose's Income Garden "RIG"/Raises 24 Income Payers This month is a new beginning for FMAN 2026 dividends = February, May, August, and November quarterly payers, of which "RIG" has 14, along with 9 monthly and 1 twice yearly, to make a total of 24. The 9 monthly payers include 3 returning ones, which are ( BITO ), ( SHYG ) and ( NPFD ) as they paid twice in December and not in January. For the most part that is pleasing, but with cryptocurrency still getting hit hard and being down in value, BITO, a bitcoin ETF, is sadly not paying much of anything. The twice-yearly payer is Tsakos Energy Navigation ( TEN ). It pays on varying dates and in varying amounts with no reliable timetable to detect. It is essentially the only shipping stock owned, understandably because of how strange they pay along with price volatility. This article will be about the 4 raising companies and my recommendations for purchase. The % future earnings statistics cited are from FAST Graphs/"FG", a paid subscriber service I use. Current Price is March 2, 2026. 2026 E $DIv = total yearly US $ dividend estimate Divi % Yld - Dividend yield using chart information Stock Company Current 2026 Divi Ticker Name $Pr/Sh E $Div % Yld ( BMY ) Bristol Myers 62 2.52 4.04% ( MA ) Mastercard 517 3.48 0.67% ( BTI ) Brit Am Tobacco 62 3.24 5.20% ( ABBV ) AbbVie 233 6.92 2.97% Click to enlarge 4 Raises 1- Bristol Myers Squibb - BMY Bristol Myers Squibb develops, produces, and distributes its biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Princeton, NJ. It has an S&P credit rating of “A” and has raised the dividend for 17 years in a row. This raise of 1c from 62 to 63c = 1.6%. The 5 year DGR is 6.65%, with the 2 year being 4.3%. I don't think I need to say, but will that the raise is disappointing. 5 year Seeking Alpha Chart BMY 5 year technical price chart (Seeking Alpha March 2, 2026) The current P/E is 9.99x, with the normal P/...
(RTTNews) - Shares of Mobix Labs, Inc. (MOBX) are up in premarket trading by nearly 161% following the major defense contract. The company announced that it has received a significant production purchase order from the U.S. Navy for components used in the Tomahawk cruise missile program. The company's high-reliability filtering component, designed to protect sensitive onboard electronics from elec...
(RTTNews) - Shares of Mobix Labs, Inc. (MOBX) are up in premarket trading by nearly 161% following the major defense contract. The company announced that it has received a significant production purchase order from the U.S. Navy for components used in the Tomahawk cruise missile program. The company's high-reliability filtering component, designed to protect sensitive onboard electronics from electromagnetic interference, is already integrated into the missile system and will now see expanded demand as production accelerates. CEO Phil Sansone emphasized that being a qualified, production-ready supplier on an active U.S. defense platform allows Mobix Labs to scale quickly as procurement volumes rise. The Tomahawk remains a central long-range strike weapon for the U.S. military, launched from ships and submarines, and continues to play a key role in current operations. Beyond this order, Mobix Labs is pursuing a targeted acquisition strategy to broaden its footprint in defense and aerospace markets, aiming to add complementary technologies and deepen participation in long-duration military programs. MOBX has traded between $0.13 and $1.44 over the past year. The stock closed Monday's trading session at $0.17, up 7.27%. The stock surged in pre-market trading Tuesday to $0.46, up 161%. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
A poet is threatening Arts Council England (ACE) with legal action after a magazine it funds withdrew her work from publication based on her “social media presence”, which she believes refers to gender-critical posts. A letter sent to ACE by solicitors representing the poet Abigail Ottley last Tuesday, seen by the Guardian, argues the public body “failed” to “conduct a sufficient inquiry” into the...
A poet is threatening Arts Council England (ACE) with legal action after a magazine it funds withdrew her work from publication based on her “social media presence”, which she believes refers to gender-critical posts. A letter sent to ACE by solicitors representing the poet Abigail Ottley last Tuesday, seen by the Guardian, argues the public body “failed” to “conduct a sufficient inquiry” into the decision not to publish Ottley’s poem made by the Aftershock Review, which the lawyers accuse of discrimination. Aftershock was launched last year by Max Wallis. It received £32,368 from ACE in April 2025, and a further £60,000 on 28 January, according to ACE data. Ottley’s poem was accepted for publication by Aftershock in September. In October, Ottley received an email from the magazine informing her that it had decided not to proceed with publishing her work. “Following an internal review, and in light of concerns raised about your social media presence, we’ve decided not to proceed with publishing your work in this issue,” reads the email, cited in the legal letter. “As a trauma-informed and inclusive publication, the Aftershock Review has a duty of care to ensure our contributors and readers feel safe and respected. This decision reflects our commitment to those principles and is final.” According to the letter, Ottley did not receive a response when she asked for clarification about what element of her social media activity had led to the withdrawal. She complained to ACE in November, and approached the Freedom in the Arts (FITA) organisation, which also lodged a complaint that month. On 28 January, ACE responded to Ottley’s complaint, stating that it did not identify a breach of its terms and conditions of funding for grantees in Aftershock’s decision-making. “Although we are unable to provide specific details of our review, I hope it is helpful to mention that the grant-holder confirmed that your poem was not withdrawn due to your gender-critical beliefs,” the emai...