Intel investors on Thursday will focus on its efforts to sort out supply chain issues that have limited the company's ability to ramp up chip production to meet rising demand from businesses adopting AI-related services. Intel has warned that supply constraints for its server chips that are used alongside graphics processors made by companies such as Nvidia will be most acute in the first quar...
Intel investors on Thursday will focus on its efforts to sort out supply chain issues that have limited the company's ability to ramp up chip production to meet rising demand from businesses adopting AI-related services. Intel has warned that supply constraints for its server chips that are used alongside graphics processors made by companies such as Nvidia will be most acute in the first quarter before easing in the second. • Intel is expected to report a 1.9% decline in first-quarter revenue to $12.42 billion and a near 90% drop in adjusted earnings per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.
LPETTET President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will “remember” U.S. companies that do not seek refunds for the tariffs he unilaterally imposed, which the Supreme Court ruled were illegal in a 6-3 decision. “Brilliant if they don’t do that,” Trump told CNBC in an interview when asked about companies potentially avoiding refund requests to avoid offending him. The comments came a day after U...
LPETTET President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will “remember” U.S. companies that do not seek refunds for the tariffs he unilaterally imposed, which the Supreme Court ruled were illegal in a 6-3 decision. “Brilliant if they don’t do that,” Trump told CNBC in an interview when asked about companies potentially avoiding refund requests to avoid offending him. The comments came a day after U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened a portal for importers to seek more than $160B in potential refunds for the so-called IEEPA tariffs. Major companies, including Apple ( AAPL ) and Amazon ( AMZN ) have not yet filed requests for refunds, prompting Trump to say he was “very honored” by the decision, adding, “If they don’t do that, they’ve got to know me very well.” Trump also expressed frustration with the Supreme Court ruling , complaining that it did not include language stating, “You don’t have to pay back tariffs that have already been received.” “So, I’m not happy with the Supreme Court, I’ll be honest with you,” he said. While some tech giants have held back, major retailers crushed by the trade war are actively pursuing refunds. Levi Strauss ( LEVI ) CFO Harmit Singh said the company expects around $80M in refunds, while Gap ( GAP ) CFO Katrina O’Connell said the company is “definitely working on gaining clarity on whether we can recognize a refund,” noting “the tariff impact has been significant to our performance.” Dear readers: We recognize that politics often intersects with the financial news of the day, so we invite you to click here to join the separate political discussion. More on tariffs U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Trump's global tariffs U.S. prepares to refund billions from Trump tariffs, starting next week - report Trump administration opens $166B tariff refund process after court loss Costco and FedEx face lawsuits as tariff refund portal opens today Trump tariffs could be reinstated by July, Treasury’s Bessent says
Earnings Call Insights: United Community Banks (UCB) Q1 2026 Management View "We had a great start to 2026." (President, Chairman & CEO Herbert Harton) said the company delivered net income "of a little over $84 million" and "EPS of $0.69," adding that "on an operating basis, our EPS was $0.70." Harton tied performance to "annualized loan growth of 4.5%" and "an expansion of our net interest margi...
Earnings Call Insights: United Community Banks (UCB) Q1 2026 Management View "We had a great start to 2026." (President, Chairman & CEO Herbert Harton) said the company delivered net income "of a little over $84 million" and "EPS of $0.69," adding that "on an operating basis, our EPS was $0.70." Harton tied performance to "annualized loan growth of 4.5%" and "an expansion of our net interest margin of 3 basis points," while also pointing to credit metrics including "total charge-offs of 22 basis points, only 10 basis points, excluding Navitas." Harton highlighted capital actions, including "a $0.25 quarterly dividend" and "the repurchase of $37 million of our common stock," and added: "We also announced the intention to redeem our remaining $100 million in sub debt in the second quarter." He said tangible book value per share "grew at an annualized rate of nearly 6% for the quarter and by 10% year-over-year." "On an end-of-period basis, our customer deposits grew by $237 million or 4% annualized, mostly driven by DDA growth in the quarter." (Executive VP & CFO Jefferson Harralson) also said "our cost of deposits moved down 9 basis points to 1.67%" and that "our cumulative total deposit beta stands at 39% in this down cycle." On the Peach State Bank acquisition, Harralson said, "Peach State has approximately $800 million in assets" and "the deal value is about $100 million and will be a 50-50 cash stock mix." He added, "we are estimating 40% cost savings" and "we plan on repurchasing the $50 million in shares issued by year-end," with expected accretion: "$0.09 accretive in 2027" and "$0.12 accretive" with the planned buybacks. Outlook Management’s explicit forward-looking guidance in the prepared remarks centered on margin: "I would expect the margin to be up between 3 and 5 basis points in the second quarter." (Executive VP & CFO Harralson) In Q&A, Bradshaw framed loan growth expectations: "we remain optimistic. We think it will be in the 5% to 6% range, providing ...
After a tough past twelve months that at one point saw the stock down by more than half , UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) shareholders finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. That's the takeaway from the response to today's news anyway. As of 11:59 a.m. ET Tuesday, shares of the health insurer are up 8% following the release of the company's fiscal first-quarter numbers, which are not only be...
After a tough past twelve months that at one point saw the stock down by more than half , UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) shareholders finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. That's the takeaway from the response to today's news anyway. As of 11:59 a.m. ET Tuesday, shares of the health insurer are up 8% following the release of the company's fiscal first-quarter numbers, which are not only better than expected, but suggest the organization is on the road to recovery. UnitedHealth turned $111.7 billion in revenue into an adjusted per-share profit of $7.23 for the three months ending in March. That's up 2% from its year-earlier top line of $109.6 billion, and three cents better than Q1-2025's bottom line of $7.20. And, both numbers topped analysts' expectations for sales of $109.6 billion and earnings of $6.57 per share. Continue reading
AEye, Inc. (NASDAQ:LIDR) is among the best AI stocks to buy under $25. The stock has soared more than 170% over the past 12 months. Amid the growing demand for lidar technology, AEye, Inc. (NASDAQ:LIDR) is forging ties to validate its technology, strengthen its product portfolio, and expand its business opportunities. On March 17, AEye, […]
AEye, Inc. (NASDAQ:LIDR) is among the best AI stocks to buy under $25. The stock has soared more than 170% over the past 12 months. Amid the growing demand for lidar technology, AEye, Inc. (NASDAQ:LIDR) is forging ties to validate its technology, strengthen its product portfolio, and expand its business opportunities. On March 17, AEye, […]
Experts share why you might sleep better with that special someone and how couples can find healthy sleep dynamics Tell us: do you use AI for fitness? I don’t live with my partner, but when we sleep in the same bed, I doze off almost instantly. When I’m alone in my own bed, I toss and turn throughout the night. Between talk of “sleep divorces ” being key to a healthy relationship and boyfriends be...
Experts share why you might sleep better with that special someone and how couples can find healthy sleep dynamics Tell us: do you use AI for fitness? I don’t live with my partner, but when we sleep in the same bed, I doze off almost instantly. When I’m alone in my own bed, I toss and turn throughout the night. Between talk of “sleep divorces ” being key to a healthy relationship and boyfriends being embarrassing , it’s been hard to admit that I sleep much better with my partner. Continue reading...
Microsoft has also reduced the price of its Xbox Game Pass video game subscription service, Microsoft Gaming boss Asha Sharma has announced Microsoft’s gaming subscription service Xbox Game Pass will be coming down in price from today, but future Call of Duty titles will no longer be available on the service at launch. Other games from Microsoft-owned studios will still be playable on Game Pass fr...
Microsoft has also reduced the price of its Xbox Game Pass video game subscription service, Microsoft Gaming boss Asha Sharma has announced Microsoft’s gaming subscription service Xbox Game Pass will be coming down in price from today, but future Call of Duty titles will no longer be available on the service at launch. Other games from Microsoft-owned studios will still be playable on Game Pass from the day of their release, and older Call of Duty games will remain available, the company has clarified. Last October, Microsoft increased the price of its top-tier Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription by almost 50%. From today the price will reduce from £22.99/month to £16.99/month in the UK, and from $29.99 to $22.99 a month in the US. PC Game Pass will also drop from $16.49 to $13.99/£13.49 to £10.99 a month. Continue reading...
Democrats around the country are pushing forward on plans to tax the rich — moves that are supportive for the tax-exempt municipal-bond market . The state of Washington just instituted its first income tax in nearly a century with a levy on millionaires , while Maine lawmakers passed a 2% surcharge on income over $1 million, affecting an estimated 2,600 filers. Meanwhile, progressive lawmakers in ...
Democrats around the country are pushing forward on plans to tax the rich — moves that are supportive for the tax-exempt municipal-bond market . The state of Washington just instituted its first income tax in nearly a century with a levy on millionaires , while Maine lawmakers passed a 2% surcharge on income over $1 million, affecting an estimated 2,600 filers. Meanwhile, progressive lawmakers in Minnesota are proposing a tax on decamillionaires, those whose net worth tops $10 million, though the plan faces an uphill battle in the legislature. The momentum toward higher taxes on the wealthy bodes well for the muni market, which offers a tax shelter for residents in those states. Income from the interest on muni bonds is typically exempt from state levies, though Illinois, another state with a tax-the-rich effort underway, generally does tax the interest. The campaign to target the highest earners comes as concerns about affordability abound, and many states are seeking to ramp up revenue. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has played a pivotal role in making that a Democratic talking point, and he’s united with Governor Kathy Hochul on an effort to tax second homes worth more than $5 million. Adam Stern , co-head of research at Breckinridge Capital Advisors, said proposals targeting the ultra-wealthy are driven by longstanding concerns around income inequality and the renewed political focus on affordability. “Taxing the very well-to-do is a politically salable thing,” he said. In theory, that’s good for muni bonds, and even supports the market at valuations that were previously thought of as expensive, he said. “Conceivably, it could be good for munis for pricing,” Stern said. For example, the Washington state muni market is expected to benefit from the new levy there. In March, Governor Bob Ferguson , a Democrat, signed a law instituting a 9.9% levy on about 30,000 taxpayers who make more than $1 million a year. Western Asset Management’s Sam Weitzman said in a no...
Microsoft Corp . is lowering the price for the highest tier of its subscription gaming service, Xbox Game Pass, to $23 a month from $30, effective immediately. As a result, the company will no longer put new Call of Duty titles on the platform as soon as they are released. The shift in strategy arrives after two consecutive years of price increases for Xbox Game Pass, which allows users to pay mon...
Microsoft Corp . is lowering the price for the highest tier of its subscription gaming service, Xbox Game Pass, to $23 a month from $30, effective immediately. As a result, the company will no longer put new Call of Duty titles on the platform as soon as they are released. The shift in strategy arrives after two consecutive years of price increases for Xbox Game Pass, which allows users to pay monthly for unlimited access to a catalog of hundreds of games. Available titles include older games from a selection of publishers as well as brand-new games from Xbox’s internal studios, including Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. The 23% reduction in subscription costs for Game Pass Ultimate, announced in a blog post on Tuesday, is a sign that Xbox isn’t happy either with the growth trajectory of Game Pass or its effects on the revenue from Call of Duty , one of the most lucrative video-game franchises in the world. Game Pass, which launched in 2017, may have cost the company $300 million in lost revenue in 2024 from Call of Duty players who tapped into the subscription service instead of purchasing the game outright, Bloomberg reported last year. The biggest video game titles, which take years to develop, typically cost $70 and sometimes provide recurring revenue in the form of in-game purchases. Going forward, new Call of Duty games will be added to Game Pass roughly a year after they come out, Microsoft said. New entries in the military shooter series are released every fall. The Game Pass price drop is the first major move from new Xbox Chief Executive Officer Asha Sharma , who started in February. Last week, she wrote an email to staff lamenting that Game Pass had grown too expensive and signaling that she planned to test a more flexible system in the future. Sharma inherited a gaming division in crisis that has cut thousands of jobs and canceled dozens of projects over the last three years as it has faced increased scrutiny and pressure from Microsoft’s finance ...
In this article MSFT Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A Microsoft Xbox sign appears at the Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 21, 2025. Ying Tang | Nurphoto | Getty Images Microsoft said Tuesday that it will lower the cost of subscriptions that include access to hundreds of video games, after the company's new gaming leader promised to "recommit to our core Xbox fans a...
In this article MSFT Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT A Microsoft Xbox sign appears at the Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 21, 2025. Ying Tang | Nurphoto | Getty Images Microsoft said Tuesday that it will lower the cost of subscriptions that include access to hundreds of video games, after the company's new gaming leader promised to "recommit to our core Xbox fans and players." The flagship Game Pass Ultimate service, which allows gamers to download titles on PCs and Xbox consoles and stream games on mobile devices, has been cut to $22.99 per month from $29.99, Microsoft said in a blog post. The more limited PC Game Pass is now $13.99, down from $16.49. Forthcoming titles in the popular "Call of Duty" franchise will no longer be part of the two subscriptions immediately when they come out. Instead, gamers can buy the titles when they come out — the latest one goes for $69.99 — or wait until release the next holiday season and play older versions in the meantime. The change represents an attempt to rejigger the Xbox business from Asha Sharma, a former Meta executive who replaced Phil Spencer as Microsoft's gaming chief in February. Read more CNBC tech news Apple incoming CEO John Ternus faces a defining challenge: Fixing the company's AI strategy Tim Cook reactions: Trump, Altman, Buffett and more on the Apple CEO move Amazon to invest up to another $25 billion in Anthropic as part of AI infrastructure deal Amazon 'strong-armed' Levi's, Hanes to hike prices on rival sites, California DA says Gaming contributed 7% of Microsoft's total revenue in the fourth quarter . The unit's revenue was down around 10% year over year, while the Azure cloud, LinkedIn, Microsoft 365 productivity offerings and Dynamics business software all grew at least 10%. Hardware sales declined 32% after Microsoft canceled the development of the two games, "Everwild" and "Perfect Dark." Revenue from Xbox content and services, a metric that excludes hardware sales, c...
Microsoft (MSFT) on Tuesday said that it is reducing the price of two of its Xbox Game Pass tiers, a move that runs counter to broader industry trends.
Microsoft (MSFT) on Tuesday said that it is reducing the price of two of its Xbox Game Pass tiers, a move that runs counter to broader industry trends.
AI "Circle Jerk" Returns: Anthropic To Spend $100 Billion On AWS In Amazon Deal Circular AI vendor financing is back and back in a big way... As we noted last fall, when we walked readers through the stunning math behind what we called the AI " circle jerk ," this latest iteration centers on Amazon and Anthropic, with the left-leaning AI company now committing to spend more than $100 billion over ...
AI "Circle Jerk" Returns: Anthropic To Spend $100 Billion On AWS In Amazon Deal Circular AI vendor financing is back and back in a big way... As we noted last fall, when we walked readers through the stunning math behind what we called the AI " circle jerk ," this latest iteration centers on Amazon and Anthropic, with the left-leaning AI company now committing to spend more than $100 billion over the next decade on AWS infrastructure. In the announcement on Monday evening, Anthropic committed to spending more than $100 billion over the next decade on AWS infrastructure, including multiple generations of Trainium chips and tens of millions of Graviton cores. Amazon plans to invest $5 billion in Anthropic and up to an additional $20 billion in the future. "Anthropic's commitment to run its large language models on AWS Trainium for the next decade reflects the progress we've made together on custom silicon, as we continue delivering the technology and infrastructure our customers need to build with generative AI," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a statement. Anthropic's Claude Platform will be directly available in AWS accounts. Over 100,000 customers already run Claude models on AWS, and companies are continuing to collaborate on Project Rainier, a massive AI compute cluster built around nearly half a million Trainium2 chips. The bigger message here is that both companies are locking in long-term deals for chips, cloud infrastructure, and AI deployment. Anthropic noted that it will bring nearly 1 gigawatt total of Trainium2 and Trainium3 capacity by year's end. Anthropic noted that enterprise and developer demand for Claude has seen a "sharp rise" in usage, which has led to "inevitable strain" on its infrastructure, impacting reliability and performance. The company said the Amazon deal will quickly expand its available capacity. "Our users tell us Claude is increasingly essential to how they work, and we need to build the infrastructure to keep pace with rapidly growin...
Iren (NASDAQ: IREN) is down sharply, but the CEO's blunt comments may have revealed why the long-term setup still looks compelling. I break down the moat, the risk, and why this next earnings report could be a huge moment for the stock. Stock prices used were the market prices of April 11, 2026. The video was published on April 18, 2026. Continue reading
Iren (NASDAQ: IREN) is down sharply, but the CEO's blunt comments may have revealed why the long-term setup still looks compelling. I break down the moat, the risk, and why this next earnings report could be a huge moment for the stock. Stock prices used were the market prices of April 11, 2026. The video was published on April 18, 2026. Continue reading
D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS) certainly had an extraordinary run over the past couple of years. For investors who didn't have the opportunity to invest when the stock traded below $1, the recent dip may offer another chance to enter the quantum computing race . D-Wave's financials are somewhat mixed. On the positive side, in 2025, D-Wave's revenue increased 179% and gross profit grew 265%. The compa...
D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS) certainly had an extraordinary run over the past couple of years. For investors who didn't have the opportunity to invest when the stock traded below $1, the recent dip may offer another chance to enter the quantum computing race . D-Wave's financials are somewhat mixed. On the positive side, in 2025, D-Wave's revenue increased 179% and gross profit grew 265%. The company ended the year with the highest liquidity position in its history, with over $884 million on the balance sheet. The real bullish sign for D-Wave is in its bookings momentum. In 2025, D-Wave saw its bookings (or customer contracts) increase 471%. Already through the first quarter of 2026, bookings exceeded $32 million, which is nearly $8 million more than all of last year's revenue. Continue reading
Two of the most iconic stocks in the "Magnificent Seven" are Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) . They have been rivals for decades, and both have large and profitable operations. Apple is the larger of the two today, with a market cap of $4 trillion versus $3.1 trillion for Microsoft. Microsoft is a giant in the business world, known for its popular Windows operating system and Off...
Two of the most iconic stocks in the "Magnificent Seven" are Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) . They have been rivals for decades, and both have large and profitable operations. Apple is the larger of the two today, with a market cap of $4 trillion versus $3.1 trillion for Microsoft. Microsoft is a giant in the business world, known for its popular Windows operating system and Office products. Apple, meanwhile, has a devoted following of users and is often seen as a luxury brand. Over the past decade, Apple has been the far better buy with returns totaling 920%, compared with approximately 650% for Microsoft. Going with either one, however, would have been a far better move than tracking the S&P 500 , which has risen by roughly 240% over that time frame. But which of these tech stocks is the better buy today? Continue reading