Microsoft appointed Asha Sharma as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, following the retirement of long-serving gaming chief Phil Spencer. Matt Booty has been promoted to Chief Content Officer, concentrating on game development and IP across the Xbox ecosystem. The leadership reshuffle is paired with a renewed focus on content creation and platform strategy across Xbox hardware, services and cloud gaming. Fo...
Microsoft appointed Asha Sharma as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, following the retirement of long-serving gaming chief Phil Spencer. Matt Booty has been promoted to Chief Content Officer, concentrating on game development and IP across the Xbox ecosystem. The leadership reshuffle is paired with a renewed focus on content creation and platform strategy across Xbox hardware, services and cloud gaming. For investors tracking NasdaqGS:MSFT, these changes touch one of the company’s most visible...
In its SEC filing dated February 10, 2026, Black Cypress Capital Management, LLC reported purchasing 115,858 additional shares of Floor & Decor (NYSE:FND) during the fourth quarter of 2025. The estimated transaction value was $7.51 million, based on the average quarterly closing price. The fund’s quarter-end position increased in value by $5.96 million, a figure that includes both trading activity...
In its SEC filing dated February 10, 2026, Black Cypress Capital Management, LLC reported purchasing 115,858 additional shares of Floor & Decor (NYSE:FND) during the fourth quarter of 2025. The estimated transaction value was $7.51 million, based on the average quarterly closing price. The fund’s quarter-end position increased in value by $5.96 million, a figure that includes both trading activity and price movement. The buy activity brought the Floor & Decor stake to 8.57% of 13F assets under management. As of February 27, 2026, shares were priced at $67.51, down 30.1% over the past year and underperforming the S&P 500 by 46 percentage points. Continue reading
Alex Cristi /iStock via Getty Images Within a few short months, the software sector has gone from being one of the hottest industries to invest in to one of the cheapest. Bargains now abound in the sector, but of course there's a land mine of risks as well as we navigate poor market sentiment amid potential growth in AI risks. Criteo ( CRTO ), a France-based ad-tech platform that competes against ...
Alex Cristi /iStock via Getty Images Within a few short months, the software sector has gone from being one of the hottest industries to invest in to one of the cheapest. Bargains now abound in the sector, but of course there's a land mine of risks as well as we navigate poor market sentiment amid potential growth in AI risks. Criteo ( CRTO ), a France-based ad-tech platform that competes against The Trade Desk ( TTD ), has been among the hardest-hit companies. Shares have lost ~60% of their value over the past year, with shares dropping ~10% after a recent disappointing Q4 earnings print. We have to ask ourselves now: How much of Criteo's risk is priced in? Data by YCharts I last wrote a "Buy" article on Criteo in December, when the stock was trading above $20 per share. Needless to say, the stock has been a bit of a falling knife since then. I acknowledge that my buy call was ill-timed and that Criteo's recent performance trends have been wanting. That said, I also believe the company has a relatively secure book of business, especially thanks to its relationships with top-tier clients in both Europe and the United States. Amid clear evidence that Criteo continues to drive profitability despite top-line crunches, I think Criteo will look increasingly appealing as a value buy for a potential PE-style acquisition. Its free cash flow and adjusted EBITDA profile, in other words, put a solid floor on the company's share price. Though this is certainly a stock that requires patience, I reiterate my "Buy" rating here. A lot of focus has been directed at Criteo's risks, but not nearly enough attention is paid to the company's potential tailwinds. In my view, these are the core elements of the bull thesis for Criteo: Building out agentic AI commerce tools. Criteo is transitioning from merely being a demand-side ads platform and becoming more of a value-added software vendor. Its newly released agentic AI commerce features allow its customers to build AI chatbot-style shopp...
In this article GLD Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Frame Studio | Moment | Getty Images With the Middle East war rattling global markets, gold is once again drawing attention as a potential safe-haven investment. The precious metal is generally viewed as a diversifier and store of value in turbulent times. However, it's important to know what you're investing in, and why, before j...
In this article GLD Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Frame Studio | Moment | Getty Images With the Middle East war rattling global markets, gold is once again drawing attention as a potential safe-haven investment. The precious metal is generally viewed as a diversifier and store of value in turbulent times. However, it's important to know what you're investing in, and why, before jumping in. "Gold may be one of the ways to invest against the geopolitical shock, but certainly there are others," such as global energy and defense stocks , said certified financial planner Barry Glassman, founder and president of Glassman Wealth Services in Vienna, Virginia, and a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council . "It'll be interesting to see which parts of portfolios hold up during this volatility." Gold prices have been on a runup Gold's price has jumped in recent days due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East sparked by the joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran , which were met with retaliatory attacks on Israel and other U.S. allies around the Gulf region. The price for a troy ounce of gold shot above $5,400 overnight before settling back in the $5,300 range by Monday afternoon. More from Financial Advisor Playbook: Here's a look at other stories affecting the financial advisor business. Student loan forgiveness is taxable again. How to plan for a five-figure IRS bill Trump accounts have 'more unanswered questions than answered,' expert says Home sellers start getting lower prices at 70, research shows — here's why Bigger SALT cap may 'drive higher refunds,' tax expert says — who benefits Trump accounts could grow to $50,000 or more, president says. Advisors weigh in Housing affordability isn't just hurting buyers: More homeowners are falling behind In an affordability crunch, Gen Z adults lean on their parents for financial help Penalty-free withdrawals from 401(k)s can now pay for long-term care insurance Tax changes Social Security benefi...
Pershing Square Holdings’ weak start to 2026 could make it harder for Bill Ackman to secure a rich valuation as he prepares a potential IPO of Pershing Square Capital Management.
Pershing Square Holdings’ weak start to 2026 could make it harder for Bill Ackman to secure a rich valuation as he prepares a potential IPO of Pershing Square Capital Management.
Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, threatening to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis US-Israel war on Iran – live updates Israel closed all crossings into Gaza indefinitely when it attacked Iran, imposing a siege that has already pushed up food prices and threatens to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis. After more than two years of war, and with Israeli forces i...
Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, threatening to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis US-Israel war on Iran – live updates Israel closed all crossings into Gaza indefinitely when it attacked Iran, imposing a siege that has already pushed up food prices and threatens to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis. After more than two years of war, and with Israeli forces in control of about 60% of the territory, almost all Gaza’s food must be brought in. Continue reading...
Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images By many measures, the SAVE , or Saving on a Valuable Education, student loan plan was defunct. The Biden administration-era affordable repayment plan faced several legal challenges, and Congress voted over the summer to repeal the program. But Judge John Ross, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, dismissed the main lawsuit against SAVE las...
Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images By many measures, the SAVE , or Saving on a Valuable Education, student loan plan was defunct. The Biden administration-era affordable repayment plan faced several legal challenges, and Congress voted over the summer to repeal the program. But Judge John Ross, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, dismissed the main lawsuit against SAVE last week. Consumer advocates say that could give SAVE a second life — albeit a brief one. "Friday's ruling was unexpected," said Nancy Nierman, assistant director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York. "Will they lift the forbearance and allow borrowers to make payments in SAVE? Will they start processing forgiveness in SAVE?" More than 7 million student loan borrowers remain enrolled in the SAVE plan, as of the fourth quarter, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Here's what the development could mean for borrowers. It's unclear how the Trump administration will respond The Biden administration introduced the SAVE plan in 2023, billing it as "the most affordable repayment plan ever created." Under the program, many borrowers expected to see their monthly bills cut in half. But Republican-led legal challenges quickly put the plan on ice. After Friday's ruling, consumer advocates issued statements calling on the Education Department to restore access to SAVE's benefits for student loan borrowers. "The court has given the Department a golden opportunity to do right by people struggling with the staggering cost of living and crippling student loan debt," said Abby Shafroth, managing director of advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center. However, it remains unclear how the Education Department will respond to the ruling. The agency did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Read more CNBC personal finance coverage Gold price jumps on Middle East turmoil. What to know before investing What student loan borrowers need to know about judge'...
Dennis Diatel Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images While crypto exchange-traded funds came to market in January 2024 with Bitcoin ETFs, it has taken continued regulatory approvals and time for additional crypto ETFs to emerge. Investors and traders alike can now buy and sell ETFs tracking spot Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Ripple. With the emergence of such funds, investors are presented...
Dennis Diatel Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images While crypto exchange-traded funds came to market in January 2024 with Bitcoin ETFs, it has taken continued regulatory approvals and time for additional crypto ETFs to emerge. Investors and traders alike can now buy and sell ETFs tracking spot Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Ripple. With the emergence of such funds, investors are presented with easier on-ramps to gain exposure to the networks that they deem to provide the most utility. For this article, we specifically examine Solana ETFs through the lens of a long-term investor. Specifically, for investors with a two-to-four-year time horizon, we argue that the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF ( BSOL ) offers the most structurally attractive exposure among the available Solana ETFs. While all funds provide access to the same underlying asset, differences in staking take-rates, sponsor fees, AUM durability, and index construction meaningfully affect compounded returns over time. With that said, price performance and network strength do not always move in tandem. Given the ~70% drawdown in SOL, it is likely that cryptocurrencies as a whole will continue to struggle in the short-to-intermediate term. For that reason, I assign “Hold” ratings to both the underlying asset and Solana ETFs but remain optimistic about future long-term returns. Important Fund Specifics To Consider For investors considering adding crypto exposure to their portfolios—specifically Solana—there are several factors to consider. Such factors include sponsor fees, staking fees, AUM, and the varying benchmark indices. In terms of both net expense ratios and net assets, the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF ( BSOL ) ranks above the rest. While some of BSOL’s success can be attributed to its first-mover advantage, being the first Solana ETF to market, other Solana ETFs were quick to follow. We acknowledge that Fidelity, in particular, stands to benefit from its large institutional infrastructure and large ...
Wavebreakmedia/iStock via Getty Images FS KKR Capital Corp. ( FSK ) is one of my first business development companies, or BDCs, that I have covered here on the Seeking Alpha platform. Back in December 2023, I issued a bullish piece on FSK, suggesting investors open a stake for capturing outsized returns from the P/NAV recovery process. After almost a year of maintaining a Buy rating, I decided to ...
Wavebreakmedia/iStock via Getty Images FS KKR Capital Corp. ( FSK ) is one of my first business development companies, or BDCs, that I have covered here on the Seeking Alpha platform. Back in December 2023, I issued a bullish piece on FSK, suggesting investors open a stake for capturing outsized returns from the P/NAV recovery process. After almost a year of maintaining a Buy rating, I decided to take ~27% profits home and issued a thesis update piece outlining why the discount had become insufficient relative to peers and its own fundamentals. Timing-wise, my move to rotate out of FSK could not have been better. Namely, after the rating downgrade and until I switched my stance to a bullish one again (October 2025), FSK's share price had declined by almost 33%. However, this time what has happened after my thesis update is something that I was not expecting at all. The following chart does a good job of explaining my miss, which is also now my largest BDC investment mistake: YCharts There are two parts to this story. First, part of the realized downside has stemmed from the sector-wide selloff, which has resulted in unpleasant BDC returns ( BIZD ) across the board. Second, a much bigger driver of FSK's catastrophic performance has been the BDC-specific issues, which is where I had an opposite view as to how these things will evolve going forward. The chart also shows that the publication of the Q4, 2025 earnings report served as a catalyst for a significant leg down. Even though I clearly articulated that FSK is a high-risk and high-reward case and should be treated as a tactical investment play—just as Blue Owl Capital Inc. ( OWL ) and Crescent Capital BDC, Inc. ( CCAP ), which are my other tactical trade ideas—I did not expect the risk side of the equation to materialize in so drastic fashion. Now, I have assessed the Q4 earnings deck , digested the key comments of the management team that were expressed in the earnings call , and contextualized the case with the ...
A £2 billion (US$2.68 billion) class action will claim that millions of PlayStation users in the UK are overcharged for games on the console in the latest legal challenge against technology firms’ market dominance. The case, brought by consumer champion Alex Neill on behalf of an estimated 12.2 million gamers, accuses Sony of levying “excessive and unfair” charges on downloads from its PlayStation...
A £2 billion (US$2.68 billion) class action will claim that millions of PlayStation users in the UK are overcharged for games on the console in the latest legal challenge against technology firms’ market dominance. The case, brought by consumer champion Alex Neill on behalf of an estimated 12.2 million gamers, accuses Sony of levying “excessive and unfair” charges on downloads from its PlayStation Store. The antitrust claim is set to be heard by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London from...
vicm/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images The Boston Beer Company is playing into the growing spirits-based ready-to-drink product trend. The company announced on Monday that it is expanding its Sinless Vodka Cocktails line from a three-market 2025 test to 34 U.S. markets beginning March 2026, supported by a refreshed brand look designed to stand out from traditional light and bright seltzer packagi...
vicm/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images The Boston Beer Company is playing into the growing spirits-based ready-to-drink product trend. The company announced on Monday that it is expanding its Sinless Vodka Cocktails line from a three-market 2025 test to 34 U.S. markets beginning March 2026, supported by a refreshed brand look designed to stand out from traditional light and bright seltzer packaging. The RTD product is being positioned as a “guilt-free” spirits-based cocktail option. Sinless targets consumers seeking full flavor with a lighter nutritional profile, as each 5% ABV can contains 100 calories, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of carbs, and is naturally gluten-free due to its premium vodka base. The line is described as slightly sparkling and less carbonated than seltzer-based RTDs or beer and comes in four single-fruit flavors (cranberry, pineapple, black cherry, and peach) sold in 12 oz single-flavor 4-packs, a 12 oz 8-pack variety, and 570 mL singles in select varieties. Distribution will roll out through 2026 across a broad footprint including Arizona, Southern California, Colorado, Florida, New York, Texas, and more than two dozen additional states. Originally launched in 2025 under the Sinless Spirits name in three test markets, the brand’s rapid expansion underscores Boston Beer’s conviction in spirits-based RTDs and the demand for zero-sugar cocktails. Beyond Sinless, Boston Beer ( SAM ) has been actively expanding its broader RTD portfolio to capture growth in flavored and spirits-adjacent categories. Slingers Signature Cocktails, launched in 2023, are malt-based 8% ABV single-serve 24 oz cans positioned as full-flavor cocktail-style drinks in familiar flavors like Bahama Mama, Peach Screwdriver, and Pineapple Punch, aimed at value-conscious convenience-channel shoppers. The company has also repositioned Truly Vodka Seltzer as Truly Vodka Soda to better align with consumer interest in spirits-based RTDs, adding new vodka-soda flavors in multi-packs ...