bigjom/iStock via Getty Images Market Review The S&P 500 Index faced a volatile first quarter, shaped by escalating geopolitical tensions and a spike in oil prices related to the conflict in Iran, which supported Energy and defense stocks. Despite the uncertainty, the macroeconomic backdrop has remained relatively strong, although tighter financial conditions weighed on economically sensitive stoc...
bigjom/iStock via Getty Images Market Review The S&P 500 Index faced a volatile first quarter, shaped by escalating geopolitical tensions and a spike in oil prices related to the conflict in Iran, which supported Energy and defense stocks. Despite the uncertainty, the macroeconomic backdrop has remained relatively strong, although tighter financial conditions weighed on economically sensitive stocks, even as economic growth and earnings expectations showed resilience. The narrative around artificial intelligence (AI) shifted toward concerns that potential disruption would impact the future value of many of the large, established players across tech and other industries. This also contributed to the market's decline in the first quarter. Quarterly Performance Review Health Care holding detracted The Fund returned -6.78% (NAV) during the quarter, underperforming the S&P 500 Index's -4.33%. Our holdings in the Health Care sector hurt performance, along with a lack of exposure to the Energy and Consumer Staples sectors. On the upside, holdings in the Industrials, Information Technology and Materials sectors buoyed relative results. Top Quarterly Contributors Applied Materials ( AMAT ) , which supplies semiconductor manufacturing equipment, benefited from sustained demand tied to the AI infrastructure build-out, as hyperscalers increased capital spending to support accelerating compute needs. Deere ( DE ) advanced on expectations for an agricultural cycle recovery and continued adoption of precision agriculture technologies, with investors viewing the agricultural equipment business as both durable and future proofed. Linde ( LIN ) , a multinational provider of industrial gases, gained as investors favored companies with durable, hard-to-disrupt business models tied to both the global economy and semiconductor manufacturing. Waste Management ( WM ) , a leading provider of waste management and environmental services, gained during the quarter as investors sought stability...
Barry Callebaut AG ruby natural chocolate discs are displayed at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut on Thursday slashed its operating profit forecast, citing falling cocoa prices, industry overcapacity and potential supply disruption linked to the Iran war . The company, which is ...
Barry Callebaut AG ruby natural chocolate discs are displayed at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut on Thursday slashed its operating profit forecast, citing falling cocoa prices, industry overcapacity and potential supply disruption linked to the Iran war . The company, which is the world's largest chocolate maker, said it now expected earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to decrease by "mid-teens" percentage in its 2025 to 2026 fiscal year. The outlook reflects a significant downgrade from just three months earlier, when the Zurich-headquartered company said it was preparing for a return to growth. Hein Schumacher, who was appointed Barry Callebaut CEO in late January, said Thursday that the firm has an "unparalleled market position" and fundamental growth opportunities, while warning of a "turbulent period" of industry disruption. "In the first half of our fiscal year, cocoa bean prices decreased, which is encouraging for future chocolate market momentum and supported strong free cash flow generation," Schumacher said in a statement. "Yet the unique speed of the market decrease combined with a competitive overcapacity market, volume declines and supply disruption impacted EBIT performance and adjusted our profitability outlook for the year as we prioritize restoring volume and leading the market back to growth," he added. Shares of Barry Callebaut fell as much as 17% on Thursday. The stock was last seen trading off by around 15.8% shortly after 2:30 p.m. London time (9:30 a.m. ET). Cocoa prices fell 0.72% on Wednesday, reaching $3,537.28 per tonne. Despite rallying over the past week, cocoa prices have slumped 41.6% since the start of the year, and are down 57.6% over the past 12 months, according to Trading Economics data . Like most commodities, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has impacted cocoa prices with restricted supply and higher c...
Starting April 19, the price of the Meta Quest 3S (128GB) and Meta Quest 3S (256GB) will go up by $50 to $349.99 and $449.99, respectively. The price of the Meta Quest 3 is going up by $100 to $599.99.
Starting April 19, the price of the Meta Quest 3S (128GB) and Meta Quest 3S (256GB) will go up by $50 to $349.99 and $449.99, respectively. The price of the Meta Quest 3 is going up by $100 to $599.99.
Starting April 19, the price of the Meta Quest 3S (128GB) and Meta Quest 3S (256GB) will go up by $50 to $349.99 and $449.99, respectively. The price of the Meta Quest 3 is going up by $100 to $599.99.
Starting April 19, the price of the Meta Quest 3S (128GB) and Meta Quest 3S (256GB) will go up by $50 to $349.99 and $449.99, respectively. The price of the Meta Quest 3 is going up by $100 to $599.99.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is a Hold at $390. The stock has down 11% year to date while the company navigates a painful transition: Automotive volumes are declining, costs are rising, and the next wave of growth catalysts remains largely unproven. The bull case is real, but so is the risk of paying a premium price for a ... Should You Buy, Sell or Hold Tesla Stock at $390?
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is a Hold at $390. The stock has down 11% year to date while the company navigates a painful transition: Automotive volumes are declining, costs are rising, and the next wave of growth catalysts remains largely unproven. The bull case is real, but so is the risk of paying a premium price for a ... Should You Buy, Sell or Hold Tesla Stock at $390?
NetApp ( NTAP ) has expanded its collaboration with Google Cloud with a four-year agreement to deploy storage solutions in Google Distributed Cloud, or GDC. GDC is Google's sovereign cloud platform delivered by World Wide Technology. "By embedding NetApp's secure-by-design storage systems into Google Distributed Cloud, we're enabling customers to build Intelligent Data Infrastructure that provides...
NetApp ( NTAP ) has expanded its collaboration with Google Cloud with a four-year agreement to deploy storage solutions in Google Distributed Cloud, or GDC. GDC is Google's sovereign cloud platform delivered by World Wide Technology. "By embedding NetApp's secure-by-design storage systems into Google Distributed Cloud, we're enabling customers to build Intelligent Data Infrastructure that provides the foundation to support accredited, enterprise‑grade AI directly within sovereign and air‑gapped environments," said NetApp President Cesar Cernuda. "Now, public sector customers can modernize operations, accelerate insight, and innovate responsibly without compromising security, compliance, or national sovereignty." "Google Distributed Cloud was designed for exactly these environments, enabling customers to bring modern cloud services and advanced AI capabilities into sovereign, air‑gapped, and disconnected settings," said Muninder Sambi, vice president of product management and supply chain at Google Cloud. "By working with NetApp, we are helping government and regulated enterprises innovate where their data resides—supporting mission‑critical workloads with the highest levels of security, compliance, and operational integrity, without slowing the pace of transformation." Google has expanded its AI offerings on GDC over the last year, including Gemini's advanced reasoning and generation models. More on NetApp and Alphabet Alphabet: A Powerful Earnings Beat Likely Coming Again (Earnings Preview) Alphabet: AI-Powered Google Finance Is A Masterstroke Alphabet Stock Defies AI's Gravity EU regulator proposes measures for Google to share search engine data with third parties Google's SpaceX stake could deliver $100 billion payday post-IPO -- report
Marvell (MRVL) stock is up over 70% in two months. The P/E multiple hit 44x at its peak. On trailing earnings, the stock looks expensive. On forward earnings, the picture changes materially.
Marvell (MRVL) stock is up over 70% in two months. The P/E multiple hit 44x at its peak. On trailing earnings, the stock looks expensive. On forward earnings, the picture changes materially.
Stocks climbed again Thursday morning on a combination of optimism that the US and Iran want to extend a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East and on signs of improvement in the labor market. The S&P 500 Index climbed 0.1%, after the benchmark closed at a record Wednesday. The energy and real estate sectors led gains Thursday. The Nasdaq 100 , which posted its own record Wednesday, opened flat and ...
Stocks climbed again Thursday morning on a combination of optimism that the US and Iran want to extend a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East and on signs of improvement in the labor market. The S&P 500 Index climbed 0.1%, after the benchmark closed at a record Wednesday. The energy and real estate sectors led gains Thursday. The Nasdaq 100 , which posted its own record Wednesday, opened flat and is on the brink of its longest winning streak since 2017. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%. “The US has never lost their exceptionalism,” said Jenny Johnson , CEO of Franklin Templeton, in a Bloomberg TV interview Thursday morning, referring to indexes returning to record highs. The US and Iran are considering an extension to their ceasefire agreement that is set to end next week. Ed Yardeni said April’s stock market rebound is partially driven by investors fear of missing out on peace. “Financial markets are in an ebullient mood as investors bet the US and Iran will reach a peace deal in the coming weeks, allowing the Strait of Hormuz to reopen and relieving the supply shock battering global commodity flows,” said Karl Schamotta , chief market strategist at Corpay. A busy week in financial sector earnings continues to produce mixed results. Bank of New York Mellon Corp.’s shares rose as net interest income beat Wall Street estimates and the board authorized a new $10-billion share buyback plan. Charles Schwab Corp . shares slipped on a revenue miss even as total new assets solidly beat analyst expectations as retail investors put more money into the market. Markets have also been buoyed by cooler-than-expected producer and import prices this week and received another boost from initial jobless claims dropped for the week ending April 11, and were below economist forecasts. “The S&P 500’s sharp rally off the late-March lows has been nothing short of impressive, but has the index moved too far, too fast?” Sevens Report founder Tom Essaye wrote Thursday, n...
A former lawmaker and doctor who was previously imprisoned for conspiracy to commit subversion has been struck off Hong Kong’s register of medical practitioners, becoming the first national security-related disciplinary case to involve the profession. In a ruling handed down on Thursday, the Medical Council ordered that specialist urologist Dr Kwok Ka-ki, 64, be removed indefinitely from the Gener...
A former lawmaker and doctor who was previously imprisoned for conspiracy to commit subversion has been struck off Hong Kong’s register of medical practitioners, becoming the first national security-related disciplinary case to involve the profession. In a ruling handed down on Thursday, the Medical Council ordered that specialist urologist Dr Kwok Ka-ki, 64, be removed indefinitely from the General Register, which took immediate effect upon publication in the government gazette. Kwok, once a...
OpenAI is taking early steps to turn ChatGPT into a serious ad platform, according to a report by The Information. The company is now exploring new ways to price and deliver ads, as it looks to attract more marketing budgets and compete with Alphabet (GOOGL) and Meta Platforms (META). So far, ChatGPT ads have been limited and mostly experimental. However, that may soon change. Shift Toward Clicks ...
OpenAI is taking early steps to turn ChatGPT into a serious ad platform, according to a report by The Information. The company is now exploring new ways to price and deliver ads, as it looks to attract more marketing budgets and compete with Alphabet (GOOGL) and Meta Platforms (META). So far, ChatGPT ads have been limited and mostly experimental. However, that may soon change. Shift Toward Clicks and Conversions According to the report, OpenAI plans to introduce pricing based on clicks, not just