HJBC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Accenture ( ACN ) has agreed to acquire Verum Partners to expand its capital projects capabilities in Latin America. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Completion is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Verum Partners specializes in identifying and elimi...
HJBC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Accenture ( ACN ) has agreed to acquire Verum Partners to expand its capital projects capabilities in Latin America. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Completion is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Verum Partners specializes in identifying and eliminating inefficiencies across the lifecycle of clients’ infrastructure and capital projects, from feasibility to engineering, construction, commissioning, and operational handover. It has more than 180 employees, who will join Accenture’s Infrastructure & Capital Projects practice. More on Accenture Accenture: Principal Moats Remain Very Much Intact Accenture: Why Business Quality Isn't Enough Accenture: I'm Starting A Position (Technical Analysis) OpenAI inks partnerships with consulting firms in enterprise push Accenture gets rating upgrade at Wells Fargo
S&P 500 Index futures are little changed as of 7:45 a.m. in New York after Monday’s selloff on AI fears. Nasdaq 100 Index futures climb 0.2% Dow Jones Industrial Average futures are up 0.2% The MSCI World Index is little changed Here are some of the biggest US movers before the bell: Magnificent Seven stocks: Alphabet (GOOGL) +0.1%, Amazon (AMZN) +0.1%, Apple (AAPL) +0.4%, Nvidia (NVDA) -0.7%, Met...
S&P 500 Index futures are little changed as of 7:45 a.m. in New York after Monday’s selloff on AI fears. Nasdaq 100 Index futures climb 0.2% Dow Jones Industrial Average futures are up 0.2% The MSCI World Index is little changed Here are some of the biggest US movers before the bell: Magnificent Seven stocks: Alphabet (GOOGL) +0.1%, Amazon (AMZN) +0.1%, Apple (AAPL) +0.4%, Nvidia (NVDA) -0.7%, Meta Platforms (META) -0.4%, Microsoft (MSFT) +0.1%, Tesla (TSLA) -0.5% Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) rises 11% as Meta Platforms Inc. will deploy 6 gigawatts’ worth of data center gear based on processors from the company. Blue Owl (OWL) slips 2% following a downgrade to hold at Deutsche Bank, which also reduces price targets and estimates across its wider alternative asset manager coverage. BWX Technologies (BWXT) rises 8% after the nuclear power company reported adjusted earnings per share and revenue for the fourth-quarter that beat the average analyst estimate. Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) falls 5% after the telehealth company’s guidance projected subdued profits for 1Q and the full year, citing a step-up in investments. While the full-year guidance implied a growth acceleration beyond 1Q, analysts were more cautious given its copycat weight-loss drugs face regulatory risks. Home Depot Inc. (HD) rises 2% after reporting a key sales metric that beat expectations in the latest quarter on steady demand, though the retailer cautioned that macroeconomic challenges remain. Keysight Technologies (KEYS) rises 15% after the measurement instruments company guided for above-20% growth for revenue and earnings in FY26, beating estimates. Booming AI workloads, along with faster growth in other business areas including wireless and defense, are all boosting growth, according to analysts. Kratos (KTOS) falls 3% after the defense contractor forecast revenue for the first quarter that missed the average analyst estimate. MediaAlpha (MAX) rises 11% after the insurance technology platform repor...
Michael Selig, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission speaks during a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Nov. 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images Six Democratic senators told the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in a previously unreported letter that they have strong concerns about pre...
Michael Selig, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission speaks during a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Nov. 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images Six Democratic senators told the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in a previously unreported letter that they have strong concerns about prediction market contracts "that incentivize physical injury or death," saying the contracts "present dangerous national security risks." The senators urged CFTC Chairman Michael Selig in the letter sent Monday to "clearly reiterate that the CFTC will categorically prohibit any contract that resolves upon or closely correlates to an individual's death." The letter notes that under federal commodity regulations, the CFTC already "categorically prohibits" contracts that involve or reference terrorism, assassination, war or similar actions. The letter was sent as prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi have become increasingly popular and as questions have been raised about how those markets should be regulated, whether they are contributing to a rise in gambling addiction , and about the risk of people with inside information taking positions on contracts. The letter notes that the CFTC "has cleared the way" for Polymarket to reenter the U.S. market after U.S. users being ostensibly blocked from accessing contracts on the company's offshore exchange. The Democrats who signed the letter are Sens. Adam Schiff of California, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, New Jersey's Cory Booker , Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Nevada's Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen. The CFTC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter, which cites three contracts offered by Polymarket in recent months relating to a NASA spaceship launch, the fate of Venezuela's authoritarian leader, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "These recent events highlight the lack of internal co...
champpixs/iStock via Getty Images How do floating rate notes perform when credit spreads widen? Learn how spread risk, income and low duration shape corporate FRN returns. How Floating Rate Notes Perform When Credit Spreads Widen Corporate floating rate notes (FRNs) are often discussed when talking about interest rate risk, but credit conditions also play an important role in shaping returns. Whil...
champpixs/iStock via Getty Images How do floating rate notes perform when credit spreads widen? Learn how spread risk, income and low duration shape corporate FRN returns. How Floating Rate Notes Perform When Credit Spreads Widen Corporate floating rate notes (FRNs) are often discussed when talking about interest rate risk, but credit conditions also play an important role in shaping returns. While FRN coupons adjust with prevailing short-term interest rates, changes in credit spreads can affect valuations and introduce short-term volatility. Interest Rate Sensitivity vs. Credit Sensitivity in Corporate FRNs FRN coupons reset periodically based on short-term reference rates, which means prices have virtually no sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Investors generally do not experience significant price losses when rates rise, nor do they benefit meaningfully from falling rates through price appreciation. Credit conditions, however, do matter. The fixed spread over the reference rate compensates investors for credit risk, and changes in issuer creditworthiness or broader market sentiment can affect valuations as market credit spreads move. What Happens to Corporate FRNs When Credit Spreads Widen? When credit spreads widen, FRN prices may decline to compensate investors for the higher perceived level of risk. This spread exposure can lead to short-term volatility and drawdowns that are larger than those seen in non-credit-sensitive instruments such as Treasury FRNs or T-bills. However, the higher yield associated with credit exposure has historically allowed investment-grade FRNs to recover and outperform over longer horizons, particularly relative to traditional fixed-rate corporate bonds. Recent Examples of Spread Widening and FRN Performance Recent market experience illustrates this behavior. For example, during brief credit-spread widening episodes in 2023 and mid-2025 driven by economic slowdown concerns, IG FRNs experienced limited, short-lived price declin...
Few companies have had such an impact on the media industry as Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) . It's a pioneer in subscription video on demand, and its model is now an essential piece of every media company's strategy. The pressure it has put on traditional cable television and theatrical releases has also led to significant industry consolidation over the last decade-plus. Now, Netflix itself is at the c...
Few companies have had such an impact on the media industry as Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) . It's a pioneer in subscription video on demand, and its model is now an essential piece of every media company's strategy. The pressure it has put on traditional cable television and theatrical releases has also led to significant industry consolidation over the last decade-plus. Now, Netflix itself is at the center of a big media merger. The company agreed to acquire most of Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) late last year. However, uncertainty about integrating the two companies and fears of a bidding war between Netflix and Paramount Skydance have led to a sharp sell-off in the shares. The question for investors is whether the sell-off represents a buying opportunity or if there are good reasons to avoid Netflix stock. Continue reading
AMD Shares Soar After Meta Chip Deal Worth More Than $100 Billion Shares of Advanced Micro Devices surged the most in five months in premarket trading, after Meta disclosed a multi-year deal to deploy up to 6 gigawatts of AMD Instinct GPUs to power its next-generation AI data centers. Meta will begin deploying these AMD chips in the second half of 2026. The first phase will support the deployment ...
AMD Shares Soar After Meta Chip Deal Worth More Than $100 Billion Shares of Advanced Micro Devices surged the most in five months in premarket trading, after Meta disclosed a multi-year deal to deploy up to 6 gigawatts of AMD Instinct GPUs to power its next-generation AI data centers. Meta will begin deploying these AMD chips in the second half of 2026. The first phase will support the deployment of 1 gigawatt. AMD stated: This agreement expands on the companies' existing strategic partnership and aligns roadmaps across silicon, systems, and software to deliver AI platforms purpose-built for Meta's workloads. The first deployment will use a custom AMD Instinct GPU based on the MI450 architecture to deliver AI platforms that are optimized for Meta's workloads at gigawatt-scale. Shipments supporting the first gigawatt deployment are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026. Part of the deal includes Meta receiving a performance-based warrant for up to 160 million shares of AMD stock, structured to vest based on specific milestones tied to chip shipments. The first tranche vests with the initial 1-gigawatt of shipments, with additional tranches vesting as Meta's purchases scale to 6 gigawatts. AMD shares in New York jumped as much as 15% in premarket trading. As of 7:30 a.m. ET, the stock was up about 12%. If those gains hold into the cash session, it would mark AMD's largest intraday increase since early October. Meta's stock was marginally higher in premarket, while Nvidia shares traded down nearly 1%. "Our ambitions are pretty high," said Santosh Janardhan, Meta's head of global infrastructure, who oversees the company's data centers and their technical architecture, as quoted by Bloomberg. AMD Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su said, "What we're looking to do is go big and accelerate," adding, "We were on a very good path with Meta, but this actually takes our relationship to the next level." Meta is already AMD's second-largest customer, and these chip shipments...
Emerging-market stocks scaled another record high Tuesday, as fresh gains in Asian tech allowed the sector to shrug off the AI concerns that have weighed on Wall Street, while on currencies, China’s yuan firmed as mainland trading resumed after the Lunar New Year break. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose for a fifth consecutive day, extending its year-to-date gain to more than 13%. The technolog...
Emerging-market stocks scaled another record high Tuesday, as fresh gains in Asian tech allowed the sector to shrug off the AI concerns that have weighed on Wall Street, while on currencies, China’s yuan firmed as mainland trading resumed after the Lunar New Year break. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose for a fifth consecutive day, extending its year-to-date gain to more than 13%. The technology sub-index jumped more than 3%, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. While Taiwan’s index added 2.7%, South Korean shares gained 2%, getting fresh impetus from export data that showed semiconductor exports climbed 134% year-on-year, despite trade tariff uncertainty. Emerging stocks are widening their year-to-date outperformance against developed peers, having risen 13%, compared to a 2% gain on MSCI’s global equity gauge and 0.1% for the S&P 500. The majority of the gains remain concentrated in Asia which is luring a number of investors away from expensively valued Wall Street hyperscalers. “You can access a lot of the themes around AI at a much cheaper multiple in emerging markets,” said Chris Tennant , a portfolio manager at Fidelity International Ltd. “Often these are also much superior businesses than exist in the US.” A comparison of Korean and Taiwanese revenue growth rates with those in the US, shows that “with the exception of Nvidia and perhaps Broadcom, we see pretty much better growth in these emerging market technology stocks,” Tennant added. Optimism toward emerging markets is also driven by expectations of a weaker dollar and higher inflation-adjusted bond yields in developing nations. Those factors have also lifted EM local currency bonds and MSCI’s EM currency index to record highs this month. Capital inflows to emerging market exchange-traded funds enjoyed an 18th straight week of inflows for a year-to-date total of $32.7 billion. The currency index traded flat on Tuesday as the dollar edged higher, thoug...
Advanced Micro Devices rallies after the chip maker unveils a multi-year deal to supply computing power to Meta Platforms, while Hims & Hers shares sink after the online health platform issues underwhelming guidance for the current quarter.
Advanced Micro Devices rallies after the chip maker unveils a multi-year deal to supply computing power to Meta Platforms, while Hims & Hers shares sink after the online health platform issues underwhelming guidance for the current quarter.
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Bank of Nova Scotia ( BNS ) ( BNS:CA ), or Scotiabank, posted solid FQ1 adjusted EPS, supported by earnings growth across all business lines, and expressed confidence in achieving its medium-term objectives. Read: Bank of Nova Scotia Non-GAAP EPS of C$2.05 beats by C$0.10, revenue of C$9.65B misses by C$70M The Canadian lender saw its adjusted EPS for th...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Bank of Nova Scotia ( BNS ) ( BNS:CA ), or Scotiabank, posted solid FQ1 adjusted EPS, supported by earnings growth across all business lines, and expressed confidence in achieving its medium-term objectives. Read: Bank of Nova Scotia Non-GAAP EPS of C$2.05 beats by C$0.10, revenue of C$9.65B misses by C$70M The Canadian lender saw its adjusted EPS for the three months ended January 31, 2026, jump to C$2.05 from C$1.76 in the same period a year ago. Total revenue was up ~3% to C$9.65B from C$9.37B a year ago. "2026 is off to a strong start for Scotiabank," said CEO Scott Thomson. "We saw earnings growth across all of our business lines this quarter, including in Canadian Banking, where we delivered another quarter of sequential margin expansion, accelerating fee income growth, and positive operating leverage." The Canadian Banking unit saw a 5% year-over-year growth in earnings to C$960M, driven by strong revenue growth and disciplined expense management. International Banking segment reported a 7% year-over-year rise in earnings to C$737M on the back of margin expansion and strong positive operating leverage. Global Wealth Management saw its adjusted earnings advance by 18% to C$491M on account of higher mutual fund fees, brokerage revenues, and net interest income. Global Banking and Markets earnings were up 5% to C$544M, because of strong fee-based revenue growth and robust capital markets activity. "We are confident that we can deliver on our medium-term objectives in 2027, including a return on equity above 14% – one year ahead of our Investor Day commitments," said the CEO. Provision for credit losses increased to C$1.18B from C$1.16B. Impaired loans as of January 31 increased to C$7.25B from C$7.24B in the prior quarter, primarily due to new formations in the corporate portfolio and the impact of foreign currency translation. As of January 31, the bank reported a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 13.3%. More on T...
aapsky/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Uber Technologies ( UBER ) has become a volatile "battleground" stock as the mobility sector undergoes a polarizing, structural shift. Investors are struggling to determine whether the advancement of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology represents a long-term threat or a massive tailwind for Uber. Although the future remains uncertain, my deep-dive analysis s...
aapsky/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Uber Technologies ( UBER ) has become a volatile "battleground" stock as the mobility sector undergoes a polarizing, structural shift. Investors are struggling to determine whether the advancement of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology represents a long-term threat or a massive tailwind for Uber. Although the future remains uncertain, my deep-dive analysis suggests that Uber's strategic trajectory puts them in a favorable position to outperform. In this article, I will break down how the unit economics of AV technology could offer a tailwind for Uber Technologies and why it has led to my Strong Buy rating. The Margin Story A common misconception I hear about Uber is that their margins will compress as AVs scale because Uber's take rate and cost per ride shrink. In essence, this would make sense, but after a deeper review of Uber's financial structure, I believe this theory is incomplete. In 2026, Uber generated $193 billion in gross bookings, of which Uber only recognized $52 billion. This delta is due to taxes, tolls, fees, promotions, and, most notably, driver and merchant earnings. This results in an approximate take rate of ~27%. Based on my review of recent financial statements, I estimate that 70% of contra-revenue (gross bookings minus net revenue) expenses are driver-related and 30% are for merchants and other expenses. Furthermore, Uber allocates driver insurance and incentive costs to the 'Cost of Revenue' expense, which further drags down profitability. Form 10-K (Uber Technologies, Inc. Investor Relations) To better understand the economic opportunity with AVs, we must first identify expenses that are directly tied to human drivers. The costs that would be essentially eliminated if the driver were an AV. Using data from the recent 10-K (image above), I have identified the following expenses: $18.32 billion in driver incentives (90% of platform participant costs) $2.66 billion in "other" costs (insurance reserves) $...
Digi Power X ( DGX:CA ) ( DGXX ) will uplist from the TSX Venture Exchange to Cboe Canada effective at market open on February 27, 2026. The company’s subordinate voting shares will continue trading under the symbol “DGX” on Cboe Canada. The shares will remain listed on Nasdaq and continue trading under the symbol “DGXX.” The shares will be voluntarily delisted from the TSXV effective at market cl...
Digi Power X ( DGX:CA ) ( DGXX ) will uplist from the TSX Venture Exchange to Cboe Canada effective at market open on February 27, 2026. The company’s subordinate voting shares will continue trading under the symbol “DGX” on Cboe Canada. The shares will remain listed on Nasdaq and continue trading under the symbol “DGXX.” The shares will be voluntarily delisted from the TSXV effective at market close on February 26, 2026. More on Digi Power X Inc. Digi Power X: Too Hot To Be Ignored With New Contracts Loading Into 2026 (Buy) Digi Power X Inc. (DGX:CA) Presents at IAccess Alpha Virtual Best Ideas Winter Investment Conference 2025 Transcript Digi Power X to buy $20 mln of Nvidia B300 GPUs for NeoCloudz AI platform Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Digi Power X Inc. Historical earnings data for Digi Power X Inc.
Trevor Srednick Bath & Body Works ( BBWI ) has begun selling directly on Amazon ( AMZN ) through an official, authorized brand storefront. Notably, the retailer is offering a curated set of its top-selling products, such as the Champagne Toast body wash, popular body mists, hand soaps, and candles, on Amazon in the U.S., with all items eligible for Prime shipping and many available with no minimum...
Trevor Srednick Bath & Body Works ( BBWI ) has begun selling directly on Amazon ( AMZN ) through an official, authorized brand storefront. Notably, the retailer is offering a curated set of its top-selling products, such as the Champagne Toast body wash, popular body mists, hand soaps, and candles, on Amazon in the U.S., with all items eligible for Prime shipping and many available with no minimum purchase for free delivery. Of course, by using Amazon's ( AMZN ) fulfillment network, Bath & Body Works ( BBWI ) gains access to next-day and expedited delivery capabilities that would be extremely costly to replicate in-house while still retaining ownership of its inventory and control over pricing. Before the official storefront arrangement, Bath & Body Works ( BBWI ) products only circulated on Amazon ( AMZN ) via third-party resellers, sometimes at discounted or inconsistent prices, which made the brand’s story and customer experience difficult to control. The new authorized storefront allows Bath & Body Works ( BBWI ) to effectively steer traffic toward authenticated listings, reducing gray-market exposure and improving brand consistency. At the same time, the company is also simplifying its site (for example, lowering the free-shipping threshold from $100 to $50) to keep its direct channel competitive while leaning on Amazon’s ( AMZN ) massive network for speed and convenience. Under current CEO Daniel Heaf, the company is expected to keep using Amazon ( AMZN ) as a key lever in its broader turnaround and digital-access strategy. More on Bath & Body Works Bath & Body Works: A Double-Digit Yield Bargain With Significant Turnaround Potential Bath & Body Works Goes Back To The Basics Bath & Body Works: Near-Term Outlook Still Poor, But Recovery Plan Has Merits (Rating Upgrade) Bath & Body Works merchandise now available on Amazon Citi downgrades Bath & Body Works as FY26 will show cracks in its core business