(Bloomberg) -- US stocks were near a record high following a rally powered by optimism around a potential peace deal in the Middle East, with traders now eyeing confirmation of new talks and a fresh spate of corporate earnings.The S&P 500 was up 0.1%, after the benchmark closed within a whisker of its late-January high in the previous session. Bank of America Corp. and Morgan Stanley rose as their...
(Bloomberg) -- US stocks were near a record high following a rally powered by optimism around a potential peace deal in the Middle East, with traders now eyeing confirmation of new talks and a fresh spate of corporate earnings.The S&P 500 was up 0.1%, after the benchmark closed within a whisker of its late-January high in the previous session. Bank of America Corp. and Morgan Stanley rose as their equity traders posted strong revenue beats. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 was up 0.2%.Stock and bond ma
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that’s become a focal point for the global economy, stayed far below peacetime levels as an effective double blockade stifles vessel movements. The number of commercial ships observed sailing through the strait stood at 11 on Tuesday, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. It averaged 16 a day over the weekend. Ships can switch off their ...
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that’s become a focal point for the global economy, stayed far below peacetime levels as an effective double blockade stifles vessel movements. The number of commercial ships observed sailing through the strait stood at 11 on Tuesday, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. It averaged 16 a day over the weekend. Ships can switch off their digital transponders to hide their movements in danger zones, and the Wall Street Journal cited two US officials as saying more than 20 went through on Tuesday. Quickly restoring traffic to normal is critical for global economy because it’s led to a more-than 400 million-barrel shortfall in oil shipments. That’s driven a 31% increase in oil prices since the conflict started with European natural gas gaining by a similar amount. It’s not clear whether there has been any change in Iranian crude shipments since the US blockade, as Iranian-linked tankers tend to travel with their signals off. The US said on Tuesday that no vessels had got through its blockade. Whatever the final number of transits, and some ships will turn on their transponders again only once well clear of Hormuz, they remain at a fraction of last year’s 135-a-day average. Iran all but shut the waterway to other countries’ shipping within a day of coming under attack from the US and Israel on Feb. 28, leaving Tehran as the region’s only oil exporter of note. Initially, the US didn’t block Tehran’s shipments in a bid to contain soaring oil prices, and went so far as to ease sanctions on them. But after ceasefire talks broke down on Sunday, it changed tack, blockading almost all Iran’s maritime activity. The measure began on Monday evening Persian Gulf time. Both sides have touted their ability to breach the other’s blockade. Tehran claimed that one of its own oil supertankers had broken the US blockade . Although it didn’t name the ship, it may have been referring to the Alicia, an empty US-sanctioned ship that...
Meinzahn/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Deutsche Börse ( DBOEY ) ( DBOEF ) announced on Wednesday a $200M strategic investment in Payward, the unified infrastructure layer behind the crypto exchange Kraken ( KRAKEN ). The investment represents a 1.5% fully diluted stake in the company. The German stock exchange acquired shares in a secondary transaction for the stake. The transaction is expecte...
Meinzahn/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Deutsche Börse ( DBOEY ) ( DBOEF ) announced on Wednesday a $200M strategic investment in Payward, the unified infrastructure layer behind the crypto exchange Kraken ( KRAKEN ). The investment represents a 1.5% fully diluted stake in the company. The German stock exchange acquired shares in a secondary transaction for the stake. The transaction is expected to close in Q2. More on Kraken Co Ltd, Deutsche Börse AG Deutsche Börse AG (DBOEF) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Deutsche Börse AG 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Deutsche Börse: Upgrading To Buy On Improved Growth Visibility And Capital Returns Kraken says it won't pay recent extortion demands Kraken's Fed payment account raises concerns about risks - report
According to an SEC filing published April 14, 2026, Tradewinds Capital Management, LLC increased its holdings in iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF (NASDAQ:COMT) by 1,387,385 shares during the first quarter. Based on quarterly average pricing, the estimated transaction value was roughly $39.6 million. The fund entered the quarter holding just 591 shares -- essentially a token positi...
According to an SEC filing published April 14, 2026, Tradewinds Capital Management, LLC increased its holdings in iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF (NASDAQ:COMT) by 1,387,385 shares during the first quarter. Based on quarterly average pricing, the estimated transaction value was roughly $39.6 million. The fund entered the quarter holding just 591 shares -- essentially a token position -- and ended it holding 1,387,976 shares valued at approximately $46.9 million. The iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF gives investors broad access to commodity futures markets -- spanning energy (including oil and natural gas), metals (gold, copper, and others), and agricultural products (corn, wheat, soybeans). The fund seeks to track the performance of a broad-based commodity index with an enhanced roll strategy, aiming to optimize returns from futures contract management. What sets it apart from a plain-vanilla commodity index fund is its "dynamic roll" approach: instead of mechanically rolling futures contracts on a fixed schedule, the ETF uses a rules-based method to select which futures contracts to hold based on the shape of the futures curve. Continue reading
mphillips007 The ClearBridge Growth Strategy underperformed its Russell Midcap Growth Index during the first quarter. The strategy added XPO ( XPO ) , the fourth-largest less-than-truckload carrier in North America, which continued to benefit from initiatives under its new leadership to improve service levels, pricing discipline, and margin. It exited positions in Chipotle Mexican Grill ( CMG ) in...
mphillips007 The ClearBridge Growth Strategy underperformed its Russell Midcap Growth Index during the first quarter. The strategy added XPO ( XPO ) , the fourth-largest less-than-truckload carrier in North America, which continued to benefit from initiatives under its new leadership to improve service levels, pricing discipline, and margin. It exited positions in Chipotle Mexican Grill ( CMG ) in the consumer discretionary sector and Pinterest ( PINS ) in the communication services sector. ClearBridge said its outlook remains consistent: while macro uncertainty and volatility are likely to persist and may even increase as geopolitical developments evolve, these environments often create the most attractive opportunities for active, bottom-up investors. "We continue to emphasize balance — owning companies with both offensive growth potential and defensive characteristics, including strong balance sheets, durable cash flows and capable management teams." More on ClearBridge Growth Fund R, Chipotle Mexican Grill, etc. ClearBridge Growth Strategy Q1 2026 Commentary ClearBridge Growth Fund Q4 2025 Commentary Chipotle Mexican Grill: Not A Buy, Pending Sales Growth And P/E Moderation Sphere Entertainment, EchoStar top communications services stocks in short interest; Alphabet sees the lowest exposure Chipotle has a plan to win 'burrito season'
If you're nonstop binge-streaming on Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) , you're going to eventually be hit with a prompt. Are you still watching? There's a win-win reason for the interruption. On the viewer's end, you don't want to lose your place in a series if you've dozed off or had to go somewhere else. For Netflix, it obviously doesn't want to pay for squandered internet data. Netflix investors get a di...
If you're nonstop binge-streaming on Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) , you're going to eventually be hit with a prompt. Are you still watching? There's a win-win reason for the interruption. On the viewer's end, you don't want to lose your place in a series if you've dozed off or had to go somewhere else. For Netflix, it obviously doesn't want to pay for squandered internet data. Netflix investors get a different kind of prompt. Every three months, the world's leading premium streaming video service offers up a financial update. Every quarter matters, even for long-term investors like you and me. As a Netflix investor since 2002 -- yes, the year it went public -- I'm looking forward to Thursday afternoon, when it announces its first-quarter results. Are you still investing? Netflix knows it needs to keep you interested as an investor as well as a subscriber. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Smederevac/iStock via Getty Images I Rate MOS As A 'Buy' The Mosaic Company ( MOS ) is an American $7.6-billion market cap producer of mineral fertilizers that focuses specifically on concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. For the past few months, the MOS stock has been dropping like a rock because of a few reasons that I'll discuss later in the article. TrendSpider Software, MOS daily,...
Smederevac/iStock via Getty Images I Rate MOS As A 'Buy' The Mosaic Company ( MOS ) is an American $7.6-billion market cap producer of mineral fertilizers that focuses specifically on concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. For the past few months, the MOS stock has been dropping like a rock because of a few reasons that I'll discuss later in the article. TrendSpider Software, MOS daily, notes added But from what I see, the correction might have gone too far with some clear bullish catalysts on the horizon—once they kick in, MOS should rebound from today's price levels. I don't expect we'll see matching with CF Industries' ( CF ) returns, but still, I believe MOS is a 'Buy' following its latest meltdown. Why Do I Think So? Let's understand why MOS has been underperforming CF and some other peers in the fertilizer sphere over the past few quarters. In February 2026, MOS received a downgrade from JPMorgan analysts, who explained why 2026 would be an ugly year for the stock—and so far, their prediction has been playing out well. Mosaic is likely to experience a year of lower earnings in 2026 as a base case. Mosaic's business portfolio has two large divisions: a phosphate operation and a potash business. Phosphates use sulfur and ammonia as key raw materials. Phosphate prices are moving somewhat lower because of affordability issues, while sulfur prices have about doubled, and ammonia has risen as well. Mosaic buys about 2.2 million tons of sulfur annually, and we estimate that its average sulfur costs will rise by about $525 million in 2026 year over year, from $469 million to $994 million, as its per-ton costs increase from $236/ton to $460/ton. The difficulties in the phosphate market have led to higher-cost operations in South America being shuttered because of high sulfur prices and poor grower incomes. Mosaic's Fertilizantes operation could move lower in EBITDA from $567 million to $235 million in 2026. There is likely to be negative earnings momentum as...
Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), China’s electric vehicle (EV) battery king, plans to earmark 30 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion) to establish a subsidiary to manage and expand mining assets, after the global energy shock paved the way for a quicker entry into the world’s automotive and energy storage system (ESS) markets. The investment arm, in line with CATL’s long-term growth strategy, ...
Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), China’s electric vehicle (EV) battery king, plans to earmark 30 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion) to establish a subsidiary to manage and expand mining assets, after the global energy shock paved the way for a quicker entry into the world’s automotive and energy storage system (ESS) markets. The investment arm, in line with CATL’s long-term growth strategy, would integrate existing mining assets, pursue high-quality mineral projects at home and abroad, and...
Dougal Waters/DigitalVision via Getty Images AVSC Overview The Avantis U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF ( AVSC ) is an actively managed ETF that invests in a diversified group of U.S. small-cap companies, looking at stocks that have better valuation, profitability, and investment metrics as a filter. Avantis, part of American Century Investments, launched the fund on January 11, 2022, and the pitch makes...
Dougal Waters/DigitalVision via Getty Images AVSC Overview The Avantis U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF ( AVSC ) is an actively managed ETF that invests in a diversified group of U.S. small-cap companies, looking at stocks that have better valuation, profitability, and investment metrics as a filter. Avantis, part of American Century Investments, launched the fund on January 11, 2022, and the pitch makes sense - try to get the diversification while applying a daily active overlay to tilt toward cheaper, higher-quality businesses within the small-cap universe. Its benchmark is the Russell 2000, the standard index for U.S. small-cap stocks. Unlike some of the clunky, fee-heavy small-cap offerings I've reviewed — including the iShares MSCI EAFE Small-Cap ETF ( SCZ ), which charges 0.40% for passive international small-cap exposure with a poor Sharpe ratio and unnecessary fee drag — AVSC is a more better product. The fund has grown to a NAV of $ 2.5 billion , and it trades approximately 131,000 shares per day , representing around $8-9 million of daily volume. That is sufficient for most retail and mid-sized institutional investors to get in and out without materially moving the price. The fund has had a genuinely interesting run since inception, and the profitability filter embedded in the stock selection process has added measurable value in the long term. I've been watching this name and wanted to give it a proper review. But while I like the fund, the current macro setup in oil and small-cap input costs gives me pause heading into the summer. Fund Breakdown AVSC was launched on January 11, 2022 , by Avantis with a mandate to invest in small-cap U.S. companies that score well on three key characteristics: low relative valuation, high profitability, and conservative investment. The fund's prospectus notes that portfolio managers continually analyze market and financial data to make buy, sell, and hold decisions — but in practice, this is not a high-turnover, trading-heavy fu...
The Onn 4K Pro’s remote looks identical to its predecessor but can now be located using your voice. | Image: Walmart It hasn't been officially announced, but Walmart's website now has a listing (you may need to set your location to Ventura, California) for an updated version of its budget-friendly Onn 4K Pro streaming box that originally debuted in May 2024 . Following technical illustrations that...
The Onn 4K Pro’s remote looks identical to its predecessor but can now be located using your voice. | Image: Walmart It hasn't been officially announced, but Walmart's website now has a listing (you may need to set your location to Ventura, California) for an updated version of its budget-friendly Onn 4K Pro streaming box that originally debuted in May 2024 . Following technical illustrations that leaked less than a month ago, the listing was discovered after a Reddit user shared images of the 2026 version of the Onn 4K Pro they purchased at a Walmart in California yesterday, as spotted by Android Authority . At $59.88, the new Onn 4K Pro is $10 more expensive than the previous version and now features a larger design that looks similar to the $99.99 Googl … Read the full story at The Verge.
Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU) is one of the 10 Best AI Pick-and-Shovel Stocks to Buy. On April 7, 2026, UBS analyst Jon Windham said Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU) could face increasing competition in U.S. enrichment services after BWX Technologies disclosed plans to pursue a uranium enrichment license for a new facility. Jon Windham said BWX […]
Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU) is one of the 10 Best AI Pick-and-Shovel Stocks to Buy. On April 7, 2026, UBS analyst Jon Windham said Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE:LEU) could face increasing competition in U.S. enrichment services after BWX Technologies disclosed plans to pursue a uranium enrichment license for a new facility. Jon Windham said BWX […]
400tmax/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Google Cloud ( GOOG )( GOOGL ) has partnered with Thoma Bravo, an investment firm that owns scores of software companies, to advance artificial intelligence adoption by enterprises. The partnership allows Thoma Bravo's portfolio companies to receive streamlined access to Google Cloud's AI platform, which includes its Gemini models and Gemini Enterprise pl...
400tmax/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Google Cloud ( GOOG )( GOOGL ) has partnered with Thoma Bravo, an investment firm that owns scores of software companies, to advance artificial intelligence adoption by enterprises. The partnership allows Thoma Bravo's portfolio companies to receive streamlined access to Google Cloud's AI platform, which includes its Gemini models and Gemini Enterprise platform for building and deploying agents. "This partnership will allow our portfolio companies to rapidly implement leading AI technology from Google Cloud, which will enable our companies to build and deliver the most innovative AI solutions for their customers," said Orlando Bravo, a co-founder and managing partner at Thoma Bravo. The partnership reveals another example of AI integration working to bolster enterprise software companies rather than displace them. "Software firms have an opportunity to transform with AI, particularly as agentic AI becomes more capable and autonomous," said Karthik Narain, chief product and business officer at Google Cloud. "Through this partnership, Thoma Bravo's portfolio of enterprise software providers will deeply embed Google's leading AI models and Agent Platform into the core of their product stacks. With hands-on support from our engineers, they are positioned to transition into AI-first companies and deliver superior outcomes for their customers." Thoma Bravo companies that are publicly traded include N-able ( NABL ) and SailPoint ( SAIL ). Both companies' shares were up during early market action on Wednesday. In addition, Thoma Bravo's cybersecurity companies will partner with Google Cloud to help mitigate risks associated with enterprise AI. Thoma Bravo's cybersecurity portfolio includes Proofpoint, SailPoint, Darktrace, Ping Identity, Sophos, Imprivata, and Exabeam. Thoma Bravo has invested in or acquired more than 580 software and technology firms over the past 20 years. More on Alphabet, N-able, and SailPoint SailPoint: Downgr...
Allbirds Inc. shares more than quadrupled after the former shoemaker, just days away from ceasing operations, said it would pivot its business to AI compute infrastructure. The struggling company executed a $50 million convertible financing facility to fund the switch as it targets becoming a fully integrated GPU-as-a-Service and AI-native cloud solutions provider. The company also plans to change...
Allbirds Inc. shares more than quadrupled after the former shoemaker, just days away from ceasing operations, said it would pivot its business to AI compute infrastructure. The struggling company executed a $50 million convertible financing facility to fund the switch as it targets becoming a fully integrated GPU-as-a-Service and AI-native cloud solutions provider. The company also plans to change its name to “NewBird AI.” The San Fransisco-based company had already inked a deal to sell off its footwear assets in March. “The move exits a structurally lower footwear and apparel model for a higher-value compute business, though execution risk remains high,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Poonam Goyal wrote in a note . The company has potential to “improve its long-term margin profile if the transition is executed well.” It’s not the first struggling company to pivot into a buzzy new industry in the hopes of recapturing shareholder value. In 2024, Core Scientific Inc. turned its attention away from Bitcoin mining to AI and last year a handful of biotechnology companies made the switch into digital assets to varying degrees of success. Allbirds is selling its footwear assets to American Exchange Group , whose brand portfolio includes Aerosoles, and had planned to cease operations sometime in April. Shares have tumbled every year since their 2021 debut, with its market value closing at about $22 million on Tuesday.