President Donald Trump plans to sit in on Wednesday's Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship, making him the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the nation's highest court. (Image credit: Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump plans to sit in on Wednesday's Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship, making him the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the nation's highest court. (Image credit: Alex Brandon)
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Shares of RH ( RH ) have been a poor performer over the past year, losing about 40% of their value as the company has struggled with a slow housing market and pressure from tariffs. This has reduced demand for furniture, dampening RH’s growth prospects while also limiting margins. At the same time, its balance sheet has been weighed down by a poorly time...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Shares of RH ( RH ) have been a poor performer over the past year, losing about 40% of their value as the company has struggled with a slow housing market and pressure from tariffs. This has reduced demand for furniture, dampening RH’s growth prospects while also limiting margins. At the same time, its balance sheet has been weighed down by a poorly timed buyback in prior periods. Investors received more bad news along these lines Tuesday, sending shares down 17% after hours. I last covered RH in September , rating it a “ S ell” given these pressures, and that call has played out with the stock down over 35% since then. With updated financials and such pronounced underperformance, now is a good time to revisit RH. Seeking Alpha In the company’s fourth quarter , RH earned $1.53 per share, which was $0.67 below expectations even as revenue grew 4% to $843 million. Even with revenue growth, EPS was down 3% for last year. Management blamed weather and backorders for a $40 million revenue shortfall in Q4. For the full year, the company earned $6.29 per share, and full-year free cash flow was $252 million, even as working capital was a $48 million headwind. Back in September, I was targeting $8-$10 in EPS and $200-$300 million of free cash flow. Even as I was bearish on shares, RH’s earnings were weaker than I expected. Weak Housing Activity Pressures Margins Notably, gross margins contracted 180bps to 42.9%. Given weak demand for furniture, RH has had limited pricing power, reducing its ability to pass on any tariff-related costs. Now, on the bright side, RH has done a good job this year rationalizing inventory for a much more muted demand environment. Inventories are down almost 20% to $819 million. This better positions the company for a quiet spring shopping season. With a healthier inventory level, RH should not need to rely on markdowns and instead retain margins at current levels. RH has been hit by a particularly challen...
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees struggling to survive in Bangladesh's overcrowded camps will see their food assistance slashed starting on Wednesday, raising alarm throughout the increasingly desperate community. (Image credit: Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees struggling to survive in Bangladesh's overcrowded camps will see their food assistance slashed starting on Wednesday, raising alarm throughout the increasingly desperate community. (Image credit: Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Amid ongoing talks between the Trump administration and Cuban leaders, Sandro Castro, the controversial grandson of Fidel Castro, told a major US television news network that most Cubans on the island want to embrace capitalism and that the country’s hand-picked president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, has done a poor job. His statements to CNN’s Havana correspondent, Patrick Oppmann, echoed earlier calls by...
Amid ongoing talks between the Trump administration and Cuban leaders, Sandro Castro, the controversial grandson of Fidel Castro, told a major US television news network that most Cubans on the island want to embrace capitalism and that the country’s hand-picked president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, has done a poor job. His statements to CNN’s Havana correspondent, Patrick Oppmann, echoed earlier calls by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a change of leadership in Havana, and seem to suggest that...
Thirteen parents and one middleman were sentenced to up to 14 months in prison by a Hong Kong court on Tuesday for paying a total of HK$1.1 million ($140,300) in bribes to secure admission to a prestigious international kindergarten. The sweeping convictions highlight Hong Kong’s zero-tolerance approach to corruption within its hyper-competitive education system, where affluent families aggressive...
Thirteen parents and one middleman were sentenced to up to 14 months in prison by a Hong Kong court on Tuesday for paying a total of HK$1.1 million ($140,300) in bribes to secure admission to a prestigious international kindergarten. The sweeping convictions highlight Hong Kong’s zero-tolerance approach to corruption within its hyper-competitive education system, where affluent families aggressively vie for limited spots that offer a direct pathway to top-tier primary and secondary schools. Following the verdict, the Independent Commission Against Corruption urged parents to reject and immediately report any solicitation of bribes.
Pakistan is hoping that its role in building a diplomatic off-ramp from the US-Israel war on Iran will enable it to become a key actor in the Middle East after the conflict ends, analysts say. If Islamabad can deliver without being sucked into the maelstrom, it can capitalise on its position as peacemaker by signing defence deals with Gulf monarchies and attracting investment from them to strength...
Pakistan is hoping that its role in building a diplomatic off-ramp from the US-Israel war on Iran will enable it to become a key actor in the Middle East after the conflict ends, analysts say. If Islamabad can deliver without being sucked into the maelstrom, it can capitalise on its position as peacemaker by signing defence deals with Gulf monarchies and attracting investment from them to strengthen its weak economy. This will help finance Pakistan’s military expansion for its envisioned new...
The S&P Global Australia manufacturing PMI fell to 49.8 in March 2026 from 51.0 in February, indicating a decline in the manufacturing sector for the first time in five months. Business conditions slightly worsened as the sector entered contraction. " The Australian manufacturing sector suffered some of the effects of the war in the Middle East in March, most notably an intensification of inflatio...
The S&P Global Australia manufacturing PMI fell to 49.8 in March 2026 from 51.0 in February, indicating a decline in the manufacturing sector for the first time in five months. Business conditions slightly worsened as the sector entered contraction. " The Australian manufacturing sector suffered some of the effects of the war in the Middle East in March, most notably an intensification of inflationary pressures and disruption to supply chains ," said Andrew Harker, Economics Director at S&P GlobalMarket Intelligence. Separate data showed the Ai Group industry index for Australia’s manufacturing sector also decreased sharply to -27.9 in March, the largest monthly drop since April 2020. Additionally, the Australian Industry Index dropped by 19.9 points to -23.6 due to the ongoing energy crisis, reversing its recovery in 2026. Furthermore, the seasonally adjusted number of total dwellings approved in Australia surged 29.7% month-on-month to a near five-year high of 19,022 units in February 2026. Private house approvals in Australia grew 0.2% month-on-month to 9,847 units in February 2026, preliminary estimates showed. The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose to 8,615 around midday on April’s first trading session. The Australian dollar rose to around $0.692, rebounding from a two-month low. More on Australia: EWA: Australian Financials May Struggle With A Flattening Yield Curve EWA: Potentially Range Bound, Given The Mix Of Tailwinds And Headwinds Australia to halve fuel tax for three months to shield consumers from surging costs OECD lifts G20 inflation outlook as rising energy prices impact global markets Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on iShares MSCI Australia ETF