Amentum's profit margins are surging, but does this engineering stock cost too much? Chantilly, Va.-based engineering firm Amentum Holdings (AMTM 10.38%) stock tumbled 9.6% through 10:15 a.m. ET Tuesday after reporting mixed results in its Q1 2026 earnings report this morning. Heading into the report, analysts forecast Amentum would earn $0.52 per share on $3.3 billion in quarterly sales. Amentum ...
Amentum's profit margins are surging, but does this engineering stock cost too much? Chantilly, Va.-based engineering firm Amentum Holdings (AMTM 10.38%) stock tumbled 9.6% through 10:15 a.m. ET Tuesday after reporting mixed results in its Q1 2026 earnings report this morning. Heading into the report, analysts forecast Amentum would earn $0.52 per share on $3.3 billion in quarterly sales. Amentum beat the earnings forecast with a $0.52 profit, but missed on sales, reporting just over $3.2 billion. Amentum Q1 earnings Sales declined 5% in the company's first fiscal quarter of the new year. Profit margins improved significantly, however, helping Amentum turn that sales decline into a 5% improvement in operating income and a 260% increase in profits per diluted share. Amentum may not have earned "$0.52" -- that number was non-GAAP, unfortunately. But it did earn $0.18 per share, calculated under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), more than three times last year's Q1 profit of $0.05. That said, free cash flow for the quarter ran negative, with Amentum burning $142 million in cash. Expand NYSE : AMTM Amentum Today's Change ( -10.38 %) $ -3.80 Current Price $ 32.79 Key Data Points Market Cap $4.3B Day's Range $ 31.97 - $ 33.75 52wk Range $ 16.01 - $ 38.11 Volume 123K Avg Vol 2.4M Gross Margin 10.92 % Is Amentum stock a buy? Amentum predicts a return to sales growth later in the year, forecasting full-year sales as high as $14.3 billion (3% growth year over year), with adjusted earnings growing perhaps 12% to $2.35 per share (plus or minus $0.10) and free cash flow of about $550 million (also 12% growth). The company highlighted nuclear power contract wins in France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom as contributing to its growth. At $12.6 billion in enterprise value, this implies about a 23x EV-to-FCF ratio on the stock. That seems a bit rich to me in light of the company's own guidance for only 12% growth. I'd call Amentum stock a "sell" at this price...
Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team owner Lawrence Stroll has tempered expectations for the upcoming season, indicating that winning races will require time following the recent rule changes. He speaks to Bloomberg's Matt Miller. (Source: Bloomberg)
Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team owner Lawrence Stroll has tempered expectations for the upcoming season, indicating that winning races will require time following the recent rule changes. He speaks to Bloomberg's Matt Miller. (Source: Bloomberg)
Wearing no trousers, with his tongue sticking out and dancing with the Statue of Liberty, the figure of US President Donald Trump will feature at a German carnival celebration as one of the traditionally satirical and provocative floats. Organisers showcased the various figures in the city of Mainz in western Germany on Tuesday. They also included Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a sinkin...
Wearing no trousers, with his tongue sticking out and dancing with the Statue of Liberty, the figure of US President Donald Trump will feature at a German carnival celebration as one of the traditionally satirical and provocative floats. Organisers showcased the various figures in the city of Mainz in western Germany on Tuesday. They also included Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a sinking boat, with his conservative predecessor and erstwhile rival, Angela Merkel, spearing the boat with a trident. Another was of Markus Soeder, the state premier of Bavaria – who frequently posts pictures of meals he eats on social media – sitting on top of a heap of sausages and dried meats, and with a sausage sticking out of his mouth. A carnival float depicting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Photo: EPA The figures will be shown on Rosenmontag (Rose Monday), the peak of the German carnival season, a period characterised by excess ahead of the rigours of Lent, the 40 days of fasting that traditionally precede Easter. Advertisement “We have a whole lot of political motifs … probably the most spectacular one is Donald Trump dancing with the Statue of Liberty,” said Michael Bonewitz, a spokesperson for the Mainz Carnival Association which traces its roots back to 1838. Trump is shown with the word “ICE” written on his right buttock, a reference to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement that is currently carrying out a controversial crackdown in the United States. Trump’s satirical carnival float – dancing with the Statue of Liberty – headlines Mainz’s politically charged Rosenmontag parade. Photo: Reuters Last year’s Carnival celebrations were overshadowed in Germany by a deadly car-ramming.
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at 10 a.m. ET Call participants Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer — Harry Sideris Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — Brian Savoy Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Earnings Per Share (EPS) -- Reported and adjusted EPS reached $6.31, representing 7% growth and co...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at 10 a.m. ET Call participants Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer — Harry Sideris Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — Brian Savoy Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Earnings Per Share (EPS) -- Reported and adjusted EPS reached $6.31, representing 7% growth and coming in above the midpoint of guidance for the year. -- Reported and adjusted EPS reached $6.31, representing 7% growth and coming in above the midpoint of guidance for the year. 2026 EPS Guidance -- New guidance range of $6.55 to $6.80 was introduced, with management reiterating a 5%-7% long-term EPS CAGR target through 2030, anchored off the $6.30 midpoint of 2025 guidance. -- New guidance range of $6.55 to $6.80 was introduced, with management reiterating a 5%-7% long-term EPS CAGR target through 2030, anchored off the $6.30 midpoint of 2025 guidance. Capital Plan -- The five-year plan increased by $6 billion to $103 billion, driving a projected 9.6% earnings-based CAGR and identified as the largest fully regulated capital program in the industry. -- The five-year plan increased by $6 billion to $103 billion, driving a projected 9.6% earnings-based CAGR and identified as the largest fully regulated capital program in the industry. Cash Flow Metrics -- Fund from operations (FFO) to debt improved to 14.8%, with 2026 forecast at approximately 14% and a stated long-term target of 15% as proceeds from recent transactions are received. -- Fund from operations (FFO) to debt improved to 14.8%, with 2026 forecast at approximately 14% and a stated long-term target of 15% as proceeds from recent transactions are received. Signed Data Center ESAs -- Four and a half gigawatts (GW) of electric service agreements (ESAs) are secured with data center customers, up by 1.5 GW since the last quarter; all are under construction and subject to minimum billing requirements, ramping load from l...
Guido Mieth/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction & Financials The Procter & Gamble Company ( PG ) holds some of the most iconic brands on the planet, but I don’t see much value in buying at current levels, trading around a fair value while facing macro pressure and potential fundamental changes in the industry. The Procter & Gamble Company IR PG’s Q2’FY26 report was expectably weak , postin...
Guido Mieth/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction & Financials The Procter & Gamble Company ( PG ) holds some of the most iconic brands on the planet, but I don’t see much value in buying at current levels, trading around a fair value while facing macro pressure and potential fundamental changes in the industry. The Procter & Gamble Company IR PG’s Q2’FY26 report was expectably weak , posting a slight beat on non-GAAP EPS and a small miss on revenue, although they also say that their worst quarter is now behind them and see their guidance as achievable, with the company's management highlighting : We anticipated this would be the softest quarter of the fiscal year, and we remain confident in stronger growth in the back half. The Procter & Gamble Company IR Despite the macro weakness and higher CAPEX, P&G reported a better free cash flow, reaching $8.01 billion in H1'FY26 compared to $7.21 billion in H1'FY25. The Procter & Gamble Company IR As for the guidance, PG expects organic sales growth between 0% and 4% in FY26, while the net sales growth is expected to be 1% higher than the organic one on the back of positive foreign exchange and acquisitions/divestitures effects. Meanwhile, they see an adjusted free cash flow productivity between 85% and 90% this year (vs. 88% in Q2'FY26), while their capital spending would reach between 4% and 5% of their sales, although they also note the potential for headwinds, including tariff changes, commodity price increases, geopolitical disruptions, and more, highlighting the macro pressure they have to go through. Annualized, based on their expectations, we could expect around $16 billion in free cash flow, placing them at a P/FCF ratio of around 23.1, which is not bad for a company like this. The Procter & Gamble Company IR Financially, based on PG’s latest report , we see an overall fine position, as even though their current assets do not cover their current liabilities, that’s not really uncommon for this industry, while...
is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home , a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Microsoft wants to design more efficient data centers using materials that allow electrici...
is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home , a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Microsoft wants to design more efficient data centers using materials that allow electricity to flow with zero resistance. If these new materials, called high-temperature superconductors, can make it to market, Microsoft thinks it could be a game changer for how data centers and the energy infrastructure they connect to are built. Tech companies are facing backlash over how much power generative AI demands, delays connecting to power grids that lack the infrastructure to meet those demands, and the impact construction of new data centers has on local residents. High-temperature superconductors (HTS) could potentially shrink the amount of space needed for a data center and the transmission lines feeding it power. “Microsoft is exploring how this technology could make electrical grids stronger and reduce the impact data centers have on nearby communities,” Microsoft GM of Global Infrastructure Marketing Alistair Speirs wrote in a blog published today. “The future data center will be superconducting” Today’s centers — and most of our energy infrastructure — rely on old-school copper wires, which conduct electricity pretty efficiently. HTS cables, however, can move an electrical current with zero resistance, slashing the amount of energy lost in the process. It also allows for cables that are lighter and more compact. You’ll already find HTS in MRI machines, and more recently used in short stretches for power lines in dense metropolitan areas including Paris and Chicago. So far, though, their use has been limited in part because HTS cables have been more complicated and expensive to use in energy systems than copper cables. To reach zero resistance, the HTS would ne...
An increasing number of companies are using AI agents across their organizations, whether that’s for summarizing emails or automating certain tasks. But the outgrowth of agents is also creating vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could use to attack businesses. Weaknesses include the amount of data agents can access within an organization, the types of data they can use, and attackers manipulating...
An increasing number of companies are using AI agents across their organizations, whether that’s for summarizing emails or automating certain tasks. But the outgrowth of agents is also creating vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could use to attack businesses. Weaknesses include the amount of data agents can access within an organization, the types of data they can use, and attackers manipulating AI bots and agents to launch a kind of next-level phishing attack. More from Yahoo Scout How many Fortune 500 companies are deploying AI? What security measures should companies implement for agents? How are AI agents creating new cybersecurity vulnerabilities? What is AI recommendation poisoning and how works? According to Microsoft’s (MSFT) Cyber Pulse security report, more than 80% of Fortune 500 companies are deploying AI agents built using low-code or no-code tools. But just 47% of businesses have some kind of security controls in place to manage generative AI platforms. “Agent adoption and scaling is pretty significant, but at the same time, the visibility that organizations have on the agents is very limited,” explained Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president of Microsoft Security. 29% of employees have also used “unsanctioned agents” for their work, according to a survey of 1,700 security professionals commissioned by Microsoft. That opens businesses up to major risks. Agents with access to too much data pose a unique threat in that they risk workers viewing information they shouldn’t be able to see or otherwise misusing it. “If there's overprivileged data, or there's data that's not well … governed within an organization, [an agent is] going to find everything, whether you're supposed to have access to it or not,” Rudra Mitra, corporate vice president of Microsoft data security, governance, and compliance, told Yahoo Finance. AI agents are adding another wrinkle to the cybersecurity landscape. · d3sign via Getty Images People might know whether they should access or...
PayPal Holdings Inc. , an early mover in the world of digital payments, now finds itself in a rut it can’t seem to get out of. Its customers are increasingly using other ways to pay. A former executive criticized the company in a rare public display of frustration. And investors have sent PayPal’s shares down 30% since the start of the year. Investors, for their part, are souring on all the parts ...
PayPal Holdings Inc. , an early mover in the world of digital payments, now finds itself in a rut it can’t seem to get out of. Its customers are increasingly using other ways to pay. A former executive criticized the company in a rare public display of frustration. And investors have sent PayPal’s shares down 30% since the start of the year. Investors, for their part, are souring on all the parts of the business that come with the PayPal name. While revenue from businesses like Venmo continue to skyrocket, problems have continued to plague the so-called branded checkout business, which is home to the eponymous PayPal buttons found on retailers’ websites around the world. Last week’s ouster of Alex Chriss after less than two and a half years as chief executive officer has prompted analysts to weigh what businesses PayPal might sell off to get its performance back on track and quell shareholder concerns. For now, it’s a chance for PayPal’s new CEO, Enrique Lores , to put his stamp on the company. “Based on the CEO change, it looks like it’s more of a split-the-business-up kind of strategy,” said Chris Donat , head of payments and fintech research at BWG Global. “The biggest challenge is that they have a lot of products that are facing multiple competitors, and they’re likely to lose market share with those products,” he said, adding that “there’s nothing really new and exciting with PayPal checkout, and there hasn’t been for a while.” Read More: PayPal Shares Plunge After CEO Announcement, Profit Miss It’s a moment for PayPal to further modernize as it competes with the likes of Stripe Inc. , Adyen NV , Apple Pay and Klarna Bank AB , or be stuck with its current identity crisis. PayPal’s payment-processing platform is worth around $5.2 billion in cash, according to an estimate from Fahed Kunwar , global co-head of research at Rothschild & Co. Redburn . Should PayPal sell it, the company would have about $10 billion in capital, including its free cash flow, to acquire ...
AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) is one of the stocks in focus on Jim Cramer’s game plan. Cramer highlighted the market’s change in sentiment toward the stock, as he commented: You know what the market doesn’t like? How about AppLovin, which is a former market darling from the year of magical investing? Not so magical now that Google’s decided to crowd into that space. A stock market graph. Photo...
AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) is one of the stocks in focus on Jim Cramer’s game plan. Cramer highlighted the market’s change in sentiment toward the stock, as he commented: You know what the market doesn’t like? How about AppLovin, which is a former market darling from the year of magical investing? Not so magical now that Google’s decided to crowd into that space. A stock market graph. Photo by energepic.com AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) provides a software platform that helps advertisers and app developers market and monetize their content. The company offers advertising solutions, analytics tools, connected TV services, and mobile games. Cramer highlighted Wall Street’s feelings toward the stock in light of AI during the February 2 episode, as he stated: Before the break, I went over January’s 10 best-performing stocks in the S&P 500… But what were the worst performers in the S&P 500 in the first month of the year? Okay, most of these are enterprise software companies where investors are worried about AI displacement. These… used to be the hottest stocks in the world. Now, the worst performer, AppLovin was down nearly 30%. The former market darling got its start helping mobile game developers expand their reach, sell advertisements, though lately, it’s expanded into other areas like e-commerce advertising. Still, the core business is about ads for mobile games. While we acknowledge the potential of APP as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.
Whales with a lot of money to spend have taken a noticeably bullish stance on Micron Technology. Looking at options history for Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) we detected 68 trades. If we consider the specifics of each trade, it is accurate to state that 36% of the investors opened trades with bullish expectations and 30% with bearish. From the overall spotted trades, 27 are puts, for a total amoun...
Whales with a lot of money to spend have taken a noticeably bullish stance on Micron Technology. Looking at options history for Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) we detected 68 trades. If we consider the specifics of each trade, it is accurate to state that 36% of the investors opened trades with bullish expectations and 30% with bearish. From the overall spotted trades, 27 are puts, for a total amount of $2,594,990 and 41, calls, for a total amount of $3,033,941. Predicted Price Range After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $300.0 and $800.0 for Micron Technology, spanning the last three months. Insights into Volume & Open Interest Assessing the volume and open interest is a strategic step in options trading. These metrics shed light on the liquidity and investor interest in Micron Technology's options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to Micron Technology's substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $300.0 to $800.0 over the preceding 30 days. Micron Technology Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days Significant Options Trades Detected: About Micron Technology Micron is one of the largest semiconductor companies in the world, specializing in memory and storage chips. Its primary revenue stream comes from dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, and it also has minority exposure to not-and or NAND, flash chips. Micron serves a global customer base, selling chips into data centers, mobile phones, consumer electronics, and industrial and automotive applications. The firm is vertically integrated. After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding Micron Technology, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance. Where Is Micron Technology Standing Right Now? With a trading volu...
The new IBM Storage FlashSystem 5600, 7600, and 9600 arrays use EDSFF and a new fifth-generation FlashCore module to bring more capacity and performance to its arrays. Two of the arrays can support well over 1PB raw. What is more, the new arrays use FlashSystem.ai to bring agentic AI to storage administration. New IBM Storage FlashSystem Gets an AI Infusion The lower end of the three new models is...
The new IBM Storage FlashSystem 5600, 7600, and 9600 arrays use EDSFF and a new fifth-generation FlashCore module to bring more capacity and performance to its arrays. Two of the arrays can support well over 1PB raw. What is more, the new arrays use FlashSystem.ai to bring agentic AI to storage administration. New IBM Storage FlashSystem Gets an AI Infusion The lower end of the three new models is the IBM Storage FlashSystem 5600. This is a 1U 12-drive enclosure with two 12-core Intel Xeon’s. It also supports PCIe Gen4, which is interesting since that would make this an Intel Ice Lake generation storage array. IBM says this can support up to 633TB of raw capacity, 30GB/s of read bandwidth and up to 2.6M IOPS. The midrange option is the IBM Storage FlashSystem 7600. This is the 2U 32-drive enclosure. IBM says it is using two 16-core AMD EPYC CPUs, and this supports PCIe Gen5. Between the jump to AMD EPYC on the CPU side, and PCIe Gen5 on the I/O side, this is a notably more capable system. IBM says this supports up to 1.68PB of raw capacity, 55GB/s of read bandwidth, and up to 4.3 million IOPS. At the higher-end is the IBM Storage FlashSystem 9600. Like the FlashSystem 7600, this is a 2U 32-drive array. It also supports AMD EPYC and PCIe Gen5 with a major difference being that it supports two 48-core CPUs. The max raw capacity is 3.37PB. With the faster system, IBM says this can support up to 86GB/s of read bandwidth and 6.3 million IOPS. Final Words This is going to be a trend we see in the industry. There is a lot of pressure on companies to show value from AI. IBM is embracing the trend to show how it can use agentic AI to automate routine maintenance tasks. Something similar is happening on the networking side, which will be a major theme this year.
Wirestock/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Ferrari N.V. ( RACE ) reported its Q4 2025 earnings , and, after months of decline, the stock is finally seeing a strong 10% move higher at the time of writing. Since October, Ferrari's shareholders have been tested in a way that has never happened before. After all, since its 2015 IPO, Ferrari has been steadily moving up as investors gained...
Wirestock/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Ferrari N.V. ( RACE ) reported its Q4 2025 earnings , and, after months of decline, the stock is finally seeing a strong 10% move higher at the time of writing. Since October, Ferrari's shareholders have been tested in a way that has never happened before. After all, since its 2015 IPO, Ferrari has been steadily moving up as investors gained more and more confidence in its unique business model, where demand always exceeds (by a lot) the available supply so that Ferrari can leverage its exclusivity and report growing revenues and profits. It has been considered a true safe haven that has even commanded an earnings multiple close to 50. Then, Ferrari held its Capital Markets Day in October 2025 and presented its 2030 goals. There were two big changes that unsettled investors, who sold the stock, sending it down to $280 from $500 (-44% in four months!). First of all, investors learned that Ferrari was pushing back on its electric targets, committing to only one model ( the Ferrari Luce , which will be launched in May ) and rebalancing its model line-up from 40% electric sales to only 20%. I personally didn't have any trouble with this change, and I actually considered it to be margin accretive. Secondly, investors didn't like that Ferrari said that it expects its revenues to grow by at least 5% annually. This number caused concern because Ferrari was being priced as a stock that is able to grow around 10% per year. However, as I have often discussed, Ferrari is usually very conservative when it releases its targets, and most of the time its results exceed the goals that were previously set. This is why I argued that I think a 6.5% annual sales growth is something I expect the company to achieve with little difficulty, which is why I believe that Ferrari will reach its 2030 goals between 2028 and 2029 . During these months, I bought more Ferrari and received a lot of questions about this choice, and so I had the ...
Gilat's not earning much despite strong sales growth. Does this make Gilat stock a sell? Israeli satellite communications company Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT 15.36%) stock tumbled 19.3% through 10:45 a.m. ET Tuesday despite crushing analyst forecasts for Q4 2025 results this morning. Heading into its Q4 report, analysts estimated Gilat would earn $0.14 per share on just $78.1 million in revenue...
Gilat's not earning much despite strong sales growth. Does this make Gilat stock a sell? Israeli satellite communications company Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT 15.36%) stock tumbled 19.3% through 10:45 a.m. ET Tuesday despite crushing analyst forecasts for Q4 2025 results this morning. Heading into its Q4 report, analysts estimated Gilat would earn $0.14 per share on just $78.1 million in revenue. In fact, Gilat earned $0.20 per share on sales of $137 million, easily beating on both the top and bottom lines. Gilat Q4 earnings But if that's the case, then why is Gilat Satellite stock down today -- and down so much? Earnings could be part of the problem. Gilat's Q4 sales surged 75%, but operating income was basically flat year over year. Adjusted -- which is to say, non-GAAP -- earnings may have beaten expectations, but earnings as calculated according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) were only $0.13 for the quarter, a 38% decline year over year. For the full year fiscal 2025, Gilat reported sales up 48%, operating profit down 15%, and net income down 23%. So not all of Gilat's news today was "good." Expand NASDAQ : GILT Gilat Satellite Networks Today's Change ( -15.36 %) $ -2.96 Current Price $ 16.31 Key Data Points Market Cap $1.4B Day's Range $ 15.08 - $ 16.55 52wk Range $ 5.30 - $ 20.38 Volume 45K Avg Vol 762K Gross Margin 32.09 % Is Gilat stock a sell? Turning to guidance, Gilat expects to grow sales 30% to about $510 million in revenue in 2026, with $61 to $66 million in "adjusted EBITDA" (another non-GAAP metric), and no word on either GAAP profits or free cash flow. CEO Adi Sfadia says Gilat had a "strong" Q4 and a "solid" 2025, and the company is clearly anticipating strong sales growth in 2026. That said, the lack of clear earnings guidance for 2026 and the fact that Gilat stock currently costs more than 45 times trailing earnings (with earnings on the decline) tells me this stock is more likely a sell than a buy.
A group of international investors holding Venezuelan bonds chose Houlihan Lokey as its financial adviser, according to people familiar with the matter, a key step as they gear up for a massive debt restructuring. The Venezuela Creditor Committee tapped the US investment bank after a weeks-long selection process, the people said, adding that the parties have yet to sign a contract. It was first re...
A group of international investors holding Venezuelan bonds chose Houlihan Lokey as its financial adviser, according to people familiar with the matter, a key step as they gear up for a massive debt restructuring. The Venezuela Creditor Committee tapped the US investment bank after a weeks-long selection process, the people said, adding that the parties have yet to sign a contract. It was first reported by Reuters. Representatives for Houlihan Lokey and the committee didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment. The decision signals that creditors are preparing to launch negotiations with Venezuelan officials over about $60 billion worth of government and state oil company bonds that have been in default since late 2017. That figure climbs to an estimated $100 billion after including past-due interest. Investors have seen an opening in the aftermath of the US capture of strongman Nicolas Maduro. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez , who has been working closely with the Trump administration, has said she is open to foreign capital, particularly in the oil sector. The bondholder committee, a group that includes Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Greylock Capital Management, said last month that it stands ready to open debt-restructuring talks, once it receives authorization. US sanctions, though, prohibit investors from engaging with Venezuelan officials, meaning the committee will need a license before the talks can begin. Other hurdles include potential legal challenges stemming from Washington’s lack of recognition of Rodriguez’s authority. Still, Maduro’s capture and the hint of a diplomatic rapprochement with the US have lifted the market for Venezuelan debt. Sovereign notes are trading close their highest levels since 2017, with securities due in 2027 exchanging hands at around 44 cents on the dollar. Current prices are “fair,” according to UBS Global Wealth Management, and in line with their estimated recovery...
Aswat began riding aged five at St James City Farm - an inner-city stables in Gloucester - before linking up with trainers Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls. She was hooked by the sport after racing a pony at Cheltenham. Her win earlier this month came in just her fourth professional ride after taking out her jockey's license in autumn 2025. "All the racing community have been very supportive and nothin...
Aswat began riding aged five at St James City Farm - an inner-city stables in Gloucester - before linking up with trainers Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls. She was hooked by the sport after racing a pony at Cheltenham. Her win earlier this month came in just her fourth professional ride after taking out her jockey's license in autumn 2025. "All the racing community have been very supportive and nothing has held me back," Aswat said. "Every time I would go to Cheltenham I wouldn't see people the same colour as me, so in that sense it was daunting." Bailey could see Aswat's "natural talent" straight away. "I take photographs of horses schooling the whole time for my owners and I've never had a photograph of her being out of place - that's quite a unique thing," Bailey told BBC Sport. "It's very, very hard for [conditional jockeys] to get going - 90% of the jockeys now are either sons of trainers or sons of owners who put a lot of money into the business. "I ring up an owner and say 'I've got this really good young black girl who wants to ride. Will you let them ride your horse?' Well, I mean, frankly, you're paying the same for her as you would do for [reigning champion jockey] Sean Bowen or anybody else. It's quite a difficult one. "She's got to be strong enough to take all that and I'm pretty confident she will be able to cope with the additional attention, including potential social media abuse. "She will always be a role model."
Global AI spending is surging as Alphabet raises billions in a massive bond deal. And new retail data shows US consumers are starting to pull back. Meanwhile, investors are navigating a flood of earnings, from Coca-Cola’s challenges to Ferrari’s red-hot demand. Plus, how AI could dramatically speed up drug trials — and what extreme winter weather means for the durability of America’s power grid. W...
Global AI spending is surging as Alphabet raises billions in a massive bond deal. And new retail data shows US consumers are starting to pull back. Meanwhile, investors are navigating a flood of earnings, from Coca-Cola’s challenges to Ferrari’s red-hot demand. Plus, how AI could dramatically speed up drug trials — and what extreme winter weather means for the durability of America’s power grid. We talk to Harry Sideris, the CEO of Duke Energy. (Source: Bloomberg)
Chinese scientists have helped create a new safety system for automated driving systems that can sometimes react to hazards more quickly than the human brain. The slower reaction time of machines compared with the human brain has been a long-standing safety concern. For example, an automated vehicle travelling at 80km/h (50mph) will take half a second to respond to a hazard in front of it, compare...
Chinese scientists have helped create a new safety system for automated driving systems that can sometimes react to hazards more quickly than the human brain. The slower reaction time of machines compared with the human brain has been a long-standing safety concern. For example, an automated vehicle travelling at 80km/h (50mph) will take half a second to respond to a hazard in front of it, compared with the 0.15 seconds the human brain needs to react – meaning the vehicle will have travelled another 13 metres (43 feet) before stopping. Advertisement Even advanced processors have been far slower than humans at analysing a high-definition image to discern what is moving and where it is going. This delay has created a fundamental safety concern about robots, drones and autonomous vehicles. Advertisement However, researchers from Britain, mainland China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and the United States said they had now developed a faster reaction system.
Fox Corp., under its Tubi Media Group division, has acquired Supercast, a subscription tool for podcasters, bolstering efforts to get digital creators to work with the service. Terms of the deal weren’t announced. Supercast powers the backend subscriptions for networks and podcasters like Andrew Huberman and This American Life , according to its website. The company, which was founded in 2019, all...
Fox Corp., under its Tubi Media Group division, has acquired Supercast, a subscription tool for podcasters, bolstering efforts to get digital creators to work with the service. Terms of the deal weren’t announced. Supercast powers the backend subscriptions for networks and podcasters like Andrew Huberman and This American Life , according to its website. The company, which was founded in 2019, allows podcasters to better access the information of paying members, such as their names and email addresses, and helps make their shows easier for subscribers to consume across various apps. The set-up differs from platforms like Apple Podcasts, which only activates subscriptions on its service. Tubi made a splash in the podcast industry last year when it acquired Red Seat Ventures, an ad sales network that works with popular creators like former Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. With Red Seat’s expertise, Tubi has since signed deals with additional podcasters for ad representation, including Ashley Flowers’ Crime Junkie , which formerly worked with Sirius XM Holdings Inc. “Red Seat’s ultimate goal is to become a one-stop shop for creators,” said Chris Balfe, founder and chief executive officer of Red Seat Ventures. “One of our goals is to ultimately create a place where they can do one deal and have options for how they can monetize and grow their business.” Supercast will continue to operate independently, according to Balfe and Supercast Co-Founder and CEO Jason Sew Hoy, and will keep signing clients separately from Red Seat Ventures. The subscription-tool offering isn’t changing for existing users. Though podcasters tend to generate the majority of their sales through ads, subscriptions have become an increasingly important way for them to make money directly from fans. Typically, hosts offer ad-free episodes or bonus content to entice them to subscribe. Sew Hoy said subscriptions can guarantee revenue for podcasters during times when the ad market falters.
Tippapatt/iStock via Getty Images Quarterly review The Emerging Markets Equity Advantage Fund underperformed the MSCI Emerging Markets Index ( NET ) for the quarter that ended December 31, 2025. At the sector level, stocks within the financials, consumer staples, and consumer discretionary sectors served as relative contributors while stocks within the real estate, industrials, and materials secto...
Tippapatt/iStock via Getty Images Quarterly review The Emerging Markets Equity Advantage Fund underperformed the MSCI Emerging Markets Index ( NET ) for the quarter that ended December 31, 2025. At the sector level, stocks within the financials, consumer staples, and consumer discretionary sectors served as relative contributors while stocks within the real estate, industrials, and materials sectors hindered relative performance. At the country level, stock selection in China/Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Peru aided relative performance while stocks within Korea, Brazil, and South Africa impeded relative returns. Market review Emerging market equities, as measured by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Net), advanced 4.73% in the fourth quarter as attractive relative valuations continued to result in outperformance versus developed markets. China/Hong Kong underperformed (-7.38%) the benchmark in the fourth quarter, as the Central Economic Work Conference stressed boosting domestic demand and high-quality growth while ensuring stability. The Politburo reaffirmed supportive fiscal and monetary policies with a focus on risk control and social stability. Taiwan equities advanced (10.40%); despite rising geopolitical risks from China's military drills around Taiwan at year-end, Taiwan market delivered strong performance, driven by positive sentiment regarding artificial intelligence ( AI ) infrastructure spending and monetization opportunities in the next one to two years. India's market slightly outperformed (4.78%) the benchmark as the Reserve Bank of India cut policy rates by 25 basis points (bps; 100 bps equal 1.00%) to 5.25% and indicated further room to cut on low inflation. The U.S.-India trade deal remained elusive even though the effect of tariffs on the Indian economy and system asset quality has remained muted. Outside of Asia, performance was mixed but overall strong, particularly in well-performing countries such as South Africa, Brazil, and Poland. Fund performance ...