Key Points Double- and triple-digit growth in its latest quarter wasn't sufficient for many investors. They were clearly worried about the twin revenue misses. 10 stocks we like better than Pagaya Technologies › Next-generation fintech Pagaya Technologies (NASDAQ: PGY) wasn't exactly looking like the stock of the future on Monday. It posted quarterly results that displeased the market, leading to ...
Key Points Double- and triple-digit growth in its latest quarter wasn't sufficient for many investors. They were clearly worried about the twin revenue misses. 10 stocks we like better than Pagaya Technologies › Next-generation fintech Pagaya Technologies (NASDAQ: PGY) wasn't exactly looking like the stock of the future on Monday. It posted quarterly results that displeased the market, leading to a share price slide of almost 24%. Good, but not good enough Reporting both its fourth-quarter and annual results, Pagaya divulged that it earned $335 million in total revenue and other income for the quarter. This was 20% higher year over year. However, the company's network volume only crept 3% higher, to $2.7 billion. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » As for net income not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this rose by almost sixfold to nearly $78.8 million ($0.80 per share). That double-digit revenue increase wasn't impressive to analysts. Their consensus estimate for the line item was notably higher, at just under $349 million. Yet the company easily beat the non-GAAP (adjusted) net income consensus of $0.35 per share. The mismatch between top- and bottom-line growth rates and the low network volume growth was due to Pagaya completing its strategic exit from a once-considerable business. This is its single-family rental (SFR) operations, in which it assisted with investments in (and the management of) SFR portfolios. A miss on top-line guidance, too Pagaya also proffered guidance for its current (first) quarter and the entirety of 2026. It believes the quarter's network volume will be flat, or slightly down, sequentially, at $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion. Ditto for revenue and other income, anticipated at $315 million to $335 million. GAAP net income should be $15 million to $35 million. That revenue pr...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Kevin Engel Chief Financial Officer — Megan Faust TAKEAWAYS Revenue -- $1.89 billion in Q4, down 5% sequentially, up 16% year over year. -- $1.89 billion in Q4, down 5% sequentially, up 16% year over year. EPS -- $0.69 in Q4, exceeding the high end of company guidance. -- $0.69 in Q4, excee...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Kevin Engel Chief Financial Officer — Megan Faust TAKEAWAYS Revenue -- $1.89 billion in Q4, down 5% sequentially, up 16% year over year. -- $1.89 billion in Q4, down 5% sequentially, up 16% year over year. EPS -- $0.69 in Q4, exceeding the high end of company guidance. -- $0.69 in Q4, exceeding the high end of company guidance. Full Year Revenue -- $6.7 billion, a 6% increase, with all end markets showing growth. -- $6.7 billion, a 6% increase, with all end markets showing growth. Gross Margin -- 16.7% in Q4, including a $30 million asset sale benefit. -- 16.7% in Q4, including a $30 million asset sale benefit. EBITDA -- $369 million in Q4 with a 19.5% margin; $1.16 billion for the year, margin 17.3%. -- $369 million in Q4 with a 19.5% margin; $1.16 billion for the year, margin 17.3%. Operating Income -- $185 million in Q4 (margin 9.8%), and $467 million for the year (margin 7%). -- $185 million in Q4 (margin 9.8%), and $467 million for the year (margin 7%). Net Income -- $172 million in Q4; $374 million for the year. -- $172 million in Q4; $374 million for the year. Full Year Effective Tax Rate -- 15.4%, lower than expected due to discrete Q4 tax asset benefits. -- 15.4%, lower than expected due to discrete Q4 tax asset benefits. Free Cash Flow -- $380 million for the year. -- $380 million for the year. Year-End Liquidity -- $3 billion total liquidity and $2 billion in cash and short-term investments, a 30% increase from prior year. -- $3 billion total liquidity and $2 billion in cash and short-term investments, a 30% increase from prior year. Total Debt -- $1.4 billion, with a debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 1.2x at year-end. -- $1.4 billion, with a debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 1.2x at year-end. Advanced Packaging Revenue -- Grew 7% year over year to a new annual record. -- Grew 7% year over year to a new annual record. Q4 Segment Growth -- Communications up 28%, comput...
Lindsey Vonn says she suffered 'complex tibia fracture' in her Olympic downhill crash toggle caption Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images/Getty Images CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — The 41-year-old Team USA star Lindsey Vonn suffered a "complex tibia fracture" when she crashed in the Olympic downhill race on Sunday, the skier said on Instagram in her first public statement since the race. Vonn was airli...
Lindsey Vonn says she suffered 'complex tibia fracture' in her Olympic downhill crash toggle caption Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images/Getty Images CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — The 41-year-old Team USA star Lindsey Vonn suffered a "complex tibia fracture" when she crashed in the Olympic downhill race on Sunday, the skier said on Instagram in her first public statement since the race. Vonn was airlifted by helicopter from the course Sunday and transported to a hospital in Treviso, some two hours from Cortina, to receive initial treatment to stabilize the fracture in her left leg, the hospital told NPR. Multiple additional surgeries will be needed to "fix [her leg] properly," Vonn said. "In Downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 5 inches," she wrote, posting late Monday night local time in Italy, about 35 hours after her crash. "While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets." Sponsor Message Vonn did not say whether she would retire from skiing upon recovery. Vonn was competing in the Olympic race on Sunday despite a tear to her left anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, suffered just eight days before the race. Her crash came just 13 seconds into the race as she passed through a race gate. On Monday, she said the ACL tear had not contributed to her crash. "I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash," she wrote. "My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever." Vonn initially retired from ski racing in 2019 after a series of injuries to her knees left her convinced she was unable to safely continue to compete. toggle caption Andrea Pattaro/AFP via Getty Images But a partial knee replacement that placed a titanium implant into her right knee in 2024 allowed her to begin training again in earnest. Remarkably, she returned swiftly to the t...
(RTTNews) - The South Korea stock market on Monday ended the two-day slide in which it had plummeted more than 280 points or 5.6 percent. The KOSPI now sits just beneath the 5,300-point plateau and it may tick higher again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic amidst an extended rebound among technology companies and ahead of key U.S. data later this week. ...
(RTTNews) - The South Korea stock market on Monday ended the two-day slide in which it had plummeted more than 280 points or 5.6 percent. The KOSPI now sits just beneath the 5,300-point plateau and it may tick higher again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic amidst an extended rebound among technology companies and ahead of key U.S. data later this week. The European and U.S. markets were up and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The KOSPI finished sharply higher on Monday with gains across the board, especially among the financials, technology stocks, chemicals ad industrials. For the day, the index soared 208.90 points or 4.10 percent to finish at 5,298.04. Volume was 612.4 million shares worth 26.2 trillion won. There were 714 gainers and 173 decliners. Among the actives, Shinhan Financial fell 0.21 percent, while KB Financial collected 1.41 percent, Hana Financial accelerated 3.66 percent, Samsung Electronics spiked 4.92 percent, Samsung SDI jumped 2.70 percent, LG Electronics strengthened 3.43 percent, SK Hynix vaulted 5.72 percent, Naver rose 0.40 percent, LG Chem advanced 2.14 percent, Lotte Chemical improved 2.74 percent, SK Innovation expanded 3.30 percent, POSCO Holdings added 1.11 percent, SK Telecom surged 6.07 percent, KEPCO soared 3.13 percent, Hyundai Mobis increased 2.11 percent, Hyundai Motor gained 2.25 percent and Kia Motors was up 1.25 percent. The lead from Wall Street suggests mild upside as the major averages opened lower on Monday but eventually moved up into the green to finish with modest gains. The Dow rose 18.98 points or 0.04 percent to finish at 50,134.65, while the NASDAQ jumped 217.80 points or 0.95 percent to close at 23,249.02 and the S&P 500 added 34.13 points or 0.49 percent to end at 6,966.43. The strength that has emerged on Wall Street reflected an extended rebound by tech stocks, which helped the strong upward move seen last Friday. Software giant Oracle (ORCL) has he...
RomoloTavani/iStock via Getty Images Alpha Metallurgical Resources ( AMR ) is a predominantly metallurgical coal-focused US producer; all in all, the name itself tells the whole investment story. Different from thermal coal, which is structurally a vanishing product, metallurgical coal remains an important commodity in iron production, especially in the blast furnace process. Almost all of AMR’s p...
RomoloTavani/iStock via Getty Images Alpha Metallurgical Resources ( AMR ) is a predominantly metallurgical coal-focused US producer; all in all, the name itself tells the whole investment story. Different from thermal coal, which is structurally a vanishing product, metallurgical coal remains an important commodity in iron production, especially in the blast furnace process. Almost all of AMR’s production is directed to this segment, and thermal coal is just a small part of the mix. In 2026 guidance , we can see that the company expects to sell 15.1-16.5 million tons, from which the most will be metallurgical coal, so the company’s results are completely dependent on the worldwide iron cycle and metallurgical coal price dynamics. Sales structure here is important too. AMR realizes the product partially in the spot market, and another part is sold via indexed contracts, which, to be fair, creates a lag effect in prices. This was seen in Q4 2025 , when the price dropped to $115.31/ton, even though benchmark prices were weaker in previous quarters. This structure decreases short-term volatility, but at the same time, it means that the prices are not reflected immediately. Geographically, AMR is oriented to export markets, so realizations are more dependent on international markets, not just the US. Metallurgical Grade Coal (fred.stlouisfed.org) What Changed Recently? Q4 2025 preliminary results were a reality check. AMR reported $17.3 million in losses, and adjusted EBITDA was only $28.5 million, which is a significant drop compared to previous cycle quarters. The average realized price also dropped to $115.31 per ton, reflecting weakening metallurgical coal prices plus late contract prices. Additionally, the quarter was burdened by $6 million in one-time costs, which were caused by Rolling Thunder floods. The numbers were eliminated from adjusted EBITDA, but still it showed how sensitive their operational base is. The most important message is not the loss itself but...
In the latest close session, XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR (XPEV) was down 1.02% at $17.54. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.47%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.04%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.9%. The stock of company has fallen by 11.49% in the past month, lagging the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector's loss of 1.32% and the S&P 500's loss ...
In the latest close session, XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR (XPEV) was down 1.02% at $17.54. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.47%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.04%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.9%. The stock of company has fallen by 11.49% in the past month, lagging the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector's loss of 1.32% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.16%. Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR in its upcoming earnings disclosure. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $3.32 billion, up 50.52% from the year-ago period. For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of -$0.23 per share and a revenue of $10.99 billion, representing changes of +72.62% and +93.86%, respectively, from the prior year. Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for XPeng Inc Sponsored ADR. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability. Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant. As of now, XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR holds a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). From a valuation perspective, XPeng Inc. Sponsored ADR is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 109.05. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 13.37. One should further...
South Korean stocks have yet to close their long-held discount against peers even after a $1.7 trillion rally, with earnings growth making a case for the world-beating advance to continue, money managers say. The Kospi Index has more than doubled since the start of 2025, fueled by President Lee Jae Myung’s drive to eliminate the “ Korea discount ” — a perennial markdown tied to governance issues —...
South Korean stocks have yet to close their long-held discount against peers even after a $1.7 trillion rally, with earnings growth making a case for the world-beating advance to continue, money managers say. The Kospi Index has more than doubled since the start of 2025, fueled by President Lee Jae Myung’s drive to eliminate the “ Korea discount ” — a perennial markdown tied to governance issues — and a global artificial intelligence boom. Valuations have improved but are barely keeping up with profit forecasts, according to investors at Jupiter Fund Management and Matthews Asia. The still-cheap valuations are behind Wall Street’s bullish views on Kospi this year, with JPMorgan Chase & Co. projecting as much as 7,500 — a more than 41% rise from here. The prerequisite, analysts say, is further progress in corporate governance reforms. There’s also room for the rally to broaden, given the gains so far have been driven by Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc., leaving a large swathe of the market with limited valuation boost. “While the discount has narrowed, Korea continues to trade at a significant valuation gap in my view,” said Sojung Park , a portfolio manager at Matthews Asia. “In the context of its strong earnings growth profile and underlying fundamentals, the market appears even more undervalued.” Following a 121% gain since the start of 2025, the Kospi now trades at 1.7 times its book value, from below a ratio of one less than a year ago. That compares with 1.9 for Japan’s Topix and 1.8 for China’s CSI 300. The broader Korean market has added $1.7 trillion in market cap during the period. Christian Heck , a portfolio manager at First Eagle Investments, sees “room for normalization” as the country continues to trade at a modest discount to markets like Japan, despite similar reform initiatives. That Korea remains far from fair valuation is a view shared across the country’s political circles, where the push for higher shareholder returns has taken hold. Th...
Japanese companies are increasingly turning toward convertible bonds as the prospects of a surge in fiscal spending and central bank rate hikes raise the cost of traditional debt instruments. The benchmark 10-year bond yield hit 2.38% in January, the highest since 1999 as investors positioned for an election in which both sides pledged to ramp up government spending. With longer-term yields at lev...
Japanese companies are increasingly turning toward convertible bonds as the prospects of a surge in fiscal spending and central bank rate hikes raise the cost of traditional debt instruments. The benchmark 10-year bond yield hit 2.38% in January, the highest since 1999 as investors positioned for an election in which both sides pledged to ramp up government spending. With longer-term yields at levels unseen in decades, stocks have rallied after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ’s historic election victory , changing the calculus on corporate financing. Investment bankers are betting that convertibles — bonds that can be exchanged into stock — will emerge as the big winners, with a banner year in 2026. “In our discussions with corporates, rising share prices and higher interest rates have led to more conversations around convertible bonds,” said Takamasa Ochi , head of equity capital markets at Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co., adding that more deals could’ve launched last year. He expects about ¥1 trillion ($6.4 billion) of proceeds from exchangeable debt this year. Japanese companies raised ¥283 billion through convertibles last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The country was near the trillion-yen mark in 2024, when the Bank of Japan ended the world’s last negative-rate policy and proceeds from the instrument jumped to a nine-year high of ¥969 billion. Convertible bonds combine the characteristics of debt and equities, offering lower borrowing costs for issuers at the expense of giving investors rights to exchange shares under certain conditions. Japanese companies have usually issued them with zero coupons, which enable them to reduce interest payments. Nippon Steel Shares Drop After Report of Convertible Bond Plan JVCKenwood to Sell 30b Yen of Convertible Bonds Overseas AZ-Com Maruwa to Sell 22b Yen of Convertible Bonds Nissan Motor Raises $1.4 Billion From Sale of Convertible Bonds UBS Says Stars Are Aligning for Japan Stock Offerings: ECM Watch Co...
LA Taxpayers Spent $418 Million On Homeless Programs In 2025 Los Angeles spent about $418 million on homelessness programs in 2025, yet only a small share went toward helping people leave the streets for good, according to the New York Post . A recent City Hall report suggests most of the money supports short-term services that manage homelessness rather than resolve it. The review, released as th...
LA Taxpayers Spent $418 Million On Homeless Programs In 2025 Los Angeles spent about $418 million on homelessness programs in 2025, yet only a small share went toward helping people leave the streets for good, according to the New York Post . A recent City Hall report suggests most of the money supports short-term services that manage homelessness rather than resolve it. The review, released as the city prepares major budget cuts, shows that hundreds of millions were directed to hygiene facilities, outreach teams, temporary housing, and vehicle-living programs with limited long-term success. These efforts often keep people in transitional situations instead of moving them into permanent homes. The Post noted that councilwoman Monica Rodriguez condemned the system, saying, “We’re hemorrhaging money on a homelessness system that was never designed to succeed — and no one is being held accountable for the failure.” She also argued that ineffective programs are protected instead of evaluated: “If we really wanted to do something about this crisis, we would be advancing real oversight, demanding results, and shutting down programs that don’t work — not protecting a system that keeps spending more while delivering less.” One of the costliest efforts, Inside Safe, places people in motels and temporary housing at prices far above other programs. Rodriguez criticized its management, stating, “We know where a big pot of money is that isn’t being used wisely — and that’s Inside Safe.” City officials warn that homelessness funding could fall short by nearly $250 million within two years, raising concerns about sustainability. Community advocate John Alle says the spending model focuses too much on services and too little on lasting change. “Services are a band-aid,” he said. “The numbers never go down. There are no results — and no consequences for mismanagement.” Alle also accused city leaders of limiting public oversight: “We can’t even begin to calculate the total fraud unti...
In Brief Waymo has pulled the human safety driver from its autonomous test vehicles in Nashville, as the Alphabet-owned company moves closer to launching a robotaxi service in the city. Waymo, which has been testing in Nashville for months, is slated to launch a robotaxi service there this year in partnership with Lyft. Riders will initially hail rides directly through the Waymo app. Once the serv...
In Brief Waymo has pulled the human safety driver from its autonomous test vehicles in Nashville, as the Alphabet-owned company moves closer to launching a robotaxi service in the city. Waymo, which has been testing in Nashville for months, is slated to launch a robotaxi service there this year in partnership with Lyft. Riders will initially hail rides directly through the Waymo app. Once the service expands, Waymo will also make its self-driving vehicles available through the Lyft app. Lyft has said it will handle fleet services, such as vehicle readiness and maintenance, charging infrastructure, and depot operations, through its wholly owned subsidiary Flexdrive. Waymo has accelerated its robotaxi expansion and today operates commercial services in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Phoenix. It also has driverless test fleets in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. The company tends to follow the same rollout strategy in every new market, starting with a small fleet of vehicles that are manually driven to map the city. The autonomous vehicles are then tested with a human safety operator in the driver’s seat. Eventually, the company conducts driverless testing, often allowing employees to hail rides, before launching a robotaxi service.
The UK Treasury will tighten up security around future fiscal events to prevent a repeat of the unprecedented early release of market-sensitive documents at the November budget and to stop leaks by government officials. It made the pledge after an internal review of the information release conducted by the National Cyber Security Centre found that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s full budget...
The UK Treasury will tighten up security around future fiscal events to prevent a repeat of the unprecedented early release of market-sensitive documents at the November budget and to stop leaks by government officials. It made the pledge after an internal review of the information release conducted by the National Cyber Security Centre found that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s full budget report was downloaded 24,701 times before Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced her policy package. Its March Spring Statement was also accessed early by Reuters and opened 16 times during Reeves’ speech but the review “found no evidence that these Reuters alerts came to the attention of the OBR, HMT or other news organisations.” In one of the most embarrassing breaches of budget security in years, the OBR made its document available online ahead of the Nov. 26 budget. A simple alteration to its web address gave anyone access, revealing significant amounts of market-sensitive information. The OBR chair, Richard Hughes , resigned over the matter. To prevent a repeat, the OBR’s document to accompany the March 3 Spring Statement will be published by the Treasury on the government website rather than its own. After that the publication will permanently be moved to the government web platform for market-sensitive publications. The OBR will also end the practice of publishing the key forecast dates in the build up to the budget. The forecast timetable will not be published at the March event and the Treasury will “consider whether the current approach” should then end permanently. The review published Monday also looked into whether to publish the OBR’s final pre-measures forecast, the baseline on which the government applies its tax and spending plans. Other countries do but the Treasury said it preferred keeping them “private to afford the government that private space.” The decision “can be kept under review,” it added. The review did not look into trading activ...
monsitj/iStock via Getty Images Gold and silver futures rose for the fourth session out of five Monday, with gold clawing back over the $5,000/oz level, as dip-buyers returned to the market after the historic rout at the end of last month; gold has recovered around half of the losses sustained since sinking from an all-time high reached on January 29. The U.S. dollar fell 0.8% to its lowest in mor...
monsitj/iStock via Getty Images Gold and silver futures rose for the fourth session out of five Monday, with gold clawing back over the $5,000/oz level, as dip-buyers returned to the market after the historic rout at the end of last month; gold has recovered around half of the losses sustained since sinking from an all-time high reached on January 29. The U.S. dollar fell 0.8% to its lowest in more than a week, making dollar-priced bullion cheaper for overseas buyers. "The big mover today [in gold prices] is the U.S. dollar," TD Securities global head of commodity strategy Bert Melek said in a note, adding that expectations are rising for weak economic data. Investors will closely watch this week’s release of U.S. non-farm payrolls, consumer prices and initial jobless claims for fresh signals on monetary policy, with markets already pricing in at least two rate cuts of 25 basis points in 2026. Gold's near-term path may depend on how new jobs data looks when released this week, likely playing a large part in determining if more rate cuts are on the way, ADM Investor Services said. Large institutional investors appear to remain bullish on bullion despite the recent selloff, as illustrated by the People's Bank of China, which extended its gold-buying streak to 15 months in January. The value of China's gold reserves increased to $369.58B at the end of last month from $319.45B at the end of the previous month, the PBOC said. U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent cited Chinese traders as a reason behind last week's wild swings in the gold market, telling Fox News that "things have gotten a little unruly in China... They’re having to tighten margin requirements. So gold looks to me kind of like a classical, speculative blow-off." " Consistent central-bank demand, with China at the epicenter, has become both an important stabilizing force and a market bellwether," B2PRIME Group Executive Director Eugenia Mykuliak said in a note, adding that steady official buying is building a s...
Emmy-winning actor Catherine O’Hara, who starred in Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone, died from a blood clot in her lungs, her death certificate revealed Monday. The Canadian-born performer was rushed to the hospital on 30 January after having difficulty breathing at her home in the ritzy Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The 71-year-old, who starred in Beetlejuice and more recently in Apple TV’...
Emmy-winning actor Catherine O’Hara, who starred in Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone, died from a blood clot in her lungs, her death certificate revealed Monday. The Canadian-born performer was rushed to the hospital on 30 January after having difficulty breathing at her home in the ritzy Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. The 71-year-old, who starred in Beetlejuice and more recently in Apple TV’s Hollywood satire show The Studio, was declared dead a short time later. The actor’s death certificate said she had died of a pulmonary embolism and listed rectal cancer as a secondary factor. O’Hara was born in Toronto in 1954, where she joined the legendary comedy theater Second City, alongside Eugene Levy, with whom she would collaborate throughout her career, including on the smash TV series Schitt’s Creek. Her break into movies came in 1980 with Double Negative – also alongside Levy, and John Candy. In 1988, she played Winona Ryder’s stepmother in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. She would later marry the film’s production designer Bo Welch. The couple had two sons, Matthew and Luke. But it was in 1990 that she became widely known to a global audience, as the mother of Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin in Home Alone. She would reprise the role in the film’s sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which featured a cameo from Donald Trump, decades before he would become US president. In 1993, she collaborated again with Burton on The Nightmare Before Christmas. The versatile comedian also appeared in British film-maker Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries that revel in silly spectacles of Americana, like zany dog handlers in Best in Show, vain folk singers in A Mighty Wind, and award-hungry actors in For Your Consideration. But she is perhaps best known by modern audiences for her role in Schitt’s Creek, created by Eugene Levy’s son, Dan Levy. The role brought her an Emmy for best lead actress in 2020. She was also awarded a Golden Globe and a Sag award.