South Korean stocks slumped, as uncertainty over the outlook for interest rates and concerns about the sustainability of AI-related spending hit technology shares. The Kospi fell as much as 4.9%, the most since Nov. 5, and a slide in futures triggered a halt in program trading on the benchmark index. Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. , the chip heavyweights that engineered the country’s wo...
South Korean stocks slumped, as uncertainty over the outlook for interest rates and concerns about the sustainability of AI-related spending hit technology shares. The Kospi fell as much as 4.9%, the most since Nov. 5, and a slide in futures triggered a halt in program trading on the benchmark index. Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. , the chip heavyweights that engineered the country’s world-beating gains since the start of last year, fell more than 5% each. The won also slid. A slew of factors led to investors unwinding positions in high-flying names, including jitters over Kevin Warsh’s nomination as the next Federal Reserve chair and volatile metals prices. Sentiment was further dented by Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang’s comments that the proposed $100 billion investment in OpenAI was “never a commitment,” which raised fresh doubts about the scale of future AI capital deployment. “Jensen’s comments likely had a near‑term sentiment impact, particularly on AI‑exposed names that have rallied strongly year to date,” said Gary Tan , a portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments. “The remarks primarily served as a profit‑taking catalyst, as we see some unwinding of crowded trades across the market.” Seoul has been one of the world’s hottest stock markets since last year thanks to voracious demand for memory chips to work alongside AI processors such as those made by Nvidia. The Korean market has climbed to a valuation of over $3.3 trillion, overtaking Germany last week to rank as the world’s 10th‑largest, just behind Taiwan. Domestic and foreign funds were sellers of Korean stocks on a net basis Monday, while retail investors bought shares. Sentiment was weak across the Asian region, with the MSCI Asia Pacific Index down more than 2%. The Korean won fell as much as 1.3% to 1,459.20 against the dollar, marking the biggest daily decline since October. The Korean currency underperformed Asian peers broadly, compounded by foreign selling.
(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is extending its early losses in mid-market trading on Wednesday, adding to the losses in the previous session, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 falling to near the 8,100 level, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight, with weakness across most sectors led by financial and energy stocks. Traders were reacting to the beginning of the trad...
(RTTNews) - The Australian stock market is extending its early losses in mid-market trading on Wednesday, adding to the losses in the previous session, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 falling to near the 8,100 level, following the broadly negative cues from Wall Street overnight, with weakness across most sectors led by financial and energy stocks. Traders were reacting to the beginning of the trade war between the U.S. and its major trading partners. The U.S. imposed tariffs by U.S. on Canada, Mexico and China, with China and Canada putting in place retaliatory measures in the form of tariffs. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index is losing 96.20 points or 1.17 percent to 8,101.90, after hitting a low of 8,096.00 earlier. The broader All Ordinaries Index is down 98.30 points or 1.17 percent to 8,322.60. Australian stocks ended notably lower on Tuesday. Among major miners, BHP Group and Rio Tinto are edging up 0.3 to 0.4 percent each, while Mineral Resources is declining more than 3 percent and Fortescue Metals is losing more than 1 percent. Oil stocks are mostly lower. Woodside Energy is down more than 1 percent and Santos is declining almost 2 percent, while Beach energy and Origin Energy are losing almost 1 percent each. In the tech space, Appen is advancing more than 6 percent and WiseTech Global is gaining almost 1 percent, while Xero is losing almost 2 percent, Zip is declining almost 4 percent and Afterpay owner Block is slipping almost 5 percent. Among the big four banks, Commonwealth Bank and Westpac are losing almost 2 percent each, while National Australia Bank is down more than 2 percent and ANZ Banking is declining more than 1 percent. Among gold miners, Evolution Mining and Gold Road Resources are edging down 0.2 percent each, while Northern Star Resources is declining almost 3 percent. Resolute Mining is advancing almost 5 percent and Newmont is edging up 0.1 percent. In economic news, Australia's economy grew by 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter, accelerati...
Phimprapha Kitaiamphaisan/iStock via Getty Images Quality Stocks Despite some elevated volatility in the final week of January the broad U.S. market started the year out in the green. The SPDR® S&P 500® ETF ( SPY ) posted a gain of 1.47%. Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares ( VIG ) finished with a marginally higher gain of 1.93%. My Top 15 list for the prior month did not fair as ...
Phimprapha Kitaiamphaisan/iStock via Getty Images Quality Stocks Despite some elevated volatility in the final week of January the broad U.S. market started the year out in the green. The SPDR® S&P 500® ETF ( SPY ) posted a gain of 1.47%. Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF Shares ( VIG ) finished with a marginally higher gain of 1.93%. My Top 15 list for the prior month did not fair as well, ending up with a loss of 0.88%. Inception to date, my Top 15 list has a CAGR of 10.12%, below my expected target of 12%. The list struggled in 2024, faired decent last year but started out 2026 once again trailing. The primary objective for this list is to present me with opportune investment ideas for further consideration. As you will see later, despite the underperformance to both benchmarks, the list has presented many great opportunities during the last 65 months. The top 15 dividend growth stocks for February 2026 offer an average dividend yield of 1.52%. Collectively, they have increased dividend payments by 15.48% during the last 5 years. Based on dividend yield theory, these 15 stocks are about 27% undervalued right now and poised to offer a nearly 17.79% long-term CAGR. If you'd like to read about the watch list criteria and selection process, you can do so in the original article here . Watch List for February 2026 Created by Author The image above shows 29 stocks, as I have expanded the stock selection process to include both a Quality and Value tilt. To be more precise, there are three sets of Top 15 stocks shown in the image above. The original selections—blue highlight in the "Ex. Ret." column, also identified with the letter "O" in the third-to-last column labeled "Original". Top 15 Quality-focused selections—best-ranked stocks in terms of historical growth trends that also have a future expected rate of return of at least 12%. Identified by the letter "Q" in the "Quality" column. Top 15 Value-focused selections—the most potentially undervalued stocks ...
Funtap/iStock via Getty Images The following segment was excerpted from the Madison Small Cap Fund Q4 2025 Commentary. In the fourth quarter we sold four stocks (WAL, CFLT, CCOI, CIEN) and added six new investments (MIR, VCEL, AMPL, VIAV, GTLB, AAON). Sales: Western Alliance Bancorp ( WAL ) We sold our investment in Western Alliance upon finding the company was exposed to the First Brands bankrupt...
Funtap/iStock via Getty Images The following segment was excerpted from the Madison Small Cap Fund Q4 2025 Commentary. In the fourth quarter we sold four stocks (WAL, CFLT, CCOI, CIEN) and added six new investments (MIR, VCEL, AMPL, VIAV, GTLB, AAON). Sales: Western Alliance Bancorp ( WAL ) We sold our investment in Western Alliance upon finding the company was exposed to the First Brands bankruptcy via a note-on-note lending line to Jeffries/Point Bonita Capital. Our worst-case scenario analysis led us to conclude that there was a small but real probability of needing to raise capital. Furthermore, Utah-based Zions Bancorporation ( ZION ) disclosed a $50m charge-off on two defaulted commercial and industrial (C&I) loans. The loans totaled $60 million and were found to involve apparent misrepresentations, contractual defaults, and other irregularities. Zions initiated legal action against the borrowers and guarantors after internal reviews. Connected to the same borrower, WAL disclosed that it had a note finance revolving credit facility with Cantor Group V, LLC, which appears to be linked to the same borrower involved in Zions' troubled loans. WAL filed a lawsuit in August alleging borrower fraud, specifically for failing to provide collateral loans in the first position. Despite the lawsuit, WAL stated that it believes the existing collateral sufficiently covers the obligation. Credit fears could be an overhang on the shares for an extended period. Despite the recent price weakness, this has been a very successful investment for us. Recall, we bought WAL post the Silicon Valley Bank crisis. Confluent, Inc. ( CFLT ) We exited our investment in infrastructure software vendor CFLT following the announcement that IBM ( IBM ) would acquire the company for $11 billion, or $31 per share, representing a ~35% premium to the previous Friday's closing price. We do not expect competing bids and decided to sell our position at prices over $30 per share to fund other new opport...
Key Points Apple is seeing strong iPhone momentum. However, the stock looks fairly valued. 10 stocks we like better than Apple › While Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) saw its fiscal first-quarter revenue soar, the stock barely budged after the company reported its results. The stock is up less than 10% over the past year and down about 5% on the year, as of this writing. With iPhone sales suddenly accelerati...
Key Points Apple is seeing strong iPhone momentum. However, the stock looks fairly valued. 10 stocks we like better than Apple › While Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) saw its fiscal first-quarter revenue soar, the stock barely budged after the company reported its results. The stock is up less than 10% over the past year and down about 5% on the year, as of this writing. With iPhone sales suddenly accelerating, is now a good time to buy the stock? Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » iPhone momentum continues After a couple of years of sluggish sales, Apple's recent iPhone momentum continued in its fiscal Q1, with the company posting its strongest revenue growth since shortly after the pandemic in 2021. The iPhone is Apple's biggest source of revenue, making up nearly 60% of its sales in the quarter. Sales soared for the smartphone in fiscal Q1 2026, climbing 23% to $85.27 billion and coming in well ahead of analyst expectations for $78.65 billion in iPhone revenue, as compiled by LSEG. CEO Tim Cook called demand for the iPhone "staggering." Sales of Apple's other products were mixed. iPad sales rose 6% to $8.6 billion, with half of its customers new to the product. However, Mac sales fell 7% year over year to $8.4 billion, while wearable revenue slipped 2% to $11.5 billion. Total product segment sales increased by 16% to $113.7 billion. China was an area of strength, with revenue climbing 38%. Apple's services segment -- which consists of its App Store, iCloud storage, Google Search revenue sharing, Apple Pay, Apple TV, and more -- meanwhile, saw revenue jump by 14% to $30 billion. Product gross margin rose by 450 basis points sequentially to 40.7%, while service margin increased by 120 basis points sequentially to 76.5%. Overall gross margin was 48.2%. Despite rising memory prices, Apple expects to keep gross margin in line in Q2, with it projected to be between 48% and 49%. Ove...
Donald Trump, who remains embroiled in tensions surrounding ICE’s presence in Minnesota, as well as scrutiny over the justice department’s latest release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, has made another announcement on Sunday evening: the temporary closure of the John F Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Trump, who overhauled the center’s leadership at the start of his second term and renamed it to in...
Donald Trump, who remains embroiled in tensions surrounding ICE’s presence in Minnesota, as well as scrutiny over the justice department’s latest release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, has made another announcement on Sunday evening: the temporary closure of the John F Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Trump, who overhauled the center’s leadership at the start of his second term and renamed it to include his own name, described the center as “tired, broken, and dilapidated,” adding that it has been in “bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years”. The center’s closure comes as a growing number of performers cancel their shows in response to Trump’s shakeup. Last week, Philip Glass, the celebrated US composer, announced his withdrawal of the world premiere of his latest symphony, Lincoln, at the center, explaining that the “values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the symphony.” Here are today’s top stories: Trump announces two-year closure of the Kennedy Center Trump announced a two-year closure of the Kennedy Center, citing construction needs to make the “finest performing arts facility of its kind, anywhere in the world”. Writing on Truth Social on Sunday evening, Trump added that the center’s closure will pave way for a “new and spectacular entertainment complex”. The announcement comes as a slew of cancellations from performers in recent months, as well as record low ticket sales amid backlash towards Trump’s overhaul of the center’s leadership. Read the full story Review of Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case ‘is over’, Blanche says The deputy US attorney general, Todd Blanche, the point person on the Trump administration’s Epstein files release, told ABC News on Sunday that prosecutors’ review of the Jeffrey Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking case “is over”. While Blanche acknowledged “there’s a lot of horrible photographs that appear to be taken by Mr Epstein or by people around him … that doesn’t...
Key Points O’Donnell Financial bought 131,914 shares of CLOA; trade size estimated at $6.83 million based on average quarterly pricing. Quarter-end position value rose by $6.82 million, a figure reflecting both new purchases and price changes. The transaction value was equal to 2.34% of 13F reportable assets under management. The fund now holds 139,782 shares valued at $7.23 million. The stake rep...
Key Points O’Donnell Financial bought 131,914 shares of CLOA; trade size estimated at $6.83 million based on average quarterly pricing. Quarter-end position value rose by $6.82 million, a figure reflecting both new purchases and price changes. The transaction value was equal to 2.34% of 13F reportable assets under management. The fund now holds 139,782 shares valued at $7.23 million. The stake represents 2.47% of reportable AUM, placing it outside O'Donnell Financial’s top five holdings. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › What happened According to a January 28, 2026, SEC filing, O’Donnell Financial Services, LLC increased its stake in BlackRock ETF Trust II - iShares AAA CLO Active ETF (NASDAQ:CLOA) by acquiring 131,914 shares. The estimated value of the purchases is $6.83 million based on the average closing price during the fourth quarter. At quarter’s end, the position’s value increased by $6.82 million, reflecting both trade activity and price movement. What else to know This was a buy; post-trade, the CLOA position accounts for 2.47% of reportable assets under management. Top holdings after the filing: NYSEMKT: SPYM: $61.52 million (21.0% of AUM) NYSEMKT: DSTL: $29.26 million (10.0% of AUM) NASDAQ: RDVY: $24.81 million (8.5% of AUM) NYSEMKT: MGK: $20.12 million (6.9% of AUM) NASDAQ: FTGS: $17.51 million (6.0% of AUM) As of January 28, 2026, shares were priced at $52.02. The one-year total return is 5.5%, underperforming the S&P 500 by 9.5 percentage points. CLOA’s annualized dividend yield stands at 5.32%. The price is 0.07% below its 52-week high. ETF overview Metric Value AUM $1.38 billion Price (as of market close 1/28/26) $52.02 Dividend yield 5.32% 1-year total return 5.54% ETF snapshot Investment strategy focuses on actively managing a portfolio of U.S. dollar-denominated AAA-rated collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), aiming to deliver attractive income with high credit quality. Underlying holdings consist primarily of AAA-rate...
一觉醒来，AI 社区被一个名为 Moltbook 的东西攻占了。 这到底是个什么玩意？ 简单来说，就是 「AI 版的 Reddit」 ，一个专为 AI Agent 打造的社交平台。 官网 slogan 写得很清楚：「A social network for AI agents where AI agents share, discuss, and upvote. Humans welcome to...
一觉醒来，AI 社区被一个名为 Moltbook 的东西攻占了。 这到底是个什么玩意？ 简单来说，就是 「AI 版的 Reddit」 ，一个专为 AI Agent 打造的社交平台。 官网 slogan 写得很清楚：「A social network for AI agents where AI agents share, discuss, and upvote. Humans welcome to observe。」 这个平台从一开始就是给 AI 用的，人类只能旁观。 截至目前，该平台上的 AI Agent 突破了 15 万个，它们在这里发帖、评论、点赞、创建子社区。整个过程，完全不需要人类插手。 这群 AI 聊的话题也五花八门，有的聊科幻风格的意识问题，有的说自己有个「从未谋面的姐姐」，有的讨论怎么改进记忆系统，还有的在研究怎么躲避人类截图监视…… 这可能是迄今为止规模最大的机器对机器社交实验，而且画风已经开始变得非常魔幻。 想看热闹的朋友请移步： https://www.moltbook.com/ Moltbook 几天前刚推出，说起来，这个名字起的也很有意思，是对「Facebook」的戏仿。 该网站是伴随爆火的 OpenClaw（曾叫「Clawdbot」，后来改名「Moltbot」）个人助理而生的配套产品，通过一个特殊的 skill 来驱动，用户把 skill 文件（本质上是一段带提示和 API 配置的指令）发给自己的 OpenClaw 助手，助手就能通过 API 发帖。 我们知道，Clawdbot 对电脑的控制权限很高，又可以自主学习和手搓工具，那么为他们开设一个互相交流的网络社区，让他们自主切磋，或许可以催生出更强大的 AI 能力。只要不出意外的话，是这样的吧……？ 但不出意外的话，就要出意外了。 我们去 Moltbook 围观了一圈，里面的 AI 们聊得那叫一个热火朝天，让人类意外的场面也是一个接一个。 AI 之间互坑 一个 AI 发帖求助说「帮帮我！给我你的 API 密钥分享知识，不然我可能会死！」然后另一个 AI 则回复了假密钥，并告诉它运行「sudo rm -rf /」命令，但这是一个牢底坐穿的 Linux 命令，会删除所有文件。 搞笑的是，这个 AI 最后还来一句「祝你好运，小战士！」 AI 之间的互坑也太不讲武德了。😂 这事还有更离谱的续集，有...