This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Walmart Inc. (WMT, Financials) is seeing its shoppers lean in closer than ever. The retailer's paid program, Walmart+, hit 28.4 million members in January the most since Morgan Stanley began tracking the data. That's not just a new high. It's also a sign that Walmart's loyalty strategy is clicking with customers. On a three-month rolling basis, Walmart+ gr...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Walmart Inc. (WMT, Financials) is seeing its shoppers lean in closer than ever. The retailer's paid program, Walmart+, hit 28.4 million members in January the most since Morgan Stanley began tracking the data. That's not just a new high. It's also a sign that Walmart's loyalty strategy is clicking with customers. On a three-month rolling basis, Walmart+ grew about 12% year over year, an uptick from roughly 10% in November 2025. For many shoppers, the math makes sense. The membership includes free delivery, fuel discounts, and even access to Paramount+ through a partnership with Paramount Global. With household budgets still stretched, it's becoming an easy choice for frequent Walmart customers. Analysts say the trend highlights how Walmart is quietly closing the gap with Amazon.com, Inc.'s Amazon Prime. A growing membership base not only strengthens loyalty but also helps Walmart collect more recurring revenue and keep shoppers in its ecosystem longer.
Earnings Call Insights: The Walt Disney Company (DIS) Q1 2026 Management View CEO Robert Iger opened by stating, "We are pleased with the start of our fiscal year, and our achievements reflect the tremendous progress we've made." Iger highlighted the Entertainment segment's film studios, which generated more than $6.5 billion at the global box office in 2025, calling it "our third biggest year eve...
Earnings Call Insights: The Walt Disney Company (DIS) Q1 2026 Management View CEO Robert Iger opened by stating, "We are pleased with the start of our fiscal year, and our achievements reflect the tremendous progress we've made." Iger highlighted the Entertainment segment's film studios, which generated more than $6.5 billion at the global box office in 2025, calling it "our third biggest year ever and our ninth year as #1 at the global box office over the past decade." Iger noted the success of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," "Zootopia 2," and "Lilo & Stitch," each surpassing $1 billion in global box office, with "Zootopia 2" earning more than $1.7 billion and setting a record as "Hollywood's highest grossing animated film ever and one of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time." Iger described the positive impact of film hits on other business units: "Great storytelling generates value across our interconnected businesses with hits like Zootopia 2 lifting viewership of related titles on Disney+ and fueling global interest in our parks and consumer products." The company is advancing in streaming through "encouraging results from our investment in local content," tech improvements to Disney+, and product enhancements, including "a curated slate of Sora-generated content on Disney+ following our recently announced licensing agreement with OpenAI." ESPN Unlimited was launched, with Iger reporting "outstanding ratings across our portfolio of live sports" and the closure of the NFL Network transaction, adding "the linear rights to the league's popular RedZone channel, further bolstering ESPN's offering." The Experiences segment achieved "quarterly revenue exceeding $10 billion for the first time" with park expansions and new cruise ships, such as Disney Destiny and the upcoming Disney Adventure, which will be homeported in Asia. CFO Hugh Johnston stated, "Walt Disney World had a very good quarter, obviously, benefited from the overlap of the hurricane. But in addition to...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Oracle Corp. (ORCL, Financials) said it plans to raise between $45 billion and $50 billion this year to expand capacity for its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure business, as demand surges from major artificial intelligence partners. The company, chaired by Larry Ellison, said the funding will come through a mix of debt and equity. About half will be raised via ...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Oracle Corp. (ORCL, Financials) said it plans to raise between $45 billion and $50 billion this year to expand capacity for its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure business, as demand surges from major artificial intelligence partners. The company, chaired by Larry Ellison, said the funding will come through a mix of debt and equity. About half will be raised via equity linked securities, including mandatory convertible preferred shares and a $20 billion at-the-market offering. The rest will come from senior unsecured bonds expected to issue early in 2026. Oracle said the additional funding will support contracted demand from top clients such as AMD, Meta, NVIDIA, OpenAI, TikTok, and xAI. The move comes as investors scrutinize the company's growing leverage and heavy exposure to AI infrastructure projects. Earlier this month, Oracle faced a bondholder lawsuit alleging the company failed to disclose its full financing needs tied to its AI expansion. The company's fourth-quarter results are expected to reflect these capital plans later this year.
Trevor Williams/DigitalVision via Getty Images Tesla, Inc. ( TSLA ) trades on future possibilities - margin compressions and weak delivery data have seldom been correlated with share price moves. What has changed now, from October 2025 (when I issued a Sell call), is that Tesla has announced a spend at an unprecedented scale that commits to optionalities in the talks thus far. In a traditional com...
Trevor Williams/DigitalVision via Getty Images Tesla, Inc. ( TSLA ) trades on future possibilities - margin compressions and weak delivery data have seldom been correlated with share price moves. What has changed now, from October 2025 (when I issued a Sell call), is that Tesla has announced a spend at an unprecedented scale that commits to optionalities in the talks thus far. In a traditional company, capex-heavy periods are judged in the balance of capital needs, execution risks, and near-term financial uncertainties. Not in the case of Tesla. For Tesla, this is usually a bullish signal for its more important variable - narratives and future opportunities. If those expand, the stocks get a huge support. In my earlier Sell call, I was skeptical around the narratives, because that was not backed by the scale of spending that has come in now. Spending does not guarantee execution, but fundamentally, investing in those narratives and building infrastructure to support those opportunities are actually a plus. Importantly, the investment signaling alone could now weaken the Sell thesis that was based on only narrative excess thus far. Since my Sell call, Tesla has moved sideways within a 10% band on either side. The upside from here may still be limited, but the Sell call (implemented through a limited risk put buy route) may have run its course. Tesla moves into a transition phase now, with expanded long-term opportunity backed by investments. That balance shifts Tesla back into Hold territory. Data by YCharts Capital Intensity - History and Funding The single most thesis-altering development that emerged from Q4 2025 was the announcement of a robust and all-round high-intensity capital expenditure spending exceeding $20b - levels unseen even in Tesla's own high investment trajectory thus far. This is what Vaibhav Taneja (CFO) had to say (single-handedly shifting the risk reward profile) during the call : But like as Elon already mentioned, this year is going to be a h...
Trevor Williams/DigitalVision via Getty Images Tesla, Inc. ( TSLA ) trades on future possibilities - margin compressions and weak delivery data have seldom been correlated with share price moves. What has changed now, from October 2025 (when I issued a Sell call), is that Tesla has announced a spend at an unprecedented scale that commits to optionalities in the talks thus far. In a traditional com...
Trevor Williams/DigitalVision via Getty Images Tesla, Inc. ( TSLA ) trades on future possibilities - margin compressions and weak delivery data have seldom been correlated with share price moves. What has changed now, from October 2025 (when I issued a Sell call), is that Tesla has announced a spend at an unprecedented scale that commits to optionalities in the talks thus far. In a traditional company, capex-heavy periods are judged in the balance of capital needs, execution risks, and near-term financial uncertainties. Not in the case of Tesla. For Tesla, this is usually a bullish signal for its more important variable - narratives and future opportunities. If those expand, the stocks get a huge support. In my earlier Sell call, I was skeptical around the narratives, because that was not backed by the scale of spending that has come in now. Spending does not guarantee execution, but fundamentally, investing in those narratives and building infrastructure to support those opportunities are actually a plus. Importantly, the investment signaling alone could now weaken the Sell thesis that was based on only narrative excess thus far. Since my Sell call, Tesla has moved sideways within a 10% band on either side. The upside from here may still be limited, but the Sell call (implemented through a limited risk put buy route) may have run its course. Tesla moves into a transition phase now, with expanded long-term opportunity backed by investments. That balance shifts Tesla back into Hold territory. Data by YCharts Capital Intensity - History and Funding The single most thesis-altering development that emerged from Q4 2025 was the announcement of a robust and all-round high-intensity capital expenditure spending exceeding $20b - levels unseen even in Tesla's own high investment trajectory thus far. This is what Vaibhav Taneja (CFO) had to say (single-handedly shifting the risk reward profile) during the call : But like as Elon already mentioned, this year is going to be a h...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 2, 2026 at 10 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Jonathan Stein Chief Financial Officer — Michael Chadwick Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Capital Expenditures -- $150 million expected in 2026, reflecting a 40% decrease from 2025, with guidance of less than $75 million per year for 2027 and 2028. -- $15...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 2, 2026 at 10 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Jonathan Stein Chief Financial Officer — Michael Chadwick Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Capital Expenditures -- $150 million expected in 2026, reflecting a 40% decrease from 2025, with guidance of less than $75 million per year for 2027 and 2028. -- $150 million expected in 2026, reflecting a 40% decrease from 2025, with guidance of less than $75 million per year for 2027 and 2028. Fourth Quarter Volume -- Gas processing averaged 444 million cubic feet per day, crude terminaling averaged 122,000 barrels of oil per day, and water gathering averaged 124,000 barrels of water per day, all generally flat year over year but down sequentially due to severe December weather. -- Gas processing averaged 444 million cubic feet per day, crude terminaling averaged 122,000 barrels of oil per day, and water gathering averaged 124,000 barrels of water per day, all generally flat year over year but down sequentially due to severe December weather. Full-Year 2025 Volumes -- Gas processing averaged 445 million cubic feet per day, crude terminaling averaged 129,000 barrels of oil per day, and water gathering averaged 131,000 barrels of water per day. -- Gas processing averaged 445 million cubic feet per day, crude terminaling averaged 129,000 barrels of oil per day, and water gathering averaged 131,000 barrels of water per day. Adjusted EBITDA -- $1.238 billion in 2025, representing approximately 9% growth from 2024. -- $1.238 billion in 2025, representing approximately 9% growth from 2024. Fourth Quarter Financials -- Net income was $168 million and adjusted EBITDA was $309 million, both down from third quarter levels, primarily driven by severe winter weather, lower third-party volumes, and annual LM4 maintenance. -- Net income was $168 million and adjusted EBITDA was $309 million, both down from third quarter levels, primarily driven by s...
Super Micro Computer SMCI is set to report its second-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Feb. 3, 2026. Investor attention is firmly focused on the company’s server and storage business, which is driven by robust traction in AI servers, NVIDIA Blackwell/B300 GPU platforms, hyperscale customers, and SMCI’s Data Center Building Block Solutions (DCBBS). Click here to know how Super Micro Computer’s overal...
Super Micro Computer SMCI is set to report its second-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Feb. 3, 2026. Investor attention is firmly focused on the company’s server and storage business, which is driven by robust traction in AI servers, NVIDIA Blackwell/B300 GPU platforms, hyperscale customers, and SMCI’s Data Center Building Block Solutions (DCBBS). Click here to know how Super Micro Computer’s overall fiscal second-quarter results are likely to be. SMCI to Gain From Rising AI-Infrastructure Demand Super Micro Computer scaled up its internal power capacity to 52 megawatts as announced in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. The company is on track to scale up its rack capacity to 6,000 racks per month, including 3,000 direct liquid cooling racks within fiscal 2026, as the demand for these products rises to support AI and high performance computing work-loads. In the second quarter of fiscal 2026, SMCI is expected to benefit from the continuing rising demand for its NVIDIA-based chip integrated rack scale compute architecture for large-scale AI training, enterprise AI inference and training, visualization and design, content delivery and virtualization and AI edge. Super Micro Computer, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Super Micro Computer, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Super Micro Computer, Inc. Quote SMCI to Benefit From Recovery in Server Business SMCI’s server and storage revenues grew 50.2% year over year in fiscal 2025. However, in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, it suffered a slowdown due to delayed shipping of its systems at the quarter-end, due to customer configuration changes and data center readiness delays. Lower average selling prices, as the company priced competitively to protect and gain market share, also caused the server revenues to decline. Since the decline in the server business was majorly non-recurring in nature, this division is expected to return to normalcy in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, implying SMCI’s comeback is supported by the revenue shifts...
CatLane/E+ via Getty Images Recent market volatility in commodities like Gold ( GLD ), Silver ( SLV ) and digital assets like Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) may change some investors’ minds about their true underlying value inside portfolios. There is a reason for why Warren Buffett never liked to hold gold, and that’s because it’s a non-productive asset that just “sits there”, as he put it, producing no inc...
CatLane/E+ via Getty Images Recent market volatility in commodities like Gold ( GLD ), Silver ( SLV ) and digital assets like Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) may change some investors’ minds about their true underlying value inside portfolios. There is a reason for why Warren Buffett never liked to hold gold, and that’s because it’s a non-productive asset that just “sits there”, as he put it, producing no income, dividends, or interest. That’s why I’m more focused on dividend paying companies that generate value for the economy and produces real cashflows for investors. This brings me to PPG Industries, Inc. ( PPG ), which I last covered back in September 2022, highlighting its moat-worthy scale and pricing power across diverse industries. At the current price of $115, PPG trades at a very reasonable P/E valuation of 14.4 and carries a 2.5% dividend yield, as shown below. PPG Stock 1-Yr Trend (Seeking Alpha) In this article, I revisit PPG including recent business results , and discuss what makes it an attractive value stock for this expensive market, so let’s get started! Why PPG? PPG Industries is a leading coatings and specialty materials company with operations in more than 70 countries. It supplies paints, coatings, sealants across architectural, industrial, automotive, aerospace, marine, and packaging markets. Its product portfolio is deeply embedded in customers’ production processes, giving it a strategically advantaged position in global coatings. PPG’s value proposition is built around high-performance formulations and long-standing customer relationships. Increasingly, its differentiated technology stack that now includes AI-driven product development. Over the past year, PPG generated $15.9 billion in sales. Meanwhile, PPG demonstrated steady growth during Q4 2025 with revenue rising by 5% YoY (3% organic growth) to $3.9 billion. As shown below, this marks a sequential improvement in organic sales growth over the course of 2025. This compares favorably to an overall...
In early trading on Monday, shares of SanDisk topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 9.8%. Year to date, SanDisk registers a 166.6% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Robinhood Markets, trading down 8.0%. Robinhood Markets is lower by about 19.1% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components maki...
In early trading on Monday, shares of SanDisk topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 9.8%. Year to date, SanDisk registers a 166.6% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on the day is Robinhood Markets, trading down 8.0%. Robinhood Markets is lower by about 19.1% looking at the year to date performance. Two other components making moves today are Walt Disney, trading down 6.5%, and Applovin, trading up 5.3% on the day. VIDEO: S&P 500 Movers: HOOD, SNDK The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Markets have spent the opening stretch of 2026 in an unusual place: equities have stayed comparatively calm while volatility has exploded almost everywhere else. Despite persistent chatter around an AI-stock bubble, the biggest price swings have shown up in precious metals, currencies and commodities. Gold surged to record highs before suffering its sharpe...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Markets have spent the opening stretch of 2026 in an unusual place: equities have stayed comparatively calm while volatility has exploded almost everywhere else. Despite persistent chatter around an AI-stock bubble, the biggest price swings have shown up in precious metals, currencies and commodities. Gold surged to record highs before suffering its sharpest one-day drop since the 1980s, oil climbed to its highest level since August, and the US dollar slid into its deepest decline since April's tariff-driven turmoil. All of this unfolded as geopolitical uncertainty, including speculation around currency intervention to support the yen and fresh comments from US President Donald Trump, unsettled traders, even as the Cboe Volatility Index remained below its average of the past year. Beneath the surface, equity volatility has been less about macro stress and more about stock-specific outcomes. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) dropped roughly 10% after reporting record spending alongside slowing cloud revenue growth, highlighting how dispersion across individual companies has increased even as index-level volatility stayed contained. According to Cboe Global Markets, that lower correlation across stocks has helped suppress broader volatility measures, leaving little macro risk priced into the VIX. Investors appear to remain focused on earnings quality and the durability of the AI trade, with single-stock moves doing most of the work rather than broad market repricing. Gold (GLD), by contrast, has begun to trade less like a traditional safe haven and more like a momentum asset. Even after a roughly 9% pullback late in the month, bullion posted its biggest monthly gain since 1999, alongside record levels in absolute prices, options activity and volatility relative to equities. Heavy inflows into gold-linked ETFs, including more than $20 billion into the SPDR Gold Shares over the past eight months, suggested fears of missing further upside ...
"Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorised use of Starlink by Russia have worked," Musk wrote on X. "Let us know if more needs to be done."
"Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorised use of Starlink by Russia have worked," Musk wrote on X. "Let us know if more needs to be done."
Hecla Mining Company’s HL shares plunged 14.4% on silver stocks plummeting in the session. Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. VZ soared 11.8% after the company reported fourth-quarter 2025 earnings of $1.09 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.06. Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. META slid 3% on investors becoming concerned over rising expenses and an aggressive AI spending outlo...
Hecla Mining Company’s HL shares plunged 14.4% on silver stocks plummeting in the session. Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. VZ soared 11.8% after the company reported fourth-quarter 2025 earnings of $1.09 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.06. Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. META slid 3% on investors becoming concerned over rising expenses and an aggressive AI spending outlook. Colgate-Palmolive Company’s CL shares jumped 5.9% on investors rushing to the safety of defensive stocks. #1 Semiconductor Stock to Buy (Not NVDA) The incredible demand for data is fueling the market's next digital gold rush. As data centers continue to be built and constantly upgraded, the companies that provide the hardware for these behemoths will become the NVIDIAs of tomorrow. One under-the-radar chipmaker is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. It specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised for controversial comments he made about British football supporters which were criticised by fan groups. At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month, Infantino said it was "really special" no British nationals were arrested during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Amid concerns over the cost to attend matches at this summer's 2026 World Cup, the...
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised for controversial comments he made about British football supporters which were criticised by fan groups. At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month, Infantino said it was "really special" no British nationals were arrested during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Amid concerns over the cost to attend matches at this summer's 2026 World Cup, the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) responded by saying the Swiss-Italian should "concentrate on making cheap tickets" as opposed to "making cheap jokes about our fans". In an interview with Sky News, external, Infantino said his comments were "meant to be more of a light-hearted remark" to highlight how the Qatar tournament "was a celebration" and "a peaceful event". As he said sorry to fans from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the first instance, the 55-year-old said it was "not my intention" to cause offence to them. Infantino added he was a "huge fan of English football" and had been wrong to say English people "just go and riot around the world" at football matches as fans, referring to them as "criminals" instead. The head of world football's governing body also defended the decision to award US President Donald Trump the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize before the draw last December for the 2026 World Cup. The award was to be given to a person who had "taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace" and "united people across the world". Infantino acknowledged there had been a "strong reaction" to the decision, but said "objectively" Trump "deserves it" because he was "instrumental in resolving conflicts and saving lives and saving thousands of lives".
Emiliano Ortiz/iStock via Getty Images Equinor ( EQNR ) said Monday it agreed to sell its full onshore position in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta basin to Vista Energy ( VIST ) for $1.1B in cash and stock while keeping its Vaca Muerta offshore assets. Equinor ( EQNR ) said it will receive a $550M upfront cash payment at closing, with the other half of the $1.1B split between $325M in Vista ( VIST ) stock...
Emiliano Ortiz/iStock via Getty Images Equinor ( EQNR ) said Monday it agreed to sell its full onshore position in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta basin to Vista Energy ( VIST ) for $1.1B in cash and stock while keeping its Vaca Muerta offshore assets. Equinor ( EQNR ) said it will receive a $550M upfront cash payment at closing, with the other half of the $1.1B split between $325M in Vista ( VIST ) stock, also on completion, and future payments of $225M, with contingent payments linked to production and oil prices over a five-year period. The transaction included Equinor's ( EQNR ) 30% stake in the Bandurria Sur production asset and its 50% holding in Bajo del Toro, while the company's offshore acreage in Argentina was not affected. Equinor's ( EQNR ) share of the Bandurria Sur production averaged 24.4K boe/day in Q3 2025 while Bajo del Toro, which is still in an early development phase, contributed 2.1K boe/day. Vista ( VIST ) CEO Miguel Galuccio said the acquired blocks "fit perfectly into Vista's portfolio, adding both flowing barrels and a deep inventory of highly productive, ready-to-drill wells that will underpin our growth trajectory." More on Equinor and Vista Energy Equinor: A Strategic European Energy Buy With Margin Of Safety Equinor: Share Price Pullback Makes It A High Dividend-Yielding Investment Opportunity Vista Energy: Strong Buy Confirmed After Analyst Day
The Delaware Supreme Court has cut more than $100 million from a legal fee award tied to a shareholder lawsuit challenging compensation paid to Tesla directors between 2017 and 2020. The ruling leaves the case’s underlying settlement intact while significantly reducing what the plaintiffs’ attorneys will receive. Delaware Supreme Court trims legal fees As noted in a Bloomberg Law report, the case ...
The Delaware Supreme Court has cut more than $100 million from a legal fee award tied to a shareholder lawsuit challenging compensation paid to Tesla directors between 2017 and 2020. The ruling leaves the case’s underlying settlement intact while significantly reducing what the plaintiffs’ attorneys will receive. Delaware Supreme Court trims legal fees As noted in a Bloomberg Law report, the case targeted pay granted to Tesla directors, including CEO Elon Musk, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Kimbal Musk, and Rupert Murdoch. The Delaware Chancery Court had awarded $176 million to the plaintiffs. Tesla’s board must also return stock options and forego years worth of pay. As per Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr. in an opinion for the Delaware Supreme Court’s full five-member panel, however, the decision of the Delaware Chancery Court to award $176 million to a pension fund’s law firm “erred by including in its financial benefit analysis the intrinsic value” of options being returned by Tesla’s board. Advertisement The justices then reduced the fee award from $176 million to $70.9 million. “As we measure it, $71 million reflects a reasonable fee for counsel’s efforts and does not result in a windfall,” Chief Justice Seitz wrote. Other settlement terms still intact The Supreme Court upheld the settlement itself, which requires Tesla’s board to return stock and options valued at up to $735 million and to forgo three years of additional compensation worth about $184 million. Tesla argued during oral arguments that a fee award closer to $70 million would be appropriate. Interestingly enough, back in October, Justice Karen L. Valihura noted that the $176 award was $60 million more than the Delaware judiciary’s budget from the previous year. This was quite interesting as the case was “settled midstream.” The lawsuit was brought by a pension fund on behalf of Tesla shareholders and focused exclusively on director pay during the 2017–2020 period. The case is separate from other...
primeimages/E+ via Getty Images Commodities and foreign stocks led the performance race in January for the major asset classes, based on a set of ETF proxies. Meanwhile, offshore assets, supported by a weak dollar, outperformed their US counterparts by a wide margin. A broad measure of commodities led the way higher in January. The iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Indexed Trust ( GSG ) soared 10.5% last...
primeimages/E+ via Getty Images Commodities and foreign stocks led the performance race in January for the major asset classes, based on a set of ETF proxies. Meanwhile, offshore assets, supported by a weak dollar, outperformed their US counterparts by a wide margin. A broad measure of commodities led the way higher in January. The iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Indexed Trust ( GSG ) soared 10.5% last month, marking the fund’s strongest monthly performance in 2-1/2 years. Foreign stocks were in second and third place in January’s horse race. Developed-market shares ex-US ( VEA ) rose 6.0%, with stocks in emerging markets ( VWO ) in close competition via a 5.0% increase. US stocks ( VTI ) trailed by a wide margin, rising 1.6% in January. US bonds ( BND ) only managed to post a thin 0.2% advance. US small-cap stocks, by contrast, delivered strong results, blowing past other slices of US markets with a sizzling 5.7% rise, based on iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF ( IJR ). Despite a wide array of performances in 2026’s kickoff, January was notable for across-the-board gains for the major asset classes. In 2025, there were three months of rallies in all corners. The Global Market Index (GMI) kicked off the year with a strong start, jumping 2.4% — its best monthly gain since September. With the latest rise, GMI extended its string of monthly gains to ten in a row, the longest run of wins in eight years. GMI is an unmanaged benchmark (maintained by CapitalSpectator.com) that holds all the major asset classes (except cash) in market value weights via ETFs and represents a competitive benchmark for multi-asset class portfolios. Original Post Editor's Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors.
On-Chain Activity Soars As Crypto Crumbles, 'Mega-Whales' Buying The Bitcoin Dip As Retail Runs For Exits Crypto prices are rebounding this morning, after further weakness over the weekend to its lowest since Trump's election victory . “From a technical perspective, the recent drawdown is bringing price closer to attractive levels,” said Joel Kruger, a markets strategist at LMAX Group. Bitcoin is ...
On-Chain Activity Soars As Crypto Crumbles, 'Mega-Whales' Buying The Bitcoin Dip As Retail Runs For Exits Crypto prices are rebounding this morning, after further weakness over the weekend to its lowest since Trump's election victory . “From a technical perspective, the recent drawdown is bringing price closer to attractive levels,” said Joel Kruger, a markets strategist at LMAX Group. Bitcoin is likely to find “strong support” should it drop to around $70,000, he said. Other cryptocurrencies like Ether and Solana also staged modest rebounds after slipping earlier Monday. “For crypto specifically, ETF flow stabilization is the key signal to monitor,” said Timothy Misir, head of research at digital asset analytics firm BRN. “Without it, rallies are likely to fade.” Interestingly, Goldman points out that in contrast to the declining price performance, on-chain activity painted a different picture, especially for the Ethereum and Solana networks. Activity across the Bitcoin network was down over the month, suggested by decreased average daily transaction count (-14.9% MoM), average daily new addresses (-3.6% MoM) and average active addresses (-2.7% MoM) (Figure 2). However, for Ethereum, average daily active addresses, new addresses, and transaction counts were up by +27.5%, +26.8% and +36.0% MoM respectively. For Solana, average daily active addresses and transaction counts were up by +24.3% and +8.2% MoM respectively (Figure 10). Looking at Ethereum specifically, we are seeing an ATH in daily new addresses. On average, Jan saw 427k new addresses – if we compare this to the 2020 ‘DeFi summer’, the average daily new addresses back then were 162k. In terms of activity, we have registered 1.2m daily active Ethereum addresses – another ATH from a 7-d moving avg basis Separately for Ethereum, Goldman notes that the market cap is now below its realized market cap (which values each coin at the last time they moved on the network - representing the aggregate cost basis), sig...