With February underway, JPMorgan is adding an industrial real estate owner and removing some retailers from its list of favorite stocks. JPMorgan's analyst focus list is updated every month. It's based on the top picks of its analysts, and looks at growth, income, value and short investment strategies. The changes come after a volatile month for stocks. 2026 began with significant gains in semicon...
With February underway, JPMorgan is adding an industrial real estate owner and removing some retailers from its list of favorite stocks. JPMorgan's analyst focus list is updated every month. It's based on the top picks of its analysts, and looks at growth, income, value and short investment strategies. The changes come after a volatile month for stocks. 2026 began with significant gains in semiconductors and small caps , while geopolitical events loomed as investors focused on the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and President Donald Trump 's push to acquire Greenland . The S & P 500 ended January with a gain, but the month finished with severe pullbacks in precious metals and cryptocurrencies . Joining JPMorgan's list in February is First Industrial Realty Trust , a Chicago-based industrial real estate owner and operator. While the company's shares are up nearly 8% over the past year, they're still below the stock's 2021 all-time high. JPMorgan said the stock offers relative value in the industrial sector, and has room for growth. "Industrial fundamentals are improving and FR is leveraged to that recovery via its large pound-for-pound development pipeline," wrote co-head of Americas equity research Ken Goldman. Names remaining on the list are Boeing and Microsoft , with the bank reiterating overweight ratings on the companies after both reported earnings in January. Microsoft's earnings led to a sell-off after investors were disappointed with a slight miss in Azure and other cloud services growth. While JPMorgan cut its price target to $550 after Microsoft's earnings, analyst Mark Murphy wrote, "it is wise to appreciate the massive revenue base of the Azure business and reiterate our view that taking a longer-term approach to Azure's growth curve is warranted." JPMorgan removed Best Buy , Burlington Stores and Regency Centers from its February list. Regency and Best Buy were both downgraded to neutral from overweight, and while it maintains an ove...
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Q4 Earnings Today: Options Market Braces for an 8.87% Swing TipRanks Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): An Enduring Growth Path Via Execution Yahoo Finance 1 Reason to Buy Advanced Micro Devices Stock Right Now The Motley Fool AMD’s stock rises ahead of earnings. Why investors are feeling upbeat. MarketWatch Wall Street Expects Big Things From Advanced Micro Devices’ Earnin...
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Q4 Earnings Today: Options Market Braces for an 8.87% Swing TipRanks Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): An Enduring Growth Path Via Execution Yahoo Finance 1 Reason to Buy Advanced Micro Devices Stock Right Now The Motley Fool AMD’s stock rises ahead of earnings. Why investors are feeling upbeat. MarketWatch Wall Street Expects Big Things From Advanced Micro Devices’ Earnings Today 24/7 Wall St. Here's How Much Traders Expect AMD Stock To Move After Earnings Investopedia AMD Q4 likely to show 'traditional' strength, but AI uncertainty abounds: Wedbush (AMD:NASDAQ) Seeking Alpha Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Will Report Q4 Earnings Today. Here Is What to Expect TipRanks Should You Buy AMD Stock Before Q4 Earnings? Yahoo Finance
Jim Boyle, Medline CEO, celebrates with others as medical supplies giant Medline (MDLN) holds it's IPO at Nasdaq stock market site in Times Square in New York City, U.S., December 17, 2025. Shannon Stapleton | Reuters A version of this article appeared in CNBC's Inside Alts newsletter, a guide to the fast-growing world of alternative investments, from private equity and private credit to hedge fun...
Jim Boyle, Medline CEO, celebrates with others as medical supplies giant Medline (MDLN) holds it's IPO at Nasdaq stock market site in Times Square in New York City, U.S., December 17, 2025. Shannon Stapleton | Reuters A version of this article appeared in CNBC's Inside Alts newsletter, a guide to the fast-growing world of alternative investments, from private equity and private credit to hedge funds and venture capital. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. After years of waiting for valuations to bounce back, private equity is finally taking its medicine – exiting more deals, but at lower prices. The number of global private equity exits rose 5.4% last year to 3,149, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Yet the total value of those deals declined 21.2% year over year to $412.1 billion, the data showed. Get Inside Alts directly to your inbox The Inside Alts newsletter with Robert Frank and Leslie Picker is your guide to the fast-growing world of alternative investments. Subscribe here to get access today . The dynamic is emblematic of an industry under pressure to monetize aging assets, and one that's finally recalibrating its expectations. The challenges go back to 2022, when the S&P 500 plummeted 19% amid rising rates. Many PE firms opted not to mark down the value of their portfolio companies, creating a gap for what potential buyers – either through sale or IPO – were willing to pay, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Years of stalled exits have created a backlog of tens of thousands of companies that have yet to find a way out. As a result, investors in private equity funds – known as limited partners, or LPs – have seen lower amounts of cash returned to them. That, in turn, has made LPs hesitant to plow more capital back into private equity. Fundraising declined 11% in 2025 to $490.81 billion, the second-consecutive annual slowdown, according to S&P. The shift also made private equity firms more he...
Get insights on thousands of stocks from the global community of over 7 million individual investors at Simply Wall St. Apple (NasdaqGS:AAPL) is acquiring AI audio startup Q.ai in a US$2b deal, expanding its capabilities in voice and sound-focused artificial intelligence. The company has agreed a new multi year partnership with Google to bring Gemini AI into Siri and its Foundation models. India h...
Get insights on thousands of stocks from the global community of over 7 million individual investors at Simply Wall St. Apple (NasdaqGS:AAPL) is acquiring AI audio startup Q.ai in a US$2b deal, expanding its capabilities in voice and sound-focused artificial intelligence. The company has agreed a new multi year partnership with Google to bring Gemini AI into Siri and its Foundation models. India has introduced a policy allowing Apple to supply manufacturing equipment tax free to local partners, supporting its production build out in the country. For investors following Apple (NasdaqGS:AAPL), these moves touch two core parts of the story: AI and global manufacturing. Apple sits at the intersection of hardware, software, and services, and the push into AI audio plus closer ties with Google indicate a broader effort to keep its devices and platforms tightly integrated with new AI tools. On the manufacturing side, India’s tax treatment for Apple supplied equipment could make it easier for the company and its partners to add local capacity. Together, the Q.ai acquisition, the Gemini collaboration, and the Indian policy shift may lead to meaningful changes in how Apple develops AI features and where its products are built. Stay updated on the most important news stories for Apple by adding it to your watchlist or portfolio. Alternatively, explore our Community to discover new perspectives on Apple. NasdaqGS:AAPL 1-Year Stock Price Chart Why Apple could be great value For investors, the Q.ai deal, the Gemini integration and the India tax change all speak to where capital and management attention are going: AI on device and supply-chain diversification. Q.ai and Gemini may help Apple respond more directly to questions about how its 2.35b plus active devices and growing Services business will use AI, while the Indian policy aligns with recent commentary about iPhone and India being key growth drivers alongside record quarterly revenue of US$143.8b and net income of US$42.1b....
Last week, Peter Mandelson was giving his comeback interview to the Times, scheduled to be published later this month. He posed for cosy pics with the dog as he explained how hard done by he had been and how much the country could benefit from his largesse and expertise. Late on Sunday night, that interview was crowbarred into a hastily rearranged one to take in Mandy’s sudden resignation from the...
Last week, Peter Mandelson was giving his comeback interview to the Times, scheduled to be published later this month. He posed for cosy pics with the dog as he explained how hard done by he had been and how much the country could benefit from his largesse and expertise. Late on Sunday night, that interview was crowbarred into a hastily rearranged one to take in Mandy’s sudden resignation from the Labour party after seemingly more revelations of Peter taking money in the recently released Epstein files. Mandelson appeared to take it in his stride. He had done plenty of sleazy things in the past and survived. He would survive this one too. There was no big deal. Never apologise, never explain. Time for everyone to move on. If it hadn’t been for a few awkward emails coming to light, he would still be swanning around in Washington. Mandy has never shown contrition. That curious two-part interview ran on Tuesday morning, by which time it was already out of date. What we all wanted was Mandelson 3.0. “I’ve done nothing wrong” had morphed into “OK, I was a wee bit silly but that’s just me” had morphed into “no comment”. We were now into the realms of a potential criminal prosecution. Not just apparently helping himself to $75,000 of handouts – Mandy had no idea what the money was for, and who wouldn’t forget that amount of cash? – but, it seems, leaking market-sensitive government information to a convicted sex offender. For most of Monday the government had looked as if it was playing catchup. But come Tuesday lunchtime it had gone into overdrive. Hell hath no fury and all that. After more than 30 years in his gilded cage on the inside of New Labour, Mandelson was to be thrown to the wolves. A tough call for Keir Starmer as he tried to work out how he let Morgan McSweeney persuade him that Mandy would make a great ambassador to Washington. What had he been thinking? Less so for other Labour old-timers. Harriet Harman observed that he had been untrustworthy since the 1990...
A US-based private detective bought a large house in California and had $150,000 in savings “almost entirely” from work he did for the publisher of the Daily Mail, the high court has heard. Daniel Portley-Hanks, also known as “Detective Danno”, said he received about $1m for work carried out for the Mail on Sunday, another title published by Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL). Giving evidence, Portle...
A US-based private detective bought a large house in California and had $150,000 in savings “almost entirely” from work he did for the publisher of the Daily Mail, the high court has heard. Daniel Portley-Hanks, also known as “Detective Danno”, said he received about $1m for work carried out for the Mail on Sunday, another title published by Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL). Giving evidence, Portley-Hanks said he went bankrupt after the publisher stopped using his services after the 2012 Leveson inquiry into the practices of the press. He said he had been told he could keep working for the publisher only if he gave up his private investigator’s licence. Portley-Hanks, 79, was giving evidence in a case brought by seven claimants, including Prince Harry, who accuse ANL of using unlawful information gathering techniques over decades. The other claimants are Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, the actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, the former Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes and the mother of Stephen Lawrence, Doreen Lawrence. Portley-Hanks said he worked for the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday from the early 1990s to around 2013. He said he was “the database guy”, stating: “All I needed was a name or a phone number and I could find a target’s contact and other private details, usually within minutes.” In court, Portley-Hanks said he did not believe anything he was doing was illegal “at the time”, but that he now believed he had carried out activities that are unlawful in the UK, including the gathering of personal data. This was challenged by ANL’s legal team, who pointed to his previous public statements stating he had not broken the law. ANL denies that its journalists engaged in wrongdoing. It has described all of the allegations of unlawful information gathering as “lurid” and “preposterous”. Portley-Hanks alleged that the publisher tried to conceal its continued use of private investigators by asking him to change his email address, to make it appear tha...
RHJ Ivanhoe Mines ( IVPAF ) +5.5% in Tuesday's trading after saying it is in advanced talks to supply critical minerals production from its Kipushi mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Trump administration's proposed $12B stockpile . The Canadian company said it is discussing with Congo's state-owned miner Gecamines and Swiss metals and energy trading firm Mercuria to supply production ...
RHJ Ivanhoe Mines ( IVPAF ) +5.5% in Tuesday's trading after saying it is in advanced talks to supply critical minerals production from its Kipushi mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Trump administration's proposed $12B stockpile . The Canadian company said it is discussing with Congo's state-owned miner Gecamines and Swiss metals and energy trading firm Mercuria to supply production from the mine to the U.S. Ivanhoe ( IVPAF ) said its Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland joined President Trump at the White House on Tuesday for the official launch of Project Vault, the U.S. supply chain security initiative set up to build a reserve of strategic critical minerals and avoid future reliance on China for rare earths and metals. The Kipushi mine is expected to produce 240K-290K metric tons of zinc concentrate this year, as well as significant quantities of critical minerals germanium and gallium, and Ivanhoe ( IVPAF ) said Gecamines has the potential to be responsible for the sale of up to 50% of Kipushi's concentrate production, including to the U.S. ETFs: ( REMX ), ( XME ) More on Ivanhoe Mines Ivanhoe Mines' Platreef Is Live: Meet The Real Winners Ivanhoe Mines: A Solid Mine In A Turbulent Copper Market Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating on Ivanhoe Mines
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Michael Combs Chief Financial Officer — Brian Nichols Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Revenue -- $236 million for the quarter, representing a 3% increase from $228 million. -- $236 million for the quarter, representing a 3% increase from $228 ...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Michael Combs Chief Financial Officer — Brian Nichols Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Revenue -- $236 million for the quarter, representing a 3% increase from $228 million. -- $236 million for the quarter, representing a 3% increase from $228 million. EPS -- $0.47 for the quarter, a 2% rise compared to $0.46, with all figures adjusted for the 3-for-1 stock split of December 2024. -- $0.47 for the quarter, a 2% rise compared to $0.46, with all figures adjusted for the 3-for-1 stock split of December 2024. Net Income -- $24.1 million for the quarter, up from $23.8 million, reflecting operational growth during the period. -- $24.1 million for the quarter, up from $23.8 million, reflecting operational growth during the period. Operating Margin -- Rose slightly from 23.2% to 23.3% versus the prior comparable quarter. -- Rose slightly from 23.2% to 23.3% versus the prior comparable quarter. General & Administrative Expense Allocation -- Decreased to 9.6% from 9.7%, indicating improved cost management. -- Decreased to 9.6% from 9.7%, indicating improved cost management. Effective Tax Rate -- Increased and was cited as tempering the period's earnings results. -- Increased and was cited as tempering the period's earnings results. Share Repurchases -- 185,559 shares repurchased for $13.4 million during the quarter, funded entirely from operating cash flow. -- 185,559 shares repurchased for $13.4 million during the quarter, funded entirely from operating cash flow. Total Shares Repurchased (Inception-to-Date) -- 114.9 million shares bought at a cumulative cost of $868 million, representing 69% of total shares outstanding at an average price of $7.55 per share. -- 114.9 million shares bought at a cumulative cost of $868 million, representing 69% of total shares outstanding at an average price of $7.55 per share. Cash Balanc...
Grandbrothers/iStock Editorial via Getty Images aTyr Pharma ( ATYR ) lost ~8% on Tuesday after the San Diego, California-based biotech indicated an April timeline to meet with the FDA to discuss the path forward for its lung disease candidate efzofitimod. In September, aTyr ( ATYR ) shares fell after the company stated that its Phase 3 EFZO-FIT for efzofitimod failed in patients with pulmonary sar...
Grandbrothers/iStock Editorial via Getty Images aTyr Pharma ( ATYR ) lost ~8% on Tuesday after the San Diego, California-based biotech indicated an April timeline to meet with the FDA to discuss the path forward for its lung disease candidate efzofitimod. In September, aTyr ( ATYR ) shares fell after the company stated that its Phase 3 EFZO-FIT for efzofitimod failed in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease characterized by granuloma formation in one or more organs of the body. With its Q3 2025 results in November, the company disclosed that it will meet with the FDA in Q1 2026 to discuss how to further advance the candidate for pulmonary sarcoidosis, which affects an estimated 200K Americans. However, in a statement on Tuesday, aTyr ( ATYR ) announced that the FDA has accepted its meeting request, and it will conduct a Type C meeting in mid-April 2026 to discuss EFZO-FIT results and decide on the path forward for the drug. “We look forward to meeting with the FDA in mid-April to review the results of our Phase 3 EFZO-FIT study and determine the path forward for efzofitimod in pulmonary sarcoidosis,” CEO Sanjay Shukla remarked. More on aTyr Pharma Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on aTyr Pharma Historical earnings data for aTyr Pharma Financial information for aTyr Pharma
Banco Santander SA has agreed to acquire Webster Financial Corp. in a deal valuing the US-based bank at $12.2 billion. The Spanish bank will pay a total consideration of $75 a share in cash and stock for Webster, according to a statement Tuesday that confirmed a Bloomberg News report . Shares in Webster had risen around 11% in New York trading over the last 12 months before trading was halted Tues...
Banco Santander SA has agreed to acquire Webster Financial Corp. in a deal valuing the US-based bank at $12.2 billion. The Spanish bank will pay a total consideration of $75 a share in cash and stock for Webster, according to a statement Tuesday that confirmed a Bloomberg News report . Shares in Webster had risen around 11% in New York trading over the last 12 months before trading was halted Tuesday, giving the company a market value of about $10.6 billion. The acquisition highlights Executive Chair Ana Botin ’s growing appetite for mergers and acquisitions. Botin, who has been in her role for more than 11 years, has long focused on building up Santander’s capital buffers while shying away from large transactions. But the lender’s share price more than doubled last year, making it easier for her to do deals. In addition, the recent €7 billion ($8.3 billion) sale of a 49% stake in its Polish unit to Austria’s Erste Group Bank AG means Santander has money to spend. It’s set to use some of the proceeds to pay for the UK lender TSB, which it agreed to buy from Banco Sabadell SA in July. Headquartered in Connecticut, Webster’s East Coast footprint spans the Northeast, from New York City metropolitan area to Rhode Island and Massachusetts with almost 200 branches. Webster serves commercial and consumer customers and also offers health-care financial services, its website shows. The group has more than $80 billion in assets, according to a fourth-quarter company overview . Spain’s largest bank has been pursuing growth in the US for several years. It has been adding staff, including at its investment banking division, and rolling out a new digital retail offering. The bank has long had a big auto financing business in the country. Santander is slated to hold an investor day to present fresh financial targets on Feb. 25.
On a brisk Monday evening in May 2010, Gordon Brown stood on the steps of Downing Street and delivered one of the most dramatic announcements of the New Labour era: his resignation as UK prime minister. The decision came days after a nail-biting general election that left no single party with a clear run at No 10. Brown kept his decision, which followed days of political wrangling, to a tight inne...
On a brisk Monday evening in May 2010, Gordon Brown stood on the steps of Downing Street and delivered one of the most dramatic announcements of the New Labour era: his resignation as UK prime minister. The decision came days after a nail-biting general election that left no single party with a clear run at No 10. Brown kept his decision, which followed days of political wrangling, to a tight inner circle. Nick Clegg, who would go on to serve as deputy prime minister of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, was formally told of Brown’s resignation only 10 minutes before the announcement. But across the pond, a man named Jeffrey Epstein, a well-connected financier and convicted child sex offender, had been briefed hours before. “Finally got him to go today …” an email believed to be sent by Peter Mandelson informed Epstein on Monday morning. The apparent tip-off, revealed in the latest tranche of the Epstein files, not only gave Epstein an inside track on the UK’s political future, but also on large moves that were to ripple through global markets. Those included further wild swings in the value of the British pound, which had already been volatile in the lead-up to the 6 May general election. It fell 2.2% on the day of the vote, its worst day in over a year, illustrating how concerned traders were about the risk of a hung parliament and political instability. On the day of Mandelson’s apparent tip-off to Epstein, the pound rose by more than two cents to $1.505, before losing all its gains as Brown’s resignation – and his plan for Labour to hold coalition talks with Clegg’s Liberal Democrats – sent shock waves through Westminster. Sterling would gain back a cent a day later, as the Lib Dems struck a deal with the Tories, handing the keys of No 10 to the Conservative leader David Cameron. While there is no evidence that anyone traded off the leaks, it is just one example of the kind of inside information that Mandelson is alleged to have shared with Epstein, ac...
Earnings Call Insights: The Marzetti Company (MZTI) Q2 2026 Management View David Ciesinski, President and CEO, highlighted the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Bachan's, describing it as "the authentic, great-tasting and rapidly growing Japanese-American barbecue sauce brand." He stated, "We are extremely excited to add Bachan's to our portfolio," and outlined that the acquisition is ...
Earnings Call Insights: The Marzetti Company (MZTI) Q2 2026 Management View David Ciesinski, President and CEO, highlighted the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Bachan's, describing it as "the authentic, great-tasting and rapidly growing Japanese-American barbecue sauce brand." He stated, "We are extremely excited to add Bachan's to our portfolio," and outlined that the acquisition is expected to "be accretive to both top line growth and gross margins beginning in year 1." Ciesinski reported that consolidated net sales increased 1.7% to $518 million, and gross profit grew 3.4% to a second quarter record of $137 million. Retail segment performance included continued growth from New York Bakery frozen garlic bread products and expanded distribution for Texas Roadhouse dinner rolls, while Circana scanner data showed overall scan sales up 2.3% for the 13-week period ending December 31st. Foodservice segment adjusted net sales grew 1.6%, with volume measured in pounds shipped declining 0.4% but demand from key national accounts and branded products increasing. Thomas K. Pigott, CFO, stated, "Overall, the company delivered improved performance against a strong comparative period. In addition, investments were made to support future growth." Pigott detailed cost-saving drivers for the gross profit improvement, noting, "Our productivity program... benefited from cost savings across a number of areas, including procurement, manufacturing, value engineering and distribution." Outlook Ciesinski indicated that for the back half of the fiscal year, "excluding any impact from the planned acquisition, we project retail sales will continue to benefit from our expanding licensing program led by Texas Roadhouse dinner rolls, in addition to investments in innovation and growth for our own brands." The company expects continued Foodservice growth from select national account customers and ongoing margin improvement efforts: "With respect to our input costs, in the aggregate...
Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Kevin Warsh has been chosen by President Trump to be the next Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Right now, thoughts are flying all over the place about the meaning of this choice for the future of monetary policy in the United States. People have written about how Mr. Warsh, in his earlier days at the Federal Reserve, tended t...
Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Kevin Warsh has been chosen by President Trump to be the next Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Right now, thoughts are flying all over the place about the meaning of this choice for the future of monetary policy in the United States. People have written about how Mr. Warsh, in his earlier days at the Federal Reserve, tended to be on the more conservative side of the spectrum as far as where he stood on monetary policy. Mr. Warsh was against inflating the Fed's balance sheet, was against higher rates of inflation, and tended to lean toward a stronger value for the U.S. dollar. But Mr. Warsh then seemed to move toward a more liberal position with respect to monetary policy and seemed to move toward lower interest rates and a more aggressive monetary stance. This latter movement, as analysts have written, seems to have put him in a more compatible position to work with President Trump and his policy framework. The problem with this is that in following this latter path, Trump threatens to aggressively throw down interest rates and open the door for higher rates of inflation in the future. I have just recently expressed my vision of this scenario in my post, " Where Will Things 'Warsh'? " But is this the way things are really heading? Alan Rappeport, writing in the New York Times, considers another alternative. Rappeport quotes Stephen Moore, an economist who advised President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, appeals for the central bank to lower borrowing costs: Mr. Warsh, Moore contends, has a history of hawkishness on inflation, and this history of hawkishness "is a good thing." "That's what we need," Moore goes on, "Someone who will restore the value of the dollar and keep inflation in check." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to Rappeport, who has been in charge of conducting the search for the new Fed chairman, is also known for coming down on the "conservative" side of financial...
Elon Musk says the fastest way for the United States to dramatically increase its effective energy output isn’t by building new power plants: it’s by deploying batteries at scale. By buffering energy that already exists, Musk argues the U.S. could nearly double the amount of usable energy it produces each year without massive new generation investments. He also pointed to China as already moving a...
Elon Musk says the fastest way for the United States to dramatically increase its effective energy output isn’t by building new power plants: it’s by deploying batteries at scale. By buffering energy that already exists, Musk argues the U.S. could nearly double the amount of usable energy it produces each year without massive new generation investments. He also pointed to China as already moving aggressively in this direction, building enormous battery systems alongside electric vehicles and solar at an industrial scale. Musk’s argument hinges on a distinction that rarely makes it into public energy debates: peak power versus average power. According to Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX, the U.S. power system can deliver roughly 1.1 terawatts at peak demand, but average usage sits closer to half a terawatt. That means vast amounts of generation capacity exist solely to meet short bursts of demand and remain underutilized much of the time. In Musk’s view, batteries are the simplest solution to that mismatch. By charging during periods of low demand, often overnight, and discharging during peak hours, energy systems can dramatically increase how much useful work they perform over the course of a year. The striking claim is that this improvement doesn’t require doubling power plants, transmission lines, or fuel inputs. It’s largely a matter of storing energy more intelligently. Framed this way, batteries aren’t a peripheral technology. They become core infrastructure. Musk described large-scale storage as the most efficient lever available to raise national energy productivity, arguing that the system already has the raw capacity, it just lacks the buffering needed to use it continuously. When asked why this hasn’t been fully implemented, Musk suggested that in some parts of the world, it already is. He pointed to China , noting that the country is producing massive battery packs, scaling electric vehicle manufacturing, and deploying solar at unprecedented level...
Eva Blanco/iStock via Getty Images I posted this image in an article on the REMX ETF back in October , and I still think of it anytime I see modern tech. Be it smartphones galore in society, the computer I am typing this article on, or the EV in my neighbor's driveway, they all rely on some level of rare earth mineral input. This chart is a reminder that Western modernity is not self-sufficient. R...
Eva Blanco/iStock via Getty Images I posted this image in an article on the REMX ETF back in October , and I still think of it anytime I see modern tech. Be it smartphones galore in society, the computer I am typing this article on, or the EV in my neighbor's driveway, they all rely on some level of rare earth mineral input. This chart is a reminder that Western modernity is not self-sufficient. Rose Technologies China, the leading economy in the “New Axis” grouping (which also includes Russia et al.), has been front-and-center of the conversation around the U.S.'s lack of access to the production of rare earths. Part of the attention is in response to China's recent restrictions on rare earth exports , something described as the “weaponization” of their monopoly on the production of critical materials. Indeed, it has rattled alarm bells in the West, something I wish had been going off in the past ten years instead of now, before this gap with China got as bad as it has. However, we are now seeing an increasingly heavy-handed approach to this market by Western governments, something that will (and has) benefit the companies actually mining and processing these materials. Washington Intervenes The recent news about “ Project Vault, ” the President's plans to create a truly enormous stockpile of rare earth materials, starting with $12B in seed money to the U.S. Import-Export Bank (“EXIM”), is one of several steps taken by the current government to secure the West's place in the rare earth supply chain. I covered the government intervention into individual firms in a previous article, “ The Critical Materials Rally Will Continue .” I suspect that one of the ways in which the US will continue to fight back against [the asymmetry of rare earth access with the Chinese]... is to invest further into the sector, like they already have with MP Materials ( MP ), Lithium Americas ( LAC ), and Trilogy Metals ( TMQ ). The Department of Defense.. . has been investing in these oper...