Amazon delivers a jaw-dropper that changes the AMZN conversation thestreet.com

slava296/iStock via Getty Images The world’s priciest hotels charged record rates last year, bucking a broader slowdown in luxury spending as affluent travelers continued to pay up for high-end amenities and wellness offerings, the Financial Times reported Sunday. Revenue per available room at ultra-luxury hotels rose 10.6% in 2025, more than triple the growth rate of the overall hotel industry, according to data from CoStar. Average daily room rates climbed to a record $1,245, while occupancy also increased, suggesting demand held firm despite higher prices. Hotel operators have increasingly focused on wealthier guests whose fortunes have been boosted by rising asset markets and who are less sensitive to price increases. By contrast, demand for luxury goods such as clothing and jewelry has weakened, with consultancy Bain estimating global sales of personal luxury items fell about 2% last year. The divide was especially clear in the United States, where hotels at the top end outperformed midscale and budget operators as higher-income consumers continued to travel while others cut back. Some luxury hotels have also raised prices to offset labor shortages and higher operating costs, choosing to sell fewer rooms at higher rates. Operators are justifying higher prices by expanding wellness-focused amenities, including treatments and technologies aimed at longevity and health. These features, hoteliers say, help sustain pricing power even if many guests never use them. Industry analysts note that confidence among ultra-luxury hotels has grown, helped by younger high-net-worth travelers, including those enriched by cryptocurrency gains. Still, some warn the strategy carries risks, as higher prices leave little room for service missteps and could eventually test even wealthy customers’ willingness to pay. More on Hyatt Hotels, Marriott Vacations, etc. Airbnb: Hotel Expansion Is Promising, But The Valuation Leaves Little Room For Error Hyatt Hotels: I'd Need A Discount For ...

Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan speaks on Saudi Arabian economic priorities & planning. (Source: Bloomberg)

Both of these top BlackRock value ETFs were created on the same day 20 years ago, but have since taken different paths. Both the iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (NYSEMKT:IWN) and iShares SP Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF (NYSEMKT:IJJ) aim to provide value exposure within the U.S. equity market, but they differ in company size and sector emphasis. This comparison examines their costs, portfolio composition, risk, and performance data to help investors decide which may better align with their preferences for value investing. Snapshot (cost & size) Metric IWN IJJ Issuer IShares IShares Expense ratio 0.24% 0.18% 1-yr return (as of Jan. 7, 2026) 18.44% 10.84% Dividend yield 1.53% 1.7% AUM $12.59 billion $8.47 billion Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year weekly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. IJJ is more affordable with a lower expense ratio and offers a slightly higher dividend yield, which may appeal to cost-conscious investors seeking income. Performance & risk comparison Metric IWN IJJ Max drawdown (5 y) (26.71%) (22.68%) Growth of $1,000 over 5 years $1,338 $1,528 What's inside IJJ tracks a basket of mid-cap value stocks, emphasizing financial services, industrials, and consumer cyclical companies across 311 holdings. Its largest positions include US Foods Holding Corp. (USFD +2.84%), Reliance, Inc.(RS +3.37%), and Alcoa Corp. (AA +5.04%). Created over 20 years ago, the ETF has delivered consistent long-term growth. Launched on the same day as IJJ, IWN holds a much broader group of value stocks, holding 1,413 small-cap stocks with a similar sector allocation. Its top holdings include EchoStar Corp.(SATS +4.22%), Hecla Mining Company (HL +6.85%), and TTM Technologies, Inc. (TTMI +6.61%), but each makes up a relatively small portion of the portfolio, reflecting the fund’s wide diversification among small companies. For more guidance on ETF investing, check out the full guide at thi...

Disney's post-earnings sell-off is an impeccable buying opportunity for long-term investors. Walt Disney (DIS +3.55%) fell after reporting first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on Feb. 2. Results were solid overall, but investors may be concerned that Disney's streaming video on demand (SVOD) service isn't growing quickly enough to offset the slowdown in its linear networks (cable) business. Additionally, Disney's sports business, which still relies heavily on cable, also continues to struggle. But the experiences business, driven by parks and Disney's rapidly growing cruise lines, remains a cash cow. With new CEO Josh D'Amaro replacing Disney legend Bob Iger on March 18, some investors may be hesitant to scoop up shares, even with the stock fetching a dirt cheap 15.7 forward price-to-earnings ratio. Here's the most overlooked hidden gem from Disney's latest earnings report and why the value stock is an excellent buy now. Disney's near-record buyback plan For fiscal 2026, Disney is guiding for $7 billion in stock buybacks, which is double what it did in fiscal 2025 and the second-highest annual buyback plan ever, behind fiscal 2017. Disney will fund the buyback program with free cash flow (FCF). It projects a staggering $19 billion in cash from operations, with capital expenditures guidance of $9 billion -- leaving $10 billion in FCF to cover buybacks and Disney's dividend expense of roughly $2.6 billion. Expand NYSE : DIS Walt Disney Today's Change ( 3.55 %) $ 3.73 Current Price $ 108.70 Key Data Points Market Cap $193B Day's Range $ 105.37 - $ 108.96 52wk Range $ 80.10 - $ 124.69 Volume 12M Avg Vol 12M Gross Margin 31.61 % Dividend Yield 1.15 % Returning capital to shareholders Disney's decision to aggressively repurchase stock rather than boost its dividend is a vote of confidence that management believes the stock is undervalued. Over the long term, buying back stock at a compelling valuation can be a far better way to return cash to shareholders than paying a grow...

Amazon is moving to bring artificial intelligence deeper into the way movies and TV shows are made, aiming to speed up production and reduce costs at its MGM Studio unit. The company plans to use AI tools across the creative process, even as Hollywood remains cautious of the technology’s potential impact on jobs and industry practices. According to Reuters, Albert Cheng is leading a small team at what Amazon calls its “AI Studio,” focused on building proprietary tools to streamline everything from pre-production planning to post-production editing. In an interview, Cheng said the main goal of the AI Studio is to cut costs and improve creative workflows, while keeping writers, directors, actors, and other creative professionals involved at every step. Recommended Videos Amazon plans to invite industry partners to test its AI tools in a closed beta program in March, with initial results expected by May. The company is reportedly relying on its cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services, for assistance and plans to work with multiple large language model providers to give creators a range of tools for pre- and post-production filmmaking. Company assures AI will not replace creative talent Amazon says it is not trying to replace humans with AI, and that creative decisions will remain in human hands even as the tools automate more technical work. The initiative comes as production costs have risen sharply, making it harder for studios to finance large projects. The AI Studio is collaborating with producer Robert Stromberg and his company Secret City, actor-producer Kunal Nayyar and his Good Karma Productions, and former Pixar and ILM animator Colin Brady as it tests new tools and explores the best ways to integrate them into production.

Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan speaks on drawing more private capital & foreign investment. (Source: Bloomberg)

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Month arrives amid a period of notable clinical and regulatory activity that reflects both progress and ongoing challenges in the field. In recent months, developments have ranged from regulatory setbacks—such as the FDA issuing a complete response letter to Outlook Therapeutics for ONS-5010/LYTENAVA—to emerging real-world data from the global SPECTRUM study evaluating aflibercept 8 mg in neovascular AMD. At the same time, research advances continue to explore new treatment frontiers, including early findings on the PRIMA retinal implant for patients with advanced geographic atrophy. Together, these updates highlight the evolving therapeutic landscape and underscore the continued focus on innovation, evidence generation, and patient care in AMD management. Here is a research round-up of the most notable, recent developments in AMD treatment and management: FDA sends CRL to Outlook Therapeutics for ONS-5010 resubmission Outlook Therapeutics, Inc reported that the FDA has issued a complete response letter (CRL) concerning the resubmitted biologics license application (BLA) for ONS-5010/LYTENAVA (bevacizumab-vikg).1,2 The letter noted that the agency cannot approve the application in its current form for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).1 The FDA stated in the CRL that the additional mechanistic and natural history data included in the BLA resubmission did not change its prior review conclusion, according to Outlook Therapeutics.1 Although the single adequate and well-controlled study demonstrated efficacy, the FDA again recommended that confirmatory evidence of efficacy be submitted to support the application, without indicating what type of confirmatory evidence would be acceptable.1 Read more Early SPECTRUM results outline week 8 real-world outcomes with aflibercept 8 mg A prespecified Week 8 analysis from the global SPECTRUM study provides early real-world data on intravitreal afliberce...

The precious metal hit a new all-time high in January, only to end up crashing later on. The price of silver has hit record levels in 2026, only to quickly give back gains. The year is barely a month old, and there's already been plenty of volatility when it comes to the price of silver. And with the economy and the markets facing considerable uncertainty ahead, investors may continue loading up on the precious metal as the year goes on. Silver reached a new all-time high of more than $121 per ounce in January. The big question is whether it can soar even higher this year, perhaps to $200, and whether investing in the iShares Silver Trust (SLV +5.25%) is a good move right now. I'll aim to answer those questions below. What caused the price of silver to crash? The price of silver crashed more than 30% on Jan. 30, in what would be its worst single-day performance in decades. The reason for the sudden, quick decline is President Trump's announcement of his pick for the Federal Reserve's next chairman: Kevin Warsh. While the move seemed to be one that might calm the overall market with respect to the Fed's independence, and it helped the U.S. dollar rally, it had the reverse effect on the price of silver. As of Feb. 3, silver was trading at around $88 per ounce, a steep decline from its recent highs. What this appears to suggest is that the price of the metal may be closely tied to investor confidence in not just the overall stock market and economy, but also the Fed's independence. As investor concerns grew about who would replace Jerome Powell, silver prices rose. Now, with what appears to be greater stability, investors have been dumping the safe-haven asset. But even with the volatility, the iShares Silver Trust is up over 12% to start the year, which is better than the S&P 500 and its gains of around just 2%. Expand NYSEMKT : SLV iShares Silver Trust Today's Change ( 5.25 %) $ 3.50 Current Price $ 70.19 Key Data Points Day's Range $ 67.45 - $ 70.84 52wk Range $ 26....

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images News U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he does not expect the Federal Reserve to move quickly to reduce the size of its balance sheet, even if Kevin Warsh is confirmed as the central bank’s next chair. Speaking Sunday on Fox News Channel’s "Sunday Morning Futures," Bessent said decisions about the balance sheet rest squarely with the Fed and are likely to take time. He added that Warsh, a frequent critic of the Fed’s bond-buying programs, would operate independently if he takes the role. “That will be up to the Fed in terms of what they want to do with the balance sheet,” Bessent said. “I wouldn't expect them to do anything quickly if they move to an ample (reserves) regime policy, and that does require a larger balance sheet. So, I would think that they'll probably sit back, take at least a year to decide what they want to do.” Bessent’s comments suggest that even under new leadership, the Fed is unlikely to make abrupt changes to its asset holdings, signaling continuity rather than a rapid shift in policy direction. More news and analysis Skyworks: Buy This Undervalued Dividend Machine Ingredion: Defensive, High-Yield, Undervalued, And Transforming For Growth The Bottom Fishing Club: Insight Enterprises - Unloved AI Hardware/Software Buildout Pick Japan stocks seen rising after LDP win as yen and bonds face pressure Eli Lilly expands partnership with Innovent to develop oncology, immunology drugs

Explore how each ETF’s market coverage and sector focus can influence risk, yield, and diversification in your international portfolio. While both the iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF (IXUS +2.31%) and the iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA +2.22%) track non-U.S. equities with the same expense ratio, IXUS includes emerging markets for broader exposure, whereas IEFA offers a slightly higher yield and is focused solely on developed markets. Both IXUS and IEFA aim to give investors access to international equities, but their coverage differs: IXUS includes both developed and emerging markets, while IEFA is limited to developed markets outside the U.S. and Canada. This comparison unpacks how those differences play out in cost, performance, risk, and portfolio makeup. Snapshot (cost & size) Metric IXUS IEFA Issuer IShares IShares Expense ratio 0.07% 0.07% 1-yr return (as of 2026-01-30) 37.7% 34.9% Dividend yield 3.2% 3.6% Beta 1.02 1.03 AUM $51.9 billion $162.6 billion Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year weekly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Both funds are equally affordable on fees, but IEFA offers a modestly higher dividend yield, which may appeal to income-focused investors. Performance & risk comparison Metric IXUS IEFA Max drawdown (5 y) -30.05% -30.41% Growth of $1,000 over 5 years $1,305 $1,353 What's inside IEFA tracks developed markets in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East, holding 2,589 companies with a sector tilt toward financial services (22%), industrials (20%), and healthcare (11%). Its largest positions are ASML, Roche, and HSBC, and the fund has been operating for 13.3 years. IEFA excludes emerging markets, which can lower volatility but may limit upside potential during strong emerging market cycles. In contrast, IXUS holds over 4,100 stocks and covers both developed and emerging markets, offering broader diversification. Its sector alloc...

Hyperscalers continue to spend heavily on capital expenses, and this power solutions company stands to benefit. Artificial intelligence continues to take off, and hyperscalers are spending boatloads of money over the next several years to build out data centers that house these powerful algorithms. According to Goldman Sachs, hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms will spend $500 billion on capital expenditures this year. This massive amount of spending must go somewhere, and one theme that can be intriguing for investors is investing in pick-and-shovel stocks that stand to profit from the data center buildout, which is creating robust demand for their products or services. One industrial stock to pay close attention to is Quanta Services (PWR +6.26%). Here's why. Expand NYSE : PWR Quanta Services Today's Change ( 6.26 %) $ 29.91 Current Price $ 507.63 Key Data Points Market Cap $76B Day's Range $ 483.64 - $ 508.11 52wk Range $ 227.08 - $ 508.45 Volume 72K Avg Vol 1M Gross Margin 13.42 % Dividend Yield 0.08 % Quanta Services benefits from the data center buildout and its demand for energy Quanta provides infrastructure solutions for power and energy and is a key partner for utility, renewable energy, and technology companies worldwide. The company operates in two reporting segments. Its electric infrastructure solutions segment is its primary revenue generator, and it focuses on modernizing the grid, constructing substations, and high-voltage transmission. In its other segment, it provides underground utility and infrastructure solutions for gas, water, and specialty pipelines. The rapid expansion of AI technology is driving a surge in electricity demand from data centers. According to estimates from IEA, U.S. data center electricity usage could grow by 133% by 2030. As a result, there is a pressing need to modernize the grid and ensure we have sufficient energy to power these data centers. In the past couple of years, Quanta has made s...

It doesn't look too late to buy the stock. The share price of Eli Lilly (LLY +3.53%) jumped last week after the drugmaker reported strong sales of its GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and issued upbeat 2026 guidance. The stock is now up more than 30% over the past year. Let's take a closer look at Eli Lilly's latest results and prospects to see if the stock's momentum can continue. Expand NYSE : LLY Eli Lilly Today's Change ( 3.53 %) $ 35.99 Current Price $ 1056.83 Key Data Points Market Cap $1.0T Day's Range $ 1034.00 - $ 1060.00 52wk Range $ 623.78 - $ 1133.95 Volume 225K Avg Vol 3.5M Gross Margin 85.40 % Dividend Yield 0.57 % Weight-loss drug sales surge Lilly's GLP-1 drugs continue to be the company's biggest growth driver. In Q4, sales of Mounjaro surged 110% to $7.4 billion, while Zepbound revenue soared 123% from $1.9 billion a year ago to $4.3 billion. Its third-largest drug, Verzenio (treats breast cancer), saw sales rise 3% to $1.6 billion. Mounjaro and Zepbound have the same active ingredient, tirzepatide, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved them for different use cases. Mounjaro is approved to help lower the blood glucose levels in adults with type 2 diabetes, while Zepbound is approved to treat weight loss in obese adults or overweight adults who have at least one related ailment, like high cholesterol. That said, both drugs are mostly prescribed off-label to help people lose weight. Overall, Lilly grew its Q4 revenue by 43% to $19.29 billion, while adjusted earnings per share (EPS) jumped 42% to $7.54. The results cruised past analyst expectations, as compiled by LSEG, for adjusted EPS of $6.67 on sales of $17.96 billion. Looking ahead, the company guided for 2026 revenue of between $80 billion and $83 billion, representing 25% growth at the midpoint. It forecasted adjusted EPS to range from $33.50 to $35. Its projections were well ahead of the consensus, which was looking for EPS of $33.23 on sales of $77.72 billion. Lilly's robust outlook ...

Key Points Hyperscalers are projected to spend $500 billion on data center capital expenditures this year. Houston-based Quanta Services provides infrastructure solutions for power and energy. It's focused on modernizing the grid and has seen its backlog grow to a record level. 10 stocks we like better than Quanta Services › Artificial intelligence continues to take off, and hyperscalers are spending boatloads of money over the next several years to build out data centers that house these powerful algorithms. According to Goldman Sachs, hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms will spend $500 billion on capital expenditures this year. This massive amount of spending must go somewhere, and one theme that can be intriguing for investors is investing in pick-and-shovel stocks that stand to profit from the data center buildout, which is creating robust demand for their products or services. One industrial stock to pay close attention to is Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR). Here's why. 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 » Quanta Services benefits from the data center buildout and its demand for energy Quanta provides infrastructure solutions for power and energy and is a key partner for utility, renewable energy, and technology companies worldwide. The company operates in two reporting segments. Its electric infrastructure solutions segment is its primary revenue generator, and it focuses on modernizing the grid, constructing substations, and high-voltage transmission. In its other segment, it provides underground utility and infrastructure solutions for gas, water, and specialty pipelines. The rapid expansion of AI technology is driving a surge in electricity demand from data centers. According to estimates from IEA, U.S. data center electricity usage could grow by 133% by 2030. As a result, there is a pressing need ...

Musk: "Time To Go Back To Moon At Scale" A little more than a day after The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk had rejiggered SpaceX's near-term space roadmap , pivoting from a Mars-first to now prioritizing the Moon, Musk has now effectively confirmed the reporting. " Time to go back to the Moon at scale ," Musk wrote on X early Sunday morning. Time to go back to the Moon at scale https://t.co/rFjaenmQZd — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2026 X user Autism Capital hilariously responded to Musk with "Back"... “Back” pic.twitter.com/h1W3ilKx6k — Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) February 8, 2026 Late Friday evening, WSJ cited sources who said Musk had pushed back the planned late-year Mars mission, with SpaceX now targeting a Starship launch to the Moon in March 2027. The space pivot comes after SpaceX acquired Musk's AI company, xAI, last week, combining his rocket and satellite business with his artificial intelligence startup to accelerate plans for a fleet of low-Earth-orbit data centers. The deal gives SpaceX a valuation of $1 trillion, and xAI a value of $250 billion. The combined company's valuation of $1.25 trillion was announced to employees in a memo on Monday, with an IPO slated for later this year that could raise as much as $50 billion. Even though Musk previously dismissed the moon as a "distraction" and argued for Mars first, it appears NASA may have nudged him, especially as Jeff Bezos's rocket company, Blue Origin, has paused space tourism launches to focus on the moon. Kardashev II civilization or bust. Starship will get us to the Moon and Mars. pic.twitter.com/L9vhMOdDPK — Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) February 7, 2026 In a memo earlier last week, Musk told employees that the pivot will pave the way for the U.S. to construct a permanent base on the moon. "The capabilities we unlock by making space-based data centers a reality will fund and enable self-growing bases on the moon, an entire civilization on Mars, and ultimatel...

Find your next quality investment with Simply Wall St's easy and powerful screener, trusted by over 7 million individual investors worldwide. Microsoft (NasdaqGS:MSFT) has entered an aggressive AI investment phase, including the launch of its Maia 200 AI chip aimed at supporting in house AI infrastructure. The company announced a series of AI focused partnerships spanning cloud security, industrial IoT, robotics, workplace software, and payments. These moves arrive as tech stocks, including Microsoft, face a sharp pullback and investors question near term returns on heavy AI spending. Microsoft, trading at $401.14, is pushing hard into AI at a time when the broader tech trade has come under pressure. The stock has seen a 16.3% decline over the past 30 days and is down 15.2% year to date, even though its 3 year and 5 year returns of 56.1% and 70.6% highlight meaningful longer term gains. That mix of recent weakness and multi year strength frames how investors are reassessing the company’s AI push. For you as a shareholder or potential investor, the key question is how this AI cycle could influence Microsoft’s role in cloud, security, and enterprise software, and what that might mean for its resilience through market swings. The rest of this article looks at what the Maia 200 chip and new AI partnerships might signal about Microsoft’s competitive position and risk profile, without assuming any particular financial outcome. Stay updated on the most important news stories for Microsoft by adding it to your watchlist or portfolio. Alternatively, explore our Community to discover new perspectives on Microsoft. NasdaqGS:MSFT 1-Year Stock Price Chart Why Microsoft could be great value Quick Assessment ✅ Price vs Analyst Target : At $401.14 versus a consensus target of about $599.86, Microsoft trades roughly 34% below where analysts on average see it. ✅ Simply Wall St Valuation : Simply Wall St estimates the shares are trading about 12.1% below fair value, which is flagged a...

Noam Chomsky and his wife, Valeria, made a “grave mistake” and were “careless” not to thoroughly research the background of Jeffrey Epstein, Valeria Chomsky said in a lengthy statement on Saturday, adding also that Epstein had deceived them. The relationship between Noam Chomsky, the 97-year-old linguist and philosopher, and Epstein has been under scrutiny after documents released by the justice department shed light on their friendship. As Epstein came under scrutiny for sex trafficking allegations in 2019, he asked Chomsky for advice on how to respond. “I’ve watched the horrible way you are being treated in the press and public. It’s painful to say, but I think the best way to proceed is to ignore it,” Chomsky wrote in a message signed “Noam” that Epstein shared in email with an associate. “What the vultures dearly want is a public response, which then provides a public opening for an onslaught of venomous attacks, many from just publicity seekers or cranks of all sorts,” Noam Chomsky wrote in the message. “That’s particularly true now with the hysteria that has developed about abuse of women, which has reached the point that even questioning a charge is a crime worse than murder.” Noam Chomsky is one of several prominent people who were revealed to be in friendly communication with Epstein even after his 2008 guilty plea. Many now face renewed scrutiny over their ties to the disgraced financier. Some of Noam Chomsky’s communications with Epstein took place after the Miami Herald published a bombshell story in 2018 detailing how Epstein preyed on underage girls and received an unusually lenient plea deal in 2008. On Saturday, Valeria Chomsky acknowledged the couple had read that story, but said the couple wasn’t aware of the extent of Epstein’s crimes until after his second arrest in July 2019. “We were careless in not thoroughly researching his background. This was a grave mistake, and for that lapse in judgment, I apologize on behalf of both of us. Noam shared w...

Thai voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a three-cornered contest between the ruling Bhumjaithai Party, the progressive People’s Party and the populist Pheu Thai Party. (Source: Bloomberg)

PFE260206C00033000 互動股市圖表 | PFE Feb 2026 33.000 call 股市 Yahoo 財經

While Wall Street remains fixated on the selloff in software stocks—sparked by fears that artificial intelligence is commoditizing complex code and reducing the need for outsourced SaaS—another warning sign is flashing in the labor market. U.S. employers slashed over 100,000 jobs in January — the worst start to a year since 2009. According to a report released Thursday by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 108,435 job cuts were announced last month, marking a 205% increase from December and a 118% increase from January 2025. The only steeper January came during the depths of the Great Recession, when 241,749 cuts were reported in 2009. Don't Miss: The AI Marketing Platform Backed by Insiders from Google, Meta, and Amazon — Invest at $0.85/Share Deloitte's #1 Fastest-Growing Software Company Lets Users Earn Money Just by Scrolling — Accredited Investors Can Still Get In at $0.50/Share. The current wave suggests companies ended 2025 with worsening expectations for the economic outlook in 2026. "It means most of these plans were set at the end of 2025, signaling employers are less-than-optimistic about the outlook for 2026," said Andy Challenger, the firm's chief revenue officer. While layoffs ballooned, hiring plans collapsed to just 5,306 positions, the lowest January level ever recorded by Challenger. The figure is down 13% from a year ago and 49% from December's total. AI Isn't Just Disrupting Code – It's Taking Jobs In January alone, 7,624 job cuts were directly attributed to AI, representing 7% of all layoffs. Since the metric began in 2023, AI has been cited in nearly 80,000 job cuts. "It's difficult to say how big an impact AI is having on layoffs specifically," said Challenger. "The market appears to be rewarding companies that mention it." Trending: Blue-chip art has historically outpaced the S&P 500 since 1995, and fractional investing is now opening this institutional asset class to everyday investors. Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) triggered 4,701 layoffs in January, the ...

England flirted with one of the great T20 World Cup upsets in Mumbai before getting their campaign under way with victory against Nepal by four runs and, although they did not lose the game, Sam Curran insisted they had lost any sense of complacency. “We take those two points and take great confidence, because it wouldn’t have been a nice dressing room this evening,” said Curran, who conceded just five runs in the final over to decide the game. “I’ve played a lot of T20 cricket. When you win the close ones they’re actually the ones that give you a little boost and a bit of a smile on your face. “The associate nations are getting so much better. Some of the shots in the last few overs … it’s serious stuff. You can’t underestimate these guys any more.” Will Jacks said of Curran: “He’s won us that game. It was ebbs and flows the whole way. I thought it was almost lost with six balls to go. Winning ugly is a great trait. It’s incredibly difficult to replicate that experience and a game like today, where we potentially weren’t expecting it to go down to the last ball and it has. “When we get in that situation in the rest of the tournament, which we definitely will at some stage, we’ll be able to look back on this experience and take that with us.” Quick Guide Roundup: Ireland slip to Sri Lanka defeat, NZ make record chase Show Ireland slipped to a 20-run defeat against T20 World Cup co-hosts Sri Lanka in their Group B opener in Colombo. Having won the toss and opted to bowl, Ireland restricted Sri Lanka to 71 for three by the end of the 11th over after George Dockrell picked up two wickets. Kusal Mendis finally gave the home crowd something to get behind as he pushed the total on, but was fortunate to be dropped three times in the 17th over. Barry McCarthy then took two wickets in two balls to dismiss Kamindu Mendis for 44 off just 19 balls, and Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka for a golden duck. Kusal Mendis then brought up his half-century as the co-hosts made 163 for s...

VXX260227C00025500 互動股市圖表 | VXX Feb 2026 25.500 call 股市 Yahoo 財經

INTC260417C00028000 互動股市圖表 | INTC Apr 2026 28.000 call 股市 Yahoo 財經

Over the last year, US corporate leaders have often explained layoffs by saying the positions were no longer needed because artificial intelligence had made their companies more efficient, replacing humans with computers. But some economists and technology analysts have expressed skepticism about such justifications and instead think that such workforce cuts are driven by factors like the impact of tariffs, overhiring during the Covid-19 pandemic and perhaps simple maximising of profits. In short, the CEOs are allegedly engaged in “AI-washing”. “You can say, ‘We are integrating the newest technology into our business processes, so we are very much a technological frontrunner, and we have to let go of these people,’” said Fabian Stephany, a departmental research lecturer at the Oxford Internet Institute. In 2025, AI was cited as a reason for more than 54,000 layoffs, according to a December report from the consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. In January, Amazon alone laid off 16,000 workers after making 14,000 reductions in October. Beth Galetti, senior vice-president of people experience and technology at Amazon, explained in an October memo that they were trimming staff because “AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before. “We’re convinced that we need to be organized more leanly,” Galetti added. The Hewlett-Packard CEO, Enrique Lores, also said in a November earnings call that the company would use AI to “improve customer satisfaction and boost productivity”, which means the company could cut 6,000 people in the “next years”. In April, Luis von Ahn, CEO of the language-learning app company Duolingo, announced that the venture would “gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle”. But the reason for such layoffs is often actually financial, according to a January report from the market research firm Forrester. The company projects that only 6% ...

August Strindberg’s portrait of marriage is unremittingly bleak in Dance of Death. It features the kind of couple who find their partner’s way of breathing offensive – or just that the other is still breathing. She wishes him dead, he pretends to rise above it but is biding his time. They seem to exist on co-dependent hate, not love. So if in bleakest British mid-winter this Nordic blast of nihilism seems too chilly a prospect to sit through, there is a surprise afoot: Richard Eyre’s candescent adaptation brings comedy and tenderness alongside the savagery. Strindberg’s couple is turned from merely horrible to humorously, movingly, horrible. It is awful yet entertaining as they fight it out on Ashley Martin-Davis’s drawing room set design, full of long-faded grandeur. You can see the play’s influence on Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf but here the existential depth and questioning enters into the realm of tragicomedy with black laughs. Also directed by Eyre, it is helped by two astonishing lead actors in Will Keen as the ailing army captain, Edgar, and Lisa Dillon as his thwarted wife, Alice – a one time actor who repeatedly reminds him she might have been a star of the stage had she not married him. They stew in a pool of mutual regret and irascibility, playing power games reminiscent of Hamm and Clov in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame (who is master and who is slave here?), but also bearing something of the desperately isolated, absurdist couple in Ionesco’s The Chairs. Geoffrey Streatfeild is able but a little overshadowed as Alice’s cousin, Kurt, who becomes a pawn between them. View image in fullscreen Stewing in a pool of mutual regret … Will Keen as Edgar. Photograph: /© Nobby Clark Because this production really is a two-hander in spirit, balancing the question of who is the protagonist and who the antagonist within the marriage – and the drama. Keen and Dillon bring such spark and mischief to their parts. You laugh at each of them, but feel for them ...

Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] For most Hong Kong residents, Towngas is felt in those everyday moments—turning on the hob to cook dinner or firing up the boiler for a hot shower. After more than 160 years serving the city, the utility operates as reliably as Hong Kong itself. Yet beneath this steady presence, a quiet transformation has been underway. From underground pipe maintenance to green energy exploration, Towngas is weaving cutting-edge technology into its daily operations, preparing for a new era of energy demands. The AI pipe joint analysis system uses non-destructive testing technology to rapidly detect defects in pipe connections on-site by analysing reflected ultrasound waves, determining whether replacement is needed and ensuring gas supply safety. Stability meets innovation Advertisement This pragmatic evolution is most visible where it matters most to residents: safety. With over 3,700 kilometres of underground pipework spanning Hong Kong, Towngas’s engineering team has developed detection systems that use ultrasound reflection to essentially “see through” pipe joints in real-time. This allows engineers to assess whether replacements are needed with far greater precision, boosting both inspection efficiency and supply safety. Similarly, for gas risers running up building facades, the Company has trained imaging systems to identify corrosion levels. These technologies make maintenance far more targeted—potential issues are resolved before residents even notice anything amiss. It’s precisely this approach that keeps gas supply reliability above 99.99%. Advertisement This marriage of craftsmanship and technology extends to Towngas Group’s renewable energy operations on the Chinese mainland, where drones and robots equipped with AI algorithms conduct inspections and cleaning for solar power stations. Across the Company’s network of liquefied natural gas facilities nationwide, AI-powered monitoring systems detec...

A Friday bounce may have left some investors feeling better heading into the weekend, but a violent sell-off in tech names focused on the software industry this past week had Wall Street strategists trying to steady clients' nerves across the investment world. Software names were crushed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday last week as investors priced in even more aggressive disruptions to these businesses amid AI advances, with the uptake of Anthropic’s Claude Code the latest source of angst. And despite a rebound on Friday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq posted a weekly decline of more than 2%, with software giants Salesforce (CRM) and ServiceNow (NOW) shares falling more than 9%, among a host of other names in the space that also dropped. Still, the magnitude of the selling had several strategists urging patience and suggesting these moves may have actually overshot the potential risks facing these industries. "You're getting to a point where this probably seems overdone," Invesco chief global market strategist Brian Levitt told Yahoo Finance last week. "We've seen some names taken out pretty significantly." "Clearly, there's concern about what some artificial intelligence programs are going to mean for different software businesses, but we've seen some names taken out pretty significantly," he added. Strategists believe the disruption won't be severe across all companies. "Larger software companies that are positioned to adapt, [they're] going to be fine," said JonesTrading chief market strategist Mike O'Rourke. "The problem is there are new risks out there." O’Rourke said productivity commentary during Alphabet’s earnings call only reinforced “the alarm” the market has sounded about AI agents. Software stocks year-to-date. Earnings from Big Tech giants over the last week also revealed the sheer amount of capital being poured into AI, as capital expenditures from Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Meta (META), and Microsoft (MSFT) are set to top $650 billion. "Inves...

After rebounding Friday to nearly erase a brutal mid-week slide, US stocks are facing more selling this week from trend-following algorithmic funds, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s trading desk. The S&P 500 Index has already breached its short-term trigger that prompted Commodity Trading Advisers, or CTAs, to sell stocks. Goldman expects these systematic strategies — which follow the stock market direction rather than fundamental factors — to remain net sellers over the coming week, regardless of market direction . A renewed decline could trigger about $33 billion of selling this week, according to Goldman. If pressure continues and the S&P 500 falls below 6,707, it could unlock up to $80 billion of additional systematic selling over the next month, the bank’s data show. In a flat market, CTAs are projected to unload roughly $15.4 billion of US equities this week, and even if stocks rise, the funds are expected to shed about $8.7 billion. Investor stress was running high last week. The firm’s Panic Index — which combines one-month S&P implied volatility , VIX volatility, S&P one-month put-call skew and the slope of the S&P volatility term structure — most recently stood at 9.22, a level indicating markets are not far from “max fear” on Thursday. The S&P 500 surged 2% on Friday , ending a volatile week with its biggest gain since May. The rally followed a sharp early-week drop in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 , triggered by the launch of a new AI automation tool from Anthropic PBC that wiped billions of dollars off software, financial services and asset-management stocks as investors reassessed disruption risks. Positioning across the so-called systematic strategies was the most common question among Goldman’s clients Friday, underscoring the demand for a view of financial flows. On top of the CTA selling, thin liquidity and ‘short gamma’ positioning will keep the market choppy, potentially magnifying swings in either direction as dealers buy into rallies a...

2026-02-08 | Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Investigation: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC Encourages Shareholders to Contact the Firm to Learn More About the Investigation | TSX:MSFT | Press Release Stockhouse