In early trading on Thursday, shares of Seagate Technology Holdings topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 11.6%. Year to date, Seagate Technology Holdings registers a 65.0% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 componen
In early trading on Thursday, shares of Seagate Technology Holdings topped the list of the day's best performing components of the Nasdaq 100 index, trading up 11.6%. Year to date, Seagate Technology Holdings registers a 65.0% gain. And the worst performing Nasdaq 100 componen
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images In The Midst Of A Historic Drawdown After researching ServiceNow ( NOW ) and Trade Desk ( TTD ) over the last few days, I continue my study of the software industry with Adobe ( ADBE ), a pioneer in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model. Even though it was a highly controversial decision at the time, Adobe was among the first companies to trans...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images In The Midst Of A Historic Drawdown After researching ServiceNow ( NOW ) and Trade Desk ( TTD ) over the last few days, I continue my study of the software industry with Adobe ( ADBE ), a pioneer in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model. Even though it was a highly controversial decision at the time, Adobe was among the first companies to transition from selling perpetual software in a boxed format to offering a cloud-based solution called Adobe Creative Cloud . ADBE unveiled its Creative Cloud subscription service back in April 2012 , and it is only now, almost 14 years later, that this model is starting to be questioned by the investing community. If we look into the rear-view mirror, there is no question that Adobe has been operating a world-class SaaS business, but financial markets are forward-looking in nature, and that's where the troubles start. Adobe's World-Class SaaS Business (2025 Investor Day Presentation) Adobe's share price reached an all-time high of $699.54 in November 2021, meaning that today's low of ~$255.00 represent a drawdown of more than 60%, which is one of the largest in the company's history. To find a more severe drawdown on Adobe's stock, we have to go back to the global financial crisis of 2008 or to the dot-com bubble that peaked in March 2000. This is how pessimistic market participants have become about the company's growth prospects. Data by YCharts In fact, Adobe is now trading at prices last seen during the depths of the COVID-19 crash , and that is despite much higher revenues and free cash flows. It is also worth noting that in the meantime, the number of diluted shares outstanding went from 485 million at the end of 2020 to 427 million at the end of 2025, a decline of ~12% inclusive of the impacts associated with the large share-based compensation. However, this time around, the worries are not about a major market meltdown triggered by a global pandemic, but about the impac...
loops7/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images U.S. trade policy, competition from comparable Chinese vehicles, and foreign exchange headwinds took a huge bite out of Mercedes-Benz’s ( MBGAF ) ( MBGYY ) full year profits, leading the company to warn that 2026 could also be a challenging year for the German automaker. “Amid a dynamic market environment, our financial results remained within our guidance...
loops7/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images U.S. trade policy, competition from comparable Chinese vehicles, and foreign exchange headwinds took a huge bite out of Mercedes-Benz’s ( MBGAF ) ( MBGYY ) full year profits, leading the company to warn that 2026 could also be a challenging year for the German automaker. “Amid a dynamic market environment, our financial results remained within our guidance, thanks to our sharp focus on efficiency, speed, and flexibility,” said Chairman of the Board of Management Ola Källenius. Despite efforts to increase production efficiency, the company’s net profit was nearly cut in half to €5.3B ($6.30B), resulting in EPS of €5.34 per share versus €10.19 a year earlier, with sales down 9.2% from a year earlier to €132.2B. Both, however, were better than Wall Street feared, mitigating selling pressure on shares during Thursday’s U.S. trading session. To counter competition from Chinese vehicles, Mercedes ( MBGAF ) ( MBGYY ) is moving forward with a “clear game plan and a very competitive product portfolio.” To achieve this, Mercedes ( MBGAF ) ( MBGYY ) is expanding local R&D partnerships to develop China-specific models, including top-tier intelligence and technologies across both ICE and BEV vehicles. Globally, the company set a goal to sell ~2M vehicles (unchanged from last year), including a 15%+ increase in top-end vehicles and doubling their xEV share in the medium term. Through a combination of strong product momentum from the launch program and cost-saving measures—including a 10% fixed cost reduction—Mercedes ( MBGAF ) ( MBGYY ) expects to achieve a 5% to 8% adjusted return on sales (RoS) in the medium term. For the current year, however, Mercedes ( MBGAF ) ( MBGYY ) expects adjusted RoS of 3% to 5%, down from 5% in 2025. Additionally, total revenue in FY26 is expected to remain roughly unchanged from the €132.2M achieved in 2025. Through the company’s cost cuts, EBIT is seen to be “significantly above” €5.8B, and free cash flow w...
Funtap/iStock via Getty Images Global equities lack decisive leadership. Multiple market drivers may sustain shifts in regional and industry leadership. Geopolitical risk has spiked coming into 2026, injecting volatility into equity markets. Despite this, headline economic growth is reasonable, with forecast real GDP for the world in 2026 at 3.0%. Economic surprises have also broadly beat expectat...
Funtap/iStock via Getty Images Global equities lack decisive leadership. Multiple market drivers may sustain shifts in regional and industry leadership. Geopolitical risk has spiked coming into 2026, injecting volatility into equity markets. Despite this, headline economic growth is reasonable, with forecast real GDP for the world in 2026 at 3.0%. Economic surprises have also broadly beat expectations; typically, a tailwind for equities. Generally, the widest beats over 3M to the end of Jan came from Japan & APAC ex Japan, although these narrowed as analysts revised up their forecasts. The UK was the opposite - undershooting expectations, and the US saw mild beats until a spike at the end of January. Source: Author Editor's Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors.
House-Passed Voter ID SAVE Act Set To Die In Senate; DHS Shutdown Looms On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the SAVE America Act by a margin of 218-213. The bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote as well as photo ID to vote in federal elections. One Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, joined Republicans in voting for it, while one R and one D did not vote. Sen...
House-Passed Voter ID SAVE Act Set To Die In Senate; DHS Shutdown Looms On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the SAVE America Act by a margin of 218-213. The bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote as well as photo ID to vote in federal elections. One Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, joined Republicans in voting for it, while one R and one D did not vote. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is leading the push in the Senate to pass voter ID legislation and is pitching multiple paths that Republicans could take to do it. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Sadly for anyone who values election integrity, Senate Republicans need 60 votes to pass it , and there "aren't anywhere close to the votes" according to Majority Leader John Thune (SD). Thune says he supports the SAVE Act, but he's not about to change the Senate rules to create a pathway to passing it - and that his position is widely supported among the Senate Republican Conference. "It’s not just me not being willing to do it. There aren’t anywhere close to the votes, not even close, to nuking the filibuster," he said of a proposal to lower the threshold for advancing legislation to a simple majority by voting along partisan lines to establish new precedent - effectively changing the Senate's rules with what is known as "the nuclear option," The Hill reports. "We’re having a very robust conversation among our Senate Republican colleagues about the path forward. I think most are supporters … I certainly am — of the SAVE Act and what it attempts to accomplish," Thune told reporters following the meeting. "You ought to be able to prove that you’re a citizen of this country in order to be able to vote. How we get to that vote remains to be seen," he said. According to Thune, however, the nuclear option "doesn’t have a future. Is there another way of getting there? We’ll see." Meanwhile, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is pushing for a 'standing filibuster' to try and pass it, and implored ...
In early trading on Thursday, shares of Zebra Technologies topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 17.2%. Year to date, Zebra Technologies registers a 21.9% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on th
In early trading on Thursday, shares of Zebra Technologies topped the list of the day's best performing components of the S&P 500 index, trading up 17.2%. Year to date, Zebra Technologies registers a 21.9% gain. And the worst performing S&P 500 component thus far on th
London’s taxi drivers have clashed with driverless car company Waymo after its vehicles were found taking up electric charging bays reserved for black cabs.
London’s taxi drivers have clashed with driverless car company Waymo after its vehicles were found taking up electric charging bays reserved for black cabs.
The loss-making authority that manages Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub will sell bonds for the first time, aimed at raising up to US$1 billion to fund its operations. According to documents submitted to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing on Thursday, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority appointed the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) as arran...
The loss-making authority that manages Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub will sell bonds for the first time, aimed at raising up to US$1 billion to fund its operations. According to documents submitted to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing on Thursday, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority appointed the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) as arrangers for the medium-term note programme. This will mark the first time the authority, which manages...
In early trading on Thursday, shares of Walmart topped the list of the day's best performing Dow Jones Industrial Average components, trading up 2.2%. Year to date, Walmart registers a 18.1% gain. And the worst performing Dow component thus far on the day is Cisco Systems, tra
In early trading on Thursday, shares of Walmart topped the list of the day's best performing Dow Jones Industrial Average components, trading up 2.2%. Year to date, Walmart registers a 18.1% gain. And the worst performing Dow component thus far on the day is Cisco Systems, tra
Within the utilities sector, short sellers remain heavily concentrated in electric utilities, with several electricity producers and multi-utility companies ranking among the most heavily shorted stocks in the market. Hawaiian Electric Industries ( HE ) and Otter Tail ( OTTR ) recorded the highest short interest among utilities stocks with a market capitalization of over $2B. The utilities sector ...
Within the utilities sector, short sellers remain heavily concentrated in electric utilities, with several electricity producers and multi-utility companies ranking among the most heavily shorted stocks in the market. Hawaiian Electric Industries ( HE ) and Otter Tail ( OTTR ) recorded the highest short interest among utilities stocks with a market capitalization of over $2B. The utilities sector ( XLU ) comprises companies involved in services like electricity, natural gas, and water, among other services. Hawaiian Electric Industries ( HE ) was the most shorted stock in the utilities sector, with short interest at 12.37% of its shares outstanding, followed by Otter Tail ( OTTR ) at 11.99%, reflecting elevated bearish positioning in both stocks. Hawaiian Electric Industries ( HE ) was rated a Hold by Seeking Alpha Quant ratings and a Sell by Wall Street analysts. However, Seeking Alpha analysts rated the stock a Buy . Seeking Alpha Quant ratings are cautious and rated OTTR as a Hold , while Wall Street analysts are bullish and have rated it a Buy . At the other end of the spectrum, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners ( BIP ) and Eversource Energy ( ES ) were among the least shorted utilities stocks, with short interest of 0.22% and 1.48%, respectively. The top five most shorted utilities stocks with a market capitalization above $2B (as a percentage of shares outstanding) are Hawaiian Electric Industries ( HE ) 12.37% short interest Otter Tail ( OTTR ) 11.99% Oklo ( OKLO ) 10.97% Black Hills ( BKH ) 8.67% IDACORP ( IDA ) 7.78% The five least shorted utilities stocks, with a market capitalization above $2B, are: DTE Energy ( DTE ) 1.74% short interest Duke Energy ( DUK ) 1.62% Public Service Enterprise Group ( PEG ) 1.61% Eversource Energy ( ES ) 1.48% Brookfield Infrastructure Partners ( BIP ) 0.22% More on State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF, Hawaiian Electric, etc. Brookfield Infrastructure: The AI Bet Makes Me Nervous, I'm Downgrading To Hold Brookfield...
clovercity Crocs ( CROX ) jumped to its highest trading level since August after topping fourth-quarter earnings estimates and setting guidance above expectations. Notably, the company said it saw better-than-expected holiday demand. Consolidated revenue was down 2.3% year-over-year to $958M on a constant currency basis. However, direct-to-consumer revenues grew 4.7%, or 3.6% on a constant currenc...
clovercity Crocs ( CROX ) jumped to its highest trading level since August after topping fourth-quarter earnings estimates and setting guidance above expectations. Notably, the company said it saw better-than-expected holiday demand. Consolidated revenue was down 2.3% year-over-year to $958M on a constant currency basis. However, direct-to-consumer revenues grew 4.7%, or 3.6% on a constant currency basis, to offset some of the wholesale weakness. International revenue was up 14.1% to $332M, while North American revenue was down 7.4% to $436M. "We enter 2026 with greater confidence around our growth engines, which are diversified across channels, geographies, brands, and product categories. We have identified and actioned $100 million of cost savings in 2026 aimed at driving greater efficiency while providing the flexibility to continue to invest behind our brands and deepen our connection with consumers," highlighted CEO Andrew Rees. For the full year, Crocs ( CROX ) sees revenue down approximately 1% to up slightly and EPS of $12.88 to $13.35 (midpoint $13.115) vs. $11.89 consensus. Shares of Crocs ( CROX ) were up 19.9% in Thursday morning trading and briefly crossed over $100 for the first time since last August. More on Crocs Crocs: Buy While It's Cheap Crocs: Best-In-Class Operating Margins And ROE Crocs: Priced For Failure, Positioned For Upside Crocs Q4 2025 Earnings Preview Crocs names new head of struggling HEYDUDE division