Dragon Claws Amid market volatility, short interest in materials stocks is drawing attention, highlighting investor sentiment across steel, chemicals, and metals companies. Within the materials sector, Cleveland-Cliffs ( CLF ) has the highest short interest at 14.50%, reflecting significant investor skepticism in the steel space. The company has said its FY 2025 performance was hurt by persistentl...
Dragon Claws Amid market volatility, short interest in materials stocks is drawing attention, highlighting investor sentiment across steel, chemicals, and metals companies. Within the materials sector, Cleveland-Cliffs ( CLF ) has the highest short interest at 14.50%, reflecting significant investor skepticism in the steel space. The company has said its FY 2025 performance was hurt by persistently weak production levels from the automotive sector throughout the year. On the other end, ICL Group ( ICL ), operating in fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, had the lowest short interest at 0.14%. Here are the top 5 most shorted materials stocks, all with a market capitalization above $2B (as a % of shares outstanding): Cleveland-Cliffs ( CLF ) - Steel sector, short interest 14.50% MP Materials ( MP ) - Diversified metals and mining, short interest 13.75% Huntsman ( HUN ) - Diversified chemicals, short interest 11.62% Quaker Chemical ( KWR ) - Specialty chemicals, short interest 11.20% Alpha Metallurgical Resources ( AMR ) - Steel sector, short interest 10.97% And here are the l east shorted mid- to mega-cap materials stocks (as a % of shares outstanding): DRDGOLD ( DRD ) - Gold sector, short interest 0.58% Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile ( SQM ) - Specialty chemicals, short interest 0.56% Ardagh Metal Packaging ( AMBP ) - Metal, glass & plastic containers, short interest 0.55% Ternium ( TX ) - Steel sector, short interest 0.43% ICL Group ( ICL ) - Fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, short interest 0.14% Materials ETFs: ( XLB ), ( VAW ), ( IYM ), ( FXZ ), ( MXI ), ( RSPM ) More on materials sector How I Use XLB As A Leading Indicator For S&P 500 VAW: A Materials ETF With An Edge Where To Find Outperformance In 2026 SG global cycle indicator stays in boom, backs risk rally Top large-cap materials stocks with the highest consecutive years of dividend growth
xijian/iStock via Getty Images Company Description Xylem Inc. ( XYL ) is a global water technology business, providing water transport, treatment, testing, and management solutions across more than 150 countries. The company has four reportable segments: Water Infrastructure, which serves municipalities; Applied Water, which works with commercial, residential, and industrial customers on job-speci...
xijian/iStock via Getty Images Company Description Xylem Inc. ( XYL ) is a global water technology business, providing water transport, treatment, testing, and management solutions across more than 150 countries. The company has four reportable segments: Water Infrastructure, which serves municipalities; Applied Water, which works with commercial, residential, and industrial customers on job-specific systems; Measurement and Control Solutions, which focuses on advanced analytics and water monitoring; and lastly, Water Solutions and Services, which provides complex services and water treatment solutions. Xylem sports a current market cap of nearly $35B and employs approximately 23,000 people around the globe. As you can see from the chart below, the stock has slightly outpaced the overall market, as measured by SPY , by about 10% over the past decade. Data by YCharts Quality Financial Metrics Let's evaluate some key financial metrics for Xylem Inc. and try to determine if the company is a high-quality business. I'll be looking for a growing revenue stream, reliable margins, and a healthy return on invested capital. Xylem has grown its revenue per share over the past ten years at a clip of about 6.25% annually. There was decent growth from 2016 through 2019, before the company had a minor reset in 2020 for obvious reasons. Following the pandemic, the stock has seen steady RPS growth, including a revenue per share mark of $37 in 2025. The gross profit margin has usually hovered in the mid-to-upper thirties range, including peaking in 2017 at just north of 39%. Since that apex, the gross profit margin has oscillated a little more, with a low point in 2023 at 36.9%, but this metric has since recovered to 38.46% just last year. The return on invested capital metric has fluctuated some over the years but was typically in the mid-to-upper single digits. In 2018, it surpassed 10%, but it has since dwindled to 6.4% in 2025. I always like to see a company with an ROIC of at le...
SoftBank Group Corp. ’s digital payments provider PayPay Corp. has filed publicly for a US IPO, in what could be the biggest ever listing for a Japanese company on a US stock exchange. The firm had a profit of ¥103.3 billion ($676 million) on ¥278.5 billion revenue in the nine months ended Dec. 31, versus a profit of ¥28.96 billion on revenue of ¥220.4 billion in the same period a year earlier, ac...
SoftBank Group Corp. ’s digital payments provider PayPay Corp. has filed publicly for a US IPO, in what could be the biggest ever listing for a Japanese company on a US stock exchange. The firm had a profit of ¥103.3 billion ($676 million) on ¥278.5 billion revenue in the nine months ended Dec. 31, versus a profit of ¥28.96 billion on revenue of ¥220.4 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. Details including the number of shares being offered and the expected offering price range will be disclosed in a future filing. SoftBank is seeking a valuation of $10 billion or more for the business in its IPO, people familiar with the matter have said . The maker of Japan’s dominant QR-code payments application disclosed in August it had filed confidentially for a US listing. PayPay was originally set up through a venture with Indian payments firm Paytm , which was formerly backed by the investing giant’s SoftBank Vision Fund. Read More: SoftBank’s PayPay Invests in Binance Japan to Expand in Crypto SoftBank has been recently working to monetize some of its assets and Vision Fund bets to finance founder Masayoshi Son ’s new investments in artificial intelligence. The company divested nearly $8 billion worth of T-Mobile US Inc. shares in 2025. For the latest news on equity capital markets activity in the US, Canada and Latin America, follow the channel or visit NI BFWECMUS . To subscribe to ECM Watch , Bloomberg’s daily roundup of news from around the region, click here . PayPay will continue to be a SoftBank subsidiary following the IPO and the Japanese conglomerate doesn’t expect the listing to have any material impact on its consolidated earnings, according to an earlier statement. The offering is being led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mizuho Financial Group and Morgan Stanley, the filing shows. The company plans to make its debut on the Nasdaq Global Select Market und...
West Fraser Timber ( WFG ) declares $0.32/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 1.75% Payable April 2; for shareholders of record March 13; ex-div March 13. See WFG Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. West Fraser: Quality Assets And A Strong Balance Sheet At Cycle-Low Valuation Offer Upside West Fraser Timber GAAP EPS of...
West Fraser Timber ( WFG ) declares $0.32/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 1.75% Payable April 2; for shareholders of record March 13; ex-div March 13. See WFG Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. West Fraser: Quality Assets And A Strong Balance Sheet At Cycle-Low Valuation Offer Upside West Fraser Timber GAAP EPS of -$9.63 misses by $7.19, revenue of $1.17B misses by $20M West Fraser Timber Q4 2025 Earnings Preview Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. Historical earnings data for West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
Oil Production and Financial Chart bymuratdeniz/iStock via Getty Images The State Street Energy Sector Select ETF ( XLE ) is a fund whose time has come. After nearly a decade out of favor—interrupted by one bull run in 2022—oil is finally showing signs of stabilizing and even rising, and the big oil majors are rising right along with it. After a brief period of hiking oil output , OPEC is now stay...
Oil Production and Financial Chart bymuratdeniz/iStock via Getty Images The State Street Energy Sector Select ETF ( XLE ) is a fund whose time has come. After nearly a decade out of favor—interrupted by one bull run in 2022—oil is finally showing signs of stabilizing and even rising, and the big oil majors are rising right along with it. After a brief period of hiking oil output , OPEC is now staying put, while generative AI is consuming ever-rising amounts of energy. Despite the rise of renewables, oil demand has been slowly increasing with time, and now, energy-intensive AI applications are providing a totally new source of demand for coal and natural gas. It all points to a healthy market for petrochemicals for some time in the future. All of this is very bullish for XLE over the long term. Although oil is cyclical and vulnerable to recessions, the secular forces in play argue for continued demand growth until about 2050 . Supply, while being strong at the moment, is expected to grow at a slower pace from 2027 onward. Again, this fact set argues for long-term strength despite potential soft pricing in 2026. One factor that could help energy stocks in the decades ahead is generative artificial intelligence [AI]. The MIT Technology Review cited studies that claimed 4.4% of the energy used in the U.S. last year went to data centers, and data center usage is expected to rise in the decade ahead, driven largely by AI. While the big tech companies are publicly claiming that they are committed to using clean energy in their data centers, it’s a fact that many of them still run on fossil fuels, through both local electric grids and their own supplies . That’s not to say that high oil prices are absolutely required for XLE to perform well. The ETF does have some midstream companies, which tend to lock in stable baseline fees over periods of decades—occasionally with incentive fees for when oil prices are high. These companies don’t “need” high oil prices to remain profita...
President Trump may not see the Dow double in the next three years, but his ability to move the markets with his comments and actions shouldn't be discounted.
President Trump may not see the Dow double in the next three years, but his ability to move the markets with his comments and actions shouldn't be discounted.
US businesses and consumers paid nearly 90 percent of the cost of Donald Trump’s tariffs last year, according to new Federal Reserve research that undercuts the president’s claim that foreign companies would bear the burden. The study by the New York Fed found that the majority of tariff costs were passed through to Americans in the first 11 months of 2025, although exporters shouldered an increas...
US businesses and consumers paid nearly 90 percent of the cost of Donald Trump’s tariffs last year, according to new Federal Reserve research that undercuts the president’s claim that foreign companies would bear the burden. The study by the New York Fed found that the majority of tariff costs were passed through to Americans in the first 11 months of 2025, although exporters shouldered an increasing amount as the year progressed. “Our results show that the bulk of the tariff incidence continues to fall on US firms and consumers,” the study’s authors wrote in a blog post on Thursday. Read full article Comments
McDonald’s Corp.’s US sales grew at the fastest pace in more than two years in the fourth quarter as value meals continued to resonate with cost-conscious diners. Redd Brown has more on "Bloomberg Open Interest." (Source: Bloomberg)
McDonald’s Corp.’s US sales grew at the fastest pace in more than two years in the fourth quarter as value meals continued to resonate with cost-conscious diners. Redd Brown has more on "Bloomberg Open Interest." (Source: Bloomberg)
Investors in Ciena Corp (Symbol: CIEN) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the CIEN options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and one call contr
Investors in Ciena Corp (Symbol: CIEN) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the CIEN options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and one call contr
Investors in Accenture plc (Symbol: ACN) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the ACN options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and one call cont
Investors in Accenture plc (Symbol: ACN) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the ACN options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and one call cont
Investors in Constellation Brands Inc (Symbol: STZ) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the STZ options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and on
Investors in Constellation Brands Inc (Symbol: STZ) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the STZ options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and on
The Men And Women In The High Castle By Michael Every of Rabobank US payrolls stronger, US yields up, stocks flat as anything hit by AI was too, oil sideways, and USD/JPY at 153 vs 159 a few days ago. Fed-speak was all over the place. Schmid said restrictive rates are needed to cool inflation. Miran said there’s still a variety of reasons to cut rates. Hammack said the labor market is finding a he...
The Men And Women In The High Castle By Michael Every of Rabobank US payrolls stronger, US yields up, stocks flat as anything hit by AI was too, oil sideways, and USD/JPY at 153 vs 159 a few days ago. Fed-speak was all over the place. Schmid said restrictive rates are needed to cool inflation. Miran said there’s still a variety of reasons to cut rates. Hammack said the labor market is finding a healthy balance and rates should stay on hold. And as they all speak, 2026’s book of changes unfolds. Von der Leyen clashed with France and Germany over the EU’s core climate law , the latter pair backing CEOs in Antwerp demanding climate regulations are eased to halt rapid deindustrialisation ( in the green space as well as in old industries). However, Paris and Berlin are attacking each other over that issue (i.e., who gets the subsidies). The key informal leaders meeting in a Belgian castle today will see more clashes and breaches. The Euro defence lobby opposes the Commission's role in defence spending . There is no agreement on what ‘Made in Europe’ means, as the UK, outside the castle wall like King Arthur in The Holy Grail, argues it should be let in. VdL just attacked “unnecessary” national laws, mirroring some states’ views of EU laws. Her Commission will set an end-2026 deadline for the EU to integrate all its capital markets , or allow member states to do so at their own speed . The ECB is lobbying for a common EU corporate legal framework; and both the Bundesbank president and the FT editorial team put out missives for the mass issue of Eurobonds for “strategic autonomy.” EU markets don’t seem to be reacting to any of the above. Yes, this isn’t a crisis, as with Greece – but it is a crisis. The old regime of technocrats sees the world has changed – but can they do so? The Trump-Netanyahu meeting ended with ‘Trump wants a deal’: but did anyone expect the headline: “We attack Friday”? Another US aircraft carrier is heading to the region, alongside other preparations...
Investors in Cameco Corp. (Symbol: CCJ) saw new options begin trading today, for the May 15th expiration. One of the key data points that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 92 days until expiration the newly trading contracts repre
Investors in Cameco Corp. (Symbol: CCJ) saw new options begin trading today, for the May 15th expiration. One of the key data points that goes into the price an option buyer is willing to pay, is the time value, so with 92 days until expiration the newly trading contracts repre
Investors in TJX Companies (Symbol: TJX) saw new options begin trading today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the TJX options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and one call contrac
Investors in TJX Companies (Symbol: TJX) saw new options begin trading today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the TJX options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and one call contrac
Investors in Coeur Mining Inc (Symbol: CDE) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the CDE options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and one call c
Investors in Coeur Mining Inc (Symbol: CDE) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the CDE options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified one put and one call c
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is among the best machine learning stocks to buy according to analysts. As NVIDIA and OpenAI sit at the core of the AI ecosystem, any deal between the two is likely to have a broad industry impact. That is why the recent news flow about NVIDIA’s investments in OpenAI has been discussed keenly, […]
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is among the best machine learning stocks to buy according to analysts. As NVIDIA and OpenAI sit at the core of the AI ecosystem, any deal between the two is likely to have a broad industry impact. That is why the recent news flow about NVIDIA’s investments in OpenAI has been discussed keenly, […]
Investors in Coterra Energy Inc (Symbol: CTRA) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the CTRA options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified the following call
Investors in Coterra Energy Inc (Symbol: CTRA) saw new options become available today, for the April 2nd expiration. At Stock Options Channel, our YieldBoost formula has looked up and down the CTRA options chain for the new April 2nd contracts and identified the following call