CatEyePerspective/iStock Editorial via Getty Images France is preparing to channel a significant portion of its planned defense buildup into drones and ammunition, reflecting growing concern over global instability and the possibility that the United States could scale back its military role in Europe. A new multi-year budget proposal unveiled to the cabinet on Wednesday outlines an additional €36...
CatEyePerspective/iStock Editorial via Getty Images France is preparing to channel a significant portion of its planned defense buildup into drones and ammunition, reflecting growing concern over global instability and the possibility that the United States could scale back its military role in Europe. A new multi-year budget proposal unveiled to the cabinet on Wednesday outlines an additional €36 billion ($42 billion) in defense spending over five years beginning in 2026. Within that increase, roughly €8.5 billion is allocated to sharply expand ammunition supplies, while €2 billion is set aside for drone capabilities. France increased planned defense spending (Government of France) Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin indicated the proposal reflects a more volatile geopolitical environment. She said the current moment demands a stronger and more resilient defense posture, emphasizing that rapid shifts in global power dynamics require faster and more decisive action. Recent conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and fighting across the Middle East, have highlighted how quickly stockpiles of munitions can be depleted during sustained combat operations. These lessons have prompted European governments to accelerate investments in defense readiness. The urgency has intensified following the return of Donald Trump to the political forefront, as his long-standing “America First” stance has raised concerns among European allies about the durability of US commitments to NATO. In response, nearly all NATO members, with the exception of Spain, have agreed to increase defense expenditures to at least 3.5% of gross domestic product, alongside an additional 1.5% for related areas such as infrastructure and cybersecurity by 2035. Under France’s updated framework, defense spending is projected to reach 2.5% of GDP by 2030. The government also noted that total military outlays will have doubled in nominal terms over the course of President Emmanuel Macron ’s tenure from 2017 throug...
Rooted in colonialism, legislation backed by governments eager for popularity is obstructing real progress for queer minorities Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Hello and welcome to The Long Wave. It’s Morgan here, covering for Nesrine this week. There has been a recent rise in anti-LGBTQ legislation across a number of African countries that already have strict sexuali...
Rooted in colonialism, legislation backed by governments eager for popularity is obstructing real progress for queer minorities Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Hello and welcome to The Long Wave. It’s Morgan here, covering for Nesrine this week. There has been a recent rise in anti-LGBTQ legislation across a number of African countries that already have strict sexuality laws. I spoke with LGBTQ+ people and activists fighting against the narrative that their identities are an imported “western” creation to better understand the impact of these new laws, why they are happening, and how foreign lobbying groups are pushing for more draconian laws. Continue reading...
Serve Robotics Inc. has unveiled "Maggie," an AI-powered conversational robot, at NVIDIA GTC 2026, marking a significant advancement in the integration of AI into real-world robotics. This development, facilitated through a collaboration with T-Mobile, leverages the company's 5G Advanced and edge computing technologies to enable Maggie to interact with humans in real time. By utilizing T-Mobile's ...
Serve Robotics Inc. has unveiled "Maggie," an AI-powered conversational robot, at NVIDIA GTC 2026, marking a significant advancement in the integration of AI into real-world robotics. This development, facilitated through a collaboration with T-Mobile, leverages the company's 5G Advanced and edge computing technologies to enable Maggie to interact with humans in real time. By utilizing T-Mobile's ultra-low latency network, Maggie can process and respond to inputs instantly, enhancing the...
Starbucks ( SBUX ) officially launched its new Energy Refreshers line this week. The Seattle-based coffee chain introduced handcrafted, barista-made beverages designed to deliver a significantly stronger caffeine kick than its standard menu. Debuting in stores on April 7, the drinks upgrade the company's iconic fruit-and-tea Refreshers with approximately double to triple the caffeine content, alon...
Starbucks ( SBUX ) officially launched its new Energy Refreshers line this week. The Seattle-based coffee chain introduced handcrafted, barista-made beverages designed to deliver a significantly stronger caffeine kick than its standard menu. Debuting in stores on April 7, the drinks upgrade the company's iconic fruit-and-tea Refreshers with approximately double to triple the caffeine content, alongside added B vitamins for sustained energy. Available immediately in core flavors like Strawberry Açaí and Mango Dragonfruit, as well as the new Mango Strawberry, the drinks can be customized with water, lemonade, or coconut milk, positioning them as a versatile, high-energy option for customers seeking a midday boost without switching to coffee. The in-store energy drink expansion by Starbucks ( SBUX ) builds on the foundation laid in 2025 with the introduction of Starbucks Iced Energy, a line of zero-sugar, sparkling canned energy drinks distributed in retail channels like grocery and convenience stores. Those ready-to-drink cans, developed through Starbucks' ( SBUX ) joint venture with PepsiCo ( PEP ), contain 160 mg of plant-based caffeine per serving and come in flavors such as Tropical Peach, Watermelon Twist, and Blueberry Lemonade. Starbucks ( SBUX ) is now executing a dual-channel strategy to compete in both the at-home and on-the-go energy segments simultaneously. With the launches, Starbucks ( SBUX ) is directly targeting both restaurant chains like McDonald's ( MCD ), Dutch Bros ( BROS ), and Dunkin' Donuts and traditional energy giants like Monster Beverage ( MNST ), Celsius Holdings ( CELH ), and Red Bull, positioning its products as a "cleaner," coffee-house alternative that avoids the sugar crash and artificial ingredients associated with conventional energy cans. Shares of Starbucks ( SBUX ) rose 2.7% in premarket trading on Wednesday. More on Starbucks Starbucks: The Financial Brew Sours Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) Shareholder/Analyst Call - Slideshow St...
Julian Emanuel, chief equity and quantitative strategist at Evercore ISI, examines what the two-week ceasefire agreed to by the United States and Iran means for markets and says the bull market that started in October of 2022 still has further to go. (Source: Bloomberg)
Julian Emanuel, chief equity and quantitative strategist at Evercore ISI, examines what the two-week ceasefire agreed to by the United States and Iran means for markets and says the bull market that started in October of 2022 still has further to go. (Source: Bloomberg)
bjdlzx/E+ via Getty Images Investment Thesis I last covered Caterpillar Inc. ( CAT ) in December 2025, and the stock is up a good ~20% since then, versus a slight decline in the S&P 500. I expect this outperformance to continue moving forward. Caterpillar is poised to see good revenue growth given its strong backlog, dealer destocking ending, and secular demand from AI-driven data center and power...
bjdlzx/E+ via Getty Images Investment Thesis I last covered Caterpillar Inc. ( CAT ) in December 2025, and the stock is up a good ~20% since then, versus a slight decline in the S&P 500. I expect this outperformance to continue moving forward. Caterpillar is poised to see good revenue growth given its strong backlog, dealer destocking ending, and secular demand from AI-driven data center and power infrastructure work. In the medium term, a potential cyclical recovery in the construction and mining business should also support revenue growth. The revenue growth should also benefit from price increases and expanding services exposure. On the margin front, the company should benefit from operating leverage on volume growth. Further, pricing discipline and contractual pricing escalators should help to offset cost headwinds. While the stock is trading at a premium to its historical levels, the stronger earnings growth profile justifies a premium. According to consensus expectations, Caterpillar is expected to deliver strong double-digit EPS growth (~20% annual EPS growth) for the next few years. I believe the stock still offers good upside potential from current levels. Hence, I rate it a buy. Recent Financial Performance CAT’s net sales were up 18% Y/Y in Q425, driven by higher sales volumes across all segments. The price realization was neutral in the quarter. Segment-wise, the Construction Industries segment’s sales benefited from higher sales volume across North America. In the Resource Industries segment, sales growth was driven by higher sales volumes and favorable changes in dealer inventories. In the Power & Energy segment, sales benefited from higher price realization, increased volumes, and strong demand across oil and gas and power generation end markets. The company’s adjusted operating margin declined by 270 bps Y/Y to 18.3%, largely due to $1.03 bn in higher manufacturing costs from tariffs. On a segment basis, adjusted operating margin declined in Construc...
(RTTNews) - FactSet Research Systems Inc.(FDS), a financial digital platform and enterprise solutions provider, Wednesday, announced that its Chief Financial Officer, Helen Shan is transitioning from her role.
(RTTNews) - FactSet Research Systems Inc.(FDS), a financial digital platform and enterprise solutions provider, Wednesday, announced that its Chief Financial Officer, Helen Shan is transitioning from her role.
Executive complaints unit finding relates to broadcast of N-word during awards ceremony The BBC breached its editorial standards by broadcasting a racial slur during the Bafta film awards ceremony in February, the corporation’s executive complaints unit has found. More details soon … Continue reading...
Executive complaints unit finding relates to broadcast of N-word during awards ceremony The BBC breached its editorial standards by broadcasting a racial slur during the Bafta film awards ceremony in February, the corporation’s executive complaints unit has found. More details soon … Continue reading...
FiscalNote Holdings ( NOTE ) on Wednesday said it has expanded its PolicyNote API to include an address-to-district matching capability powered by its VoterVoice platform, enabling users to map U.S. addresses to corresponding federal, state and local legislative districts. The company said the new endpoint allows developers and advocacy groups to access district data in real time through a single ...
FiscalNote Holdings ( NOTE ) on Wednesday said it has expanded its PolicyNote API to include an address-to-district matching capability powered by its VoterVoice platform, enabling users to map U.S. addresses to corresponding federal, state and local legislative districts. The company said the new endpoint allows developers and advocacy groups to access district data in real time through a single API call, removing the need to combine multiple data sources or build in-house matching systems. FiscalNote said the capability is based on infrastructure it owns and maintains, and has been used by VoterVoice to process millions of address matches annually. The integration marks the first time the functionality is available programmatically without requiring a VoterVoice account. The company said the addition enables organizations to link policy tracking with constituent engagement tools, including applications for advocacy campaigns, fly-in coordination, and supporter outreach. The feature is available immediately as part of the PolicyNote API, alongside existing legislative and regulatory intelligence services. NOTE closed +2.77% at $0.259. Source: Press Release More on FiscalNote FiscalNote Holdings, Inc. 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation FiscalNote Holdings, Inc. (NOTE) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript FiscalNote shares to be delisted from NYSE; stock falls FiscalNote targets $14M–$16M adjusted EBITDA in 2026 as AI and prediction markets drive transformation Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on FiscalNote
The United States market has shown robust performance, climbing 1.2% in the last week and an impressive 33% over the past year, with earnings forecasted to grow by 16% annually. In this thriving environment, growth companies with high insider ownership are particularly noteworthy as they often indicate strong alignment between management and shareholder interests, potentially enhancing investor co...
The United States market has shown robust performance, climbing 1.2% in the last week and an impressive 33% over the past year, with earnings forecasted to grow by 16% annually. In this thriving environment, growth companies with high insider ownership are particularly noteworthy as they often indicate strong alignment between management and shareholder interests, potentially enhancing investor confidence.