Sumedha Lakmal/iStock via Getty Images U.S. equities posted strong gains in 2025, marking a third consecutive year of double-digit returns, with the Russell 3000 Index rising 17.2%. The year was shaped by robust earnings growth, continued AI enthusiasm driving technology leadership, and incrementally more supportive monetary policy. However, the market navigated significant volatility, particularl...
Sumedha Lakmal/iStock via Getty Images U.S. equities posted strong gains in 2025, marking a third consecutive year of double-digit returns, with the Russell 3000 Index rising 17.2%. The year was shaped by robust earnings growth, continued AI enthusiasm driving technology leadership, and incrementally more supportive monetary policy. However, the market navigated significant volatility, particularly during the spring tariff uncertainty when the S&P 500 fell nearly 19% before recovering. The Federal Reserve reduced rates by 75 basis points in the second half of the year, responding to moderating growth and signs of labor market softening while inflation remained above target. Trade policy uncertainty and tariff developments contributed to periodic volatility, though markets generally proved resilient as implementation timelines shifted. Like recent years, equity market leadership was again concentrated in Large Cap Growth companies, particularly within technology-oriented areas tied to artificial intelligence, as the equal-weight S&P 500 meaningfully trailed its cap-weighted counterpart. Stylistically, Growth led Value for the year, and Large Caps outperformed Small Caps. Sector performance was mixed, with cyclical leadership led by Communication Services, Technology, and Industrials, while more defensive areas lagged. Among market factors, Growth, Volatility, and Size factors posted the strongest relative returns. Momentum also helped. The Quality and Yield factors were large headwinds. The Value factor was mixed. Key Performance Takeaways The London Company Income Equity portfolio returned 14.4% (13.5% net) year-to-date vs. a 15.9% increase in the Russell 1000 Value Index. Stock selection was a headwind to relative performance, partially offset by positive sector exposure. For the year, the Income Equity portfolio slightly trailed the Russell 1000 Value index but finished ahead of our 85-90% upside capture expectations. The strategy began 2025 with strong relative p...
Key Points SoFi is adding many blockchain-based products that are the future of financial management. It is leveraging its tech platform segment to support innovation. It has a strong balance sheet that can fund future product launches. 10 stocks we like better than SoFi Technologies › SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI) reported fabulous results for the 2025 fourth quarter, but the stock tumbled aft...
Key Points SoFi is adding many blockchain-based products that are the future of financial management. It is leveraging its tech platform segment to support innovation. It has a strong balance sheet that can fund future product launches. 10 stocks we like better than SoFi Technologies › SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI) reported fabulous results for the 2025 fourth quarter, but the stock tumbled after and still hasn't recovered. However, I'm excited about what SoFi has to offer and where it can go in the coming years. If you have some risk tolerance, you might want to view this as a buying opportunity. Here are five reasons. 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 » 1. It's launching new blockchain services Since government regulations were relaxed last year to give banks more flexibility with the blockchain, SoFi has ramped up its innovation in this area. It immediately brought back cryptocurrency trading on its app, which it had closed when it applied for a bank charter, and it has already launched a blockchain-based global remittance service that allows users to safely send money to more than 30 countries, including much of Europe. It's now working on bringing those capabilities to more users outside the U.S., angling to become a global financial services giant. Management seems to be pumped about its new stablecoin offering, which drives the SoFi Pay global money transfers. It keeps a U.S. dollar for every SoFi stablecoin, giving it flexibility in working with one or the other, and it's planning to use this in powerful ways. 2. It's expanding its business segment Right now, SoFi is a personal bank, but it's expanding into commercial banking. However, it isn't necessarily looking to break into the institutional banking that the megabanks already control. "Our ambition is to be the bank for businesses and other financial institutions that w...
"We have three police vehicles in our town, we are very small. We are a small community. We know each other, we all know the victims. They are our friends, our friends' children."
"We have three police vehicles in our town, we are very small. We are a small community. We know each other, we all know the victims. They are our friends, our friends' children."
Dalscone Farm in Dumfries announced her pregnancy earlier this year and now, after more than two years with them, she has given birth to twins - one male and one female, as yet unnamed.
Dalscone Farm in Dumfries announced her pregnancy earlier this year and now, after more than two years with them, she has given birth to twins - one male and one female, as yet unnamed.
Key Points Many people simply need that income as soon as possible. But if you can delay, that might be your best move. Much depends on your health and other considerations. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › As you approach retirement, you should be thinking about when you'll claim your Social Security benefits -- because when you do so can make a big difference...
Key Points Many people simply need that income as soon as possible. But if you can delay, that might be your best move. Much depends on your health and other considerations. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › As you approach retirement, you should be thinking about when you'll claim your Social Security benefits -- because when you do so can make a big difference in your financial life. Various studies have pinpointed the best age for most people to claim, but there is no one perfect age for everyone. Read on for a Social Security refresher and a look at what studies suggest. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Social Security basics Each of us has a "full retirement age" at which we can start collecting the "full" benefits to which we're entitled based on our earnings. But we can start collecting as early as age 62, or we can delay, up to age 70. Claiming early means you'll receive smaller benefit checks -- but many more of them. Delay beyond your full retirement age, and your benefit checks will grow by about 8% per year up to age 70. Experts say... Researchers seem to agree that most people will get the most out of Social Security by delaying claiming until age 70. For example, a 2019 study, "The Retirement Solution Hiding in Plain Sight: How Much Retirees Would Gain by Improving Social Security Decisions," from United Income, found that: Millions of people claim their benefits too early -- leaving trillions of dollars in potential total Social Security benefits on the table -- an average of $111,000 per household. The average retiree would collect about 9% more retirement income from Social Security if they claimed their benefits at an optimal age. Only 4% of retirees seem to have claimed their benefits at the best time. More recently, a 2022 pape...
Qualcomm QCOM shares are down 5% since its fiscal first quarter report last Wednesday, and have now fallen nearly 20% year to date. Even though Qualcomm exceeded quarterly expectations, its guidance came in below Wall Street's estimates, attributed to the well-documented memory chip shortage. Despite record Q1 sales, a cautious tone surrounding the shortage from Qualcomm’s management has weighed o...
Qualcomm QCOM shares are down 5% since its fiscal first quarter report last Wednesday, and have now fallen nearly 20% year to date. Even though Qualcomm exceeded quarterly expectations, its guidance came in below Wall Street's estimates, attributed to the well-documented memory chip shortage. Despite record Q1 sales, a cautious tone surrounding the shortage from Qualcomm’s management has weighed on investor sentiment and analysts' outlook for the stock. Triggering a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), Qualcomm is experiencing an unfavorable trend of declining EPS revisions, and lands the Bear of the Day. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Global Memory Chip Shortage Qualcomm has emphasized that memory chip shortages are hurting smartphone demand, which directly impacts its core handset processor business. The company has warned that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are pulling back on orders due to memory constraints, which is expected to weigh on sales in the near term. While investors love upstream suppliers during a shortage that can raise prices, such as storage and flash-chip memory providers, like Sandisk SNDK and Western Digital WDC, they typically avoid downstream component providers in the supply chain, like Qualcomm, which designs processors and modems that go into the finished devices. In other words, upstream suppliers sell the scarce resource; downstream suppliers depend on it. Weak Guidance & Declining EPS Revisions Qualcomm’s Q2 revenue guidance of $10.2–$11 billion missed the consensus estimates of $11.1 billion. More concerning, Q2 EPS guidance of $2.45–$2.65 was well under the Zacks Consensus of $2.85. Suggesting more downside risk ahead is that over the last 30 days, Qualcomm's fiscal 2026 and FY27 EPS estimates have now dropped over 7%, following a noticeable decline in the last week. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Bottom Line Ironically, skyrocketing demand for AI data centers has diverted memory supply away from smartphones, c...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Transcript Brian Levitt - I'm Brian Levitt, Invesco's chief global market strategist. Today, I am bringing you a very special episode of the Greater Possibilities podcast. It's coming to you from Invesco's Breakthrough 2025 conference, where we had the opportunity to hear from our keynote speaker, Zack Kass. Now, Zack joins us in our podcast studio so we ca...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Transcript Brian Levitt - I'm Brian Levitt, Invesco's chief global market strategist. Today, I am bringing you a very special episode of the Greater Possibilities podcast. It's coming to you from Invesco's Breakthrough 2025 conference, where we had the opportunity to hear from our keynote speaker, Zack Kass. Now, Zack joins us in our podcast studio so we can share his insights with our listeners. Who is Zack? Zack is one of the world's foremost authorities on implied artificial intelligence. He played a key role in early efforts at commercializing artificial intelligence and large language models. Most recently, he served as OpenAI's head of Go to Market. And today, his mission is to help businesses, nonprofits, and governments navigate the rapidly evolving AI environment. Our conversation today is brought to you by Invesco QQQ. QQQ tracks the Nasdaq 100 index, which is made up of the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq. That includes many of the innovative companies that are driving this AI conversation, as well as companies that are using AI in less publicized but interesting ways. The opinions you’re going to hear in this conversation are Zack’s. And we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. So with that, let's start the conversation. Zack, thank you very much for joining us. Zack Kass - Thanks for having me. Brian Levitt - We're so excited to have you. I would say the biggest question that I get now from the investment community is about the hype around artificial intelligence. So I figured just a great place to start would be do you view all of this as overhyped? Zack Kass - I think we should separate sort of what the questions you get asked versus the questions that I think about. Brian Levitt - That’s a good point. Zack Kass - Because I do think it's ... hype has to be framed in the context of do you think that a given investment is — and by the way, let's just define hype, right? In this case, I assume ...
Nvidia has been a superb stock, but the highest AI stock returns come if you look away from the spotlight. Nvidia (NVDA 0.80%) is at the center of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom and became the first publicly traded corporation to reach a $5 trillion market cap as a result. The AI chipmaker's earnings reports demonstrate that its semiconductors are still in strong demand. Record revenue of $...
Nvidia has been a superb stock, but the highest AI stock returns come if you look away from the spotlight. Nvidia (NVDA 0.80%) is at the center of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom and became the first publicly traded corporation to reach a $5 trillion market cap as a result. The AI chipmaker's earnings reports demonstrate that its semiconductors are still in strong demand. Record revenue of $57 billion, up by 62% year over year, shows that the company is still hot. Although Nvidia has been a winning pick for years, investors may generate higher returns if they look at other AI stocks. These companies have smaller market caps and attractive growth opportunities that could help them outperform Nvidia in the years ahead. 1. Alphabet addresses cloud, software, and physical AI Nvidia provides the chips, and Alphabet (GOOG 1.78%) (GOOGL 1.77%) shows how companies can use semiconductors to create new products and accelerate growth for existing business segments. Expand NASDAQ : GOOGL Alphabet Today's Change ( -1.77 %) $ -5.74 Current Price $ 318.58 Key Data Points Market Cap $3.9T Day's Range $ 314.61 - $ 321.67 52wk Range $ 140.53 - $ 349.00 Volume 46K Avg Vol 38M Gross Margin 59.68 % Dividend Yield 0.26 % Some investors worried that Google would lose its search engine dominance to AI models like ChatGPT and Grok, but earnings results have put those fears to rest. Alphabet delivered 18% year-over-year revenue growth in Q4 2025, with Google Services up by 14% year over year. Google Services include Google Search, subscriptions, and YouTube. Those results confirm that Alphabet is using AI to boost its search engine revenue, and it further validates Google as the center of the internet. However, the big excitement for Alphabet stock isn't around search. The fact that the segment is still delivering strong results is a nice bonus. Google Cloud and physical AI serve as Alphabet's two most significant catalysts. The Google Cloud platform powers many AI apps and has seen so...
Watch South Africa and Afghanistan play out a thrilling final over in their match at the T20 World Cup, taking the contest into a super over. WATCH MORE: Proteas edge Afghanistan after two super overs Available to UK users only.
Watch South Africa and Afghanistan play out a thrilling final over in their match at the T20 World Cup, taking the contest into a super over. WATCH MORE: Proteas edge Afghanistan after two super overs Available to UK users only.
The former girlfriend of the Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid has responded to his public apology for having an affair, saying it “is hard to forgive” what he did. It was after Lægreid had won bronze in the individual 20km on Tuesday that he, unprompted, opened up on what he described as the “hardest week of my life,” saying: “Half a year ago I met the love of my life. The world’s most beau...
The former girlfriend of the Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid has responded to his public apology for having an affair, saying it “is hard to forgive” what he did. It was after Lægreid had won bronze in the individual 20km on Tuesday that he, unprompted, opened up on what he described as the “hardest week of my life,” saying: “Half a year ago I met the love of my life. The world’s most beautiful and nicest person. Three months ago I made the mistake of my life and cheated on her, and I told her about that a week ago. This has been the worst week of my life.” The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, wrote to Norwegian paper VG: “It is hard to forgive, even after such a public declaration of love in front of the whole world. I have not asked to be put in this position and it is hard to be there. We have had contact and he knows my feelings about this.” Lægreid is one of the best biathletes of the world, having won gold in the relay in Beijing four years ago and amassed 14 world championship medals. This week though, his apology overshadowed everything else he has achieved. His former girlfriend thanked “my family and my friends who have embraced me and supported me during this – and to all others who have thought about me and sympathised with me, without knowing who I am.” She did also point out that Tuesday belonged to Sivert Guttorm Bakken, the Norwegian biathlete who died just before Christmas last year. “It was moving to see how Sivert was included in the victory,” she said, referring to how the winner of the race, Johan-Olav Botn, shouted “we did it Sivert!” into the TV cameras after crossing the finish line. Lægreid has been criticised for the timing of his apology and said late on Tuesday: “I sincerely apologise for revealing this personal story on a happy day for Norwegian biathlon. I am not myself and not thinking clearly. “The apology goes to Johan-Olav who deserved to have all the attention after his gold. And it goes to my former girlfriend, who ha...