Do companies realise the misery caused when they take much-loved products off the market? I’m still in mourning for Izal Medicated toilet paper I was sitting with Mrs Patmore from Downton Abbey in my car outside Langley station in Berkshire. This wasn’t a dream – this was real. To be fair, it wasn’t Mrs Patmore, it was my friend Lesley Nicol, who plays Mrs Patmore. Anyway, there we were, shooting ...
Do companies realise the misery caused when they take much-loved products off the market? I’m still in mourning for Izal Medicated toilet paper I was sitting with Mrs Patmore from Downton Abbey in my car outside Langley station in Berkshire. This wasn’t a dream – this was real. To be fair, it wasn’t Mrs Patmore, it was my friend Lesley Nicol, who plays Mrs Patmore. Anyway, there we were, shooting the breeze on matters various, like our childhoods and stuff, when she mentioned something called a Jubbly. She has fond memories of this frozen drink/lolly offering. And I think we all have strong feelings about this kind of frozen drink/lolly offering from our childhood. I base this very much on anecdote rather than data. My limited research has been inspired by an email I received from a Guardian reader called Bloss, from Marple near Stockport. Vastly overestimating my influence over anything, she implored me to use my influence to get Rose’s Lime Marmalade back on supermarket shelves. Her husband loves it, you see. She can get him Rose’s Lemon & Lime Marmalade, but for him, if she’ll pardon the slight pun, this just doesn’t cut it. Continue reading...
Apple (AAPL) just made a shocking move. It approved a third-party driver for Apple Silicon Macs, Tom's Hardware reported. Although some may view the change as minor, it could potentially create a significant opportunity for Nvidia (NVDA) in the AI space. Apple’s (AAPL) closed ecosystem is a ...
Apple (AAPL) just made a shocking move. It approved a third-party driver for Apple Silicon Macs, Tom's Hardware reported. Although some may view the change as minor, it could potentially create a significant opportunity for Nvidia (NVDA) in the AI space. Apple’s (AAPL) closed ecosystem is a ...
JohnGollop/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Stock markets are soaring on news of a ceasefire in Iran, but on the whole the mood in the stock market remains incredibly cautious, especially around volatile retail stocks that are heavily dependent on consumer spending. As we dive into the early innings of the Q1 earnings season, however, we're getting data that indicates that the consumer may not b...
JohnGollop/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Stock markets are soaring on news of a ceasefire in Iran, but on the whole the mood in the stock market remains incredibly cautious, especially around volatile retail stocks that are heavily dependent on consumer spending. As we dive into the early innings of the Q1 earnings season, however, we're getting data that indicates that the consumer may not be as weak as feared. Levi Strauss & Co. ( LEVI ), the heritage denim brand, was one of the first companies to report fiscal Q1 results , covering December through February. An acceleration in comp sales, plus a lift to full-year guidance, has boosted Levi's stock by more than 10% post-earnings. Levi's is up about 75% over the past 12 months, and in my view, the post-earnings rally represents the second leg of the stock's rebound. Data by YCharts I last wrote a Buy article on Levi's in January, when the stock was trading at $20 per share. Since then, even though Levi's valuation has stretched somewhat after the post-earnings rally, we now have a lot more clarity on the strength of the company's execution. Levi's continues to expand its market share overseas while expanding its product portfolio, including and especially its Beyond Yoga line. I'm reiterating my Buy rating on this company. First things first: despite Levi's recent post-earnings surge, we still find the stock to be trading at very attractive and buyable levels, especially against a raised guidance outlook. At current share prices near $22, Levi's trades at a market cap of $8.54 billion. Netting off the $812.0 million of cash and $1.05 billion of debt on Levi's most recent balance sheet gives us an enterprise value of $8.78 billion. Levi's FY26 outlook (Levi's Q1 earnings release) As shown in the chart above, Levi's has boosted its FY26 guidance across all metrics. It's expecting total revenue growth of 5.5-6.5%, which is 50 bps higher than its previous outlook. Note that the company is expecting "organic" reven...
cookelma The technology sector had a turbulent start to the year, with a broad selloff compounded by pressures from the U.S.–Iran conflict and broader global market weakness. The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLK ) fell 7.90% in the first quarter, underperforming the wider market, which declined 4.81% over the same period. As companies prepare to report their results for the qua...
cookelma The technology sector had a turbulent start to the year, with a broad selloff compounded by pressures from the U.S.–Iran conflict and broader global market weakness. The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLK ) fell 7.90% in the first quarter, underperforming the wider market, which declined 4.81% over the same period. As companies prepare to report their results for the quarter gone by, FactSet analyst John Butters noted that 59 out of 110 companies have issued positive EPS guidance, the highest in five years. The majority of these positive earnings projections were concentrated in the information technology and energy sectors. The tech sector stood out with the highest number of companies issuing positive EPS guidance. Overall, 33 tech firms projected a positive EPS for the quarter. “This quarter ties the mark with the previous quarter for the second-highest number of companies in the information technology sector issuing positive EPS guidance for a quarter since FactSet began tracking this metric in 2006. The current record is 36, which occurred in Q3 2025,” Butters said. Within the information technology sector, the semiconductors and semiconductor equipment industry leads in positive EPS guidance, with 10 companies issuing upbeat forecasts. Mirroring EPS guidance trends, the information technology sector leads all 11 sectors with 47 companies issuing positive revenue guidance. This also marks a record high for the sector since FactSet began tracking the metric in 2006, surpassing the previous peak of 45 in Q2 2021. According to Seeking Alpha’s Quant rating system, the sector has an average health score of 3.12. The system awards grades based on quantitative measures, like valuation, earnings growth, and recent stock performance. The highest possible score for any individual company is a 5. Among individual companies in the tech sector, 47 stocks were rated as Buy or higher based on their Quant ratings, 200 stocks were rated Neutral, and 3...
BrianAJackson/iStock via Getty Images I wrote a bearish article on Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. ( BOOT) back in December 2025, and at that time the stock was trading for about $202 per share. Since then, the stock has dropped by nearly 30%. Now that the shares have been repriced, and since there have been a number of other developments, including a fiscal Q3 earnings report, I think it makes sense to ...
BrianAJackson/iStock via Getty Images I wrote a bearish article on Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. ( BOOT) back in December 2025, and at that time the stock was trading for about $202 per share. Since then, the stock has dropped by nearly 30%. Now that the shares have been repriced, and since there have been a number of other developments, including a fiscal Q3 earnings report, I think it makes sense to take another look. The Chart As shown in the chart below, Boot Barn shares have plunged in the past few weeks and now trade well below key support levels such as the 50-day moving average of around $175 and the 200-day moving average, which is just over $178. Boot Barn shares recently traded down to the low $130 range but have since rebounded somewhat. I believe it could retest this low $130 range once again, especially if the stock market remains under pressure overall. A successful retest of this level could suggest a bullish double bottom. In a more negative potential scenario, this stock could also retest the lows it hit in April 2025, which were in the $80 range. This would probably not be likely unless there is a stock market correction, possibly caused by a major growth scare or an actual recession. StockCharts.com Fiscal Q3 Earnings Report Boot Barn recently reported strong results for fiscal Q3 , and as a result, the company raised guidance for fiscal year 2026. The company expects sales to come in at a range of between $2.24 billion and $2.25 billion. This represents growth of around 17% to 18%, which is slightly higher than previous growth guidance of between 15% and 17%. Boot Barn expects net income to come in at a range of $7.25 to $7.35 per share for FY2026. I think it's worth noting that these fiscal Q3 results were released on Feb. 4, and the war in Iran began around Feb. 28. This means that the potential impact of the Iran war and surging oil prices does not appear to be reflected in this generally positive guidance for 2026. Based on this, I believe it's p...
Justice department says Bondi will not be at the House deposition since she was ousted as US attorney general Pam Bondi , the former US attorney general, will not appear next week for a scheduled deposition before the House oversight and government reform committee to answer questions about the justice department’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and its release of the Epstein f...
Justice department says Bondi will not be at the House deposition since she was ousted as US attorney general Pam Bondi , the former US attorney general, will not appear next week for a scheduled deposition before the House oversight and government reform committee to answer questions about the justice department’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and its release of the Epstein files, the committee said. In a statement Wednesday morning shared with the Guardian, a spokesperson for the House oversight committee said “the Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on April 14 for a deposition since she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General”. Continue reading...
Australia was the first country to issue a ban in late 2025, aiming to reduce the pressures and risks that young users may face on social media, including cyberbullying, social media addiction, and exposure to predators.
Australia was the first country to issue a ban in late 2025, aiming to reduce the pressures and risks that young users may face on social media, including cyberbullying, social media addiction, and exposure to predators.
Decision to pull episode comes after Mills, 53, was sacked as BBC Radio 2 breakfast show host following allegations of sexual abuse The final episode of Great British Bake Off ’s celebrity edition, which features DJ Scott Mills, will now not be broadcast, Channel 4 has said. Mills, 53, was sacked as BBC Radio 2 breakfast show host last month after “new information” came to light relating to his co...
Decision to pull episode comes after Mills, 53, was sacked as BBC Radio 2 breakfast show host following allegations of sexual abuse The final episode of Great British Bake Off ’s celebrity edition, which features DJ Scott Mills, will now not be broadcast, Channel 4 has said. Mills, 53, was sacked as BBC Radio 2 breakfast show host last month after “new information” came to light relating to his conduct. The corporation said it was first made aware of a police investigation into historical allegations of sexual abuse in 2017, but terminated the radio presenter’s contract in March in accordance with its “culture and values”. Continue reading...
spawns/iStock via Getty Images AVNM Overview The Avantis All International Markets Equity ETF ( AVNM ) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund with AUM at ~$ 572MM that invests in global equities outside the U.S. Like AVGE , which I've covered previously, AVNM is structured as a fund-of-funds, meaning it achieves its mandate by investing entirely in other Avantis ETFs rather than buying indivi...
spawns/iStock via Getty Images AVNM Overview The Avantis All International Markets Equity ETF ( AVNM ) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund with AUM at ~$ 572MM that invests in global equities outside the U.S. Like AVGE , which I've covered previously, AVNM is structured as a fund-of-funds, meaning it achieves its mandate by investing entirely in other Avantis ETFs rather than buying individual stocks directly. Its benchmark target is the MSCI ACWI ex USA IMI, which covers large, mid, and small-cap exposure across developed and emerging markets outside the U.S. For a fund only launched on June 27, 2023 , the track record has been solid. In 2025, AVNM delivered a 38% return versus its benchmark's 32%, a gap of about 6%. While the recent geopolitical shock has seen the fund in the mid-$70s per unit, well off its 52-week high of $83, the fund is trading in line with its peers, and as an investor, if you want international equity, this is a solid fund that I rate a Buy on the heels of a ceasefire in Iran. Fund Breakdown AVNM was launched by Avantis (part of American Century Investments) to provide exposure to a diversified set of companies across international developed and emerging markets, with a specific focus on securities the managers believe have higher expected returns. As noted in the fund prospectus , the underlying holdings are a stack of other Avantis ETFs across international (both cap, geography, and industry). The target allocation is about 70% developed and 30% emerging markets, with some flexibility at the discretion of the management team. I've been critical of fund-of-funds structures in the past, including in my review of AVGE, where the kitchen-sink approach diluted returns. Here, though, the underlying funds are coherently assembled around a value-tilt thesis — there's clear logic to the allocation versus just throwing everything Avantis offers into a blender. The expense ratio comes in at 0.31% net, which is essentially the same as the passi...
When the discussion turns to "monster stocks" that have done extremely well from the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI), many investors' first thoughts turn to chip companies like Nvidia . If they expand their notions of stocks expected to be AI beneficiaries, the thoughts might include memory storage companies (i.e., data centers). Further expansion might eventually lead to the realiza...
When the discussion turns to "monster stocks" that have done extremely well from the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI), many investors' first thoughts turn to chip companies like Nvidia . If they expand their notions of stocks expected to be AI beneficiaries, the thoughts might include memory storage companies (i.e., data centers). Further expansion might eventually lead to the realization that the companies that could deliver some of the biggest gains from AI over the next several years aren't even from the tech sector. Rather, the biggest beneficiaries might just be the energy companies uniquely positioned to serve the growing power needs of data centers. Two energy companies experiencing AI tailwinds you might want to consider buying and holding for the long term are Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) and Vistra (NYSE: VST) . Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
The dollar index (DXY00 ) is sharply lower today by 1.13% at a 4-week low. The dollar is plummeting today after the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire, curbing safe-haven demand for the dollar. Also, today's surge in equity markets has reduced liquidity demand for the dollar. In addition,...
The dollar index (DXY00 ) is sharply lower today by 1.13% at a 4-week low. The dollar is plummeting today after the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire, curbing safe-haven demand for the dollar. Also, today's surge in equity markets has reduced liquidity demand for the dollar. In addition,...
GordonBellPhotography Roku ( ROKU ) shares are on track for a seventh straight session of gains on Wednesday, as the stock rose over 3% to $101.87 in afternoon trading. The San Jose, California-based company gained about 12% in the preceding six sessions. Overall, the stock has lost 6% so far this year, compared to the over 3% fall in the broader S&P 500 Index. ROKU is up nearly 5% over the past o...
GordonBellPhotography Roku ( ROKU ) shares are on track for a seventh straight session of gains on Wednesday, as the stock rose over 3% to $101.87 in afternoon trading. The San Jose, California-based company gained about 12% in the preceding six sessions. Overall, the stock has lost 6% so far this year, compared to the over 3% fall in the broader S&P 500 Index. ROKU is up nearly 5% over the past one month. The stock closed marginally higher on Tuesday at $98.53. Looking at Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating, ROKU has a Hold rating with a score of 3.37 out of 5. The company received an A in the prospect of growth, while it got a D- in the valuation factor. Turning to the Wall Street community, 24 analysts gave the TV streaming company a Buy or above, five analysts have given the stock a Hold recommendation, and no one recommended Sell or lower. Seeking Alpha analysts are also bullish and see the stock as a Buy. Earlier in February, Wall Street analysts praised Roku's fourth-quarter results and highlighted multiple catalysts for growth at the company going into 2026. BofA said Roku is expected to benefit from various favorable industry trends along with certain company-specific actions, which include growth in CTV advertising, secular growth in streaming video domestically and internationally, and improving fill rates in the advertising business. “Roku demonstrates accelerating top-line growth and robust profitability, with management prioritizing sustained margin expansion and operational leverage,” noted Seeking Alpha analyst Julian Lin. Roku, in March, said it has launched its affordable ad-free SVOD streaming service, Howdy, on Amazon's Prime Video. More on Roku Roku: Incremental Margins Are Foreshadowing Strong Returns Roku's Howdy service comes to Prime Video in the U.S. for $2.99 a month 'College Football Playoffs' on ESPN drives cable viewership in January - Nielsen
Perforce Software Inc. reached a deal with a group of junior lenders that buys the company more time to repay a looming pile of debt while allowing the creditors to move up in the pecking order. As part of the deal, the Clearlake Capital and Francisco Partners -backed firm will issue $297 million of new notes maturing in 2031, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be i...
Perforce Software Inc. reached a deal with a group of junior lenders that buys the company more time to repay a looming pile of debt while allowing the creditors to move up in the pecking order. As part of the deal, the Clearlake Capital and Francisco Partners -backed firm will issue $297 million of new notes maturing in 2031, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly. The junior creditors, who hold a loan that matures next year, will swap that debt for the new bonds, the people said. The debt swap eases some of the stress of a more than $1.7 billion debt load, which has become increasingly burdensome amid fears that software companies face disruption by the rapid development of artificial intelligence. The deal has rankled some of the company’s senior lenders, however, because it puts the junior creditors, who stand near the end of the repayment line, on equal footing with them, some of the people said. A representative for Clearlake, which acquired Perforce in 2018, declined to comment. Those for Francisco Partners, which became a co-investor the following year, and for Perforce didn’t respond. Most of the coding development tool company’s debt is trading near all-time lows, Bloomberg-compiled data shows. A roughly $1 billion first-lien term loan due in 2029 is quoted at 67.4 cents on the dollar, around a 30 cents drop from July’s highs. The second-lien loan is not tracked by Bloomberg. Despite the anxiety, so far AI has failed to make a sizeable dent in Perforce’s business. Revenue declined by only $10 million in 2025 to $644 million while management is seeking to drive sales by embedding AI into its products, Bloomberg reported in February. The new notes were issued at par and pay 6 percentage points over the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, the people said. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher , which advised a group of first-lien lenders according to people with knowledge of the matter,...
Inclusion of Lebanon is significant difference in interpretation of truce agreed at 11th hour on Tuesday Middle East crisis – live updates The fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked uncertain on Wednesday as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an alle...
Inclusion of Lebanon is significant difference in interpretation of truce agreed at 11th hour on Tuesday Middle East crisis – live updates The fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked uncertain on Wednesday as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an alleged Israeli ceasefire breach. Iran and Pakistan, which brokered the 11th-hour truce , both asserted that the ceasefire included Lebanon. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, disagreed and Israeli forces unleashed their heaviest attack of the war so far on more than 100 targets in Beirut and across the country. Continue reading...
With elections in Georgia and Wisconsin Tuesday, Democrats continued to overperform, which the party started in 2025 when it regularly improved on its margins compared to the presidential race in 2024. (Image credit: Morry Gash)
With elections in Georgia and Wisconsin Tuesday, Democrats continued to overperform, which the party started in 2025 when it regularly improved on its margins compared to the presidential race in 2024. (Image credit: Morry Gash)
SmileStudioAP/iStock via Getty Images The technology sector had a turbulent start to the year, with a broad selloff compounded by pressures from the U.S.–Iran conflict and broader global market weakness. The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLK ) fell 7.90% in the first quarter, underperforming the wider market, which declined 4.81% over the same period. As companies prepare to rep...
SmileStudioAP/iStock via Getty Images The technology sector had a turbulent start to the year, with a broad selloff compounded by pressures from the U.S.–Iran conflict and broader global market weakness. The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLK ) fell 7.90% in the first quarter, underperforming the wider market, which declined 4.81% over the same period. As companies prepare to report their results for the quarter gone by, FactSet analyst John Butters noted that 59 out of 110 companies have issued positive EPS guidance, the highest in five years. The majority of these positive earnings projections were concentrated in the information technology and energy sectors. The tech sector stood out with the highest number of companies issuing positive EPS guidance. Overall, 33 tech firms projected a positive EPS for the quarter. “This quarter ties the mark with the previous quarter for the second-highest number of companies in the information technology sector issuing positive EPS guidance for a quarter since FactSet began tracking this metric in 2006. The current record is 36, which occurred in Q3 2025,” Butters said. Within the information technology sector, the semiconductors and semiconductor equipment industry leads in positive EPS guidance, with 10 companies issuing upbeat forecasts. Mirroring EPS guidance trends, the information technology sector leads all 11 sectors with 47 companies issuing positive revenue guidance. This also marks a record high for the sector since FactSet began tracking the metric in 2006, surpassing the previous peak of 45 in Q2 2021. According to Seeking Alpha’s Quant rating system, the sector has an average health score of 3.12. The system awards grades based on quantitative measures, like valuation, earnings growth, and recent stock performance. The highest possible score for any individual company is a 5. Among individual companies in the tech sector, 47 stocks were rated as Buy or higher based on their Quant ratings, 200 sto...