The stock market is in the throes of a sell-off, with major U.S. indexes like the Nasdaq-100 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging by more than 10% from their record highs as of March 30. Ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have sent oil prices soaring, which is stoking fears of an economic slowdown here in the U.S. But one stock in particular started sinking long before the M...
The stock market is in the throes of a sell-off, with major U.S. indexes like the Nasdaq-100 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunging by more than 10% from their record highs as of March 30. Ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have sent oil prices soaring, which is stoking fears of an economic slowdown here in the U.S. But one stock in particular started sinking long before the Middle East conflict began. Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) has built some of the world's best data centers for developing artificial intelligence (AI), and demand for its infrastructure is through the roof. However, investors are concerned about the company's rising debts, and the reliability of one of its biggest customers. Oracle stock peaked at around $328 last September, and it has since plummeted by 57%. By one widely used valuation metric, the stock is now at the cheapest level since the AI boom started gathering momentum in early 2023, so could this be a golden buying opportunity for investors? Continue reading
alexsl Zoom ( ZM ), Freshworks ( FRSH ), and monday.com ( MNDY ) are among the enterprise software companies that could see “meaningful” growth in their free cash flow per share if they executed larger stock buybacks, Needham said. “For the first time, we have seen an increase in large buyback programs which have the potential to actually lower share count rather than just counter SBC dilution, es...
alexsl Zoom ( ZM ), Freshworks ( FRSH ), and monday.com ( MNDY ) are among the enterprise software companies that could see “meaningful” growth in their free cash flow per share if they executed larger stock buybacks, Needham said. “For the first time, we have seen an increase in large buyback programs which have the potential to actually lower share count rather than just counter SBC dilution, especially given current valuations,” analysts at the firm wrote in a note to clients. “While a change in the FCF/share growth trajectory for our coverage universe may not be meaningful today given current market sentiment on the software space, if our view on value accruing to the software layer last in the cycle proves accurate, we believe these buybacks can drive financially engineered yet meaningful share price gains over time.” Among companies covered by Needham, monday.com, Freshworks, and CS Disco ( LAW ) have the largest percentage of net cash when compared to their market caps. And 10 companies have more than 20% of their market cap in net cash, including the aforementioned companies, as well as Similarweb ( SMWB ) and Via Transportation ( VIA ). If all six companies increased the size of their buybacks (or executed larger ones), all “could all drive meaningful FCF/share growth,” the analysts posited. More on Zoom, Freshworks and monday.com Freshworks: Value Is Becoming Difficult To Ignore (Upgrade) Zoom: Undervalued And Underestimated - Even Without The Anthropic Stake Freshworks Continues Work To Avoid GenAI Disruption From Below Zoom showing 'impressive progress' putting AI into products and monetizing it: BNP Enterprise software joins Monday's rally, with Palantir and AppLovin leading
(RTTNews) - After recovering from an initial move to the downside, treasuries showed a lack of direction over the course of the trading session on Thursday.
(RTTNews) - After recovering from an initial move to the downside, treasuries showed a lack of direction over the course of the trading session on Thursday.
Two people reported killed in attack on newly completed suspension bridge after strike splits structure in half Middle East crisis – live updates Donald Trump claimed responsibility for destroying Iran’s largest bridge, a day after he threatened to bomb the country “back to the stone ages” if a deal to end the five-week-long war he started was not reached. The US president shared footage of part o...
Two people reported killed in attack on newly completed suspension bridge after strike splits structure in half Middle East crisis – live updates Donald Trump claimed responsibility for destroying Iran’s largest bridge, a day after he threatened to bomb the country “back to the stone ages” if a deal to end the five-week-long war he started was not reached. The US president shared footage of part of the newly built 136 metre-high $400m B1 suspension bridge between Tehran and Karaj collapsing dramatically on to the causeway below amid a rising plume of black smoke. Continue reading...
Microsoft Corp. , responding to Wall Street feedback, has pivoted its AI sales strategy to focus on selling Copilot rather than offering it for free as part of a software bundle. Company leadership set and essentially hit “some pretty big audacious goals” for selling Copilot in the quarter that ended in March, said Judson Althoff , chief executive officer of Microsoft’s commercial business, during...
Microsoft Corp. , responding to Wall Street feedback, has pivoted its AI sales strategy to focus on selling Copilot rather than offering it for free as part of a software bundle. Company leadership set and essentially hit “some pretty big audacious goals” for selling Copilot in the quarter that ended in March, said Judson Althoff , chief executive officer of Microsoft’s commercial business, during an internal meeting Thursday, according to people familiar with the remarks. The world’s largest software maker said in January that only about 3% of its customers were paying for Copilot, its flagship artificial intelligence tool for the workplace. The revelation didn’t go over well with some investors, who had hoped more customers would pay for the assistant. The stock has dropped 24% this year through Wednesday’s close, far behind the S&P Index. Through the end of last year, Microsoft was focused on driving free adoption of Copilot for existing office software customers in addition to selling it. Now, in response to analysts’ feedback, the company has zeroed in on persuading corporate customers to pay up, Althoff said in the internal meeting. Microsoft declined to comment. The company’s fiscal quarter ended earlier this week. Microsoft has set bold goals for paid Copilot subscriptions in the current quarter that will be “materially ahead” of the figure reported in January, Althoff said. The executive was responding to a question from an employee about how Microsoft is monetizing its AI tools. Several questions focused on AI strategy and how the company is navigating competition from OpenAI and other rivals. “We’re in a dog fight right now each and every day at the face of every single customer,” Althoff said. Microsoft’s pitch is based on working with all of the best AI models in a secure way, he said. Last month, Microsoft unveiled a new bundle of workplace software with the aim of getting more people to use its AI tools for the office. Its workplace AI tool costs abou...
Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said President Trump is “reevaluating” the U.S.'s membership in the trans-Atlantic alliance. “I think that it’s very clear right now that President Trump is evaluating and reevaluating everything,” Matt Whitaker told Newsmax, according to The Hill . “Whether that is our involvement with NATO, whether that is our support to the European effort in Ukraine, or whether...
Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said President Trump is “reevaluating” the U.S.'s membership in the trans-Atlantic alliance. “I think that it’s very clear right now that President Trump is evaluating and reevaluating everything,” Matt Whitaker told Newsmax, according to The Hill . “Whether that is our involvement with NATO, whether that is our support to the European effort in Ukraine, or whether that is anything else the United States is doing.” Whitaker added that Trump had not yet decided on whether the U.S. should pull out of the alliance. “We’re going to move out on his intent when he makes a decision,” Whitaker said. “Right now, everything’s on the table.” The U.S. founded NATO in 1949. The alliance currently has 32 members. More on SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF AAII Sentiment Survey: Neutral Sentiment Drops Q1 Was A Wild Ride, Here's What I'm Buying For Q2 2026: The Year AI-Related Job Losses Become Real Trump announces Pam Bondi stepping down as AG One year since the tariff shock of Trump's 'liberation day'
US Apartment Rents Post Largest Annual Decline Since 2017 In March: Report Authored by Rob Sabo via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The national median apartment rent shook off the seasonal winter chill and inched up by 0.4 percent in March from February to $1,363 , Apartment List reported. A sign is posted in front of an apartment building with available rentals in San Francisco on June 9, 2023....
US Apartment Rents Post Largest Annual Decline Since 2017 In March: Report Authored by Rob Sabo via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The national median apartment rent shook off the seasonal winter chill and inched up by 0.4 percent in March from February to $1,363 , Apartment List reported. A sign is posted in front of an apartment building with available rentals in San Francisco on June 9, 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images However, the median rent was down by 1.7 percent from March 2025 , the largest annual decline since Apartment List began compiling records in 2017. By comparison, year-over-year growth peaked at 18 percent during the winter of 2021. Rents are generally soft or stagnant during the late fall and winter months as renters tend to forgo moving plans when it’s cold outside, but rates trend upward with warmer springtime and summer weather. The slight gain in March was the second consecutive monthly increase following a six-month span of declining rents, the Apartment List report said. “ This turn represents the market creeping out of the off-season, and we’ll likely see continued increases in the months ahead as moving activity ramps up, in line with typical seasonal patterns ,” researchers at the organization wrote. The national median rent peaked at $1,442 in August 2022 but has since trended downward, excluding seasonal jumps during the past three summers. Despite being 5.5 percent lower than its pandemic-induced peak, the national median monthly rent was still up 15 percent from $1,146 in January 2021. Rents have softened behind a massive buildup of new apartment inventory. According to a February report by the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), multifamily development starts peaked at 547,000 apartment units in 2022, though apartment starts had dipped by 35 percent from that level by 2024. Multifamily starts were expected to be stronger in 2025 at an estimated 413,000 new units, the NAHB reported. However, new multifamily construction i...
Chevron (NYSE: CVX) , one of the world's largest integrated energy companies, is often considered a reliable blue chip dividend stock. It's involved in upstream exploration and production, downstream refining and marketing, and chemical production. Chevron pays a forward yield of 3.6% and has raised its dividend annually for 39 consecutive years, even as oil prices have gone through some wild swin...
Chevron (NYSE: CVX) , one of the world's largest integrated energy companies, is often considered a reliable blue chip dividend stock. It's involved in upstream exploration and production, downstream refining and marketing, and chemical production. Chevron pays a forward yield of 3.6% and has raised its dividend annually for 39 consecutive years, even as oil prices have gone through some wild swings. Over the past three years, its stock has risen 22% and generated a total return of 38%, including its reinvested dividends. Will it maintain that momentum over the next three years, or should investors brace for a pullback? Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading