Cristian Martin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Three and a half months have passed since my previous coverage of Hess Midstream LP ( HESM ). If you remember, I still advise you to be a bit cautious about rushing into it. Yet, I also noted that valuation has already priced in the downside risks I explained in the very first article . This prompted me to give it a soft buy upgrade. True enough, t...
Cristian Martin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Three and a half months have passed since my previous coverage of Hess Midstream LP ( HESM ). If you remember, I still advise you to be a bit cautious about rushing into it. Yet, I also noted that valuation has already priced in the downside risks I explained in the very first article . This prompted me to give it a soft buy upgrade. True enough, the stock price trend improved and even gave 7% returns for a relatively short period. I still observe similar challenges it may face this year. However, I believe that HESM is still well-positioned with its strategic operations and robust fundamentals. Valuation is still reasonable and shows some upside potential. Technicals adhere to it as the uptrend holds and strengthens. Hess Midstream LP: How It Has Been Lately Hess Midstream LP is surrounded by skepticism due to its high dependence on Hess Corporation, now part of Chevron Corporation ( CVX ). Meanwhile, the oil and gas markets remain volatile due to various factors affecting their prices. Even so, HESM keeps proving many skeptics wrong as it continues to give solid results while looking for more ways to fortify its business operations. We have seen this in its recent performances. For instance, its Q3 2025 revenues reached $420.9M , up by 11.2% YoY from $378.5M and by 1.5% from $414.2 QoQ. This YoY revenue growth was also much stronger than in Q3 2024 at only 4.2% . If we look at it per segment, HESM showed a stronger performance across all segments YoY and QoQ. One aspect to consider is its increased gas throughput volumes. Note that the natural gas price continues to rebound from its 2023-2024 lows. Higher prices made production more profitable, which led to more midstream volumes. This remained the growth driver of HESM amid the volatility in the oil market. Throughput Volumes (HESM Q3 2025 Release ) In addition, it kept its costs and expenses manageable despite the increased operating capacity. This was impressive...
Hong Kong’s workforce lags behind regional peers in the frequent use of AI, a sluggish adoption rate that experts say is limiting pay rewards and job security even as companies prepare to trim entry-level roles. A 2025 survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) released on Thursday found that half of Hong Kong respondents were infrequent users of generative artificial intelligence (AI) at wo...
Hong Kong’s workforce lags behind regional peers in the frequent use of AI, a sluggish adoption rate that experts say is limiting pay rewards and job security even as companies prepare to trim entry-level roles. A 2025 survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) released on Thursday found that half of Hong Kong respondents were infrequent users of generative artificial intelligence (AI) at work in the past 12 months, compared with 34 per cent for the Asia-Pacific region. The data showed only 22 per cent were daily users, lagging behind the Asia-Pacific's 29 per cent. Advertisement “Technology is revolutionising work and, while AI integration is growing in Hong Kong, its potential is underutilised as the Hong Kong workforce is still catching up on gen AI and agentic AI usage,” Michael Cheng, workforce lead partner at PwC Hong Kong, said. AI agents are technologies capable of performing multi-step processes, such as scheduling a meeting with many participants, using little human input. Advertisement Only 19 per cent of local respondents attributed a salary increase to AI in the last 12 months, far below Asia-Pacific’s 46 per cent. Likewise, just 24 per cent of Hong Kong workers said AI had increased their job security in the last 12 months, compared with 52 per cent in the region.
Firn/iStock via Getty Images Foreword This article is based on three Barron's Weekly articles revealing 74 select stocks for the NewYear 2026. You can check those articles here , here , and here (by Lauren R. Rublin). Roundtable Panelists & Picks Barron's NewYear 2026 Roundtable panelists and their stock picks for this article: Source: Barrons.com Any collection of stocks is more clearly understoo...
Firn/iStock via Getty Images Foreword This article is based on three Barron's Weekly articles revealing 74 select stocks for the NewYear 2026. You can check those articles here , here , and here (by Lauren R. Rublin). Roundtable Panelists & Picks Barron's NewYear 2026 Roundtable panelists and their stock picks for this article: Source: Barrons.com Any collection of stocks is more clearly understood when subjected to this yield-based (dog catcher) analysis; these Barron's NewYear 2025 Pro Picks are perfect for the dogcatcher process. Here is the January 26 updated YCharts data: 55 stocks, of which 11 are "safer" and two of which live up to the dogcatcher 'ideal' in this collection. These complete the Barron's NewYear Round Table 2026 Pro-Picks collection. January 2026 shows two glimmers of light from the Barron's Roundtable stocks emerging as dogcatcher "safer" ideal candidates. They were Annaly Capital Management ( NLY ), Rogers Communications ( RCI ). Actionable Conclusions (1-10): Brokers Estimated Top-Ten Barron's Round Table NewYear 2026 Picks Could Net 11.18% to 40.47% Gains By January 2027 Four of the top ten Barron's NewYear 2026 Pro-Picks by-yield (tinted in the chart below) were also top gainers for the coming year based on analyst 1-year targets. Thus, the top yield dog strategy for this group, as graded by analyst estimates for this month, proved 40% accurate. Estimated dividend-returns from $1000 invested in each of the highest-yielding stocks and their aggregate one-year analyst median-target prices, as reported by YCharts, created the 2026-27 data points. However, one-year target-prices by less-than two analysts were not counted. The resulting-ten probable best-profit-generating 2026 Barron's NewYear Pro Picks projected to January 16, 2027, by that reckoning, were: Source: YCharts.com Dell Technologies ( DELL ) netted $404.65 based on the median of target estimates from 25 analysts, less broker fees. The Beta number showed this estimate subject to risk...
Brent crude futures hit $70 a barrel for the first time since September after US President Donald Trump warned Iran to make a nuclear deal or face military strikes. The global benchmark rose as much as 2.3%. In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said that US ships he ordered to the region were ready to fulfill their mission “with speed and violence, if necessary.” Crude has rallied so far in ...
Brent crude futures hit $70 a barrel for the first time since September after US President Donald Trump warned Iran to make a nuclear deal or face military strikes. The global benchmark rose as much as 2.3%. In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said that US ships he ordered to the region were ready to fulfill their mission “with speed and violence, if necessary.” Crude has rallied so far in 2026, countering expectations for a market pressured by significant oversupply. Instead, geopolitical tensions from Iran to Venezuela and major supply disruption in Kazakhstan have helped to bolster prices.
Elon Musk , ever attuned to the political zeitgeist, has updated Tesla Inc. ’s mission to “amazing abundance.” It is the kind of hyperbole beloved of investors in the company he runs. Before the amazing variety arrives, however, another type of abundance was announced on Wednesday evening’s earnings call: Tesla’s investment budget will more than double. For the bulls, Tesla is finally unleashing i...
Elon Musk , ever attuned to the political zeitgeist, has updated Tesla Inc. ’s mission to “amazing abundance.” It is the kind of hyperbole beloved of investors in the company he runs. Before the amazing variety arrives, however, another type of abundance was announced on Wednesday evening’s earnings call: Tesla’s investment budget will more than double. For the bulls, Tesla is finally unleashing its financial firepower to own the future of autonomous vehicles, robots and artificial intelligence. Yet the news came alongside weak fourth-quarter results and the bombshell announcement that Tesla is investing about $2 billion in xAI, Musk’s own artificial intelligence venture. Amid all the plans and targets thrown out on the call, the one certainty is that Tesla will burn a lot of cash this year. The financial results themselves were messy and underwhelming. The closely watched metric of auto gross profit margin, adjusted for regulatory credits, came in at 17.9% — surprisingly high given a collapse in vehicle deliveries, even factoring in foreign exchange gains. Tesla’s energy business performed well, although gross profit was essentially flat with the third quarter. In any case, none of this seeming strength trickled down. Tesla’s overall operating margin fell to just 5.7%. “Other” costs, possibly reflecting swings in crypto values, soared. Fourth-quarter GAAP earnings slumped by 60%, year over year. None of which matters, of course. Tesla’s stock is determined less by reported numbers, more by a complex, if nebulous, function that multiplies planned initiatives with the level of faith in Musk. Both factors are high. Musk announced that Tesla will retire two of its premium priced, and oldest, models, the S and X, next quarter — an acknowledgement of sliding sales, perhaps, but cast as symbolizing the company’s shift toward fully autonomous vehicles such as Cybercabs. Production of those is planned to begin by the end of June. Tesla also plans to unveil its third-generat...
Getty Images Market Environment Global equities finished higher during the quarter with 10 of 11 GICS sectors posting positive returns. By sector, health care and financials contributed the most to market performance while real estate was the sole detractor. By country, the U.S. and Canada contributed the most to market returns while Australia and New Zealand were the sole detractors. Performance ...
Getty Images Market Environment Global equities finished higher during the quarter with 10 of 11 GICS sectors posting positive returns. By sector, health care and financials contributed the most to market performance while real estate was the sole detractor. By country, the U.S. and Canada contributed the most to market returns while Australia and New Zealand were the sole detractors. Performance highlights Contributors Bayer IQVIA Holdings DSV Detractors Alibaba Group Charter Communications Cl A CNH Industrial Portfolio Performance The portfolio’s return was 5.04% (net) for the reporting period. This compares to the MSCI World Index that returned 3.12% for the same period. Top contributors: Bayer ( BAYZF ) was a contributor during the quarter. Two anticipated events developed in the company’s favor. First, Bayer enjoyed a positive readout on the company’s stroke drug, Asundexian, which met its primary endpoint in a recent phase III trial. Asundexian has the potential to be a blockbuster and support a return to growth for the Pharmaceuticals business, in our opinion. Second, the United States Solicitor General recommended that the Supreme Court hear Bayer’s appeal in Durnell v. Monsanto, increasing the odds that the RoundUp matter is heard by the Court. Both events support our investment thesis for Bayer as management works to turn around fundamental performance and contain litigation risk. IQVIA Holdings ( IQV ) was a contributor during the quarter. The U.S.-headquartered provider of analytics, solutions, and clinical research services saw its stock price appreciate as it delivered inline third-quarter earnings that were supplemented by what we view as optimistic commentary about the macroeconomic backdrop. Customer demand appears to be improving, and we believe IQVIA is well-positioned to sustain this momentum in the next year. DSV ( DSDVF ) was a contributor during the quarter. The Denmark-headquartered air freight and logistics company’s stock price rose as it d...
Both companies are betting AI can boost their software businesses. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming many industries, including the software sector. According to Goldman Sachs, "(C)omputing is evolving from static, hard-coded logic to outcome-based assistants." This new paradigm sees software taking action to help users achieve their goals. One field where AI is expected to deliver dras...
Both companies are betting AI can boost their software businesses. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming many industries, including the software sector. According to Goldman Sachs, "(C)omputing is evolving from static, hard-coded logic to outcome-based assistants." This new paradigm sees software taking action to help users achieve their goals. One field where AI is expected to deliver drastic change is design software. Two companies in the crosshairs are Figma (FIG +5.62%) and Adobe (ADBE +0.69%). The former is a newly public company that had its initial public offering (IPO) to much fanfare last July. The latter is an industry veteran that was set to acquire Figma a few years ago until European regulators sank the deal over antitrust concerns. AI can either help these companies succeed, or AI's ability to create impressive visuals with merely a prompt could threaten their businesses. To evaluate the situation and decide which is a better investment, here's a closer look at Adobe's and Figma's approaches to AI. Adobe's AI adoption Can artificial intelligence make Adobe's design software irrelevant? It's too early to tell, but the possibility exists now that AI lets anyone easily create images, videos, and other content without the need for separate software. This was enough to rattle Wall Street's confidence in the company's economic moat, contributing to a share price drop of more than 30% during the past 12 months. For Adobe, the path forward is centered on folding AI into its offerings in a way that's compelling to customers. To that end, the company is pursuing several avenues to weave AI into its software stack. This includes integrating with more than 25 different AI models, as well as launching the company's proprietary AI platform, Firefly, which was built with Adobe-owned images, along with public domain and openly licensed content to avoid copyright issues. Firefly delivers AI across Adobe's software suite, including Photoshop and Illustrator. Expa...