Getty Images Introduction Netflix ( NFLX ) has been the center of attention for the past month or so, mainly due to their pending acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ). This is partly due to the bidding war between them and nemesis Paramount Skydance Corp. ( PSKY ), which has been trying its hardest to acquire WBD. As a result, Netflix has amended the acquisition terms and has made a revised offer to acquire WBD using all cash. This is expected to expedite the acquisition and sweeten the deal for WBD shareholders. The streaming giant NFLX has also increased its borrowing capacity and looks to secure the deal sooner than expected. I remain bullish on NFLX either way, but I do think the streaming giant will eventually close the deal. After their recent Q4 earnings, NFLX continued to sell off, reaching a new 52-week low near $80 a share. Whether the sell-off is a valuation concern or due to uncertainty, I believe the stock is oversold and now consider it a strong buy. Previous Buy Thesis I last covered Netflix in December, assigning the stock a buy rating and opening a position after the 10-for-1 stock split in November. Already a high-growth stock, the WBD acquisition was expected to be accretive by the second year and add established franchises from HBO Max. Despite my buy rating, I warned of share price volatility due to regulatory scrutiny, hostile takeover bids, and increased leverage. As a result, I assumed NFLX would likely halt buybacks, resulting in a potential slowdown in growth. NFLX also offered double-digit upside to their price target of $134. Since volatility has ensued with the stock down close to 14% in comparison to the S&P ( SP500 ), up close to 1%. Seeking Alpha Mr. Market Wasn't Impressed Netflix reported their Q4 earnings to close out the year last week in what I thought was a solid report despite the sell-off. EPS of $0.56 managed to beat analysts' estimates by $0.01, while their top line beat by $80 million. Revenue amounted to $12.05 bil...

is a senior policy reporter at The Verge, covering the intersection of Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill. She spent 5 years covering tech policy at CNBC, writing about antitrust, privacy, and content moderation reform. Over the next year, top social media executives are expected to take the witness stand to defend their companies from an avalanche of claims about their failure to protect kids. The first of many trials is set to begin this month in California, when Meta, TikTok, and YouTube face claims that tech addiction harmed a teenager’s mental health. This case is just the tip of the legal iceberg. It kicks off one of two sets of so-called bellwether trials, where judges will hear a selection of cases that represent similar claims, whose outcomes will likely inform settlement amounts for the remaining cases. There are still thousands more cases behind them. They’re significant both because they’ve managed a rare feat of overcoming Section 230 objections — which protect online platforms from being held liable for their users’ speech — to reach a full trial phase, and because of the evidence they could reveal regarding what social media platforms knew and did — or didn’t do — about the harms they could cause kids. “When we started doing this work, it was a given that we could not even get past a motion to dismiss,” Matthew Bergman, the founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, which represents the plaintiff in the first of the trials taking place this month, said at a recent briefing. “The simple fact that a social media company is going to have to stand trial before a jury and account for its design decisions is unprecedented in American jurisprudence. This has never happened before.” “This has never happened before” All of the companies named in the cases — Meta, Google’s YouTube, TikTok, and Snap — say they have robust policies to keep kids safe online. “Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work,” YouTube spo...

Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, July 24, 2025 at 9 a.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Mark Hardwick President — Michael Stewart Chief Financial Officer — Michele Kawiecki Chief Credit Officer — John Martin Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Net Income -- $56.4 million, up $17 million or 43% as improved credit quality lowered provision expense. -- $56.4 million, up $17 million or 43% as improved credit quality lowered provision expense. Earnings Per Share -- $0.98 for the quarter and $1.92 year-to-date, representing a $0.44 or 30% increase for the first half. -- $0.98 for the quarter and $1.92 year-to-date, representing a $0.44 or 30% increase for the first half. Annualized Loan Growth -- 9.1% for the quarter, with year-to-date loan growth of $430 million, or 9% annualized. -- 9.1% for the quarter, with year-to-date loan growth of $430 million, or 9% annualized. Commercial Loan Growth -- $262 million in the quarter, over 10% annualized, driven by CapEx financing, revolver usage, M&A, and new business conversion. -- $262 million in the quarter, over 10% annualized, driven by CapEx financing, revolver usage, M&A, and new business conversion. Consumer Loan Growth -- $36 million increase in the quarter, led by residential mortgage, HELOC, and private banking. -- $36 million increase in the quarter, led by residential mortgage, HELOC, and private banking. Total Deposit Growth -- $347 million in the commercial segment, while consumer deposits declined. -- $347 million in the commercial segment, while consumer deposits declined. Non-Maturity Deposit Balances -- Increased by $108 million year-to-date, marked as lowest cost deposit category. -- Increased by $108 million year-to-date, marked as lowest cost deposit category. Net Interest Income -- Increased $2.8 million quarter over quarter, with total of $139.2 million on a fully tax-equivalent basis. -- Increased $2.8 million quarter over quarter, with total of...

美国 11 月主要制造业资本品新订单增幅超出市场预期，这一数据表明，企业在设备方面的支出于第四季度保持了稳定的增长势头。 美国商务部人口普查局于周一公布，作为衡量企业支出的关键指标， 不含飞机的非国防类核心资本品订单 继 10 月增幅下修至 0.3% 后，11 月环比上涨 0.7%。 此前路透社调查的经济学家曾预测，该核心资本品订单在 10 月公布增幅为 0.5% 的基础上，11 月环比增长 0.3%。与此同时，核心资本品出货量在 10 月增长 0.8% 后，11 月环比上涨 0.4%。 这份报告的发布曾因美国联邦政府持续 43 天的停摆而推迟。而就在此前一周，已有数据显示美国 10 月和 11 月的消费者支出表现强劲。亚特兰大联邦储备银行预计，美国第四季度国内生产总值（GDP）年化增长率将达到 5.4%。 受消费者支出增加以及贸易逆差收窄的推动，美国经济在第三季度（7-9 月）实现了 4.4% 的增速。其中，企业设备投资也为这一三年来最快的经济增速贡献了力量。 责任编辑：郭明煜

The Digital Dragnet: How a Palantir-Powered Tool Taps U.S. Medicaid Data for Immigration Enforcement WebProNews

Tim Boyle/Getty Images News Abbott Laboratories ( ABT ) Chairman and CEO Robert Ford purchased 18.8K of company stock recently with a value of just over $2M. An SEC filing shows the purchase was made Jan. 23 with a weighted average stock price of $107.1259. The acquisition went into the Ford Family Trust. With the latest purchase, the trust now owns ~216.2K shares, while Ford directly owns ~253.3K. More on Abbott Laboratories Abbott Laboratories: Double-Digit Earnings Growth Makes It A Buy Abbott Laboratories: The Market's Overreaction Is The Long-Term Investor's Opportunity Abbott Laboratories: Buy This Dividend King On Sale Now Notable healthcare headlines for the week: J&J, Moderna, Bristol Myers in focus Abbott projects 7% organic sales growth and 10% EPS rise for 2026 as Nutrition pivots to volume recovery

Micron stock falls after Samsung nears HBM4 certification for Nvidia Investing.com

美国1月达拉斯联储商业活动指数 -1.2，预期 -8.6，前值 -10.9。

lcva2/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I'm Lifting MSFT From "Hold" Back To "Buy" Since I downgraded my rating on Microsoft Corporation ( MSFT ) from Buy to Hold in July 2025, the stock dropped by around 6% amid the S&P 500's ( SP500 ) surge of about 11%, so I think my call has already proved to be right. Seeking Alpha, my coverage of MSFT stock However, MSFT's recent lag behind most other Mag 7 companies in terms of price action performance started to look unsustainable, especially as we move pretty close to the earnings release date ( January 28 ). In other words, if MSFT beats fiscal Q2 2026 expectations by a similar amount to what it did throughout 2025, I believe the stock is likely to revive and get repriced as the 2026-2028 catalysts start to get reflected, changing the market's narrative around the company's growth story. The multiple contraction that has taken place in recent months makes MSFT one of the cheapest trillion-dollar companies in the world right now, so the upside potential and repricing opportunity seem to have a solid base to lean on. I'm upgrading MSFT to Buy a couple of days before it reports for its fiscal Q2. Why Do I Think So? Microsoft is going to report for its fiscal Q2 2026 on Wednesday (01/28/2026), after the market closes, and the Street expects to see $3.92 in adjusted EPS (+21.27% YoY) and $80.28 billion in sales (+15.29% YoY) for the quarter. The midpoint of the management's guidance stands at $80.05 billion (+14.96% YoY), so the consensus is implying only a $230 million premium on the top line. Based on the management's OPEX expectations, the EBIT margin should come in with no YoY changes, but be slightly down on a QoQ basis. So, the sequential change in today's EPS consensus that shows a -5% (but +21.27% YoY) looks understandable to me. Starting with the total company, we expect revenue of $79.5 billion to $80.6 billion or growth of 14% to 16%. We expect COGS of $26.35 billion to $26.55 billion or growth of 21% to 22%. And ope...

lcva2/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I'm Lifting MSFT From "Hold" Back To "Buy" Since I downgraded my rating on Microsoft Corporation ( MSFT ) from Buy to Hold in July 2025, the stock dropped by around 6% amid the S&P 500's ( SP500 ) surge of about 11%, so I think my call has already proved to be right. Seeking Alpha, my coverage of MSFT stock However, MSFT's recent lag behind most other Mag 7 companies in terms of price action performance started to look unsustainable, especially as we move pretty close to the earnings release date ( January 28 ). In other words, if MSFT beats fiscal Q2 2026 expectations by a similar amount to what it did throughout 2025, I believe the stock is likely to revive and get repriced as the 2026-2028 catalysts start to get reflected, changing the market's narrative around the company's growth story. The multiple contraction that has taken place in recent months makes MSFT one of the cheapest trillion-dollar companies in the world right now, so the upside potential and repricing opportunity seem to have a solid base to lean on. I'm upgrading MSFT to Buy a couple of days before it reports for its fiscal Q2. Why Do I Think So? Microsoft is going to report for its fiscal Q2 2026 on Wednesday (01/28/2026), after the market closes, and the Street expects to see $3.92 in adjusted EPS (+21.27% YoY) and $80.28 billion in sales (+15.29% YoY) for the quarter. The midpoint of the management's guidance stands at $80.05 billion (+14.96% YoY), so the consensus is implying only a $230 million premium on the top line. Based on the management's OPEX expectations, the EBIT margin should come in with no YoY changes, but be slightly down on a QoQ basis. So, the sequential change in today's EPS consensus that shows a -5% (but +21.27% YoY) looks understandable to me. Starting with the total company, we expect revenue of $79.5 billion to $80.6 billion or growth of 14% to 16%. We expect COGS of $26.35 billion to $26.55 billion or growth of 21% to 22%. And ope...

With France defending their title, Ireland trying to regain the crown they won in 2023 and 2024 and England on an 11-match winning streak, Scotland are flying firmly under the radar heading into the Six Nations. With arguably the strongest and deepest squad they have ever assembled in the professional era, the Scots have been many people's dark horses in recent years, but not this time. Having finished fourth in the past two campaigns, and coming off a dispiriting autumn series, not many are expecting Gregor Townsend's side to make a serious charge at a first title since the final edition of the Five Nations back in 1999. In the wake of a disappointing November, in which Scotland blew a golden chance for an historic first victory over the All Blacks and crumbled from 21-0 up to lose to Argentina, captain Sione Tuipulotu refused to set any targets for the Six Nations, conscious that any statements of intent could be used as a stick to beat him and his team should they fall short once again.

格隆汇1月26日｜贝莱德的Ursula Marchioni表示，2025年市场对专注于欧洲股票的交易所交易(ETF)产品的需求非常强劲，一年内吸引了相当于十年的资金流入。身为全球最大资产管理公司EMEA投资和投资组合解决方案主管的Marchioni在接受采访时表示，这些基金去年吸引了920亿美元的资金，接近2014年至2024年间累计获得的940亿美元。资金流动凸显出投资者对欧洲股票日益增长的需求，他们正在寻求美国以外的投资机会。在美国，创纪录的涨势主要由少数受益于人工智能繁荣的股票推动。Marchioni说：“去年我们看到了大规模的交易回流。人们希望分散投资，继续参与人工智能贸易和美国市场，但同时又希望获得某种形式的保护。”鉴于德国等政府加大支出，人们对欧洲经济前景持乐观态度。数据显示，分析师预计今年斯托克600指数的利润将增长约10%，而之前2025年的增长为零。

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Morgan Stanley analysts said Advanced Micro Devices and Costco Wholesale are among their highest-conviction ideas for the fourth-quarter earnings season. Of the 13% of S & P 500 companies that have reported results as of Jan. 23, 75% have reported a positive earnings surprise, according to data from FactSet. The same data indicates that 69% have posted revenue that exceeded consensus estimates. In a Friday note to clients, Morgan Stanley said it expects an above-average fourth-quarter earnings beat rate for the S & P 500. The bank highlighted a basket of stocks that could see meaningful upside after results are posted. Some names from this list are included below: Semiconductor stock Advanced Micro Devices will report its earnings next Tuesday after market close. Morgan Stanley's $260 price target is slightly above the stock's Friday close of $259.68. "We see AMD as the primary beneficiary of an increasingly tight environment for CPUs, especially in server, which will be the primary driver of near term EPS upside. And with core business earnings power improving quickly there could be room for more further multiple expansion on a renewed SOTP investment narrative," wrote analyst Joseph Moore. Moore added that he expects very strong quarterly results thanks to a robust server microprocessor market. Simultaneously, Intel's manufacturing limitations should further boost material share gains for Advanced Micro Devices. Shares of Advanced Micro Devices have surged 111% in the past year. Wholesale retailer Costco was another name on the list. The stock has added 5% over the past 12 months. Analyst Simeon Gutman's $1,130 price target implies that shares could rally 15% from here. Gutman wrote that the stock has a favorable setup heading into the year, and expects sales and earnings to reaccelerate and outperform consensus estimates. "COST stock has underperformed during CY'25 (with a total return of negative -5%), as its U.S. comps ex gas have decelerated from a +9.2% in Ja...

His last words, spoken to a woman who had been tackled to the ground and pepper-sprayed by nearby ICE agents, were “Are you OK?” Alex Pretti was an intensive care nurse at a VA hospital; those who knew him recalled, among other things, his devotion to his elderly dog, Joule, who died about a year ago. In bystander videos taken of Pretti’s death, he can be seen holding up his phone to video ICE agents operating in Minneapolis, and waving cars around him to avoid the officers as they attack other onlookers. After he is dragged away from the woman he was trying to help, a gaggle of ICE officers surround Pretti and force him to the ground, beating and restraining him there as he struggles to free himself. At least 10 shots appear to be fired within the span of five seconds. Pretti is splayed motionless on the asphalt. “What the fuck, they killed him,” a bystander’s voice can be heard screaming in one of several videos of the incident. “Did they fucking kill that guy?” Like his fellow Minneapolis resident Renee Good, who was also killed by ICE this month, Alex Pretti was 37. Trump administration and border patrol officials immediately sought to cast Pretti, like Good, as a villain. After the US senator from Minnesota Amy Klobuchar posted on X about Pretti’s killing, saying: “Donald Trump and all your lieutenants who ordered this ICE surge: watch the horrific video of the killing today,” Stephen Miller, the senior White House official, replied saying: “A domestic terrorist tried to assassinate federal law enforcement and this is your response?” Miller provided zero evidence for the terrorism label or for the assassination attempt claims. Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, also described Pretti, a nurse, as a “domestic terrorist” without providing evidence. Meanwhile the border patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who wears an olive-green greatcoat that German media outlets liken to a “Nazi uniform”, said it “looks like” Pretti “wanted to do max...

rarrarorro/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Union Bankshares ( UNB ) is the holding company of Vermont-based Union Bank. This is a small local bank with just 18 branches. The bank has a 135-year history, and one of its key features is the very robust loan book with barely any loans past due. It also pays a dividend of 36 cents per quarter , making it an attractive dividend payer as well. Data by YCharts Summarizing the Q4 Results Although the bank hasn’t published its detailed financials for Q4 2025 yet, it has provided a breakdown of its earnings. As per the trading update, Union Bankshares reported a net profit of $2.7M in the final quarter , which is a 10% decrease compared to the $3M in net income generated in the final quarter of the previous financial year. The lower performance was predominantly caused by higher non-interest expenses, but the bank didn’t mention if the non-interest expenses will remain at an elevated level. But considering there was a rather sharp increase in salaries and wages and employee benefits, I am operating under the assumption the non-interest expenses will indeed at least remain at the current level. Taking a Step Back to Have a Look at the Loan Book Although we still have to wait to see the detailed financial statements for the final quarter, I wanted to take a step back and take a look at the Q3 2025 balance sheet and results to have a better understanding of the bank’s strategy and the quality of its loan book. As you can see below, the balance sheet contained $1.57B in assets at the end of September. Only $35M was held in cash, but the bank also has $260M in securities available for sale. I am, of course, very interested in the $1.17B loan book, and why the bank has consistently been able to keep the loan loss provisions low. UNB Investor Relations As you can see below, a substantial portion of the loan book was invested in residential mortgages, which make up almost 40% of the loan book. Commercial real estate also plays an...

A combination of high and improving returns on equity and low or declining price/earnings ratios make the case for several major industry players.

SoundHound AI operates in a sector that Wall Street is excited about, but that's not enough to make any stock a buy. I'm a dividend investor, so I could easily just say I wouldn't touch SoundHound AI (SOUN 2.52%) with a 10-foot pole because it doesn't pay a dividend. However, there's actually more to the story than just that simple fact. Indeed, there are plenty of other reasons why investors should be leery of buying SoundHound AI even though its voice-based artificial intelligence (AI) services are quite interesting. Here are a few for you to consider before you get caught up in the AI gold rush. 1. SoundHound AI doesn't make money Thanks to my dividend focus, I don't own many tech stocks. However, I do own International Business Machines and Texas Instruments. They both have long streaks of annual dividend increases. And I bought them each while their dividend yields were historically high. There's something else they both have, however, and that's earnings. They are established and substantial businesses that are highly profitable. SoundHound AI isn't profitable, and there's no telling when it will be, given the capital investment arms race taking shape in the artificial intelligence space. 2. AI is all the rage Emotionally driven investors often take exciting investment themes and run with them way too far. Artificial intelligence is likely to change the world, but not every AI stock will be a winner. It is way too soon to know which companies will end up being the Googles and which will end up being the Yahoo!s. I'm not willing to risk finding out that SoundHound's technology is outshone by a competitor's offering. Expand NASDAQ : SOUN SoundHound AI Today's Change ( -2.52 %) $ -0.26 Current Price $ 10.07 Key Data Points Market Cap $4.3B Day's Range $ 10.06 - $ 10.32 52wk Range $ 6.52 - $ 22.17 Volume 5.1M Avg Vol 28M Gross Margin 30.02 % 3. That stock price chart is shocking To be fair, SoundHound AI is likely to interest more aggressive investors than me. But...

Image source: The Motley Fool. Oct. 22, 2024 • 8:30 a.m. ET Call participants President and Chief Executive Officer — Peter Federico Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — Bernie Bell Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer — Chris Kuehl Executive Vice President, Non-Agency Portfolio — Aaron Pas Vice President, Investor Relations — Katie Turlington Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Economic return -- 9.3% economic return on tangible common equity, comprised of $0.36 in dividends and $0.42 per share, or 5%, increase in tangible net book value. -- 9.3% economic return on tangible common equity, comprised of $0.36 in dividends and $0.42 per share, or 5%, increase in tangible net book value. Dividend -- Monthly dividend held at $0.12 per common share for 55 consecutive months, indicating continued payout stability. -- Monthly dividend held at $0.12 per common share for 55 consecutive months, indicating continued payout stability. Net asset value -- Net asset value per common share increased 1.4% over the first nine months of the year. -- Net asset value per common share increased 1.4% over the first nine months of the year. Total comprehensive income -- $0.63 per share for the third quarter, providing a clear indicator of profitability. -- $0.63 per share for the third quarter, providing a clear indicator of profitability. Leverage -- Decreased to 7.2 times tangible equity at quarter-end, down from 7.4 times at the end of Q2. -- Decreased to 7.2 times tangible equity at quarter-end, down from 7.4 times at the end of Q2. Unencumbered liquidity -- $6.2 billion in unencumbered cash and Agency MBS at quarter-end, representing 68% of tangible equity, up from $5.3 billion or 65% at June 30. -- $6.2 billion in unencumbered cash and Agency MBS at quarter-end, representing 68% of tangible equity, up from $5.3 billion or 65% at June 30. Portfolio size -- Investment portfolio grew to $72.1 billion, reflecting ~...

Keir Starmer’s dismal decision to block the Greater Manchester mayor has bought him time, but it won’t change his fate Labour’s impulse for political self-harm defies belief. It is as if some enemy within guides it unerringly along the wrong strategic path. Declaring war on Andy Burnham anoints him as a northern martyr and hero, and casts Keir Starmer as a coward. Many opposed Burnham throwing down the gauntlet for all the problems it would have caused if he won. If he had run, and won, Starmer would have a choice: squeeze him python-tight within the fold, or confront any leadership manoeuvring head on. Instead, before he could show any strength, he funked it, using evasive proceduralism to block his rival from the byelection in Gorton and Denton. What timing for this decision! Starmer, along with his chancellor, business secretary and other chief allies are due to depart for China on Tuesday: his absence from PMQs, from the weekly parliamentary Labour party meeting and from TV studios is a blunder. Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

NYMEX天然气期货涨超21%，现报6.41美元/百万英热单位，1月份迄今已经累计上涨72%。

1月26日，阿里正式发布千问旗舰推理模型Qwen3-Max-Thinking，创下数项权威评测全球新纪录，性能媲美GPT-5.2、Gemini 3 Pro，成为迄今为止最接近国际顶尖模型的国内最强AI大模型。千问新模型总参数超万亿，进行了更大规模的强化学习后训练，并通过推理技术的系列创新，最终完成模型性能的大幅飞跃。在多项关键性能基准测试中，千问表现超过了GPT-5.2、Claude Opus 4.5和Gemini 3 Pro等顶尖模型，刷新全球纪录，进一步拓展了人工智能系统的推理性能边界。Qwen3-Max-Thinking还大幅增强了自主调用工具的原生Agent能力，模型可像专业人士一样边用工具边思考，回答更合用户心意、更智能、更流畅。同时，模型幻觉也大为降低，为解决真实复杂任务打下基础。（新浪财经）

Image source: The Motley Fool. Nov. 4, 2025 at 12 p.m. ET Call participants President and Chief Executive Officer — Eric Cremers Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer — Wayne Wasechek Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways PotlatchDeltic PCH 0.90% ) Total adjusted EBITDA -- $89 million, up from $52 million sequentially, mainly driven by strong real estate activity in both rural and development businesses. -- $89 million, up from $52 million sequentially, mainly driven by strong real estate activity in both rural and development businesses. Timberlands harvest volume -- 1.9 million tons, meeting the division’s third-quarter plan, with Idaho delivering its highest quarterly volume so far this year. -- 1.9 million tons, meeting the division’s third-quarter plan, with Idaho delivering its highest quarterly volume so far this year. Idaho sawlog prices -- Decreased 5% compared to the prior quarter, reflecting lower index prices partially offset by seasonal factors. -- Decreased 5% compared to the prior quarter, reflecting lower index prices partially offset by seasonal factors. Southern sawlog prices -- Increased just over 1% quarter over quarter, attributed to a higher mix of larger diameter pine and seasonal hardwood volumes in the Gulf South region. -- Increased just over 1% quarter over quarter, attributed to a higher mix of larger diameter pine and seasonal hardwood volumes in the Gulf South region. Wood products EBITDA -- Loss of $2 million versus a positive $2 million in the previous quarter, driven by a $54 per thousand board feet, or 12%, decrease in average lumber price realization. -- Loss of $2 million versus a positive $2 million in the previous quarter, driven by a $54 per thousand board feet, or 12%, decrease in average lumber price realization. Lumber shipments -- 333 million board feet, up from 303 million sequentially, with lowest average manufacturing cost per thousand board feet since the second quar...