Hungary’s economy expanded less than expected in the final quarter of last year as a prolonged slump in industrial production persisted, data showed on Friday. Gross domestic product increased 0.2% from the third quarter, the statistics office said. That compared with a median estimate of 0.5% in a Bloomberg survey. The economy expanded just an annual 0.4% in the whole of last year. The data added...
Hungary’s economy expanded less than expected in the final quarter of last year as a prolonged slump in industrial production persisted, data showed on Friday. Gross domestic product increased 0.2% from the third quarter, the statistics office said. That compared with a median estimate of 0.5% in a Bloomberg survey. The economy expanded just an annual 0.4% in the whole of last year. The data added to recent indicators which continue to show Prime Minister Viktor Orban struggling to jumpstart the economy just weeks before April’s pivotal parliamentary elections, even after boosting pre-ballot spending. Read more: Hungary Business Confidence Drops as Orban’s Stimulus Falls Flat In the fourth quarter, there was growth in services, especially in the financial and insurance sectors and commerce, as well as construction. That was offset however by the shrinking industrial activity, the statistics office said. Industrial output has contracted every month for the past three years except for one month of expansion in February of 2024.
Trump says he will announce his Federal Reserve chair nominee on Friday morning toggle caption Allison Robbert/AP President Donald Trump said he plans to announce his choice for chairman of the Federal Reserve on Friday morning, a long-awaited decision that could set up a showdown on whether the U.S. central bank preserves its independence from the White House and electoral politics. For the past ...
Trump says he will announce his Federal Reserve chair nominee on Friday morning toggle caption Allison Robbert/AP President Donald Trump said he plans to announce his choice for chairman of the Federal Reserve on Friday morning, a long-awaited decision that could set up a showdown on whether the U.S. central bank preserves its independence from the White House and electoral politics. For the past year, the president has aggressively attacked Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term as the head of the U.S. central bank ends in May. Trump maintains that Powell should cut the Fed's benchmark interest rates more drastically to fuel faster economic growth, while the Fed chair has taken a far more judicious approach in the wake of Trump's tariffs because inflation is already elevated. Sponsor Message "I'll be announcing the Fed chair tomorrow morning," Trump told reporters Thursday night as he went into a screening of the documentary "Melania" about his wife. "It's going to be, somebody that is very respected, somebody that's known to everybody in the financial world. And I think it's going to be a very good choice. I hope so." Trump stayed relatively cryptic about his pick. His search was led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with four known finalists: Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor; Christopher Waller, a current Fed governor; Rick Rieder, an executive with the financial firm BlackRock; and Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council. Trump previously suggested Hassett was the frontrunner, only to recently say that he wanted him to remain in his current post. Trump did say on Thursday night that "a lot of people think that this is somebody that could have been there a few years ago," fueling speculation that he had chosen Warsh, who was a finalist in the 2017 search for Fed chair that led to Powell's selection. Tensions between Trump and the central bank had been steadily mounting as the president used the renovation costs of the Fed's headquart...
In this episode of Motley Fool Money, analyst Emily Flippen is joined by analyst Sanmeet Deo and contributor Jason Hall to break down what has caused the rebound in fast-casual restaurant stocks, how consumer tastes have changed, and if fast-casual stocks are set up for continued strong performance in the year ahead. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podc...
In this episode of Motley Fool Money, analyst Emily Flippen is joined by analyst Sanmeet Deo and contributor Jason Hall to break down what has caused the rebound in fast-casual restaurant stocks, how consumer tastes have changed, and if fast-casual stocks are set up for continued strong performance in the year ahead. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you're ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy. 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 » A full transcript is below. Where to invest $1,000 right now When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor’s total average return is 950%* — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 197% for the S&P 500. They just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of January 30, 2026. This podcast was recorded on Jan. 19, 2026. Emily Flippen: Fast casual stocks were smoked in 2025, but things have started to look up in the new year. We're digging into whether or not this is a real turnaround for food today on Motley Fool Money. Today is Tuesday, January 20th. Welcome to Motley Fool Money. I'm your host in Life Flipping, and today I'm joined by Fool analysts Sanmeet Deo and Jason Hall to discuss the rebound in fast casual stocks, what's been driving it, and what consumer trade down behavior means for the category in the year ahead. Now, it's no surprise, but 2025 was a rough year for fast casual stocks Wingstop, Chipotle, Cava, and Sweetgreen, all lost double digit amounts of value in the year 15, 37, 47, and 78% of their value, respectively. Obviously, that's a combination of concerns around valuation, trade downs for budget conscious shoppers, inflation, changing cons...
Hyperscalers are expected to spend $500 billion on AI- related capital expenditures in 2026. According to FactSet Research, artificial intelligence (AI) developers are set to spend $500 billion on infrastructure this year. Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and OpenAI aren't slowing their AI buildouts. This means investors should be prepared to see continued acceleratio...
Hyperscalers are expected to spend $500 billion on AI- related capital expenditures in 2026. According to FactSet Research, artificial intelligence (AI) developers are set to spend $500 billion on infrastructure this year. Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and OpenAI aren't slowing their AI buildouts. This means investors should be prepared to see continued acceleration in data center construction and chip procurement throughout 2026. Below, I'll break down my top two AI semiconductor stocks for 2026 set to benefit from the infrastructure tailwinds. Spoiler alert: Nvidia didn't make the cut. 1. Broadcom When it comes to data centers, Broadcom (AVGO 0.65%) is a name that often gets overshadowed by the pure-play chip designers like Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices. Smart investors understand that discounting Broadcom's role in the AI infrastructure value chain is a big mistake, though. Expand NASDAQ : AVGO Broadcom Today's Change ( -0.65 %) $ -2.17 Current Price $ 331.07 Key Data Points Market Cap $1.6T Day's Range $ 320.28 - $ 335.96 52wk Range $ 138.10 - $ 414.61 Volume 755K Avg Vol 30M Gross Margin 64.71 % Dividend Yield 0.73 % Think of Broadcom as the digital plumbing that keeps AI data centers up and running. While everyone else talks about GPUs, Broadcom supplies the networking gear, switches, and interconnects that keep AI workloads flowing across chip clusters. In addition, many of the hyperscalers are exploring the idea of complementing their GPU stacks with custom architectures of their own. Broadcom helps design these custom silicon solutions with a number of high-profile developers, including Alphabet, Apple, ByteDance, and Meta. Considering nearly 100% of analysts covering the stock rate it a buy, in combination with a steeply discounted valuation based on forward earnings estimates, Broadcom looks like a no-brainer opportunity to buy and hold for the ongoing AI infrastructure boom. 2. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Taiwan...
Key Points Rising infrastructure spend bodes well for the semiconductor industry. While GPUs remain an important cornerstone of AI development, smart investors are looking beyond the obvious opportunities. As more data centers are built, companies will need to complement their GPU clusters with additional products and services. 10 stocks we like better than Broadcom › According to FactSet Research...
Key Points Rising infrastructure spend bodes well for the semiconductor industry. While GPUs remain an important cornerstone of AI development, smart investors are looking beyond the obvious opportunities. As more data centers are built, companies will need to complement their GPU clusters with additional products and services. 10 stocks we like better than Broadcom › According to FactSet Research, artificial intelligence (AI) developers are set to spend $500 billion on infrastructure this year. Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and OpenAI aren't slowing their AI buildouts. This means investors should be prepared to see continued acceleration in data center construction and chip procurement throughout 2026. Below, I'll break down my top two AI semiconductor stocks for 2026 set to benefit from the infrastructure tailwinds. Spoiler alert: Nvidia didn't make the cut. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » 1. Broadcom When it comes to data centers, Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) is a name that often gets overshadowed by the pure-play chip designers like Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices. Smart investors understand that discounting Broadcom's role in the AI infrastructure value chain is a big mistake, though. Think of Broadcom as the digital plumbing that keeps AI data centers up and running. While everyone else talks about GPUs, Broadcom supplies the networking gear, switches, and interconnects that keep AI workloads flowing across chip clusters. In addition, many of the hyperscalers are exploring the idea of complementing their GPU stacks with custom architectures of their own. Broadcom helps design these custom silicon solutions with a number of high-profile developers, including Alphabet, Apple, ByteDance, and Meta. Considering nearly 100% of analysts covering the stock rate it a buy, in combination with a steeply discounted valuation based on forward ...
China’s government spending fell short of plans in the budget for the seventh straight year in 2025, giving Beijing more fiscal firepower if the economy comes under pressure. The government spent a total of 40 trillion yuan ($5.8 trillion) last year under its two main budgets — the general public account and the government-managed fund book , according to Bloomberg calculations based on data relea...
China’s government spending fell short of plans in the budget for the seventh straight year in 2025, giving Beijing more fiscal firepower if the economy comes under pressure. The government spent a total of 40 trillion yuan ($5.8 trillion) last year under its two main budgets — the general public account and the government-managed fund book , according to Bloomberg calculations based on data released by the Ministry of Finance on Friday. That’s about 5% less than envisaged early last year. The restraint highlights how Beijing is trying to balance support for the economy with efforts to curb local borrowing risks. The last time China spent more than planned was in 2018 during the first trade war with the US during Donald Trump ’s first presidency. Expenditure climbed almost 4% from a year earlier, exceeding broad government revenue by 12.7 trillion yuan — a new record deficit. However, the increase in spending wasn’t fully used to prop up economic growth as a large chunk of the money went toward refinancing off-balance-sheet borrowing by local governments. With exports expected to stay resilient in the months ahead, the government may expand outlays only modestly this year as it struggles to boost revenue while continuing the campaign to defuse concerns about the debt amassed by provinces. Chinese Rebound in Consumer Prices Masks Deflationary Risk Ahead China’s Economic Momentum Weakens Despite Meeting 5% Growth Goal PBOC’s Leanest Year for Easing Since 2021 Defies Wall Street Xi’s Export Machine Gets Lift From US Move to Strongarm Allies Broad spending picked up in the first half of last year as the authorities rushed to prop up domestic demand in anticipation of setbacks to exports from Trump’s tariffs. But expenditure decelerated later into the year — leading investment and consumption to cool — after strong foreign shipments to other markets more than offset a slump in sales to the US. A tariff truce reached with the Trump administration in October further decrea...