XRP could soar higher if a new crypto summer begins. XRP (XRP 1.74%), the native token of the XRP Ledger, lost more than 40% of its value over the past 12 months. It's still a speculative altcoin that could stay volatile for the foreseeable future, but it might be worth a modest $50 bet right now for a few simple reasons. What is XRP? The founders of Ripple Labs, a fintech company that specializes...
XRP could soar higher if a new crypto summer begins. XRP (XRP 1.74%), the native token of the XRP Ledger, lost more than 40% of its value over the past 12 months. It's still a speculative altcoin that could stay volatile for the foreseeable future, but it might be worth a modest $50 bet right now for a few simple reasons. What is XRP? The founders of Ripple Labs, a fintech company that specializes in blockchain-based payments, launched XRP in 2012 after pre-minting its entire supply of 100 billion tokens. It can't be actively mined like Bitcoin (BTC +0.08%) or staked like Ethereum (ETH 3.53%). Instead, XRP is mainly used as a bridge currency to accelerate transactions across Ripple's network as a faster alternative to traditional SWIFT transfers. In 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Ripple for selling its own XRP tokens -- allegedly as unlicensed securities -- to fund its own expansion. That lawsuit caused Ripple to lose many of its top customers and drove the top crypto exchanges to delist XRP. Why is XRP worth buying again? Last August, the SEC lawsuit finally concluded with a lighter-than-expected fine for Ripple. The court also ruled that it wasn't an unlicensed security when purchased by retail investors. That ruling prompted major crypto exchanges to relist XRP, and the first spot price exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for XRP were approved and launched in late 2025. Moreover, Ripple recently submitted its application for a U.S. bank charter, and its expansion into a full-fledged bank could support increased use of XRP as a bridge currency. Ripple has already been using XRP as a bridge currency to support cross-border transactions for its own stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD +0.02%), which was launched in late 2024. The XRP Ledger has also launched a sidechain compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) for developing decentralized apps (dApps). Those connections could support the usage of XRP in more decentralized finance (DeFi) applicat...
Cotton futures are down 34 to 51 points at midday. Crude oil futures were up $0.85 per barrel on the day at $64.57. The US dollar index was back up $0.718 to $96.855. Cotton export commitments are 7.553 million RB as of 1/22, down 13% from a year ago. That is 66% of USDA’s export projection and well shy of the 84% 5-year average. Don’t Miss a Day: Thursday’s online auction from The Seam showed sal...
Cotton futures are down 34 to 51 points at midday. Crude oil futures were up $0.85 per barrel on the day at $64.57. The US dollar index was back up $0.718 to $96.855. Cotton export commitments are 7.553 million RB as of 1/22, down 13% from a year ago. That is 66% of USDA’s export projection and well shy of the 84% 5-year average. Don’t Miss a Day: Thursday’s online auction from The Seam showed sales of 57.51 cents/lb on 6,183 bales. The Cotlook A Index was steady on January 27 at 74.15 cents. ICE certified cotton stocks were unchanged on 1/29 with the certified stocks level at 8,600 bales. The Adjusted World Price was updated to 50.23 cents/lb this afternoon, down 76 points from the week prior. Mar 26 Cotton is at 63.14, down 34 points, May 26 Cotton is at 64.86, down 51 points, Jul 26 Cotton is at 66.53, down 48 points On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Lean hog futures are down 10 to 35 cents at midday. USDA’s national base hog price was reported at $83.89 on Friday morning, down 49 cents from the previous day. The CME Lean Hog Index was up another 50 cents on Jan 28 at $85.72. USDA’s pork carcass cutout value from the Friday AM report was $2.67 higher to $96.10 per cwt. The loin and ham were the only primals reported lower, with the belly up $1...
Lean hog futures are down 10 to 35 cents at midday. USDA’s national base hog price was reported at $83.89 on Friday morning, down 49 cents from the previous day. The CME Lean Hog Index was up another 50 cents on Jan 28 at $85.72. USDA’s pork carcass cutout value from the Friday AM report was $2.67 higher to $96.10 per cwt. The loin and ham were the only primals reported lower, with the belly up $11.22. USDA estimated federally inspected hog slaughter for Thursday at 495,000 head, which takes the weekly total to 1.877 million head. That is 9,000 head below last week and 56,348 head below the same week last year. Don’t Miss a Day: Feb 26 Hogs are at $87.375, down $0.325, Apr 26 Hogs are at $95.100, down $0.350 May 26 Hogs are at $99.200, down $0.100, More news from Barchart The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Soybeans are trading with 10 to 11 point losses in the front months on Friday. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price is 2 3/4 cents lower at $10.05. Soymeal futures are $3 to $3.30 lower, with Soy Oil futures 60 points lower. USDA Export Sales data for from Thursday took soybean export commitments to 33.85 MMT as of January 22, 20% below last year. That is 79% of USDA’s export estimate an...
Soybeans are trading with 10 to 11 point losses in the front months on Friday. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price is 2 3/4 cents lower at $10.05. Soymeal futures are $3 to $3.30 lower, with Soy Oil futures 60 points lower. USDA Export Sales data for from Thursday took soybean export commitments to 33.85 MMT as of January 22, 20% below last year. That is 79% of USDA’s export estimate and behind the 87% average sales pace. Don’t Miss a Day: USDA will release crush data on Monday, with traders looking for 230.4 mbu of soybeans crushed during December. Mar 26 Soybeans are at $10.62, down 10 1/4 cents, Nearby Cash is at $9.95 1/1, down 10 1/4 cents, May 26 Soybeans are at $10.75 3/4, down 10 cents, Jul 26 Soybeans are at $10.89 3/4, down 10 cents, More news from Barchart The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Wheat futures are facing midday weakness on Wednesday. Chicago SRW futures are down fractionally in the nearbys. There were 209 deliveries against May CBT wheat overnight, with 196 coming from a Marex customer. Kansas City HRW futures are down 7 to 8 cents are midday. Minneapolis spring wheat futures are down 4 to 5 cents. Wheat production data will be released in the Crop Production report on Mon...
Wheat futures are facing midday weakness on Wednesday. Chicago SRW futures are down fractionally in the nearbys. There were 209 deliveries against May CBT wheat overnight, with 196 coming from a Marex customer. Kansas City HRW futures are down 7 to 8 cents are midday. Minneapolis spring wheat futures are down 4 to 5 cents. Wheat production data will be released in the Crop Production report on Monday, with all wheat production seen at 1.885 billion bushels. Winter wheat is seen at 1.325 bbu, with HRW at 748 mbu, SRW at 342 mbu, and white winter at 234 mbu. Don’t Miss a Day: Rain is making their way out of the Southern Plains this week after some rains in KS overnight, looking drier, with the southeast looking at heavier rain totals. An Oklahoma crop tour by the Oklahoma Wheat commission estimates the states winter wheat crop at 35.9 bushel/acre and production totaling 101.169 million bushels. May 25 CBOT Wheat is at $5.19, up 4 3/4 cents, Jul 25 CBOT Wheat is at $5.35 3/4, down 1/4 cent, May 25 KCBT Wheat is at $5.24 3/4, up 4 3/4 cents, Jul 25 KCBT Wheat is at $5.30 3/4, down 7 1/4 cents, May 25 MGEX Wheat is at $6.16 1/2, unch, Jul 25 MGEX Wheat is at $6.05 3/4, down 4 3/4 cents, More news from Barchart The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Live cattle futures closed steady to 30 cents higher across the nearbys on Friday, with February down $3.825 last week. Cash trade was reported at $208 in the North, down $2-4 from last week. Southern sales are coming in at $206, down $2 from the week prior. Feeder cattle futures showed 10 to 40 cent losses on Friday, as March fell $10.825 on the week. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was down another ...
Live cattle futures closed steady to 30 cents higher across the nearbys on Friday, with February down $3.825 last week. Cash trade was reported at $208 in the North, down $2-4 from last week. Southern sales are coming in at $206, down $2 from the week prior. Feeder cattle futures showed 10 to 40 cent losses on Friday, as March fell $10.825 on the week. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was down another $2.05 from the day prior at $275.59 on February 6. Commitment of Traders data showed specs cutting back 6,535 contracts from their previous record net long position in live cattle futures and options to 150,374 contracts as of Tuesday. In feeder cattle, they were net long 28,175 contracts by February 4, a reduction of 704 contracts in that week. USDA wholesale Boxed Beef prices were lower in the Friday PM report, with the Chc/Sel spread @ $8.97. Choice boxes were down another $2.11 to $321.87/cwt, with Select $1.87 lower at $312.90. USDA estimated last week’s federally inspected cattle slaughter at 584,000 head. That was 16,000 head below last week and down 33,013 head from the same week last year. Feb 25 Live Cattle closed at $200.775, up $0.150, Apr 25 Live Cattle closed at $196.775, unch, Jun 25 Live Cattle closed at $192.100, up $0.275, Mar 25 Feeder Cattle closed at $264.900, down $0.400, Apr 25 Feeder Cattle closed at $264.825, down $0.175, May 25 Feeder Cattle closed at $263.600, down $0.100, More news from Barchart The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Corn futures are falling back lower on Friday, with contracts down 5 to 5 ½ cents in the front months at midday. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price is down 5 cents at $3.90 1/2. The outside markets are playing a role, with the dollar index up $0.703 and crude oil down 94 cents/barrel. Export Sales data now has corn commitments at 57.694 MMT, which is 33% above the same period last year...
Corn futures are falling back lower on Friday, with contracts down 5 to 5 ½ cents in the front months at midday. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price is down 5 cents at $3.90 1/2. The outside markets are playing a role, with the dollar index up $0.703 and crude oil down 94 cents/barrel. Export Sales data now has corn commitments at 57.694 MMT, which is 33% above the same period last year. That is also 71% of the USDA export projection, ahead of the 67% average sales pace. Don’t Miss a Day: Mar 26 Corn is at $4.25 3/4, down 5 cents, Nearby Cash is at $3.90 1/2, down 5 cents, May 26 Corn is at $4.33 3/4, down 5 1/4 cents, Jul 26 Corn is at $4.40 1/2, down 5 1/4 cents, More news from Barchart The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
lcva2/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Microsoft Corporation ( MSFT ) just released its Q2 FY2026 earnings , and there is a lot to take away, as highlighted by the biggest single-day drop in stock price for the tech giant since the COVID pandemic. I rated it a Buy earlier in the month and want to see how this changes the thesis. Current Dynamics I’ll first dive into the numbers, with...
lcva2/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Microsoft Corporation ( MSFT ) just released its Q2 FY2026 earnings , and there is a lot to take away, as highlighted by the biggest single-day drop in stock price for the tech giant since the COVID pandemic. I rated it a Buy earlier in the month and want to see how this changes the thesis. Current Dynamics I’ll first dive into the numbers, with revenue surging to $81.3B , up 16.8% Y/Y and beating the analyst forecast of $80.2B. On the bottom line side, Q2 Non-GAAP EPS stood at $4.14, a beat of 22 cents and again a massive surge of 24% Y/Y. Net Income GAAP was also significantly boosted by a $7.6B gain from investments in OpenAI ( OPENAI ). Diving deeper, Intelligent Cloud has been the big winner of the cycle with an astonishing 29% Y/Y growth rate as Azure revenue grew by a massive 39% , fueled by AI demand. CEO Satya Nadella confirmed that demand continues to exceed the available capacity, which is a great tailwind to have. But apparently, even as Microsoft is building data centers as fast as possible, the company can’t meet every customer’s request for GPU power. And this will compound as the company’s commercial bookings grew by a massive 230% due mainly to the massive multi-year cloud commitments from AI labs like Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) and OpenAI. The backlog has reached an astonishing $625B , which is more than 7x Microsoft’s total revenue for the entire quarter, guaranteeing a long-term revenue stream as these AI projects ramp up. On another AI front, Microsoft 365 Copilot reached 15 million paid seats , showing a strong transition from testing AI to paying for it. This is in a rapid scaling phase, which is a 160% Y/Y increase in seat additions, showing that there are company-wide rollouts. The E5 license, which is the most expensive tier, remains a primary growth driver, as customers are upgrading not just for security but also because it is the easiest foundation for layering on AI tools. GitHub Copilot al...
This artificial intelligence (AI) stock has beaten the heavyweights over the past year and still trades at a very attractive valuation. There are several ways to benefit from the fast-growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) technology. From chip designers to semiconductor foundries to power companies to software specialists, investors are spoiled for choice if they are looking to make mone...
This artificial intelligence (AI) stock has beaten the heavyweights over the past year and still trades at a very attractive valuation. There are several ways to benefit from the fast-growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) technology. From chip designers to semiconductor foundries to power companies to software specialists, investors are spoiled for choice if they are looking to make money in AI. Companies such as Palantir Technologies, Nvidia, Broadcom, and others have become popular among investors looking to capitalize on the AI boom. That's not surprising, as these companies are the leaders in their respective markets. But there's one company that has outperformed all of them in the past year and has the potential to beat its more illustrious tech peers once again in 2026: Ciena (CIEN 0.48%). Let's look at the reasons why Ciena could be one of the best AI stocks to buy for 2026 and the long run. Ciena is a key player in the AI hardware ecosystem Ciena manufactures optical networking components, routers, and switches that enable high-speed data transmission in telecom networks, enterprise networks, and data centers. It also offers software services that enable customers to automate and monitor their networks. Expand NYSE : CIEN Ciena Today's Change ( -0.48 %) $ -1.23 Current Price $ 252.30 Key Data Points Market Cap $36B Day's Range $ 247.47 - $ 269.90 52wk Range $ 49.21 - $ 269.90 Volume 2.2M Avg Vol 2.9M Gross Margin 39.31 % The advent of AI has supercharged the demand for Ciena's products. That's because high-speed data transmission holds the key to handling huge data sets that enable AI model training and inference applications. For instance, a powerful data center graphics processing unit (GPU) can be hamstrung by slow data transmission and unable to perform to its potential. This explains why customers such as Meta Platforms have flooded Ciena with orders for its components. The company received $7.8 billion worth of orders in fiscal 2025 (which en...
Earnings Call Insights: Aon plc (AON) Q4 2025 Management View Gregory Case, President and CEO, stated that "2025 was a year of great strategic progress and performance milestones for Aon," highlighting the disciplined execution of the 3x3 plan and the acceleration of the Aon United strategy. Case emphasized advancements in integrating risk and human capital, expanding client leadership, and levera...
Earnings Call Insights: Aon plc (AON) Q4 2025 Management View Gregory Case, President and CEO, stated that "2025 was a year of great strategic progress and performance milestones for Aon," highlighting the disciplined execution of the 3x3 plan and the acceleration of the Aon United strategy. Case emphasized advancements in integrating risk and human capital, expanding client leadership, and leveraging the Aon Business Services (ABS) platform to drive innovation and efficiency. Case announced the expansion of the Data Center Lifecycle Insurance Protection Program (DCLP), increasing total capacity to $2.5 billion, and highlighted new product launches such as Aon Broker Copilot and Claims Copilot. He described a “$1 billion expansion” of the DCLP and the launch of the first-ever data center-specific treaty aligning up to $5 billion of capital. The integration of NFP was described as making great progress, with Case noting strong producer retention and synergy as NFP is onboarded onto the ABS platform. The company also executed the sale of NFP Wealth, enhancing capital flexibility. Case reported "6% organic revenue growth for the second straight year, 90 basis points of adjusted operating margin expansion, strong adjusted EPS growth and double-digit free cash flow growth." Edmund Reese, Executive VP & Chief Financial Officer, stated: "Our full year performance is right in line with our guidance for mid-single-digit or greater organic revenue growth, adjusted operating margin expansion, strong earnings and double-digit free cash flow growth." Reese highlighted a total capital position of $7 billion for 2026, supported by strong cash generation and disciplined portfolio management. Outlook The company guided for 2026 mid-single-digit or greater organic revenue growth, 70 to 80 basis points of adjusted operating margin expansion, strong adjusted EPS growth, and double-digit free cash flow growth. Reese explained, "We expect mid-single-digit or greater organic revenue growt...
Robert Way Seeking Alpha's roundup of statements, announcements, and remarks that could impact the technology sector. DeepSeek ( DEEPSEEK ) has been given the green light by Chinese authorities to buy Nvidia ( NVDA ) H200 AI chips, subject to certain conditions that are still being worked out, according to Reuters , which cited people close to the matter. Reuters said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told ...
Robert Way Seeking Alpha's roundup of statements, announcements, and remarks that could impact the technology sector. DeepSeek ( DEEPSEEK ) has been given the green light by Chinese authorities to buy Nvidia ( NVDA ) H200 AI chips, subject to certain conditions that are still being worked out, according to Reuters , which cited people close to the matter. Reuters said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters in Taiwan on Thursday that he hadn't heard DeepSeek had been approved to buy the chips. Nvidia did not return a request by Reuters for comment on the DeepSeek approval. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that ByteDance ( BDNCE ), Alibaba ( BABA ), and Tencent ( TCEHY ) had been granted conditional approval to buy more than 400,000 of the chips. Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) and the Pentagon are reportedly still debating what safeguards should be put in place to prevent its technology from being used for domestic surveillance or targeting weapons without sufficient human oversight. According to Reuters , talks between Anthropic and the Defense Department are now at a standstill over the matter. The DOD awarded a $200M contract to Anthropic in July. Other AI companies that have been awarded DOD contracts include Alphabet's ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) Google, xAI ( X.AI ), and OpenAI ( OPENAI ), Reuters noted. More on Nvidia, Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. Nvidia: Too Cheap To Stop Buying Nvidia: H200 China Roadblock And Soaring Memory Costs Threaten The Bull Case Nvidia: The New Boeing In China The Mag 7 are no longer trading as a unified group – T. Rowe Price’s Tony Wang Anthropic, Pentagon at odds over military AI use: report
franckreporter Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Catalyst Watch - a breakdown of some of next week's actionable events that stand out. Read more about the events that may impact stock prices next week. Monday - February 2 Volatility watch - Coinbase Global ( COIN ) and Reddit ( RDDT ) are set up for a volatile week of trading based on options volume. The most overbought stocks per their 14-day relative s...
franckreporter Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Catalyst Watch - a breakdown of some of next week's actionable events that stand out. Read more about the events that may impact stock prices next week. Monday - February 2 Volatility watch - Coinbase Global ( COIN ) and Reddit ( RDDT ) are set up for a volatile week of trading based on options volume. The most overbought stocks per their 14-day relative strength index include Goldsky Resources ( GSKRF ), Amerigo Resources ( ARREF ), and Precipitate Gold ( PREIF ). The most oversold stocks per their 14-day Relative Strength Index include Roper ( ROP ), Commerce.com ( CMRC ), and Flutter Entertainment ( FLUT ). Traders also expect more outsized swings for spot gold ( XAUUSD:CUR ) ( GLD ) and silver ( XAGUSD:CUR ) ( SLV ). Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ) and Netflix ( NFLX ) could be active with the Senate antitrust hearing set. Earnings watch - Notable companies due to report include Palantir ( PLTR ), Disney ( DIS ), NXP Semiconductors ( NXPI ), Tyson Foods ( TSN ), Rambus ( RMBS ), and Teradyne ( TER ). IPO watch - A busy week for IPOs will see the trading debuts for VeraDermics ( MANE ), Once Upon a Farm ( OFRM ), Eikon Therapeutics ( EIKN ), Bob's Discount Furniture ( BOBS ), Liftoff Mobile ( LFTO ), and Forgent Power Solutions ( FPS ). The IPO lockup period expires for blocks of shares of Firefly Aerospace ( FLY ). Dividend watch - Companies that have an ex-dividend date coming next week include Citigroup ( C ), MetLife ( MET ), Valero ( VLO ), and JB Hunt ( JBHT ). Oil watch - Oil futures could be active after eight OPEC+ nations reviewed the decision to pause oil production increases in Q1. All day - Lululemon ( LULU ) CFO Meghan Frank and Chief Commercial Officer André Maestrini will start to share leadership duties as co-CEOs while the company continues its search for a full-time replacement for Calvin McDonald. All day - The National Automobile Dealers Association’s annual four-day convention in Las Vegas begins. The ...
Key Points HOKA running shoes and UGG boots are selling well. Stock buybacks are boosting Deckers' per-share profits. 10 stocks we like better than Deckers Outdoor › Shares of Deckers Outdoor (NYSE: DECK) jumped on Friday after the apparel maker announced strong quarterly financial results. As of 2:27 p.m. EST, Deckers' stock price was up more than 17%. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analys...
Key Points HOKA running shoes and UGG boots are selling well. Stock buybacks are boosting Deckers' per-share profits. 10 stocks we like better than Deckers Outdoor › Shares of Deckers Outdoor (NYSE: DECK) jumped on Friday after the apparel maker announced strong quarterly financial results. As of 2:27 p.m. EST, Deckers' stock price was up more than 17%. 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 » Balanced growth The company, also known as Deckers Brands, saw its revenue grow by 7.1% year over year to $1.958 billion in its fiscal 2026 third quarter, which ended on Dec. 31. The retailer enjoyed broad-based gains across its brands, sales channels, and geographic segments: Sales for its HOKA and UGG brands climbed 18.5% and 4.9%, respectively, to $628.9 million and $1.305 billion. Decker's wholesale sales rose 6% to $864.6 million, while its direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales grew 8.1% to $1.093 billion. The company's domestic sales improved by 2.7% to $1.201 billion, and its international sales leaped 15% to $756.7 million. "Our strategic marketplace management fueled balanced growth in DTC and wholesale, inclusive of continued international momentum as well as healthy growth in the U.S. across both channels," CEO Stefano Caroti said in a press release. Better still, Deckers did not have to rely on heavy discounting to drive those sales. "UGG and HOKA each delivered high levels of full-price selling, resulting in strong gross margins," Caroti said. Deckers operating income, in turn, increased 8% to $614.4 million. The company's earnings per share, which were boosted by stock buybacks, jumped 11% to $3.33. Raised guidance These robust results prompted Deckers to lift its full-year growth forecast. The company now projects sales of $5.4 billion to $5.425 billion and earnings per share of $6.80 to $6.85. "We are on track to deliver another incredible year, with profitable growth at two ...
Like most people who have no talent for business ideas, I have a huge number of highly promising business ideas always on the go, ideas that are available for investment from any passing billionaire or Dragons’ Den rainmaker type. Not one of the A-listers, obviously. I’m not insane. Not a Meaden or a Paphitis. But perhaps one of the minor ones, some strangely groomed South African retail magnate c...
Like most people who have no talent for business ideas, I have a huge number of highly promising business ideas always on the go, ideas that are available for investment from any passing billionaire or Dragons’ Den rainmaker type. Not one of the A-listers, obviously. I’m not insane. Not a Meaden or a Paphitis. But perhaps one of the minor ones, some strangely groomed South African retail magnate called Dork van Frotwangle who looks as if he keeps a bag of human fingers in his freezer and will mysteriously disappear mid-series and never be mentioned again. One key project I’m working up right now is the Temporary Burner Identity. Burner phone. Disposable online backstory. Pre-pixelated features. Can you imagine the joy of being able to go somewhere or do something and not be watched or identified? This is the future of luxury freedom (write that down, Dork). Being able to travel to, say, Spain, and nobody knows you’re there. To buy things, have experiences, meet people, and it’s not part of an indelible digital footprint that will echo and rebound and stalk your existence, popping up decades later in those on-screen boxes that want to sell you elite incontinence pants in massive letters while you’re on the train. Or more broadly, just being able to escape. To breathe and get lost in the world, to exist in some anonymous space free from the white noise, the ceaseless robot voices of daily existence. This is human life now ever since The Great Networking of the early 2010s. We are all condemned to live like General Zod in Superman, hurtling through space inside a giant iPad, faces pressed up against the glass in a silent scream. And OK, you won’t be hidden exactly. Just mutable, like you’re striding past the face recognition cameras wearing an endlessly interchangeable Hannibal Lecter-style human face. Like you’ve scissored off a selection of human faces and carry them around in a briefcase and this is actually fine. And OK, OK, yes, it would obviously be used for crim...
Listen to Odd Lots on Apple Podcasts Listen to Odd Lots on Spotify Watch Odd Lots on YouTube Subscribe to the newsletter Trump has announced that former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh is going to be his nominee to succeed Jerome Powell. The responses to the news are split among some interesting lines. People like Neil Dutta have been highly critical, while at the same time, the pick has earned praise fr...
Listen to Odd Lots on Apple Podcasts Listen to Odd Lots on Spotify Watch Odd Lots on YouTube Subscribe to the newsletter Trump has announced that former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh is going to be his nominee to succeed Jerome Powell. The responses to the news are split among some interesting lines. People like Neil Dutta have been highly critical, while at the same time, the pick has earned praise from Jason Furman, who was the Chair of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. So who is Kevin Warsh? And why is this pick particularly controversial? On this episode, we talk with Skanda Amarnath, Executive Director of Employ America, who walks us through Warsh's history of commenting on and executing monetary policy. He argues that in addition to having gotten some big calls wrong (particularly in the years surrounding the GFC), Warsh has a history of aligning his policy views with partisan consideration. We also talk about the challenges Warsh will have establishing credibility within the FOMC, as well as challenges that may arise the next time the Fed has to step in during a period of crisis.
NVIDIA Corporation NVDA, a leading designer of artificial intelligence (AI) processors, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited TSM, or TSMC, the manufacturer of advanced AI chips, have seen their shares climb 59.9% and 62%, respectively, over the past year. This growth momentum shows no signs of slowing down, as incessant AI demand, expanding data centers, and easing trade tensions...
NVIDIA Corporation NVDA, a leading designer of artificial intelligence (AI) processors, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited TSM, or TSMC, the manufacturer of advanced AI chips, have seen their shares climb 59.9% and 62%, respectively, over the past year. This growth momentum shows no signs of slowing down, as incessant AI demand, expanding data centers, and easing trade tensions are expected to continue boosting revenues and profitability. Let’s take a look at what’s driving their upside potential and why investors remain bullish on these stocks. TSMC Poised for Major Gains as AI Expands Continued strong demand for TSMC’s leading-edge process technologies is expected to drive future growth, as it has in the past. For the first quarter of 2026, TSMC projects revenues between $34.6 billion and $35.8 billion, according to investor.tsmc.com. This would surpass fourth-quarter 2025’s $33.73 billion, a 25.5% year-over-year increase and a 1.9% sequential rise. TSMC’s profitability is set to strengthen, with the company expecting its gross profit margin for the first quarter of 2026 to be between 63% and 65%, slightly higher than the fourth quarter of 2025’s 62.3%. As more AI hyperscalers build new data centers, demand for TSMC’s chips powering these computing units is expected to increase, driving higher profit margins. As a result, TSMC is expected to see earnings growth of 46.2% for the current quarter and 29.1% for the full year. TSMC’s $14.01 Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share (EPS) implies growth of 27.1% year over year. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Brokers are also bullish on TSMC’s prospects. They predict TSMC stock’s average short-term price target at $408, representing a 19.2% increase from the last close of $342.3. The highest target of $520 implies a potential upside of 51.9%. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research NVIDIA Set for Growth on Eased Trade Tensions and AI D...
The year 2026 has opened with significant cross-asset volatility, driven by rising geopolitical risk, late-cycle monetary uncertainty and uneven earnings visibility. Rather than triggering broad sell-offs, these forces are producing sharp sector and asset-class rotations. Precious Metals Signal Risk Repricing The clearest signal is the extraordinary move in precious metals. Gold has traded above $...
The year 2026 has opened with significant cross-asset volatility, driven by rising geopolitical risk, late-cycle monetary uncertainty and uneven earnings visibility. Rather than triggering broad sell-offs, these forces are producing sharp sector and asset-class rotations. Precious Metals Signal Risk Repricing The clearest signal is the extraordinary move in precious metals. Gold has traded above $5,300/oz(according to goldprice.org), while silver exceeded $110/oz over the past 30 days, marking one of the strongest monthly starts in decades. Gold is up roughly up 23% in January alone, which, according to Reuters, is its best monthly performance since the 1980s. FTSE Russell (LSEG) data underline the scale of the shift- gold rose 65.2% in 2025 and silver more than 150%, dramatically outperforming global equities, while gold-mining equities, as measured by the FTSE Gold Mines Index, gained 166.4%. By comparison, the FTSE All-World Index advanced 23.1%. This confirms that precious metals and gold miners dramatically outperformed global equities in 2025. Goldprice Image Source: Goldprice GOLDPRICE Image Source: GOLDPRICE Crypto: Diversifier, Not a Safe Haven Cryptocurrencies, by contrast, are behaving less like “digital gold” and more like a liquidity-sensitive satellite asset. Bitcoin has struggled to keep pace with metals during volatility spikes and has shown limited defensive characteristics during January’s risk shocks, supporting its role as a diversification tool rather than a primary hedge. 2026 Earnings Expected to be Resilient Amid Volatility Despite macro stress, the mean earnings-per-share (EPS) estimate for the Zacks S&P 500 Composite points to growth of 29.3% in 2026. Volatility has therefore become selective, with capital rotating away from leveraged cyclicals toward assets with pricing power, strong balance sheets or strategic scarcity. AI Capex Accelerating technological capital expenditure is a defining feature of this cycle. Companies continue to incre...