syahrir maulana/iStock via Getty Images Transcript Drew Anderson - Today I want to talk about where we're finding the best income opportunities in the municipal bonds market as we head into 2026. After a volatile few years, 2025 marked a major shift. Interest rates finally started to move lower, and a record-breaking amount of new bonds hit the market. This reset means that for the first time in a long while, income investors are actually being well paid to take on a little bit of selective risk. And so I'll walk through three areas we think matter most - high yield munis, muni closed-end funds, and long-duration munis. For investors seeking higher income, the VanEck High Yield Muni ETF, ticker HYD , and the VanEck Short High Yield Muni ETF, ticker SHYD , are key strategies to watch. In 2025, we saw spreads widen in this space, meaning the extra interest you get for taking on risk increased. Now this happened mostly for technical reasons rather than the actual health of the cities or projects issuing the bonds. But essentially a record-breaking $500+ billion in new bonds hit the market last year. Because there were so many options for buyers, prices reset to more attractive levels. And even though these bonds are tax-exempt, their yields currently compare very well to the taxable corporate high-yield bonds. So historically, municipal bonds have much lower default rates than corporate bonds, being an added bonus. So by using strategies like HYD or SHYD, you're getting attractive corporate-style yields while maintaining the stronger credit safety of the municipal market. Now the VanEck Closed End Fund Muni Income ETF, ticker XMPT , provides exposure to municipal closed-end funds, an area that stood out as rates began to come down. There are two main things driving these funds right now. First, they tend to hold long-term bonds, which gain the most value when interest rates fall. Second, of these funds use leverage, meaning they borrow money to invest more. So as the F...

These monster dividend stocks yielding up to 7.7% are solid buys to generate steady income in 2026. While growth stocks often steal the headlines, ultra-high-yield dividend stocks with a strong track record of dividend stability and growth are among the most powerful tools for building real wealth. If your goal is to build a secure passive income stream for 2026 and beyond, here are five top high-yield stocks to buy right now. 1. Enterprise Products Partners: 6.4% Enterprise Products Partners (EPD 1.10%) is among the largest midstream energy companies in the U.S., with a pipeline spanning 50,000 miles. 2026 is a major inflection point for the pipeline stock. After spending nearly $4.5 billion on organic growth projects in 2025, Enterprise expects its capital spending to drop to $2.5 billion in 2026. As new projects come online and capital expenditures (capex) taper, Enterprise will have more cash to return to its shareholders. It has already expanded its share repurchase program from $2 billion to $5 billion, and large dividend increases could be next in line. Enterprise has increased its dividend for 27 consecutive years. 2. Realty Income: 5.3% yield Realty Income (O +1.07%) pays a dividend every month and has increased it for 113 straight quarters. As a real estate investment trust (REIT), Realty Income is required to distribute at least 90% of its annual taxable income as dividends to its shareholders. Realty Income owns a highly diversified portfolio of over 15,500 commercial real estate properties across 92 industries. While a triple-net lease structure significantly reduces operating costs, diversification helps Realty Income generate stable cash flows across market cycles and interest rate environments, making it a top dividend stock to buy for 2026. 3. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners: 5% yield Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP 0.49%) owns high-quality assets across utilities, transport, midstream energy, and data sectors, most of which earn predicta...

In this article CSGP Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Thomas Fuller | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Company: CoStar Group Inc (CSGP) Business: CoStar Group engages in the provision of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics in the commercial and residential property markets. It operates through the following segments: CoStar Portfolio, Information Services Portfolio, Multifamily Portfolio, LoopNet Portfolio and Other Marketplaces Portfolio. The CoStar Portfolio segment consists of two classes of trade receivables based on geographical location: North America and International. The Information Services Portfolio segment includes four classes of trade receivables: CoStar Real Estate Manager; Hospitality, North America; Hospitality, International; and other Information Services. The Multifamily Portfolio, LoopNet Portfolio and Other Marketplaces Portfolio segments focus on one class of trade receivables. The company was founded by Andrew Florance and Michael Klein in 1987 and is headquartered in Arlington, Va. Stock Market Value: $26.07B ($61.50 per share) Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon CoStar Group in the past 12 months Activist: Third Point Ownership: 0.71% Average Cost: n/a Activist Commentary: Third Point is a multi-strategy hedge fund founded by Dan Loeb, that will selectively take activist positions. Loeb is one of the true pioneers in the field of shareholder activism and one of a handful of activists who shaped what has become modern-day shareholder activism. He invented the poison pen letter in a time when it was often necessary. As times have changed, he has transitioned from the poison pen to the power of the argument. Third Point has amicably gotten board representation at companies like Baxter and Disney, but the firm will not hesitate to launch a proxy fight if it is being ignored. What's happening On Jan. 27, Third Point sent a letter to the CoStar board calling on them to (i) replace a majority of the boa...

A handful of software giants such as Intuit and Palantir were among this week's most oversold stocks, according to one popular technical metric. Major stock averages are coming off of a rocky trading week. Losses in technology companies weighed on the S & P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite on Friday, as mixed earnings results from the "Magnificent Seven" dampened investor sentiment around the strength of the bull market rally. Software stocks plunged into bear-market territory on Thursday. The S & P 500 eked out a small gain this week, but both the Nasdaq and 30-stock Dow closed in the red. The latter was dragged down by a massive plunge in UnitedHealth Group this week. Investors can find opportunities in beaten-down stocks after these losses. Stocks now considered oversold — meaning their 14-day relative strength index, or RSI, is below 30 — are prime targets for a near-term bounce. Stocks are considered overbought and at risk of further declines when their RSI tops 70, meanwhile. Take a look at the market's most oversold companies below: Palantir shares lost more than 13% this week, a stunning decline after the stock's rally over the past year. The plunge comes amid the broader rout in traditional software companies on fears of intensifying competition from artificial intelligence models . RBC Capital Markets analyst Rishi Jaluria on Jan. 26 also maintained his underperform rating and $50 price target on Palantir shares, which implies 67% potential downside ahead. "Absent a substantial beat-and-raise quarter elevating the NT growth trajectory, valuation seems unsustainable," the analyst wrote. Palantir is expected to report earnings after Monday's market close. The stock has an RSI of 26.3. Other software stocks in oversold territory are Intuit , Paycom Software , Tyler Technologies , Salesforce and ServiceNow . ServiceNow on Wednesday beat Wall Street's fourth-quarter earnings expectations and gave better-than-expected guidance. But the results didn't ease concerns t...

AAPL Stock Today: January 31 NFL Ties Scrutinized After Tisch Emails Meyka

Nottingham Forest have agreed a deal for Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega worth up to £500,000. Sean Dyche's side are also trying to sign Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi, initially on loan with the option for a permanent transfer. The 26-year-old has won 33 caps for Italy and has played 19 games for Inter this season. German Ortega, 33, is currently third choice at the Etihad behind Gianluigi Donnarumma and James Trafford. He is out of contract this summer and is yet to feature for Pep Guardiola's side this season. Forest's need for a keeper stems from a knee injury suffered by John Victor that is set to rule him out for the rest of the season. The City Ground club had held talks with Wolves over a move for Jose Sa, but have since pivoted to Ortega. Ortega has played 56 games for City since joining in 2022 and played a key role in their Premier League title win in 2024. He played 22 games last season, including appearances in the Club World Cup in July and the FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace. Forest, who are in the Europa League play-offs and are 17th in the Premier League, have already signed Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca on loan and had a bid of £35m rejected by Crystal Palace for striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Palantir Technologies Slides as Wall Street Braces for Earnings TipRanks

Goldman Sachs says there's still plenty of quality buying opportunities ahead of earnings. The Wall Street investment bank said companies such as Spotify are compelling, with more upside. Other buy-rated names screened by CNBC Pro include Eli Lilly, Roblox, Carlyle Group and On Holding. Carlyle Group Buy this cheap stock ahead of earnings, according to analyst Alexander Blostein. The firm says it's all about the asset management company's inexpensive fees. "We think the firm's historically lackluster management fee [compound annual growth rate] of just 4% from 2022-2025E is the primary structural driver behind the discount," he wrote. Blostein also likes the company's robust cash flow. "Further, CG's accelerating cash flows from a robust monetization outlook could further supplement the firm's growth via either more share repurchases or bolt-on M & A, in our view," he added. Shares are up 4% over the last 12 months. The company is scheduled to report earnings on Feb. 6. Spotify Analyst Eric Sheridan says investors should buy the dip ahead of Spotify earnings on Feb. 10. The firm recently upgraded the stock to buy from neutral citing steady growth. "With SPOT shares having re-rated lower in recent months, we believe the long-term secular growth themes expressed above are now being underappreciated at current levels," he wrote. Sheridan also says Spotify has pricing power and is bullish on the company's new premium pricing tiers. "Looking over a long-term horizon, we see SPOT as well positioned against several long-term operating themes (which are reflected in our above-Street estimates) in the coming years," he said. The stock is down almost 14% this year. On Holding A pullback in shares of this sneaker manufacturer could be an opportunity, according to Goldman. Analyst Richard Edwards upgraded the stock to buy from neutral recently and says it's just too attractive to ignore at current levels. "High frequency data points to a strong 4Q25 for On, the running trend co...

“She does not seem to trust or accept my judgment on her ideas, and she often asks me to go to my boss for a second opinion.”

Micron Technology has been one of the biggest winners of the AI boom. A lot can happen in 40 years. Just ask early investors of Micron Technology (MU 4.80%). Micron went public in 1984 (42 years ago) as a tiny memory tech company based in Boise, Idaho. Back then, if you wanted to invest $1,000 in Micron stock, you would have called your broker directly over the phone and placed an order. There was no clicking; there was no real-time confirmation. Expand NASDAQ : MU Micron Technology Today's Change ( -4.80 %) $ -20.91 Current Price $ 414.88 Key Data Points Market Cap $467B Day's Range $ 407.13 - $ 455.50 52wk Range $ 61.54 - $ 455.50 Volume 51M Avg Vol 30M Gross Margin 45.53 % Dividend Yield 0.11 % If you had placed that order over the phone and let your shares grow over that time frame, here's what would have happened. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, Micron stock rose over fivefold, driven by the expansion of personal computers and the success of its early DRAM chips. Your original $1,000 would have turned into about $5,700. The late 1990s delivered another surge in value. Demand for memory tech was exploding alongside the Internet boom, and Micro was growing into one of the world's largest memory producers. By the peak of the dot-com era in March 2000, your original $1,000 investment would have been worth over $50,000. Then, of course, came the crash. The dot-com bust absolutely crushed Micron stock. And while the company continued to innovate throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the stock failed to reclaim its dot-com-era highs for about two decades. All in all, if you had stayed invested from 1984 through the dot-com crash and rocky years leading up to today's AI boom, your original $1,000 investment would be worth about $414,500 today (January 27, 2026). Put differently: Every $1 invested in Micron in 1984 has turned into roughly $414 today. Micron continues to rally in 2026, yet its valuation doesn't look stretched. It's currently trading at about 12 times forw...

Key Points Micron Technology had its IPO in 1984. Since then, the company's stock has had explosive and rocky years. 10 stocks we like better than Micron Technology › A lot can happen in 40 years. Just ask early investors of Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU). Micron went public in 1984 (42 years ago) as a tiny memory tech company based in Boise, Idaho. Back then, if you wanted to invest $1,000 in Micron stock, you would have called your broker directly over the phone and placed an order. There was no clicking; there was no real-time confirmation. 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 » If you had placed that order over the phone and let your shares grow over that time frame, here's what would have happened. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, Micron stock rose over fivefold, driven by the expansion of personal computers and the success of its early DRAM chips. Your original $1,000 would have turned into about $5,700. The late 1990s delivered another surge in value. Demand for memory tech was exploding alongside the Internet boom, and Micro was growing into one of the world's largest memory producers. By the peak of the dot-com era in March 2000, your original $1,000 investment would have been worth over $50,000. Then, of course, came the crash. The dot-com bust absolutely crushed Micron stock. And while the company continued to innovate throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the stock failed to reclaim its dot-com-era highs for about two decades. All in all, if you had stayed invested from 1984 through the dot-com crash and rocky years leading up to today's AI boom, your original $1,000 investment would be worth about $414,500 today (January 27, 2026). Put differently: Every $1 invested in Micron in 1984 has turned into roughly $414 today. Micron continues to rally in 2026, yet its valuation doesn't look stretched. It's currently trading at about ...

A lot can happen in 40 years. Just ask early investors of Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU). Micron went public in 1984 (42 years ago) as a tiny memory tech company based in Boise, Idaho. Back then, if you wanted to invest $1,000 in Micron stock, you would have called your broker directly over the phone and placed an order. There was no clicking; there was no real-time confirmation. 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 » If you had placed that order over the phone and let your shares grow over that time frame, here's what would have happened. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, Micron stock rose over fivefold, driven by the expansion of personal computers and the success of its early DRAM chips. Your original $1,000 would have turned into about $5,700. The late 1990s delivered another surge in value. Demand for memory tech was exploding alongside the Internet boom, and Micro was growing into one of the world's largest memory producers. By the peak of the dot-com era in March 2000, your original $1,000 investment would have been worth over $50,000. Then, of course, came the crash. Image source: Micron Technology. The dot-com bust absolutely crushed Micron stock. And while the company continued to innovate throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the stock failed to reclaim its dot-com-era highs for about two decades. All in all, if you had stayed invested from 1984 through the dot-com crash and rocky years leading up to today's AI boom, your original $1,000 investment would be worth about $414,500 today (January 27, 2026). Put differently: Every $1 invested in Micron in 1984 has turned into roughly $414 today. Micron continues to rally in 2026, yet its valuation doesn't look stretched. It's currently trading at about 12 times forward earnings, which is lower than the average for the tech sector (about 25). Given the importance of memory in today's t...

Emerging markets have been outperforming the U.S. stock market as commodity strength and a weaker dollar drive capital flows.

If You'd Invested $1,000 In Micron Technology 42 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today Nasdaq

格隆汇1月31日｜据21财经，“炒货已经比炒股还可怕了”“这是薛记珠宝店，还是炒货店？”2026年春节临近，社交媒体上不少网友吐槽高端炒货。 1月28日，记者走访薛记炒货发现，瓜子、花生等基础现制炒货卖到23.8元/斤，开心果、现烤腰果、开口松子等坚果类现制炒货均接近100元/斤，手剥松子价格更是高达218元/斤。而截至目前，猪肉每斤均价在10元左右。 高端炒货屡现轻奢价背后，到底什么原因？首先是消费升级带来的变化，高端炒货品牌进驻商场后，租金、装修等成本转嫁到售价上。其次是原料和工艺升级，像薛记炒货宣称每斤瓜子严格控制在2000粒。还有春节供需因素，瓜子作为年货刚需短期需求暴增。 艾媒咨询数据显示，超80%的消费者购买坚果炒货的月均花费集中在20-100元，且每月购买一次及以上的消费者占比最高。2024年，中国坚果炒货市场规模已突破3000亿元，预计到2029年将进一步攀升至4283亿元，5年间将形成超千亿的市场增量。

Investing can be a valuable strategy for growing wealth, but with so many options and constant news about the stock market, even experienced investors might second-guess their decisions. In a recent video on his Minority Mindset YouTube channel, financial influencer Jaspreet Singh explained what he sees as the biggest investing trap of 2026: Letting hype and short-term predictions dictate decisions. There are plenty of economic changes happening this year, and while some might be good for the market, others might be bad. Either way, it’s going to create market volatility. Chasing Trends So what’s the answer when it comes to investing in a volatile market? One of the things Singh warned against is jumping on the latest investment fad. “Stop trying to chase the next Bitcoin, the next Nvidia, the next hot thing,” he said. “And instead just try to be an investor.” When people are talking about the next big investment, it’s probably because it’s already made them a lot of money. But by the time it’s being talked about and on the news, a lot of the real money has already been made. Looking at some of the most successful investors, like Warren Buffett, shows how they built their wealth. Buffett has never boasted about averaging 100% returns a year. Instead, he slowly compounded his wealth over decades by focusing on steady, long-term growth. Read More: I Got Rich Investing — These Lessons for Beginners Could Lead To $1 Million Net Worth Find Out: 6 Safe Accounts Proven To Grow Your Money Up To 13x Faster Should Your Strategy Change? Long-term discipline matters more than timing the market, and Singh explained that investing should be seen as a long-term game — a marathon, not a sprint. He also stressed caution about risk. While a big part of investing is weighing up an individual’s personal preferences and risk tolerance, investing more than they’re willing to lose is always a bad idea. Understanding investments before putting money in them helps avoid impulsive decisions ...

Lesser-known artificial intelligence (AI) stocks may end up delivering superior returns, too. Over the past two years, investors have raced to buy shares of leading artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. Many of them have produced incredible returns recently. However, some companies that are also capitalizing on AI have been largely ignored by investors. One of them is Fiverr (FVRR 1.70%). Despite lagging broader equities in recent years, Fiverr might be worth investing in and holding on to for the next decade. Here's why. How Fiverr is cashing in on AI Some companies offer AI services through the cloud. Others sell specialized chips that provide the raw computing power needed to train AI models. Fiverr doesn't do any of that. The company's platform connects freelancers with corporations and individuals who need their services, making it a notable player in the gig economy. Since AI became the new big thing on Wall Street, Fiverr has seen a surge in demand for AI-related services on its platform. This makes sense: While large corporations have the budget to buy entire teams of AI experts, smaller businesses don't. A platform like Fiverr helps the little guy access AI services and implement the technology across their operations at a reasonable cost. In May 2025, Fiverr noted in its annual Business Trends Index that the search for AI-agentic services had skyrocketed by a whopping 18,347% over the six months prior to the report's release. It is also having a notable impact on the company's financial results, with demand for AI-related services helping drive top-line growth. Expand NYSE : FVRR Fiverr International Today's Change ( -1.70 %) $ -0.29 Current Price $ 16.77 Key Data Points Market Cap $617M Day's Range $ 16.54 - $ 17.02 52wk Range $ 15.61 - $ 35.40 Volume 23K Avg Vol 919K Gross Margin 80.37 % Why the stock is a buy Fiverr's top-line growth has declined from the heights it reached in the early years of the pandemic. However, the company has made progress elsewh...

中国在线旅游平台数据显示，今年农历新年期间，俄罗斯游客入境中国预订单同比激增471%。 综合上观新闻和中新社报道，携程平台数据显示，春节期间入境游持续升温，来自马来西亚、韩国、新加坡、日本、俄罗斯等国的预订单量居前。其中，俄罗斯游客预订量同比激增471%，韩国游客预订量同比增长95%。 飞猪平台数据显示，过去两周，外国游客春节机票预订量同比增长超400%；上海、广州、香港、北京、成都等成为最受欢迎的入境首站城市。 去哪儿平台星期五（1月30日）发布的数据也显示，截至目前，外国游客预订春节期间赴华机票同比增长近三成。热门目的地包括上海、北京、广州、深圳、成都、厦门、哈尔滨、海口、重庆和沈阳等。 根据数据，外国游客不仅青睐大城市，也越来越关注“宝藏小城”。春节期间飞往兰州、呼和浩特的外国游客数量同比增长超过四倍；桂林、济南、运城、烟台的增幅也超过一倍。 携程旅游分析师认为，“来中国过春节”正成为全球新趋势，本质是文化IP与入境游深度融合的成功实践，春节民俗的独特性与体验感，正成为吸引海外游客入境的核心竞争力，为入境旅游高质量发展注入持久动力。

有團體為葵青區不適切居所家庭，提供迷你倉共享服務，釋放居住空間，發現受惠家庭的心理壓力和兒童學習環境，有顯著改善。 葵青區有逾3,600戶不適切居所家庭。聖公會去年初推出為期一年支援計劃，針對不適切居所家庭及兒童，並獲樂施會資助，包括迷你倉共享服務、兒童功課輔導等。其中迷你倉服務有31個家庭受惠。 受惠家庭阿紀稱：「吃飯桌子不需要再合起來，可以留給小孩子做作業。之前房間很小，門後面擺放了很多東西，每次進出門都要側身進去，不小心碰到就會刮傷。」 聖公會去年10月至11月，就計劃成效進行問卷調查，發現受惠家庭，在多個核心指標上平均評分，有顯著改善，包括「因居住環境而感到壓力」、「擔心居住環境有家居意外」評分，顯著下降。 兒童學習方面，孩子「在家做功課時能專心」、「有自己學習角落」，以及「能在家中自由活動」等，評分有上升。 聖公會中心幹事吳煜明指出：「要定時執整工作，將物品更替更換，而是重整空間，讓他們在場所處所騰出地方，給第二種空間，給學習兒童的場所空間，(孩子)能夠溫習和安置。下一部分我們嘗試做人際和家人關係之間的空間。」 機構又建議，日後在劏房集中地區增設相關服務，由官商民協作，降低不適切居所家庭的居住壓力和家庭衝突。

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing Hongkongers should brace for cooler weather on Sunday as temperatures are expected to drop to as low as 13 degrees Celsius (55.4 Fahrenheit). The Hong Kong Observatory said on Saturday that the mercury would plunge to about 13 degrees in urban areas the next day and a couple of degrees lower in the New Territories. Advertisement The maximum temperature is forecast to be 18 degrees on Sunday. “Under the influence of the northeast monsoon, it will become appreciably cooler over the coast of Guangdong in the next couple of days,” the forecaster said. Advertisement “With the monsoon being replaced by an easterly airstream, temperatures will rise over the coastal areas of Guangdong in the middle and latter parts of next week.”

Dressed like 1970s rock stars evoking bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Velvet Sundown look the part of a real band – with one key difference: despite millions of listeners, they do not exist. The group is generated by artificial intelligence. AI-generated music is exploding, with the rapid expansion of platforms like the United States’ Suno and Udio, as well as China’s Mureka. From creation to copyright, the technology is making waves globally. But the US and China are approaching it in very different ways, and the ways they shape the technology – and what ultimately prevails – could shape the future of how artists work and how listeners consume for years to come. “I would describe AI music as a full-on tsunami,” said Josh Antonuccio, director of the Ohio University School of Media Arts and Studies and an AI music industry expert. “It’s really something that everybody is trying to figure out in real time.” Advertisement Differing in their regulatory approaches, China is going down its usual centralised, top-down route, while the US is taking a more typically litigious standpoint with copyright lawsuits and settlements. While China is more lenient in the AI training phase, it has much stricter government mandates for labelling and transparency. From modern voice changers that allow singers to change their style or tone to Spotify’s DJ function, the music industry’s use of AI is not new. But generative platforms have put sophisticated tools in the hands of amateur musicians and ordinary fans, upending the way people create and shape music, from songwriting to production. AI-generated images of The Velvet Sundown, styled in 1970s rock aesthetics, fuelled confusion among listeners over whether the group was real. Photo: Handout Both countries have at least one thing in common: they are facing key legal and ethical questions about copyright, creativity and control in this new cultural battleground. But even here, the approach differs.

Beware the Save Act If you are anything like me, then you are currently pickling in your own cortisol. As the US grows increasingly violent, increasingly cruel, every day brings a legion of new horrors. So I’m very sorry to say that I’m here to ruin your weekend by giving you yet another thing to worry about. That thing is called the Save Act and, if the Trump administration gets its way, it could have an oversized impact on the November midterms, particularly when it comes to minorities and married women being able to vote. A good rule of thumb when looking at a Republican-drafted bill or campaign is that its name is directly the opposite of whatever it is meant to achieve. If there is something about ‘protecting women’ in the title, for example, then it’s probably actually about controlling women or bullying transgender people. The same is true of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (Save) Act, which would change the way US citizens register to vote. The purpose of the bill doesn’t seem to be to safeguard democracy but to help destroy it through stealth disenfranchisement. If it became law, the Save Act would require Americans to provide a birth certificate, passport, or other citizenship document to register or re-register to vote. Per one Brennan Center Study, more that 21 million American citizens, many of whom are engaged voters, do not have easy access to these documents. While just over 8% of self-identified white American citizens don’t have these documents readily available, the Brennan Center found the number is nearly 11% among Americans of color. Women who changed their name when they got married may also face a logistical nightmare: reports show that as many as 69 million women who have taken their spouse’s name don’t have a birth certificate that matches their legal name. “The legislation does not mention the potential option for these Americans to present change-of-name documentation or a marriage certificate in combination with a birth certific...

French Connection is back on the trail of global expansion with the aid of its cheeky initials-based slogan that made it so popular in the late 1990s. The label once known for clothes bearing FCUK is seeking to reinvent itself again under the ownership of a group of British entrepreneurs based in the north of England who rescued it in 2021. This week, the former high street darling signed a licensing agreement to develop and distribute men’s and women’s apparel and accessories across North America, which is understood to include plans to revive the FCUK branding. It is the latest chapter in a rollercoaster story of success and setback. French Connection was founded in 1972 by Stephen Marks, who named it after the film starring Gene Hackman released the previous year. The entrepreneur hired the French designer Nicole Farhi to head his design studio in the 1970s and she later launched her own label under the company’s umbrella. Together they made French Connection a hit, with a London stock market float in 1983 helping make Marks the UK’s 15th richest man for a time. The pair also became partners romantically and had a daughter together before separating at about the end of the decade. By that point the brand had fallen out of favour, prompting Marks to retake directorial control in 1991. It recaptured the public’s imagination thanks to the swear-adjacent slogan coined by the ad man Trevor Beattie in 1997 after he noticed the initials used in French Connection internal memos. It was emblazoned on T-shirts in phrases such as “FCUK Fashion” and “Hot as FCUK”. For several years over this period Marks’s wife, Alisa, had a key design role, but they split in late 2003 after a decade of marriage and their expensive divorce forced Marks to sell shares in the business, relinquishing majority control. View image in fullscreen Stephen Marks, who founded French Connection in 1972 and was once one of the richest men in the UK, in 2001. He sold up in 2021. Photograph: David Sillito...

koyu/iStock via Getty Images I previously covered Micron Technology ( MU ) in December 2025 and Sandisk ( SNDK ) in January 2026, discussing their growth tailwinds from the ongoing memory/storage supply crunch during the multi-year cloud supercycle. In this article, I shall discuss Western Digital Corporation ( WDC ) and share my findings about the stock, continuing the theme surrounding the memory/storage sector. WDC Proves Its AI Beneficiary Status WDC 1Y Stock Price ( TradingView ) For the uninitiated, WDC is a company that provides data storage devices and solutions based on hard disk drive [HDD] technology for applications across cloud data centers, enterprise storage systems, edge computing, and video surveillance to client and consumer devices. An additional note: Sandisk, a company specializing in data storage devices and solid-state drive [SSD] solutions based on the NOT-AND [NAND] technology, previously separated from WDC back in February 2025. Over the past year, it is undeniable that WDC has enjoyed an outsized rally, aided by the data center boom triggering the ongoing memory/storage supercycle . Part of the optimism may be warranted after all, since "the Cloud end market accounted for 88%" of WDC's total revenue in FY2025 (+46.7 points YoY, attributed to the recent SNDK separation), with much of the current customer base concentrated amongst the hyperscaler and enterprise end market. The elevated cloud exposure may also be why WDC has been able to report the outsized cloud revenue growth to $8.34B in FY2025 (+65.1% YoY), $2.51B in FQ1'26 (+32.1% YoY) , and $2.7B in FQ2'26 (+28% YoY) . Their improved pricing power has been observed in the notably expanding adj. gross profit margins to 39.4% in FY2025 (+10.7 points YoY/+9 from FY2019 levels of 30.4% ) and 45% in H1'26 (+7.1 points YoY) - with a similarly improved operating leverage also observed in the adj. operating margins at 24.3% in FY2025 (+18.9 points YoY/+12.2 from FY2019 levels of 12.1%) and 32.1...

It’s no secret that Cassette Boy is inspired by the classics. It’s a top-down adventure game in the vein of a retro Legend of Zelda, while your home base is a small town like in an older Pokémon game, complete with a mom who is constantly wishing you well. The game’s blocky 3D graphics evoke Minecraft, and you save at campfires that reset the world, like a FromSoft game. Everything in Cassette Boy even has a green tint that reminds me of playing games on my original Game Boy. But despite all of the clear influences, it still feels unique: underneath that charming exterior, Cassette Boy is a game filled with clever puzzles that forced me to use my head in ways I haven’t before. The game’s main mechanic revolves around an idea “inspired by” quantum mechanics: if you can’t see something in the game, it ceases to “exist” and remains in an essentially frozen state from the moment it went off-screen. If you push a block behind a wall, it’s not “there” anymore, and you can walk behind that wall without being impeded by the box. If an enemy goes fully behind a wall, it becomes invisible, will stop moving, and can’t damage you. Since it doesn’t exist, you also can’t damage it. The game also lets you rotate the camera to eight different points; imagine it’s on a compass, and with a tap of a shoulder button, you can rotate it to the north “point,” then northwest, then east, etc. So, with that hidden enemy, if you turn the camera so that it’s not behind the wall, it “reappears” and becomes a physical being again. Previous Next 1 / 4 If you tap a shoulder button… Image: Pocketpair Publishing Cassette Boy then sets up a bunch of puzzles that force you to mess with perspective to overcome obstacles. Early on, you’ll come across a button that makes a platform appear on a river when the button is pressed down, and the button is next to a boulder. Everyone who has played a Zelda game knows that the usual solution would be to move the boulder to keep the button down. But you can’t pic...

Chinese carmakers are expected to cash in on Britain’s net zero mandate after it emerged that major manufacturers will have to pay rivals to avoid fines. Eight carmakers including Jaguar Land Rover and Toyota did not sell enough electric cars or low-emission vehicles last year to meet government mandates, according to an industry analysis. Four of them – Suzuki, Nissan, Mazda and Honda – are far enough behind the target that they will have to acquire “credits” from companies that have significantly exceeded the targets. Those in the best position to sell credits include manufacturers that sell large numbers of electric vehicles such as Tesla, Chinese champion BYD and Polestar and MG, owned by China’s Geely and SAIC respectively. Car industry experts have criticised the mandate as “subsidising” the Chinese industry since many manufacturers importing from China are selling exclusively electric vehicles (EV), so have a surplus of credits to offload. The zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, brought in by the Conservatives and modified by Labour last year, requires a proportion of each manufacturer’s cars each year to be electric. It rises every year from 22pc in 2024 to 80pc in 2030. b' 3101 Automotive industry complies with zero emissions mandate ' Manufacturers receive allowances helping them make up the target for selling low-emission cars such as hybrids. Others will be able to “borrow” against future years in the expectation that they will surpass the target towards the end of the decade. However, borrowing against future years is capped – meaning those far enough below the target will have to acquire credits to avoid fines of £12,000 per vehicle below the target. Last year, when the target was 28pc, almost all carmakers missed the quota purely on the basis of EV sales alone, according to a report from the non-profit Transport & Environment group. While several were able to make it up with low-emission credits, Hyundai, Stellantis, Toyota and JLR would have to borr...

Rosie Jones in 1993 and 2025, standing up holding on to a rollator, smiling at the camera Rosie Jones in 1993 and 2025. Later photograph: Pål Hansen/The Guardian. Styling: Andie Redman. Hair and makeup: Lou Blake. Archive photograph: courtesy of Rosie Jones Born in 1990 in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, Rosie Jones began her career working in television as a researcher on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, before moving into live comedy. Her television appearances include Live at the Apollo, The Last Leg, Taskmaster and the Tokyo Paralympics. She has published a series of children’s books, titled The Amazing Edie Eckhart, and hosts the new series of Out of Order on Comedy Central. This was taken in my childhood home in Bridlington. My family had moved in not long before the photo was taken, hence the very empty living room in the background. I should also acknowledge my incredible outfit: Mr Men trousers, paired with a black velvet hat. It makes me really fond of my mum. She took so much pride in putting me in ridiculous clothes. I was a smiley, happy child. I’ve had cerebral palsy since birth, so I’ve never known any other reality. At three years old I went to a disabled nursery connected to a disabled school, and I remember thinking, “Why am I here?” At the end of the day, the teacher brought my parents in and said, “Rosie should be in a mainstream school.” I was five when the Disability Discrimination Act came in. If I’d been born 10 years earlier, I probably would have gone to that disabled school, which would have led to fewer opportunities for me in the long run. Instead, the mainstream school was given a lot of funding by the government. I was one of a few disabled children in my year, so I had a teacher’s aide, one-to one, for my entire primary school experience. I couldn’t hand-write because of my cerebral palsy, but I was given a laptop so I never missed out on any of my education. It breaks my heart to think of the disabled people starting school today. The f...

The number of down-payment assistance programs is on the rise, and a growing share are open to people of all income levels.