Alones Creative/iStock via Getty Images Elevator Pitch I think Exxon Mobil Corporation ( XOM ) is seeing some powerful growth catalysts: Upstream O&G is the major driver of Exxon Mobil's earnings. Escalating Iran war tensions provide a favorable backdrop for oil prices. Production volumes can grow rapidly from low-cost upstream assets. XOM stock is valued richly vs. peers. Don't fight the clear and powerful uptrend. Upstream O&G Is the Major Driver of Exxon Mobil's Earnings Exxon Mobil operates in 4 key segments: Upstream: Exploration, production, and sale of oil, natural gas, and LNG . Energy Products: Refining crude oil derivatives and selling fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Chemical Products: Using hydrocarbons to make and sell petrochemicals such as plastics. Specialty Products: Similar to chemical products but making more specialized materials such as industrial lubricants and greases. My thesis is focused on the upstream segment. I want to highlight that this is the most important piece for Exxon Mobil's earnings, as it makes up on average around 65% of GAAP segmental earnings: Upstream worldwide mix of segmental earnings (GAAP) (Company Filings, HA Analysis) Escalating Iran War Tensions Provide a Favorable Backdrop for Oil Prices The Iran war is escalating as the U.S. is getting closer to deploying troops on the ground to potentially safeguard the Strait of Hormuz (a key blockaded chokepoint through which 20% of global oil supply passes), seize Kharg Island (a key Iranian military site and export terminal), or conduct operations against Iran's uranium site in Isfahan to reduce the country's nuclear threat. Already, 3,500 U.S. troops have arrived in the Middle East, and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's rhetoric is... aggressive, to put it mildly. For the global oil markets, the Strait of Hormuz blockade is the most critical element. Here's some perspective on the scale of the supply shortage this is creating: A simple back...

Sun Life Financial Inc. paid more than C$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to complete its stakes in two investment managers as the Canadian life insurer makes a bigger push into the asset management space. Sun Life said on Monday it bought the 49% it didn’t own of alternative credit investment firm Crescent Capital Group for C$829 million, and paid C$1.6 billion for the remaining 44% interest in BGO, a real estate investment adviser. These transactions were funded with debt raised in 2025, Sun Life said in its statement. The deals resolve outstanding liabilities on Sun Life’s financial statements totaling C$2.24 billion at the end of last year, according to its annual report. The insurer formed BGO in July 2019 after merging Bentall Kennedy with real estate investor GreenOak. BGO and Crescent generated a combined C$4.2 billion in fee-related revenue for Sun Life between 2021 and 2025. The transactions add to Sun Life’s asset management business, SLC Management, which currently oversees C$260 billion in third-party assets. In a separate deal, Sun Life said it will acquire Bell Partners, a US multifamily real estate investment firm for $350 million — at least three-quarters of which will be payable in Sun Life shares.

Fermi (NASDAQ:FRMI), developer of energy infrastructure for AI data centers, closed Monday at $5.36, down 13.27%. The stock moved lower after wider-than-expected inaugural losses, a lack of tenant progress for its flagship AI project, and continued focus on when it might secure l

(RTTNews) - According to Nestlé, over 413,000 KitKat bars, weighing around 12 tons, were taken from a truck that was transporting them across Europe.

The Assisted Suicide Of Lofty State And Local Taxes Authored by Rob Arnott via RealClearPolitics , We get the government we choose to elect, hence the government we deserve . Voting for ever-higher punitive taxes on the rich is arguably a form of civic suicide. Consider that a wealthy New Yorker can get a raise of almost 40% just by moving . That’s right. If moving eliminates a 14.8% top state and local tax rate, our top-tier taxpayer gets a 36% raise, not a 14.8% raise, by leaving. It’s doubtful if any of our city and state leaders have done this math, but it’s shocking. Mamdani wants to take the top rate up another 2%, if not by the state then by the city, which would mean that our rich neighbor can get a 42% raise. Here’s how the math works . A rich New Yorker pays a maximum state and city income tax of 14.8%, on top of a maximum federal tax of 37%. But there are hidden taxes. Uncapped Medicare and Medicaid taxes push the marginal federal tax to 39.4%. If the income is earned on investments, the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT, another gift from Obamacare) adds another 3.8%, pushing the top federal tax above 43%. So, top-tier New York taxpayers may soon pay a marginal tax of 43% to the IRS and 17% to the city and state of New York . The combined 60% marginal tax rates mean they have the privilege of keeping 40 cents of each new dollar they earn. A move to one of the nine states with no income tax allows our taxpayer to keep 57% of every additional dollar of income, instead of 40%. Do the math. That’s a 42% raise. Forget the argument about “paying their fair share.” “Fair” is an entirely subjective term. Your fair share of someone else’s money might be seen as a ripoff by them, especially if the money is spent less wisely than we might spend our own money. If you are rich and believe you’ve earned your money, will you consider leaving a state for a permanent 40% raise? Of course. This is hardly a phenomenon unique to New York. California’s headline top rate of 13....

The company reported fourth-quarter 2025 financial results, and investors weren't impressed.

Key PointsUSA Rare Earth reported Q4 2026 financial results before the market opened today.

Drivers are queuing for hours at petrol stations in Myanmar as the Iran war continues to send shockwaves across the globe.

porcorex/iStock via Getty Images President Trump came into office wanting a "weak" U.S. dollar. This was a part of his effort to make America great! For the first part of his second administration, he achieved his goal. U.S. Dollar Index (Wall Street Journal) Notice the "peak" in this series above Jan 25. Trump took office on January 20, 2025. The value of the U.S. dollar declined from there. However, as can be seen from the chart...but can be seen even better from this next chart... U.S. Dollar Index (Wall Street Journal) The turning point? Well, on February 28th of 2026, Trump declared "war" on Iran. The value of the U.S. dollar has risen since then. Since the "war" with Iran has been going on, the value of the U.S. dollar has risen. The reason? My answer to this question at this time is that market participants have taken the decision to start the "war" coupled with the fact that there was relatively little change in the U.S. monetary policy at the time, led to an increase in inflationary expectations. Market participants expect that inflation will become more rapid in the United States. Yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury (Federal Reserve) The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury security rose over this short period of time because "inflationary expectations" changed in the marketplace...the real yield on U.S. Treasuries did not change. This has created a dilemma for the marketplace, however, because market participants had been waiting for further reductions in the Fed's policy rate of interest...the Federal Funds rate! Now, the market is showing mixed signs. As these inflationary expectations found their way into the marketplace, and market participants saw the rising longer-term yields...some market participants saw reason to expect that maybe the Fed's policy rate of interest should be rising...rather than falling. This has introduced confusion into the marketplace. This has produced a stronger dollar in the marketplace. This was certainly not what Trump was hoping...

周二亚太早盘，国际油价走高，WTI原油涨1.89%，报104.83美元/桶。美股期指小幅走低，道琼斯指数期货涨0.03%，标普500指数期货跌0.01%，纳斯达克100指数期货跌0.06%。国际贵金属走高，现货黄金涨0.07%，报4514.31美元/盎司；现货白银涨0.30%，报70.3美元/盎司。

据CME“美联储观察”：美联储4月加息25个基点的概率为2.6%，维持利率不变的概率为97.4%。美联储到6月累计降息25个基点的概率为5%，累计加息25个基点的概率为2.5%，维持利率不变的概率为92.5%。

Earnings Call Insights: Spruce Power Holding Corporation (SPRU) Q4 2025 Management View Christopher Hayes, President, CEO & Chairman, highlighted, “2025 was a breakout year for Spruce and our fourth quarter capped it with exceptional momentum across the business.” He emphasized strong revenue growth, expanded margins, improved efficiency, and enhanced scalability. Hayes reported that for Q4, revenue was approximately $24 million, up 19% year-over-year, and operating EBITDA exceeded $17 million. For the full year, revenue increased 36% compared to 2024, driven by both organic growth and the impact of the NJR acquisition. He noted, “Importantly, this growth was accompanied by substantial operating leverage,” with significant declines in O&M and SG&A expenses, reflecting ongoing cost optimization. The CEO also addressed a going concern disclosure, stating, “It is not reflective of our operating performance or lender engagement.” Hayes described the extension of the SP1 facility to create flexibility for a broader refinancing transaction, targeting alignment with the company’s scaled platform. Hayes outlined three key growth drivers: acquiring installed residential solar portfolios, expanding programmatic partnerships with developers and originators, and scaling the capital-light Spruce Pro servicing platform. Thomas Cimino, Chief Financial Officer, stated, “For the fourth quarter 2025, revenue totaled $24 million compared to $20.2 million in the fourth quarter 2024. The increase was again primarily attributable to the residential solar portfolio acquired from NJR...as well as higher solar renewable energy credit revenue.” Cimino further emphasized, “Total operating expense was $21.8 million for the quarter compared to $26.7 million in the year earlier period.” He highlighted ongoing cost improvements and detailed the extension of the SP1 facility, which now runs through January 30, 2027, and requires a term sheet by October 30, 2026. Outlook Management aims to build on...

Earnings Call Insights: Intellinetics, Inc. (INLX) Q4 2025 Management View Alison Forsythe, President & CEO, highlighted her recent transition into the CEO role and her initial focus on getting close to the business, assessing operations, and identifying improvement opportunities. She stated, "What I see is a company with strong foundational assets and established SaaS customer base, differentiated technology and meaningful opportunities in vertical markets where secure document and workflow automation remain critical." Forsythe reported continued SaaS revenue growth and an important contractual win with the company's largest customer, noting that SaaS now represents an increasing share of the overall business. Forsythe emphasized, "Our software platform is the core of the business and the primary driver of growth and long-term value creation." Strategic priorities were cited as improving execution, sharpening the go-to-market approach, and accelerating SaaS revenue, while aiming for greater consistency in the document management business. Joseph Spain, CFO & COO, provided, "Total revenue for the quarter increased a net 1% to $4.3 million, with growth in SaaS revenues covering decreases in other revenue lines." Spain highlighted, "SaaS, including hosting revenue, increased 8.4% to $1.6 million for the quarter from $1.5 million for the same period last year." He also noted, "Gross margin increased 184 basis points to 66.6% for Q4 compared to 64.8% last year," attributing the improvement to a greater proportion of higher-margin SaaS revenue and price increases. Outlook Forsythe and Spain signaled a continued focus on SaaS expansion, with Spain stating, "Based on our current plans and assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties we described in our filings and this call, we expect that we will grow SaaS revenues on a year-over-year basis for fiscal year 2026." Management did not provide specific revenue or EPS guidance figures. The emphasis remains on SaaS revenu...

Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn/iStock via Getty Images Written by Nick Ackerman As income-focused investors, we tend to get categorized more heavily as those who seek high yields. However, that isn't always the case. There are those of us, like myself, who view ourselves as income-focused investors but also want dividend growth. To achieve that, my portfolio tends to be split between those sorts of positions that provide relatively higher yields and those that focus more specifically on growth prospects. Dividend growth provides what I believe are two key advantages for investors. First, it can help to combat the negative headwinds of inflation over the long term, which reduces the overall buying power. Second, I believe it also helps to combat the dividend cutters that one may have in their portfolio. When incorporating higher-yielding instruments, it generally is a matter of "when" and not "if" you'll see a cut. Balancing dividend growers into an income portfolio helps to see cash flow moving higher over the long term. Though one can also reinvest, which can further help to boost the overall cash flow growth passively as well. Today, we are going to touch on 2 of those names that have been able to provide significant dividend growth. Not only that, but these are names that I also suspect are able to continue to deliver that sort of meaningful growth as well. Supported by management's own target and expectations moving forward on the back of earnings growth. #1 Microsoft ( MSFT ): 10%+ Dividend Growth, and That Can Continue To start off, we can start with the most well-known, MSFT. The share price has been under incredible pressure as the technology sector as a whole takes a breather on the back of some AI skepticism. However, that has only made this a more interesting name to consider now, as a lot of the froth in the valuation has been removed, in my opinion. Shares are now trading well under their longer-term average forward earnings multiple level. MSFT Forward P/E vs. ...

Insights into the Fund's Strategic Moves in Q1 2026

In the days after the United States and Israel tipped the Middle East into a new and catastrophic crisis with their attacks on Iran, European leaders were all over the map. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz both voiced support for regime change in Iran soon after the strikes started more than four weeks ago. Each of them also questioned the continued utility of the international rules-based order, while Merz’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul...

Major earnings expected before the bell on Tuesday include: Constellation Energy Corporation ( CEG ) McCormick & Company, Incorporated ( MKC ) Bitfarms Ltd. ( BITF ) Charlotte's Web Holdings ( CWBHF ) FactSet Research Systems ( FDS ) Other earnings slated for release before Tuesday's open include: AIRO , FRMM , IMNN , JILL , NVVE , PRPL , SNX , TE , TONX For Seeking Alpha's full earnings season calendar, click here .

In the closing of the recent trading day, Southern Co. (SO) stood at $96.93, denoting a +1.44% move from the preceding trading day.

In the closing of the recent trading day, Valero Energy (VLO) stood at $250.27, denoting a -1.59% move from the preceding trading day.

Western Digital (WDC) reached $251.67 at the closing of the latest trading day, reflecting a -8.6% change compared to its last close.