Bloomberg An abrupt selloff in Chinese technology shares pushed a key index to the brink of a bear market, as concerns grew about authorities slapping a tax on internet firms. The Hang Seng Tech Index reversed an earlier gain to fall as much as 3.4% on Tuesday, briefly extending its drop to 20% from an October high. The gauge has since pared its loss to 1.5%. Top losers included Kuaishou Technolog...
Earnings Call Insights: Simon Property Group (SPG) Q4 2025 Management View David Simon, Chairman, CEO & President, highlighted that "we delivered strong financial and operational results in the fourth quarter, capping another impressive year for our company." He stated the company acquired $2 billion of high-quality retail properties, completed more than 20 major redevelopment projects, and opened...
Earnings Call Insights: Simon Property Group (SPG) Q4 2025 Management View David Simon, Chairman, CEO & President, highlighted that "we delivered strong financial and operational results in the fourth quarter, capping another impressive year for our company." He stated the company acquired $2 billion of high-quality retail properties, completed more than 20 major redevelopment projects, and opened a new premium outlet in Indonesia. Simon reported record real estate funds from operations (FFO) of $4.8 billion or $12.73 per share and noted, "we returned approximately $3.5 billion in cash to our shareholders through common stock repurchases and record cash dividends." Eli Simon, COO, Executive VP, Chief Investment Officer & Director, explained the company acquired The Mall, two luxury outlet centers in Italy, its partners’ interest in Brickell City Centre, the remaining 12% interest in Taubman Realty Group, and Phillips Place in Charlotte. He stated, "we signed more than 1,300 leases totaling over 4.4 million square feet during the quarter and over 4,600 leases for more than 17 million square feet for the year. Approximately 30% of our annual volume was new deals, reflecting continued strong demand across our portfolio." Brian McDade, Executive VP & CFO, reported, "Real Estate FFO was $3.49 per share in the fourth quarter compared to $3.35 in the prior year, 4.2% growth." He noted, "Malls and Premium Outlets ended the year at 96.4%. Occupancy in the Mills ended at 99.2%." McDade detailed that average base minimum rents increased 4.7% year-over-year for the Malls and Premium Outlets and that "portfolio NOI, which includes our international properties at constant currency grew 5.1% for the quarter and 4.7% for the year." Outlook Brian McDade stated, "We expect real estate FFO of $13 to $13.25 per share with a midpoint of $13.13. The guidance range assumes domestic property NOI growth of at least 3% with higher net interest expense of $0.25 to $0.30 per share versus 2025....
Serial entrepreneur Jesse Itzler revealed how a bold move involving Matt Damon and a viral coconut-tree video helped him secure Coca-Cola's acquisition of Zico Coconut Water. Spotting The Coconut Water Opportunity While training for a 100-mile race, Itzler experimented with various hydration products and discovered coconut water. Recognizing its potential in the U.S., where few brands existed, he ...
Serial entrepreneur Jesse Itzler revealed how a bold move involving Matt Damon and a viral coconut-tree video helped him secure Coca-Cola's acquisition of Zico Coconut Water. Spotting The Coconut Water Opportunity While training for a 100-mile race, Itzler experimented with various hydration products and discovered coconut water. Recognizing its potential in the U.S., where few brands existed, he launched a company called Coco+, which eventually merged with Zico Coconut Water, partnering with entrepreneur Mark Rampolla. By 2012, Zico was ready to pitch to Coca-Cola, but the meetings were initially underwhelming. Don't Miss: The AI Marketing Platform Backed by Insiders from Google, Meta, and Amazon — Invest at $0.85/Share If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it? The Matt Damon Pitch That Changed Everything Itzler's breakthrough came from a casual visit to actor Damon's Miami home. Damon, who had a coconut tree in his backyard, expressed enthusiasm for Itzler's venture. "If anything happens with this company, keep me updated. This is something I may want to get involved with," Damon told him, which Itzler recalled in 2024. When the Coca-Cola pitch stalled, Itzler decided to name-drop Damon. "Well, my partner Matt Damon and I…" he began. The Coke executive immediately perked up. "What? Matt Damon is your partner? My daughter and I are the biggest Matt Damon fan." Seizing the moment, Itzler recalled calling Damon for a favor, asking him to climb his backyard coconut tree, harvest a coconut with a machete and film the process from start to finish. Damon was instructed to walk the coconut to his house, slice it open, and put a straw in it, all while giving a playful message to Coca-Cola's CEO, who at the time was Muhtar Kent. "Checkmate," Itzler said while re-sharing the account in a YouTube Short earlier this month. This short was part of Itzler's performance during the 10X Growth Conference ...
The voice-based agentic AI outfit's tech is impressive, but winning enough customers is proving challenging. There's an artificial intelligence prospect out there that doesn't need to prove its marketability. There's no denying it. The world could use a good artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice-based customer service agent solution. Too many of the voice-activated tools so far still turn sel...
The voice-based agentic AI outfit's tech is impressive, but winning enough customers is proving challenging. There's an artificial intelligence prospect out there that doesn't need to prove its marketability. There's no denying it. The world could use a good artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice-based customer service agent solution. Too many of the voice-activated tools so far still turn self-service phone calls into a disservice, require users to repeat themselves too often to their smart speaker, or just simply botch too many restaurant drive-thru orders. SoundHound AI's (SOUN 0.53%) superior platform may be the one to get us over this usability hump. From an investor's standpoint, though, SoundHound AI stock may not be your best long-term bet in artificial intelligence. It's got potential to be sure. But it's occasionally struggled to win and keep customers. There's arguably a more proven option within the AI space. That's Palantir Technologies (PLTR +1.03%), which -- based on its past growth (particularly with government agencies) -- seems to have years' worth of new business already waiting to be won. Why is everyone talking about Palantir? It's one of those companies most people have heard of but may not actually understand. In simplest terms, Palantir's platforms allow its users to do something constructive with a mountain of digital data that might otherwise go unutilized. You might be able to achieve something similar using database software or a spreadsheet. However, Palantir Technologies is truly artificial intelligence-powered, analyzing all data from every possible angle to uncover insights that just aren't accessible any other way. For example, aircraft manufacturer Airbus is using Palantir's technology to predict when a plane will need maintenance, while online publishing powerhouse Axel Springer is maximizing ad revenue and subscriptions, and even determining the types of content readers want to read, using a Palantir-powered platform. Where Pa...
There's no denying it. The world could use a good artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice-based customer service agent solution. Too many of the voice-activated tools so far still turn self-service phone calls into a disservice, require users to repeat themselves too often to their smart speaker, or just simply botch too many restaurant drive-thru orders. SoundHound AI 's (NASDAQ: SOUN) superio...
There's no denying it. The world could use a good artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice-based customer service agent solution. Too many of the voice-activated tools so far still turn self-service phone calls into a disservice, require users to repeat themselves too often to their smart speaker, or just simply botch too many restaurant drive-thru orders. SoundHound AI 's (NASDAQ: SOUN) superior platform may be the one to get us over this usability hump. From an investor's standpoint, though, SoundHound AI stock may not be your best long-term bet in artificial intelligence . It's got potential to be sure. But it's occasionally struggled to win and keep customers. There's arguably a more proven option within the AI space. That's Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) , which -- based on its past growth (particularly with government agencies) -- seems to have years' worth of new business already waiting to be won. It's one of those companies most people have heard of but may not actually understand. Continue reading