By Akash Sriram and Joey Roulette Feb 4 (Reuters) - Seventy-five years ago, the idea of harnessing the power of the skies was little more than fantasy spun by futurists like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Elon Musk's mega-merger of his companies xAI and SpaceX this week brings this sci-fi dream a step closer. NASA engineers and technologists have speculated for nearly two decades about moving...
By Akash Sriram and Joey Roulette Feb 4 (Reuters) - Seventy-five years ago, the idea of harnessing the power of the skies was little more than fantasy spun by futurists like Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. Elon Musk's mega-merger of his companies xAI and SpaceX this week brings this sci-fi dream a step closer. NASA engineers and technologists have speculated for nearly two decades about moving energy‑hungry computing off the planet. More recently, the idea has captured the attention of Big Tech including Alphabet and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. The physics made sense, the solar energy was abundant. Still, the challenges seemed insurmountable. Musk, though, known for betting on seemingly far-out theories and getting them to work, may finally be laying the groundwork to make data centers in space a reality. He is armed with the world's busiest satellite launch fleet, an AI startup, and an appetite for infrastructure that stretches from Earth to vacuum. "In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale," Musk said on Monday. "To harness even a millionth of our Sun's energy would require over a million times more energy than our civilization currently uses! The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space." The merger sharpens investor focus on how he might overcome big hurdles through a tightly woven ecosystem of rockets, satellites and AI systems, to take AI infrastructure beyond Earth. It comes just as SpaceX is preparing for a potential $1.5 trillion IPO. SpaceX has sought permission to launch up to 1 million solar‑powered satellites engineered as orbital data centers, far beyond anything currently deployed or proposed. In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, SpaceX describes a solar‑powered, optical‑link‑driven “orbital data-center system," though it did not say how many Starship launches would be required to scale the space data-center network to an ...
In the dead of night, officers from Malaysia’s maritime agency boarded two tankers that were transferring millions of barrels of oil in the waters off Penang, as the re-emergence of ageing vessels from a shadow fleet in the country’s waters has put the spotlight on the illegal trade in Asia. The January 29 bust was a rare disruption to a trade worth billions of dollars each year – much of it from ...
In the dead of night, officers from Malaysia’s maritime agency boarded two tankers that were transferring millions of barrels of oil in the waters off Penang, as the re-emergence of ageing vessels from a shadow fleet in the country’s waters has put the spotlight on the illegal trade in Asia. The January 29 bust was a rare disruption to a trade worth billions of dollars each year – much of it from sanctioned oil-producing nations Russia and Iran, and involving ships plying the waters in the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea. The vessels, the MT Nora and Rcelebra, with a crew of over 50 people from China, Myanmar, Iran, Pakistan and India, were boarded by officers from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). Advertisement By the time the officers arrived, around 2 million barrels had already been piped into the Rcelebra, a supertanker on a European sanctions list for smuggling Russian oil, from MT Nora, the MMEA said. The transponder on the MT Nora, a device used to broadcast a vessel’s identity, position and course, was switched off to avoid detection. Advertisement MT Nora moved to Southeast Asian waters in November, Muhammad Suffi Mohd Ramli, director of the Penang State Maritime Enforcement Agency Office, told This Week in Asia, adding it was intercepted “midway through the transfer”. Rcelebra and MT Nora have been released on a bond of US$76,433 to a Penang-based company, with the crude returned to the vessels, pending a court decision. The court, which did not name the company, ruled that its representatives must return for the hearing.
(RTTNews) - Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (SWK) revealed a profit for fourth quarter that Drops, from the same period last year The company's earnings totaled $158.2 million, or $1.04 per share. This compares with $194.9 million, or $1.28 per share, last year. Excluding items, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $214.3 million or $1.41 per share for the period. The company's ...
(RTTNews) - Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (SWK) revealed a profit for fourth quarter that Drops, from the same period last year The company's earnings totaled $158.2 million, or $1.04 per share. This compares with $194.9 million, or $1.28 per share, last year. Excluding items, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $214.3 million or $1.41 per share for the period. The company's revenue for the period fell 1.0% to $3.684 billion from $3.720 billion last year. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings: $158.2 Mln. vs. $194.9 Mln. last year. -EPS: $1.04 vs. $1.28 last year. -Revenue: $3.684 Bln vs. $3.720 Bln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), a leading semiconductor company specializing in high-performance computing, graphics, and visualization technologies, has released its 2025 10-K report. The report highlights significant financial growth, robust business performance, strategic initiatives, and the challenges and risks faced by the company in the highly competitive semiconductor industry. Financia...
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), a leading semiconductor company specializing in high-performance computing, graphics, and visualization technologies, has released its 2025 10-K report. The report highlights significant financial growth, robust business performance, strategic initiatives, and the challenges and risks faced by the company in the highly competitive semiconductor industry. Financial Highlights Net Revenue: AMD reported net revenue of $34,639 million, reflecting a 34% increase from $25,785 million in 2024. This growth was driven by strong demand in the Data Center and Client and Gaming segments. Gross Profit: The company achieved a gross profit of $17,152 million, with a gross margin of 50%, up from 49% in 2024. The improvement in gross margin was primarily due to a favorable product mix. Operating Income: Operating income increased to $3,694 million from $1,900 million in 2024, driven by higher revenue despite increased cost of sales and operating expenses. Net Income: Net income significantly rose to $4,335 million from $1,641 million in 2024, benefiting from a tax benefit related to the release of uncertain tax positions. Diluted Earnings Per Share: Diluted earnings per share were $2.65, compared to $1.00 in 2024, reflecting improved profitability and operational performance. Business Highlights Revenue Segments: The Data Center segment saw a 32% increase in net revenue, driven by strong demand for AMD EPYC processors and AMD Instinct GPU accelerators. The Client and Gaming segment experienced a 51% increase in net revenue, primarily due to higher demand for AMD Ryzen processors, semi-custom game console SoCs, and Radeon gaming GPUs. New Product Launches: In 2025, AMD launched several new products, including the 5th Gen AMD EPYC family of server processors, AMD Instinct MI350 Series GPUs, and the AMD Radeon 9000 Series GPUs. Additionally, new Ryzen Threadripper 9000 Series processors were introduced for gaming and content creation. New Production L...
Key Points Nu Holdings' impressive unit economics support its burgeoning earnings base. SoFi Technologies continues to move the needle forward with ongoing product launches. Investors can view both of these companies as solid opportunities. 10 stocks we like better than SoFi Technologies › Investing at the intersection of financial services and technology, known as fintech, can be an exciting way ...
Key Points Nu Holdings' impressive unit economics support its burgeoning earnings base. SoFi Technologies continues to move the needle forward with ongoing product launches. Investors can view both of these companies as solid opportunities. 10 stocks we like better than SoFi Technologies › Investing at the intersection of financial services and technology, known as fintech, can be an exciting way to boost your portfolio's return prospects. There are two thriving businesses to consider. Nu Holdings (NYSE: NU), whose shares have surged 284% in the past three years (as of Feb. 2), is a Latin American banking powerhouse. SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI), whose shares are up 204% in the past three years, is finding tremendous success here in the U.S. 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 » Between these two growth stocks, which is the better one to buy right now? Serving a huge unbanked and underbanked population Nu has a strong presence in its home country of Brazil, with 110 million customers in Latin America's most populated nation. The company is also finding success in Mexico and Colombia. The fact that Latin America is a developing economy with a large group of unbanked and underbanked people means that Nu still has a large runway for growth. And its growth so far has been impressive. Revenue climbed 42% year over year in the third quarter, with net income up 41%. Profits have soared due to what looks like a very scalable business model. Nu has no bank branches, eliminating an operating expense that helps boost the bottom line. The company has proven discipline when it comes to risk management, which is even more critical in emerging economies. And the huge gap Nu has built between the revenue it generates from customers and the cost to serve them will keep supporting robust earnings. Ongoing innovation is a priority for this management team SoFi is no slouch when it come...
Key Points Figma made creating and collaborating on design products much more seamless than previous options. Figma customers spending at least $100,000 annually have grown significantly. Even after declining, it's hard to justify Figma's current valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Figma › Last year wasn't a huge year for initial public offerings (IPOs), but one of the more anticipated ones c...
Key Points Figma made creating and collaborating on design products much more seamless than previous options. Figma customers spending at least $100,000 annually have grown significantly. Even after declining, it's hard to justify Figma's current valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Figma › Last year wasn't a huge year for initial public offerings (IPOs), but one of the more anticipated ones came from design company Figma (NYSE: FIG). Its IPO price was $33 per share on July 31, and by the next day, it had skyrocketed to $122. Unfortunately, the stock has fallen about 80% and trades at about $24 (as of Feb. 2). Considering the hype surrounding Figma, should investors take the opportunity to invest now that it's so far below its all-time high? Or is this a situation where excitement obscured the actual business? Let's take a look. 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 » What exactly does Figma do? Think about how Google Docs made collaborating on documents in real time much more efficient than older software. Now, imagine that for user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. Instead of sending designs back and forth, Figma lets teams build together in real time, in the cloud. It seems simple on the surface, but even legacy companies like Adobe didn't perfect this approach. Much of Figma's hype has come from becoming the go-to platform to bridge the gap between designers and developers. A growing customer base The test of Figma's business model is the number of customers it can attract and retain. People and businesses often try a product, but retention matters for stability and long-term growth. Figma ended its last-reported quarter (ended Sept. 30) with 1,262 customers with an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of at least $100,000, and 12,910 customers with an ARR of at least $10,000. These were up 385 and 3,148 year over year, re...
ATS press release ( ATS ): Q3 Non-GAAP EPS of $0.48 beats by $0.16 . Revenue of $760.7M (+16.7% Y/Y) beats by $225.19M . Adjusted EBITDA 1 was $105.2 million compared to $87.5 million a year ago. Order Bookings 2 were $821 million, compared to $883 million a year ago. Order Backlog 2 was $2,053 million, compared to $2,060 million a year ago. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, management expects...
ATS press release ( ATS ): Q3 Non-GAAP EPS of $0.48 beats by $0.16 . Revenue of $760.7M (+16.7% Y/Y) beats by $225.19M . Adjusted EBITDA 1 was $105.2 million compared to $87.5 million a year ago. Order Bookings 2 were $821 million, compared to $883 million a year ago. Order Backlog 2 was $2,053 million, compared to $2,060 million a year ago. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, management expects to generate revenues in the range of $710 million to $750 million vs. consensus of $549.72M . More on ATS Corporation Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on ATS Corporation Historical earnings data for ATS Corporation Financial information for ATS Corporation
A press release issued by the University of Liverpool, UK, announced that treatment with a common diabetes medication may be associated with less development of intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the senior author Nicholas AV Beare, MD. He is a reader in the Department of Eye and Vision Science, University of Liverpool, and St. Paul’s Eye Unit, Liverpool Ophthalmic R...
A press release issued by the University of Liverpool, UK, announced that treatment with a common diabetes medication may be associated with less development of intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the senior author Nicholas AV Beare, MD. He is a reader in the Department of Eye and Vision Science, University of Liverpool, and St. Paul’s Eye Unit, Liverpool Ophthalmic Reading Centre, Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, both in Liverpool, UK. This finding was based on the results of a study published in BMJ Open Ophthalmology1 that patients with diabetes who were over 55 years of age and being treated with metformin were “37% less likely to develop the intermediate stage of AMD over a 5-year period compared to those not taking metformin,” according to the press release. Metformin is described as “the first-line treatment for type 2 or adult-onset diabetes. It reduces the production of sugar (glucose) in the liver along with other effects that benefit diabetes. Metformin also has anti-aging effects, including being antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and stimulating house-keeping functions and energy production in cells (pro-mitochondria).” If the anti-AMD effects are true, the benefits of the drug are that it is inexpensive and may ease the treatment burden of AMD. Imaging study In their study, the investigators evaluated ocular images from 2,000 patients who attended the routine diabetic eye disease screening program in Liverpool over 5 years. The researchers recounted that they assessed the images for the presence and severity of AMD. They then compared the patients treated with metformin to those who were not. After adjustment for age, sex, and duration of diabetes, they reported that “the odds of developing intermediate AMD over 5 years in the metformin group was 0.63 compared to the no metformin group (95% confidence range, 0.43 to 0.92).” The basis for the study, they explained, was that “a potential benefit from metformi...
Bunge press release ( BG ): Q4 Non-GAAP EPS of $1.99 beats by $0.17 . Revenue of $23.76B (+75.5% Y/Y) beats by $1.45B . Taking into account the current margin and macro environment and forward curves, Bunge expects full-year 2026 adjusted EPS in the range of $7.50 to $8.00 vs $8.94 consensus The Company expects the following for 2026: an adjusted annual effective tax rate in the range of 23% to 27...
Bunge press release ( BG ): Q4 Non-GAAP EPS of $1.99 beats by $0.17 . Revenue of $23.76B (+75.5% Y/Y) beats by $1.45B . Taking into account the current margin and macro environment and forward curves, Bunge expects full-year 2026 adjusted EPS in the range of $7.50 to $8.00 vs $8.94 consensus The Company expects the following for 2026: an adjusted annual effective tax rate in the range of 23% to 27%; net interest expense in the range of $575 to $625 million; capital expenditures in the range of $1.5 to $1.7 billion; and depreciation and amortization of approximately $975 million. More on Bunge Bunge Global: Soybean Oversupply Pressures Profits, Viterra Effect Priced In Bunge: A New Era Of Agribusiness Dominance Bunge Q4 2025 Earnings Preview Top performing consumer staples stocks in the past month Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Bunge
Stanley Black & Decker press release ( SWK ): Q4 Non-GAAP EPS of $1.41 beats by $0.13 . Revenue of $3.7B (flat Y/Y) misses by $80M . The Company expects 2026 EPS to be in the range of $3.15 to $4.35 on a GAAP basis and in the range of $4.90 to $5.70 vs $5.62 consensus on an adjusted basis. This represents growth of 42% and 13%, respectively, at the midpoint of each range. The Company is targeting ...
Stanley Black & Decker press release ( SWK ): Q4 Non-GAAP EPS of $1.41 beats by $0.13 . Revenue of $3.7B (flat Y/Y) misses by $80M . The Company expects 2026 EPS to be in the range of $3.15 to $4.35 on a GAAP basis and in the range of $4.90 to $5.70 vs $5.62 consensus on an adjusted basis. This represents growth of 42% and 13%, respectively, at the midpoint of each range. The Company is targeting free cash flow* to be in the range of $700 to $900 million, reflecting an increase of 16% at the midpoint. These underlying planning assumptions include CAM results for the first half of 2026 and the current tariff landscape. The difference between the GAAP and Adjusted EPS* assumption range is approximately $1.35 to $1.75, consisting primarily of charges related to footprint actions and other cost actions. More on Stanley Black & Decker Stanley Black & Decker: Addressing Leverage Ahead Of Promised Green Shoots Stanley Black & Decker: Good Opportunity To Buy A Quality Income Asset On The Cheap Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (SWK) Presents at Goldman Sachs Industrials and Materials Conference 2025 Transcript Stanley Black & Decker Q4 2025 Earnings Preview Howmet Aerospace to acquire Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing from Stanley Black & Decker for $1.8 billion
China will “deeply participate” in agricultural trade and expand imports of products in short domestic supply, a senior official said on Wednesday, signalling strong and sustained demand for overseas soybeans – a long-standing food security concern and a flashpoint in its ties with the United States. Despite a tight balance between production and demand, China would diversify import sources and ma...
China will “deeply participate” in agricultural trade and expand imports of products in short domestic supply, a senior official said on Wednesday, signalling strong and sustained demand for overseas soybeans – a long-standing food security concern and a flashpoint in its ties with the United States. Despite a tight balance between production and demand, China would diversify import sources and make full use of international markets, said Han Wenxiu, head of the office of the Communist Party’s rural affairs leading group. His remarks followed Tuesday’s release of Beijing’s 2026 rural blueprint, known as the “No 1 Document” and traditionally the leadership’s first policy directive of the year. Advertisement The blueprint pledged to boost soybean output by prioritising yields and better aligning domestic production with trade, marking a shift from Beijing’s years-long emphasis on expanding planting acreage to curb dependence on major overseas suppliers such as the US. “We will actively pursue broader and higher-level opening-up, including in agriculture”, Han said, while stressing that “it is essential to appropriately regulate the pace and extent of farm product imports to protect national food security”. Advertisement The remarks were consistent with Beijing’s commitment to buy at least 25 million tonnes of US soybeans annually through 2028, a figure announced by the White House, under a trade deal reached between the two superpowers in October
Oaktree Specialty Lending press release ( OCSL ): Q1 Non-GAAP NII of $0.41 beats by $0.03 . Total investment income of $75.1M (-13.3% Y/Y) misses by $0.19M . Adjusted total investment income was $74.5 million ($0.85 per share) for the first fiscal quarter of 2026 as compared with $76.9 million ($0.87 per share) for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2025. Net asset value ("NAV") per share was $16.30 as ...
Oaktree Specialty Lending press release ( OCSL ): Q1 Non-GAAP NII of $0.41 beats by $0.03 . Total investment income of $75.1M (-13.3% Y/Y) misses by $0.19M . Adjusted total investment income was $74.5 million ($0.85 per share) for the first fiscal quarter of 2026 as compared with $76.9 million ($0.87 per share) for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2025. Net asset value ("NAV") per share was $16.30 as of December 31, 2025, down as compared with $16.64 as of September 30, 2025. More on Oaktree Specialty Lending Oaktree Specialty Lending: I Don't Trust The Dividend Oaktree Specialty Lending: Pricing An Inevitable Decline 12% Yields: Why Blackstone Secured Lending Beats Oaktree Specialty Lending Oaktree Specialty Lending FQ1 2026 Earnings Preview Oaktree Specialty Lending signals continued focus on nonaccrual reduction and prudent leverage amid shifting credit spreads
(RTTNews) - Silgan Holdings Inc. (SLGN) announced earnings for fourth quarter that Decreased from last year but beat the Street estimates. The company's bottom line totaled $18.2 million, or $0.17 per share. This compares with $45.1 million, or $0.42 per share, last year. Excluding items, Silgan Holdings Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $70.7 million or $0.67 per share for the period. Analysts o...
(RTTNews) - Silgan Holdings Inc. (SLGN) announced earnings for fourth quarter that Decreased from last year but beat the Street estimates. The company's bottom line totaled $18.2 million, or $0.17 per share. This compares with $45.1 million, or $0.42 per share, last year. Excluding items, Silgan Holdings Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $70.7 million or $0.67 per share for the period. Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $0.64 per share. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company's revenue for the period rose 4.0% to $1.468 billion from $1.411 billion last year. Silgan Holdings Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings: $18.2 Mln. vs. $45.1 Mln. last year. -EPS: $0.17 vs. $0.42 last year. -Revenue: $1.468 Bln vs. $1.411 Bln last year. This increased fourth-quarter sales reflect the contractual pass-through of higher raw material costs in the current year quarter and favorable foreign currency translation. Looking ahead, for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, the company expects adjusted income of $0.70 to $0.80 per share, less than the $0.82 per share posted for the first quarter of fiscal 2025. For fiscal 2026, Silgan anticipates adjusted profit of $3.70 to $3.90 per share, compared with $3.72 in fiscal 2025. The company projects capital expenditure of around $310 million for fiscal 2026, higher than $307.1 million in fiscal 2025. This increased capital expenditure is anticipated to be used to support continued dispensing and pet food product growth. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Leading US and Chinese artificial intelligence models are frustrating to use in real-world settings because they struggle to learn from context, Tencent Holdings said in a new technical paper – the first co-authored by Vinces Yao Shunyu since he took up the role of chief AI scientist at the firm AI developers need to place “context learning” at the centre of future model design if their products a...
Leading US and Chinese artificial intelligence models are frustrating to use in real-world settings because they struggle to learn from context, Tencent Holdings said in a new technical paper – the first co-authored by Vinces Yao Shunyu since he took up the role of chief AI scientist at the firm AI developers need to place “context learning” at the centre of future model design if their products are to become genuinely useful outside controlled environments, according to researchers from Tencent and Fudan University’s Institute of Trustworthy Embodied AI. “Models often fail in subtle but consequential ways,” the researchers wrote in a paper published on Tuesday . “Until [context learning] improves, [models] will remain brittle precisely in the settings where we most want them to help: messy, dynamic, real-world environments.” Advertisement The research comes as Yao – a former star researcher at OpenAI – seeks to reinvigorate Tencent’s foundational model efforts after a series of internal restructurings. The Shenzhen-based conglomerate’s Hunyuan models trail domestic rivals such as DeepSeek while its flagship consumer AI app Yuanbao had roughly half the number of users of ByteDance’s market-leading Doubao as of January. Chinese tech giant Tencent poached Vinces Yao Shunyu from OpenAI in 2025. Photo: Handout To test levels of context learning ability among existing models, Tencent’s researchers developed a new benchmark called CL-bench, testing 19 leading models across 1,899 tasks designed to measure on-the-job learning.
BlackRock Inc. ’s Larry Fink says it’s vital for India’s population to invest alongside the country’s economic growth, a key reason the world’s largest asset manager is expanding its presence in the country. “If you believe in the era of India, we need to compel hundreds of millions of Indians to invest alongside that growth,” Fink said during a forum in Mumbai on Wednesday. He was joined on the p...
BlackRock Inc. ’s Larry Fink says it’s vital for India’s population to invest alongside the country’s economic growth, a key reason the world’s largest asset manager is expanding its presence in the country. “If you believe in the era of India, we need to compel hundreds of millions of Indians to invest alongside that growth,” Fink said during a forum in Mumbai on Wednesday. He was joined on the panel by Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani , chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd . Fink said that India’s rise will be fueled both by foreign investors, who believe in its potential, and by the strength of the domestic economy, underpinned by retirement savings.
As a fierce contest takes shape between Labour, Reform UK and the Greens, John Harris and John Domokos take the temperature in an area of Manchester that feels like a microcosm of Britain - and find voters split between two completely different views of their lives, and the future Continue reading...
As a fierce contest takes shape between Labour, Reform UK and the Greens, John Harris and John Domokos take the temperature in an area of Manchester that feels like a microcosm of Britain - and find voters split between two completely different views of their lives, and the future Continue reading...
NEW YORK, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN) was once the upstart running ahead of Walmart with its revolutionary e-commerce business. It now finds itself betting on the kind of mega-store typically associated with its Bentonville, Arkansas, rival. Analysts expect Amazon's fourth-quarter physical store revenue, which includes Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go sales, to increase 5.4% from a ye...
NEW YORK, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN) was once the upstart running ahead of Walmart with its revolutionary e-commerce business. It now finds itself betting on the kind of mega-store typically associated with its Bentonville, Arkansas, rival. Analysts expect Amazon's fourth-quarter physical store revenue, which includes Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go sales, to increase 5.4% from a year ago to $5.9 billion when it reports results on Thursday, according to estimates from LSEG. Overall earnings are expected at $1.97 a share. The company's retail operations are still a key part of the business, even as it sees fast growth from its technology division, Amazon Web Services, which accounts for 18% of its revenue. Its decision last month to close all of its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go locations and convert them into Whole Foods Market stores was a signal of a changing strategy. Its newest bet is a 225,000-square-foot mega-store outside Chicago, its first ever, meant to compete with Walmart or Costco. The planned store will sell produce, household essentials and general merchandise while also serving as a distribution center for same-day deliveries. "Amazon knows that it needs to win in grocery because shoppers that tend to buy grocery and fast-moving consumer goods items tend to have the highest customer lifetime value," said Amazon seller consultant Martin Heubel, whose clients send merchandise directly to Amazon to be sold in stores and online. The company said its previous strategy failed to create a distinctive shopping experience that would allow for large-scale expansion. Amazon did not comment. "I think to go all-in on brick-and-mortar is probably not the long-term strategy for Amazon," S&P Global analyst Bea Chiem said. "It's going to take some time for them to catch up." Walmart (WMT) lagged behind Amazon in e-commerce for years, but the introduction of its Walmart+ membership program in September 2020 turned the tide. The program had 26.5 millio...
Monthly trading volumes have gone from millions to billions in short order. Exploring what that could mean for investors. To say that prediction markets have taken the world by storm would be an understatement. A recent report estimated that trading volume on prediction markets increased from under $100 million per month in early 2024 to more than $13 billion by the end of 2025. Prediction markets...
Monthly trading volumes have gone from millions to billions in short order. Exploring what that could mean for investors. To say that prediction markets have taken the world by storm would be an understatement. A recent report estimated that trading volume on prediction markets increased from under $100 million per month in early 2024 to more than $13 billion by the end of 2025. Prediction markets allow people to trade contracts tied to the outcome of future events. That's a fancy way of describing betting on events, from politics to sports. The risks involved in prediction markets position it alongside cryptocurrency trading and help explain the industry's explosive growth. It has launched companies such as Polymarket to mainstream fame and unlocked growth opportunities for Robinhood Markets. But as exciting as prediction markets are, there are three warnings to keep in mind before trading in them or investing in the companies involved. 1. Like cryptocurrencies, trading in prediction markets is speculative While cryptocurrencies have various potential uses, many people trade them in hopes of making a quick profit. The appeal of a quick and easy payout has swayed people for centuries, if not longer. After all, people don't evolve nearly as quickly as technology does. Remember that trading in prediction markets is arguably equivalent to gambling. It's crucial to isolate any capital used in prediction markets to money you can afford to lose, and it should be a tiny amount compared to what you're investing. 2. The rules aren't clear yet You're not necessarily up against the house when you trade in prediction markets; this isn't quite a casino. That said, the rules of prediction markets aren't always concise. Suppose you buy a contract on a recession occurring this year. How does the platform define recession, and how does it apply to your contract? Additionally, there aren't clear guardrails for maintaining fair play in prediction markets. What if someone knows somethi...