Wall Street's iconic index eclipsed 50,000 for the first time on Feb. 6 -- and an even bigger milestone may not be too far off. Last week was a history-maker for the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI +0.04%). The index that was incepted nearly 130 years ago ended the Feb. 6 trading session above 50,000 for the first time. Investors have watched the Dow transform from a 12-stock, industrial...
Wall Street's iconic index eclipsed 50,000 for the first time on Feb. 6 -- and an even bigger milestone may not be too far off. Last week was a history-maker for the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI +0.04%). The index that was incepted nearly 130 years ago ended the Feb. 6 trading session above 50,000 for the first time. Investors have watched the Dow transform from a 12-stock, industrial-focused index in the late 19th century to one that now features 30 diverse, time-tested, multinational companies. Over the trailing decade, the Dow has taken down 32 1,000-point milestones, beginning with 19,000 and ending, most recently, above 50,000. While investing on Wall Street often entails looking to the future, reminiscing about the past can sometimes clue investors into what to expect in the years to come. With the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassing a psychologically important level, the question that needs to be asked is: When will this ageless index hit 100,000? Although the past can't guarantee the future, history offers a pretty clear answer -- and it may be sooner than you might think. When will the Dow hit 100,000? As is often the case when putting your money to work in the stock market, the answer varies with perspective. Using the Dow's average annual returns as a guideline, we can estimate when it'll effectively double from its Feb. 6 closing value. For example, the Dow troughed during the Great Depression on July 8, 1932, at just 41.22. In the more than 93 years since this bottom, the index has returned an annual average of 7.89%. If this annualized return were to persist, it would take the Dow until roughly March 2035 to hit the 100,000 milestone. But if we narrow the lens to an arbitrary trailing 50 years, the results shift a bit. Over the trailing half-century, Wall Street's health barometer has catapulted from 964.81 to its closing value of 50,115.67 on Feb. 6 -- an 8.22% annualized return. At this pace, the Dow would achieve six-digit status be...
Intel is a leading semiconductor manufacturer that long dominated the global CPU market but has faced challenges as competitors advance in AI and chip technology. Britannica
Intel is a leading semiconductor manufacturer that long dominated the global CPU market but has faced challenges as competitors advance in AI and chip technology. Britannica
Surging prices of solar cells from China are rattling Indian module makers who depend on the neighboring nation for the essential component. Volatile prices of silver, a key electricity conductor, are making cells unaffordable to some Indian businesses, according to Avinash Hiranandani , managing director at RenewSys India Pvt. , which operates 2.5 gigawatts of module assembly capacity. The loomin...
Surging prices of solar cells from China are rattling Indian module makers who depend on the neighboring nation for the essential component. Volatile prices of silver, a key electricity conductor, are making cells unaffordable to some Indian businesses, according to Avinash Hiranandani , managing director at RenewSys India Pvt. , which operates 2.5 gigawatts of module assembly capacity. The looming holidays for Chinese New Year have also put suppliers on a wait and watch mode, he said. Suppliers have been reluctant to share quotations for cells in the past month, or they have been asking for 10%-15% more than usual, Hiranandani said in a phone interview. “They said they will come back in the market after the new year holidays, but that could be too late” to avoid disruptions in the supply chain, he added. Tensions in India reflect the current struggles of Chinese firms. Beijing has removed export tax rebates , pushing the industry, saddled by overcapacity, to increase product prices. A recent surge in silver prices has made the situation worse. India has been expanding its module making capacity to reduce its dependence on China, but it continues to rely on its neighbor for most upstream products, including cells and machinery to assemble the panels. A jump in the price of those components challenges module makers and in turn the power generators they cater to, who are required to supply power at a fixed price. Read More: Silver’s Rally Slams Solar Makers Struggling With Losses Solar developers can choose to delay their projects by a few months until module prices come down, but manufacturers would have to keep their plants idle until then, Hiranandani said. Meanwhile, the company is left with just enough cells to last this month. To keep operations running, Hiranandani said RenewSys is considering flying in the cargoes next month at additional expense. To be sure, this is a short-term problem that doesn’t affect all companies equally. “It’s more of a price issue th...
Anna Edwards, Guy Johnson, Tom Mackenzie and Mark Cudmore break down today's key themes for analysts and investors on "Bloomberg: The Opening Trade." (Source: Bloomberg)
Anna Edwards, Guy Johnson, Tom Mackenzie and Mark Cudmore break down today's key themes for analysts and investors on "Bloomberg: The Opening Trade." (Source: Bloomberg)
A six-year-old Indonesian girl killed in a traffic accident while visiting Singapore with her family has been laid to rest in her hometown of Jakarta. Sheyna Lashira Smaradiani and her family were visiting the popular tourist area of Chinatown late on Friday morning when the accident happened. A car struck Sheyna and her mother, Raisha Anindra Pascasiswi, as the family of four were crossing South ...
A six-year-old Indonesian girl killed in a traffic accident while visiting Singapore with her family has been laid to rest in her hometown of Jakarta. Sheyna Lashira Smaradiani and her family were visiting the popular tourist area of Chinatown late on Friday morning when the accident happened. A car struck Sheyna and her mother, Raisha Anindra Pascasiswi, as the family of four were crossing South Bridge Road near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported. Her father, Ashar Ardianto, had been walking ahead with Sheyna’s two-year-old sibling in a stroller and was unhurt. Advertisement In videos posted on social media, Ashar can be seen holding his daughter in his arms while Raisha lies on the ground by the side of the road. “My family … Please, oh my God, why,” he cries. The driver of the car, a 38-year-old woman, kept pacing back and forth at the scene, occasionally burying her head in her hands, according to Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min. Advertisement After the driver was taken away by police, her husband told reporters that she had been in the area to pick up their son.
Shares of Microsoft and ServiceNow are trading at attractive prices after the steep sell-off in software stocks. The S&P North American Technology Software Index, which tracks 111 software stocks, has fallen 30% from the all-time high it hit in September. The puts the index in bear market territory, and artificial intelligence (AI) is the root cause. Specifically, investors worry AI tools will red...
Shares of Microsoft and ServiceNow are trading at attractive prices after the steep sell-off in software stocks. The S&P North American Technology Software Index, which tracks 111 software stocks, has fallen 30% from the all-time high it hit in September. The puts the index in bear market territory, and artificial intelligence (AI) is the root cause. Specifically, investors worry AI tools will reduce demand for existing products. The selling started months ago, but accelerated when Anthropic released Cowork in January, a conversational assistant that can automate workflows in the sales, finance, marketing, and legal departments, among others. However, many analysts and business leaders believe investors have overreacted, chief among them is Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. "There's a whole bunch of software companies whose stock prices are under pressure because somehow AI is going to replace them," he said at a recent event. "It is the most illogical thing in the world." That does not mean the software stocks will rebound anytime soon, but it does cast the current situation as an opportunity for patient investors. Here's why Microsoft (MSFT +3.24%) and ServiceNow (NOW +3.24%) are worth buying. Microsoft: 50% upside implied by the median target price Microsoft enjoys a strong position in enterprise software, particularly in office productivity, enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, and low-code development tools. The company has supercharged its software products with generative AI assistants, which improve productivity by automating work. Paid Microsoft 365 Copilot seats rose 160% in the December quarter, according to CEO Satya Nadella. Meanwhile, Microsoft Azure continued to gain market share in cloud computing in the December quarter, accounting for 21% of cloud infrastructure and platform services spending, up from 20% in the September quarter. Those share gains were driven by increased compute capacity from data center buildouts and strong demand for Fou...
Key Points Software stocks have dropped into a bear market due to concerns about AI, but Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the market's reaction has been "illogical." Microsoft's generative AI copilots are gaining traction with customers and the company is gaining market share in cloud computing. ServiceNow's dominance in IT software positions the company as a likely beneficiary as enterprise adoption ...
Key Points Software stocks have dropped into a bear market due to concerns about AI, but Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the market's reaction has been "illogical." Microsoft's generative AI copilots are gaining traction with customers and the company is gaining market share in cloud computing. ServiceNow's dominance in IT software positions the company as a likely beneficiary as enterprise adoption of AI tools increases. 10 stocks we like better than Microsoft › The S&P North American Technology Software Index, which tracks 111 software stocks, has fallen 30% from the all-time high it hit in September. The puts the index in bear market territory, and artificial intelligence (AI) is the root cause. Specifically, investors worry AI tools will reduce demand for existing products. The selling started months ago, but accelerated when Anthropic released Cowork in January, a conversational assistant that can automate workflows in the sales, finance, marketing, and legal departments, among others. 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 » However, many analysts and business leaders believe investors have overreacted, chief among them is Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. "There's a whole bunch of software companies whose stock prices are under pressure because somehow AI is going to replace them," he said at a recent event. "It is the most illogical thing in the world." That does not mean the software stocks will rebound anytime soon, but it does cast the current situation as an opportunity for patient investors. Here's why Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) are worth buying. Microsoft: 50% upside implied by the median target price Microsoft enjoys a strong position in enterprise software, particularly in office productivity, enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, and low-code development tools. The company has supercharged its s...
Key Points Age 62 is the soonest you can sign up for Social Security. Your benefits will be reduced permanently for an early claim. Make sure you're equipped to deal with that financial hit, or otherwise pledge to wait. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › There's a reason 62 has long been a popular age to file for Social Security. It's the earliest age you're allo...
Key Points Age 62 is the soonest you can sign up for Social Security. Your benefits will be reduced permanently for an early claim. Make sure you're equipped to deal with that financial hit, or otherwise pledge to wait. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › There's a reason 62 has long been a popular age to file for Social Security. It's the earliest age you're allowed to take benefits. But just because you can claim Social Security at 62 doesn't mean you should. If you file at the earliest age possible, your benefits may be reduced more than you'd expect. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » What reduction will you face if you claim Social Security at 62? The amount of money an early Social Security claim costs you depends on your full retirement age. For people born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67. Meanwhile, your Social Security benefits are reduced by about 6.67% a year for the first three years you file ahead of full retirement age, and then by about 5% a year after that. So let's say you file for Social Security three years ahead of full retirement age. In that case, your benefits get reduced by about 20%. But if you file at 62, your benefits will be reduced by 30%. Of course, the actual impact on your benefits depends on the sum you're entitled to each month. If you're eligible for $2,000 a month in Social Security at full retirement age, filing at age 62 will shrink your monthly checks to $1,400. If you're eligible for $2,500 a month at full retirement age, claiming at 62 will leave you with $1,750. The more money you're entitled to at full retirement age, the more an early claim will cost you on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Make sure you can afford to slash your benefits You may like the idea of claiming Social Security as soon as you'r...
Company Logo Africa's digital commerce is poised for major growth, propelled by surging smartphone use, expanding internet access, and enhanced real-time payment systems. The shift towards mobile-first connectivity and B2C dominance signals transformative opportunities in e-commerce and digital payments, despite infrastructure challenges. Dublin, Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Africa B2C E...
Company Logo Africa's digital commerce is poised for major growth, propelled by surging smartphone use, expanding internet access, and enhanced real-time payment systems. The shift towards mobile-first connectivity and B2C dominance signals transformative opportunities in e-commerce and digital payments, despite infrastructure challenges. Dublin, Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Africa B2C E-Commerce & Payments 2026: Instant Payments, Infrastructure, and South Africa Deep Dive" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. As mobile-first connectivity scales, fintech platforms expand, and real-time payment systems mature, these trends are jointly reshaping Africa's digital commerce ecosystem. Key Forecast Highlights: Africa's E-Commerce market is forecast to grow from USD 317 billion in 2024 to over USD 1 trillion by 2033. Instant payment transaction volumes exceeded 64 billion by 2024, with values approaching USD 2 trillion. Smartphone adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to rise from over 50% in 2024 to more than 80% by 2030. Africa's B2C E-Commerce Is Forecast to Enter a Phase of Structural Expansion Africa's E-Commerce market is forecast to expand rapidly, driven by rising smartphone penetration, expanding internet access, and growing consumer familiarity with online platforms. B2C remains the dominant business model, with market activity concentrated in essential services and everyday retail. South Africa leads the continent in scale and maturity, followed by Nigeria and Egypt, while fragmented infrastructure and trust-related constraints continue to shape uneven adoption. Africa's Payments Ecosystem Is Shifting Toward Mobile and Instant Models Africa's payments landscape has evolved through structural leapfrogging, with mobile payments replacing cash as the primary transaction infrastructure. Mobile payments now support E-Commerce, business, and government transactions, embedding financial services into everyday activity. Instant pay...