Although the Home Builders Federation (HBF) said the additional cost that developers now face from the changes was "not welcome at any time", it said the industry had been given a lot of forewarning.
Although the Home Builders Federation (HBF) said the additional cost that developers now face from the changes was "not welcome at any time", it said the industry had been given a lot of forewarning.
Major U.S. indexes closed higher Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 1.38% to 46,208.47, the S&P 500 gaining 1.15% to 6,581, and the Nasdaq advancing 1.38% to 21,946.76. These are the top stocks that gained the attention of retail traders and investors through the day: Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) Palantir’s stock closed up 6.78% at $160.90, reaching an intraday high o...
Major U.S. indexes closed higher Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 1.38% to 46,208.47, the S&P 500 gaining 1.15% to 6,581, and the Nasdaq advancing 1.38% to 21,946.76. These are the top stocks that gained the attention of retail traders and investors through the day: Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) Palantir’s stock closed up 6.78% at $160.90, reaching an intraday high of $161.08 and a low of $153.24. The stock is trading closer to its 52-week high of $207.52 than its low of $66.12. Palantir shares rose on Monday, supported by easing geopolitical tensions after Donald Trump signaled a pause in military action, alongside news that the Pentagon will formally adopt Palantir's Maven AI system, securing long-term funding. The stock also showed improving technical momentum, with shares up over 63% in the past year, as investors position ahead of the upcoming May earnings report. Urban-gro’s stock surged 182.11% to close at $6.15, with an intraday high of $7.23 and a low of $3.06. The stock’s 52-week high is $19.76, and its low is $2.02. In the after-hours trading, the stock shot up 35.61% to $8.34. The company’s shares surged after Innovative Production Group completed its all-stock merger with Flash Sports & Media, bringing T20 cricket league rights — including the Lanka Premier League — onto the Nasdaq-listed platform. The deal creates a publicly traded vehicle to scale cricket media and commercial rights across markets like Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates, while centralizing sponsorships and broadcast monetization. QuantumScape Corporation (NASDAQ:QS) QuantumScape’s shares rose 6.98% to $7.05, with a high of $7.12 and a low of $6.69. The stock’s 52-week high is $19.07, and its low is $3.40. The stock gained momentum as the broader market improved, with auto-related stocks benefiting from a sharp drop in energy costs. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE:EL) Estée Lauder’s stock fell 7.72% to $79.29, with an intraday high of $91.06 an...
Hong Kong police can now demand that people suspected of breaching the city’s national security law provide mobile phone or computer passwords in a further crackdown on dissent. The new amendments to the law also empower customs officers to seize items that are deemed to have “seditious intention”, regardless of whether any person has been arrested for an offence endangering national security beca...
Hong Kong police can now demand that people suspected of breaching the city’s national security law provide mobile phone or computer passwords in a further crackdown on dissent. The new amendments to the law also empower customs officers to seize items that are deemed to have “seditious intention”, regardless of whether any person has been arrested for an offence endangering national security because of the items. Refusing to comply could lead to up to one year’s jail and a fine of up to HK$100,000 ($12,773) while providing false or misleading information could bring up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to HK$500,000. The city government on Monday gazetted the new amendments to the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020, using powers to bypass Hong Kong’s legislature. Officials will brief lawmakers on Tuesday, a government statement said. The sweeping law punishes acts, including subversion and collusion with foreign forces, with up to life imprisonment. The law sparked criticism from western governments and rights groups but Beijing and Hong Kong officials said it was needed to restore stability after the city was rocked by months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. The new amendments empower police to require a person under investigation suspected of endangering national security to provide any password or decryption method for electronic devices and to provide the police “any reasonable and necessary information or assistance”. Urania Chiu, a law lecturer in the UK researching Hong Kong, said the new provisions interfered with fundamental liberties, including the privacy of communication and the right to a fair trial. “The sweeping powers given to law enforcement officers without any need for judicial authorisation are grossly disproportionate to any legitimate aim the bylaw purports to achieve,” Chiu said. A Hong Kong government spokesperson said the amended rules conformed to the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and its human rights...
RogerAlanLee/iStock via Getty Images Intro In December , I argued that Preformed Line Products ( PLPC ) was positioned as a massive beneficiary of two massive trends: the modernization of the aging U.S. electrical grid and the aggressive power demands of the AI data center buildout. Our thesis rested on three main pillars. First, the 2,500+ GW interconnection queue would guarantee long-term demand...
RogerAlanLee/iStock via Getty Images Intro In December , I argued that Preformed Line Products ( PLPC ) was positioned as a massive beneficiary of two massive trends: the modernization of the aging U.S. electrical grid and the aggressive power demands of the AI data center buildout. Our thesis rested on three main pillars. First, the 2,500+ GW interconnection queue would guarantee long-term demand for the company's electrical transmission components and reconductoring products. Second, management's implementation of price hikes would offset tariff-induced material costs, creating a "coiled spring" for margins and valuation. Finally, the company's tightly held, low-float mechanics could act as an accelerant for quick appreciation once the broader market recognizes this inflection point in the business. The core thesis remains intact. The top-line data validated our thesis about rising demand as Q4 net sales grew 4% YoY, with the total order backlog surging an impressive 22%. On the margin side, Q4 gross margins compressed to 29.8%, in line with our expectations that Q3/Q4 would be the period when peak pain from tariff pressure is felt, before re-priced orders begin flowing through the backlog. The Q4 print puts us right on schedule for this coiled spring effect to begin unraveling. Recent Quarterly Performance PLPC reported Q4 FY2025 net sales of $173.1M (+4% YoY). For the full year of FY2025, net sales grew 13% to $669.3M, with all segments increasing YoY, driven by higher volume in energy/communications end-markets. This is exactly the broad-based acceleration in demand we anticipated, and it is consistently showing up across all business segments. The headline growth figure for this quarter may seem unimpressive, but the backlog tells a completely different story. PLPC's backlog increased 22% to $232.8M, showing the strong demand in its core markets. This is a direct, forward-looking signal that customers are committing capital to projects that require PLPC's prod...
格隆汇3月24日｜据彭博，雅诗兰黛正就收购西班牙美妆集团Puig Brands SA进行磋商，这笔交易将打造一家年销售额约200亿美元的化妆品巨头。两家公司均拒绝透露具体条款。受此消息影响，雅诗兰黛隔夜跌7.7%。总部位于西班牙的Puig市值约为90亿欧元。雅诗兰黛过去一年股价上涨，投资者对公司执行长Stephane de la Faverie推动的转型战略抱有乐观预期。公司最近一次的业绩指引上调...
格隆汇3月24日｜据彭博，雅诗兰黛正就收购西班牙美妆集团Puig Brands SA进行磋商，这笔交易将打造一家年销售额约200亿美元的化妆品巨头。两家公司均拒绝透露具体条款。受此消息影响，雅诗兰黛隔夜跌7.7%。总部位于西班牙的Puig市值约为90亿欧元。雅诗兰黛过去一年股价上涨，投资者对公司执行长Stephane de la Faverie推动的转型战略抱有乐观预期。公司最近一次的业绩指引上调未能令投资者满意，de la Faverie在分析师电话会议中承认，“仍有更多工作要做”。
Oracle today announced the launch of its AI Customer Excellence Centre in Sydney to help organisations keep pace with rapid AI advancements. The Oracle AI Customer Excellence Centre (AI CEC) will serve as a hub for innovation and collaboration, bringing together leaders to drive AI adoption and success across Australia and Oceania. “AI will change everything and it will fuel the next wave of oppor...
Oracle today announced the launch of its AI Customer Excellence Centre in Sydney to help organisations keep pace with rapid AI advancements. The Oracle AI Customer Excellence Centre (AI CEC) will serve as a hub for innovation and collaboration, bringing together leaders to drive AI adoption and success across Australia and Oceania. “AI will change everything and it will fuel the next wave of opportunity and growth,” said Stephen Bovis, regional managing director, Australia and New Zealand, Oracle. “The Oracle AI Customer Excellence Centre reflects Oracle’s commitment to helping customers, partners, and developers across Australia and Oceania innovate faster using cutting-edge cloud and AI technologies. It will help build the skills and ecosystem needed to support Australia’s digital economy by enabling organisations of all sizes to experiment, learn, and turn innovation into real-world impact.” The Oracle AI CEC builds on Oracle’s longstanding commitment to supporting governments and enterprises across Australia and Oceania. Through strategic ecosystem partnerships and as part of a global network of innovation centres, these facilities enable customers to design architect, and validate solutions in secured, scalable environments. The Oracle AI CEC provides access to Oracle and third-party technologies, along with flexible deployment options through Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to help organisations reduce complexity, accelerate decision-making, and speed time to market. Supported by a dedicated team of Oracle experts and a network of partners, the Oracle AI CEC is designed to help organisations train teams, test innovations in secured cloud environments, and gain the knowledge needed to transform critical business operations. Benefits of the Oracle AI CEC include: Training: Provides organisations access to training and certifications on the latest cloud and AI technologies led by Oracle University and ecosystem partners. Provides organisations access to trainin...
lechatnoir/E+ via Getty Images Introduction Astronics Corporation ( ATRO ), a mid-cap representative of the aerospace and defense (A&D) universe, has proven to be a very lucrative source of returns for its shareholders over the past 12 months. In a year when the Russell 2000 has managed a respectable performance of over 20%, ATRO has crushed its peers from this space, generating returns of over 15...
lechatnoir/E+ via Getty Images Introduction Astronics Corporation ( ATRO ), a mid-cap representative of the aerospace and defense (A&D) universe, has proven to be a very lucrative source of returns for its shareholders over the past 12 months. In a year when the Russell 2000 has managed a respectable performance of over 20%, ATRO has crushed its peers from this space, generating returns of over 150%, or 7.5x more; even ATRO’s peers from the A&D space, who have attracted a lot more positive interest from the investing community, have not even managed half the returns (on average) that our stock in focus has facilitated. YCharts Besides that, out of the 65-odd A&D stocks that are part of Seeking Alpha’s coverage universe, ATRO is currently ranked at an enviable 3rd, with a quant rating equating to a “ strong buy ” Seeking Alpha So what’s so alluring about the ATRO story, and does it have legs? What Does Astronics Corporation Do? Astronics could primarily be construed to be a technology solutions specialist for the aerospace and defense industry, particularly the commercial aerospace market (69% of group sales), where its offerings are relied on by some major airframe manufacturers (or OEMs), like Boeing ( BA ). (The latter entity alone accounts for 10% of group sales and is the largest customer.) March 2026 Presentation ATRO also caters to other suppliers of these OEMs and aircraft operators while also generating over 20% of its total sales from the defense and government markets (mainly to branches of the US DoD), although revenue to the latter also includes some testing services. March 2026 Presentation So what does ATRO’s portfolio of offerings consist of? Well, you’re looking at different types of avionics products, lighting & safety systems, aircraft structures, electrical power systems, distribution and seat motion systems, certification systems, automated test systems, etc. March 2026 Presentation Why Should ATRO Be Considered For Your Portfolio? Based on what ...
NVS/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash The Chicago Fed's National Activity Index is a monthly indicator designed to gauge overall economic activity and related inflationary pressure. It is a composite of 85 monthly indicators across four broad categories. The CFNAI is a forward-looking indicator that suggests how the economy will likely look in the near term and has been called one of the "m...
NVS/iStock via Getty Images By Jennifer Nash The Chicago Fed's National Activity Index is a monthly indicator designed to gauge overall economic activity and related inflationary pressure. It is a composite of 85 monthly indicators across four broad categories. The CFNAI is a forward-looking indicator that suggests how the economy will likely look in the near term and has been called one of the "most important and overlooked economic numbers". The index is constructed so a zero value for the index indicates that the national economy is expanding at its historical trend (average) rate of growth. Negative values indicate below-average growth, and positive values indicate above-average growth. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) fell to -0.11 in February from +0.20 in January. Two of the four broad categories of indicators used to construct the index decreased from January, and three categories made negative contributions. The first chart below shows the complete CFNAI historical series dating from March 1967 with a callout to the most recent 12 months. The dots show the indicator itself, which is quite noisy and volatile from month to month. The three-month moving average (CFNAI-MA3) is more useful and consistent as an indicator of the actual trend for economic activity. The index's three-month moving average, CFNAI-MA3, rose to -0.01 in February from -0.02 in January. The next chart highlights the +0.7 and -0.7 levels. These levels are significant because the Chicago Fed has observed some important historical patterns around them, as explained by the callout in the chart below. The next chart includes an overlay of GDP. For the most part, the CFNAI-MA3 has been positive while the economy has expanded and been negative while the economy contracts. Surprisingly, this was not the case over the past few years. The CFNAI-MA3 was negative from November 2022 through December 2024, while the U.S. economy expanded during that same time frame. The Long-Term Economi...
One of the biggest factors backing Tesla 's (NASDAQ: TSLA) $1.2 trillion valuation is its investments into robotaxis. The robotaxi market, according to some experts, could eventually be worth up to $10 trillion globally. And by many accounts, Tesla has an enviable position when it comes to taking a heavy share of this emerging market opportunity. There's just one problem: The U.S. National Highway...
One of the biggest factors backing Tesla 's (NASDAQ: TSLA) $1.2 trillion valuation is its investments into robotaxis. The robotaxi market, according to some experts, could eventually be worth up to $10 trillion globally. And by many accounts, Tesla has an enviable position when it comes to taking a heavy share of this emerging market opportunity. There's just one problem: The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently escalated its investigation into Tesla's full self-driving (FSD) features, which are active in 3.2 million of its vehicles. How big a deal is this investigation? Tesla investors -- as well as investors in other electric vehicle (EV) stocks and autonomous driving stocks -- should pay close attention. According to reports from Reuters (part of Thomson Reuters ), the "NHTSA first opened a preliminary evaluation into the automaker's FSD software in October 2024 in 2.4 million vehicles." But in recent weeks, that evaluation was expanded to 3.2 million vehicles, with the NHTSA fearing that "the system may fail to detect or warn drivers in poor visibility." The NHTSA has already reviewed several crashes involving Tesla's FSD system, and claims that the software occasionally "lost track of or never detected a lead vehicle in its path." Continue reading
New Zealand’s response to the impact of rising fuel costs on households is being limited to low and middle-income working families, leaving beneficiaries and pensioners to fend for themselves as the specter of rising debt and inflation looms over the government. Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced Tuesday a NZ$373 million ($218 million) package, which will assist about 143,000 families by add...
New Zealand’s response to the impact of rising fuel costs on households is being limited to low and middle-income working families, leaving beneficiaries and pensioners to fend for themselves as the specter of rising debt and inflation looms over the government. Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced Tuesday a NZ$373 million ($218 million) package, which will assist about 143,000 families by adding NZ$50 a week to their incomes for as long as 12 months. The money is coming from an existing budget operating balance and won’t require new borrowing, she said. The policy “will not add to forecast debt and will not add to inflationary pressure,” Willis told reporters. “It is consistent with the government’s fiscal strategy, which seeks to balance the books and bend the debt curve down.” While the opposition Green Party said the response was insufficient, the center-right government is using it to highlight its economic management credentials ahead of the Nov. 7 election. Much has been made of the previous, Labour-led government’s response to the Covid pandemic which saw wage subsidies, benefit increases and other programs that ultimately blew out debt and saw a surge in inflation. “We saw what happened after Covid when the government let all of the normal rules go,” Willis said. “We saw inflation go far higher than it needed to, debt more than double as a proportion of the economy, and it has taken New Zealand many years to climb its way out of that mess. I am determined not to repeat those mistakes.” Last week Fitch Ratings cut the outlook on New Zealand’s AA+ sovereign credit rating to negative, citing rising debt which it estimated will reach 56% of gross domestic product by June 2027. Read more: New Zealand Rating Outlook Cut to Negative by Fitch on Debt Fitch “sent New Zealand a pretty stark warning — we are on watch,” said Willis. “Why does that matter? Because when rating agencies downgrade a country’s debt rating, it means that we potentially have to pay more f...