(RTTNews) - Simon Property Group, Inc.(SPG) announced on Monday that its Chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer, David Simon, passed away peacefully on March 22. He was 64. Subsequently, the Board has appointed Eli Simon as its Chief Executive Officer with effect from March 23 in addition to his role as Chief Operating Officer of the group. In addition, the company has appointed Larry G...
(RTTNews) - Simon Property Group, Inc.(SPG) announced on Monday that its Chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer, David Simon, passed away peacefully on March 22. He was 64. Subsequently, the Board has appointed Eli Simon as its Chief Executive Officer with effect from March 23 in addition to his role as Chief Operating Officer of the group. In addition, the company has appointed Larry Glasscock as Non-Executive Chairman of the board. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
A criminal trial opened in Greece on Monday over a train collision that killed 57 people, many of them college students, in a disaster that horrified the country and revealed long-neglected safety failures. The February 2023 crash triggered a fireball on impact and left passengers trapped in mangled rail cars. Most of the 36 defendants - all rail and transport officials - face serious charges link...
A criminal trial opened in Greece on Monday over a train collision that killed 57 people, many of them college students, in a disaster that horrified the country and revealed long-neglected safety failures. The February 2023 crash triggered a fireball on impact and left passengers trapped in mangled rail cars. Most of the 36 defendants - all rail and transport officials - face serious charges linked to endangering public transport. Advertisement The crash occurred at Tempe in northern Greece after a passenger train was placed on the wrong track, into the path of an oncoming goods train an astonishing lapse on a rudimentary rail network. Investigators say the error was compounded by non-functioning signal systems along with failures in staffing, oversight and maintenance during years of delays in safety upgrades. 03:08 Demonstrators clash with police in Greece as protests continue following deadly train crash Demonstrators clash with police in Greece as protests continue following deadly train crash A converted campus is being used to house the trial to accommodate the scale of the proceedings that involve hundreds of witnesses.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Tesla (TSLA, Financials) plans to build two advanced chip factories in Austin, Texas, in partnership with SpaceX, as part of a broader effort to secure long-term supply for artificial intelligence and robotics. Elon Musk, the CEO, revealed that the initiative, which is termed "Terafab," will have two distinct fabrication units, each one focused on making o...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Tesla (TSLA, Financials) plans to build two advanced chip factories in Austin, Texas, in partnership with SpaceX, as part of a broader effort to secure long-term supply for artificial intelligence and robotics. Elon Musk, the CEO, revealed that the initiative, which is termed "Terafab," will have two distinct fabrication units, each one focused on making one chip design. One plant will make chips for Tesla's electric cars and Optimus humanoid robots, while the other will make chips for AI systems used in space. The change shows that people are more worried about the worldwide supply of semiconductors. Musk noted that the present global output of chips can only fulfill roughly 3% of his firms' future demands. This shows a big gap as AI demand grows. Musk's AI company xAI, which just joined with SpaceX, is also part of the project. Musk said that existing suppliers like Samsung, TSMC, and Micron are good, but that internal production would be needed for long-term development. He didn't give a date for the project, but he did say that the plant might potentially produce one terawatt of processing power every year, which is more than what the U.S. now produces. As Musk gets more involved in making semiconductors, investors will be looking for more information about funding, timetables, and execution.
Moussa81/iStock via Getty Images Liberty Gold ( LGDTF ) said Monday it agreed to sell its Speciality American Metals subsidiary, which owns the Goldstrike project in southern Utah , to Heliostar Metals for US$72.5M, and the company said it will use the proceeds to advance its Black Pine Oxide gold project in Idaho. "The structure delivers near-term funding while maintaining exposure to additional ...
Moussa81/iStock via Getty Images Liberty Gold ( LGDTF ) said Monday it agreed to sell its Speciality American Metals subsidiary, which owns the Goldstrike project in southern Utah , to Heliostar Metals for US$72.5M, and the company said it will use the proceeds to advance its Black Pine Oxide gold project in Idaho. "The structure delivers near-term funding while maintaining exposure to additional value as Goldstrike advances, supporting feasibility and long-lead procurement at Black Pine, without shareholder dilution," Liberty Gold ( LGDTF ) President and CEO Jon Gilligan. Goldstrike hosts a current oxide resource of 925K oz of gold indicated 0.50 g/t and 296K oz inferred 0.47 g/t, with potential for further expansion; the project was a past-producing open-pit, heap-leach mine that yielded more than 209K oz of gold and 197K oz of silver during 1988-94 before closing due to low gold prices. More on Liberty Gold Liberty Gold: Upcoming Feasibility Study Could Be A Re-Rating Event Financial information for Liberty Gold
Michael Saylor’s Strategy ( MSTR ) bought about $76.2 million worth of Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) in the week ending on March 22, a significant drop from the purchase of about $1.6 billion worth of Bitcoin in the previous week. The company acquired 1,031 Bitcoin between March 16 and March 22, at an average purchase price of $74,326 per Bitcoin. The acquisition was funded by proceeds from the sale of shar...
Michael Saylor’s Strategy ( MSTR ) bought about $76.2 million worth of Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) in the week ending on March 22, a significant drop from the purchase of about $1.6 billion worth of Bitcoin in the previous week. The company acquired 1,031 Bitcoin between March 16 and March 22, at an average purchase price of $74,326 per Bitcoin. The acquisition was funded by proceeds from the sale of shares under the ATM, according to its latest filing . As of March 22, 2026, Strategy ( MSTR ) held 762,099 bitcoins acquired at an aggregate purchase price of $57.69B. The stock was up +1.88% at $145.35 during the pre-market trading. Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) gained about +4.3% to $70,774.53. More on Strategy Strategy: Bitcoin Cost Passes Milestone My Ultimate Contrarian Bet For 2026: Strategy Strategy: Don't Buy The Perilous Dip, Still Grossly Overvalued Strategy initiated with Buy rating at Texas Capital Michael Saylor’s Strategy buys nearly $1.6B worth of Bitcoin last week
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Accenture ( ACN ) announced an investment in DaVinci Commerce, a company specializing in agentic AI-powered commerce. DaVinci Commerce uses agentic AI to transform brand assets into AI-native, immersive shopping experiences that can operate across commerce media networks, digital marketplaces, and LLM-driven environments. The investment includes a strate...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Accenture ( ACN ) announced an investment in DaVinci Commerce, a company specializing in agentic AI-powered commerce. DaVinci Commerce uses agentic AI to transform brand assets into AI-native, immersive shopping experiences that can operate across commerce media networks, digital marketplaces, and LLM-driven environments. The investment includes a strategic partnership with Accenture Song to help clients operationalize agentic commerce across the full value chain. More on Accenture Accenture: No, The Software Apocalypse Isn't Coming Accenture plc (ACN) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Accenture plc 2026 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Earnings scoreboard: 6 out of 9 companies post earnings growth despite growing macro pressure Accenture raises 2026 free cash flow guidance to $10.8B-$11.5B while expanding AI partnerships and acquisitions
GummyBone/iStock Editorial via Getty Images IMAX ( IMAX ) reported a top-notch opening for Amazon/MGM’s Project Hail Mary, earning $28M globally. In the US, the cinema chain brought in $16.4M, which was 20% of the film’s debut, from just 1% of screens. It had earned $11.2M internationally, including 34% of China’s debut. The movie has made $2M total so far at $122K per screen and is expected to co...
GummyBone/iStock Editorial via Getty Images IMAX ( IMAX ) reported a top-notch opening for Amazon/MGM’s Project Hail Mary, earning $28M globally. In the US, the cinema chain brought in $16.4M, which was 20% of the film’s debut, from just 1% of screens. It had earned $11.2M internationally, including 34% of China’s debut. The movie has made $2M total so far at $122K per screen and is expected to continue strong performance. The film kicked off a strong summer, with upcoming releases like Disney/Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” and Universal’s “The Odyssey,” shot entirely on IMAX cameras. More on IMAX IMAX Corporation: A Blockbuster Year That Might Be Hard To Top IMAX Corporation (IMAX) Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript IMAX Corporation 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation 'Project Hail Mary' tops box office with strong debut for Amazon Mid-cap communication services stocks ranked by quant ratings after earnings season
Over the past few months, OKLO’s performance marked a turning point as it moved from concept to deployment. The company broke ground on its Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory and advanced multiple projects across its vertically integrated platform — spanning power, fuel and isotopes. Notably, its first Aurora plant at Idaho National Laboratory is designed with a 75 MW capacity, represe...
Over the past few months, OKLO’s performance marked a turning point as it moved from concept to deployment. The company broke ground on its Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory and advanced multiple projects across its vertically integrated platform — spanning power, fuel and isotopes. Notably, its first Aurora plant at Idaho National Laboratory is designed with a 75 MW capacity, representing the company’s initial commercial-scale deployment. A major highlight was the agreement with META to develop a 1.2 GW nuclear-powered campus, providing long-term demand visibility and early-stage financial support through prepayments. The project will follow a phased approach, with an initial 150 MW targeted around 2030, reinforcing a clear commercialization pathway. This partnership validates OKLO’s model of supplying clean, reliable baseload energy to energy-intensive industries such as data centers. At the same time, OKLO strengthened its fuel strategy through collaboration with Centrus Energy, focusing on high-assay low-enriched uranium (“HALEU”) deconversion. Deconversion converts enriched uranium into chemical forms such as oxide or metal that can be fabricated into reactor fuel. This is a critical step in solving the nuclear fuel bottleneck and ensuring a reliable supply for advanced reactors. Importantly, OKLO’s vertically integrated platform — spanning power, fuel fabrication/recycling and isotope production — is designed to capture value across the entire nuclear lifecycle, rather than relying on a single revenue stream. Regulatory milestones further reinforced progress. The company secured its first U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) license and advanced Department of Energy (“DOE”) approvals for multiple projects, signaling a transition toward commercialization beginning in the latter part of the decade. Oklo Inc. ’s OKLO full-year 2025 results arrived at a time when the global energy landscape is shifting decisively in favor of nuclear power. As ge...
With the S&P 500 breaking below its 200-day SMA, high-yield dividend stocks are increasingly worth considering as a source of income and portfolio protection.
With the S&P 500 breaking below its 200-day SMA, high-yield dividend stocks are increasingly worth considering as a source of income and portfolio protection.
Getty Images Shares of Walmart ( WMT ) continue to demonstrate real strength, even as they lost about 10% of their value in recent weeks. They now trade at levels seen in January of this year. In an uneven economic environment, Walmart is doing fine, driven by its unprecedented scale and both online and store operations. Investors simply have grown very upbeat on Walmart as a well-run giant in ret...
Getty Images Shares of Walmart ( WMT ) continue to demonstrate real strength, even as they lost about 10% of their value in recent weeks. They now trade at levels seen in January of this year. In an uneven economic environment, Walmart is doing fine, driven by its unprecedented scale and both online and store operations. Investors simply have grown very upbeat on Walmart as a well-run giant in retail, being an all-weather business; however, I simply feel that investors have grown too upbeat on the prospects for the shares here, as that might actually be a key risk. Other, higher conviction ideas, including secular growth plays in retail segments, can be found at Value In Corporate Events . On Fire In February, Walmart reported a 4.7% increase in fiscal 2026 sales to $713 billion, with constant currency sales up more than 5%. Adjusted operating earnings rose by a similar +5% to $31.1 billion, for margins equal to 4.4% of sales. Adjusted earnings are reported at $2.64 per share, up thirteen cents on the year before, and that is precisely the problem, as a $120 stock commands a 45 times earnings multiple here. The company continues to thrive on its Walmart US business, a business that makes up about two-thirds of sales, posting very solid adjusted operating margins equal to 5.2% of sales. Walmart International makes up nearly 20% of sales, these being 4.5% margin activities, posting very impressive constant currency sales growth numbers exceeding 9%. This is complemented by the Sam's Club US business, a $93 billion business, which is gigantic on its own, but these activities show modest growth and carry subpar margins. Net debt is reported at $34 billion, this excluding operating and financial lease obligations; all of this looks quite manageable in relation to about $45 billion in EBITDA reported here. This comes as the business continues to invest in opening new stores and investing in automation. Capital spending of $26 billion was nearly twice the annual depreciati...
Gladstone Capital ( GLAD ) founder David Gladstone steps down as chief executive officer but remains chairman and continues roles at affiliated adviser. Robert Marcotte, president since 2013, is appointed CEO effective immediately. Michael McQuigg will become President on October 1, 2026, succeeding Marcotte. More on Gladstone Capital Gladstone Capital: Surviving But No Catalysts To Thrive Gladsto...
Gladstone Capital ( GLAD ) founder David Gladstone steps down as chief executive officer but remains chairman and continues roles at affiliated adviser. Robert Marcotte, president since 2013, is appointed CEO effective immediately. Michael McQuigg will become President on October 1, 2026, succeeding Marcotte. More on Gladstone Capital Gladstone Capital: Surviving But No Catalysts To Thrive Gladstone Capital 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Gladstone Capital: Rare Discount And Well-Covered 9.5% Yield (Downgrade) Gladstone Capital downgraded at Jefferies after FQ1 financial results Gladstone Capital outlines robust $100M pipeline and maintains $0.15 monthly distribution amid resilient lower middle market activity
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Simon Property Group ( SPG ) said its chairman, CEO, and president, David Simon, died on Sunday at the age of 64 after battling cancer. Eli Simon, David Simon's son, was named CEO and president. He'll continue as Simon's ( SPG ) chief operating officer and director. Larry Glassock was appointed by the board to be non-executive chairman. David Simon jo...
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Simon Property Group ( SPG ) said its chairman, CEO, and president, David Simon, died on Sunday at the age of 64 after battling cancer. Eli Simon, David Simon's son, was named CEO and president. He'll continue as Simon's ( SPG ) chief operating officer and director. Larry Glassock was appointed by the board to be non-executive chairman. David Simon joined Simon's ( SPG ) predecessor, Melvin Simon & Associates, as chief financial officer in 1990, adding the analytical trading of a Wall Street investment banker he honed at First Boston and Wasserstein Perella to the retail landlord. He led the company's initial public offering in 1993 and was named CEO in 1995 at the age of 33. Since then, Simon Property Group ( SPG ) has delivered a cumulative total shareholder return of more than 4,500%, the company said. During David Simon's tenure, the company acquired DeBartolo Realty Corp., Corporate Property Investors, Chelsea Property Group, the Mills Corp., and Taubman Centers. More on Simon Property Simon Property Group, Inc. (SPG) Presents at Citi's Miami Global Property CEO Conference 2026 Transcript Simon Property Group: Firing On All Cylinders, But Strong Performance Looks Priced In Already Simon Property Group Q4: Financial Results And Preferred Stock Analysis Simon Property Group snaps seven straight sessions of losses Simon Property amends, extends $5B revolving credit; amends $3.5B revolving credit pact
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) are drawing fresh attention after a report reveals that steep post-earnings selloffs wiped out about $711 billion in combined market value, raising questions about whether investor expectations for artificial intelligence may be running ahead of fundamentals. Both chipmakers remain central to the...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) are drawing fresh attention after a report reveals that steep post-earnings selloffs wiped out about $711 billion in combined market value, raising questions about whether investor expectations for artificial intelligence may be running ahead of fundamentals. Both chipmakers remain central to the AI buildout, supplying graphics processing units, or GPUs, that power data centers and machine learning workloads. Nvidia reported $193.7 billion in data center revenue for its latest fiscal year, up 68% from a year earlier, while AMD posted $16.6 billion, a 32% increase. Even so, their stocks slid shortly after earnings. Nvidia gave up gains within days of its report, and AMD also fell following its results, suggesting enthusiasm may be cooling despite strong growth. The response could indicate that investors are once again questioning how quickly companies can convert AI cash into money. Demand is firm, and it still may take time to be utilized more widely and become more efficient. At the same time, some large customers are working on in-house chips, which could eventually ease supply constraints and pressure pricing.
Iran’s leadership is likely to prove resilient despite US-Isreali decapitation tactics, analysts said. Dozens of senior Iranian officials, including the former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and national security chief Ali Larijani.have been killed since the start of the bombing raids on February 28. Tehran has argued these changes did not matter. “Of course, individuals are influential, and each per...
Iran’s leadership is likely to prove resilient despite US-Isreali decapitation tactics, analysts said. Dozens of senior Iranian officials, including the former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and national security chief Ali Larijani.have been killed since the start of the bombing raids on February 28. Tehran has argued these changes did not matter. “Of course, individuals are influential, and each person plays their role – some better, some worse, some less – but what matters is that the political system in Iran is a very solid, “ Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al-Jazera earlier this month. Advertisement The war in Iran has entered its fourth week, with US President Donald Trump threatning to seen more warships and marines to the region. The possible escalation is in sharp contrast with the US raid on Venezuela earlier this year, when President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were adbucted in a three-hour raid. Advertisement The conflict has lead to a major spike in oil prices, and President Donald Trump has said that the United States would halt strikes on power plants for the next five days. Guy Burton, an independent political analyst, said the Iranian system had been “designed to withstand both external military pressure and internal dissent”.
Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran says it's too soon to tell how higher oil prices will impact other prices. He speaks on "Bloomberg Surveillance." (Source: Bloomberg)
Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran says it's too soon to tell how higher oil prices will impact other prices. He speaks on "Bloomberg Surveillance." (Source: Bloomberg)
Vivek Vishwakarma/iStock via Getty Images It takes a special mindset to be a contrarian investor. That means going against the grain and buying when one sees value and opportunity. While market fears around 'SaaS-pocalpyse' and Middle East uncertainty are real, they have also created genuine opportunities for high income. In other words, one cannot expect to be a value investor unless they are wil...
Vivek Vishwakarma/iStock via Getty Images It takes a special mindset to be a contrarian investor. That means going against the grain and buying when one sees value and opportunity. While market fears around 'SaaS-pocalpyse' and Middle East uncertainty are real, they have also created genuine opportunities for high income. In other words, one cannot expect to be a value investor unless they are willing to embrace fear as an opportunity to layer into stock bargains. This brings me to the following 2 stocks, which currently offer yields in the 9-13% range. Both are trading at significant discounts to their book values, resulting in significant alpha potential for value-minded investors. Let's explore what makes each a compelling 'Buy' for high income and potentially strong total returns! #1: Ladder Capital - 9.4% Yield Ladder Capital ( LADR ) is a commercial mortgage REIT that owns a diverse portfolio of assets. This includes senior secured lending, investment-grade securities, and net lease real estate. Unlike peers Starwood Property Trust ( STWD ) and Blackstone Mortgage Trust ( BXMT ), LADR is internally managed with significant alignment of interest. This is reflected by management and directors owning more than 11% of the company. At the current price of $9.77, LADR trades near the bottom of its 52-week range while carrying a 9.4% dividend yield, as shown below. LADR Stock 1-Yr Trend (Seeking Alpha) At present, LADR has a $5.3 billion investment portfolio , of which 42% is tied to commercial mortgage loans. Over 99% of LADR's commercial loans are senior secured first mortgages with a 69% weighted average loan-to-value. This means there is 31% of equity buffer to guard against potential losses. As shown below, the loans are well-balanced geographically with 55% exposure to multifamily and 26% to Office, of which 87% are Class A Properties. Investor Presentation The rest of the portfolio is 18% net lease properties (149 in total) with a weighted average remaining te...
PrathanChorruangsak/iStock via Getty Images With all of what has been happening in the markets now, it is clear that the risk is increasingly being taken off the table. We can see this across the board. The largest equity indices such as the S&P 500 ( SPY ) and the Nasdaq-100 ( QQQ ) are down. The high-growth names, which had fueled the multi-year bull rally - e.g., NVIDIA Corporation ( NVDA ), Te...
PrathanChorruangsak/iStock via Getty Images With all of what has been happening in the markets now, it is clear that the risk is increasingly being taken off the table. We can see this across the board. The largest equity indices such as the S&P 500 ( SPY ) and the Nasdaq-100 ( QQQ ) are down. The high-growth names, which had fueled the multi-year bull rally - e.g., NVIDIA Corporation ( NVDA ), Tesla ( TSLA ), Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN ) - are down. The software or SaaS sell-off has not only pushed many popular names down like Oracle Corporation ( ORCL ) and Salesforce (NYSE: CRM ), but also inflicted a heavy damage to private credit ( BIZD ) and major alternative asset managers: e.g., KKR & Co ( KKR ), Blue Owl ( OWL ) and BlackRock ( BLK ). In the meantime, the inflationary risks and the higher for longer interest rate outlook have triggered capital outflows from many high-duration asset classes among which we can find REITs ( VNQ ), fixed income CEFs ( PDO ) and even infrastructure ( UTG ). Another area of market, which has ran into problems amid rising inflation and higher interest rate scenario is small-cap equity ( IWM ) as these businesses are more vulnerable to economic downturns. Similarly, with the surging oil prices, the dollar has become stronger, which has rendered the international equity play ( IDV ) less attractive. For the emerging market exposure ( EEM ) stronger dollar is, arguably, even bigger issue. And, of course, the significant bull-run in gold ( GLD ) and silver ( SLV ) has come to a sharp end. It just seems that there is no place to hide unless major portfolio de-risking moves are made, which would result in a lower return potential and/or smaller dividends that many investors can't afford. Now, one potential zone in which investors could explore hedging possibilities while still enjoying decent cash flows is the covered call ETF space. However, it is not that straightforward and the chances are quite high of unintentionally making thin...
William_Potter/iStock via Getty Images By Mike Larson Bonds are supposed to provide your portfolio with protection and balance. Insurance against stock market losses, if you will. But Treasuries are getting trashed now. Take a look at MoneyShow Chart of the Day. It shows US Long Bond Futures over the past month. You can see they’ve lost six points in price recently. Since bond yields move in the o...
William_Potter/iStock via Getty Images By Mike Larson Bonds are supposed to provide your portfolio with protection and balance. Insurance against stock market losses, if you will. But Treasuries are getting trashed now. Take a look at MoneyShow Chart of the Day. It shows US Long Bond Futures over the past month. You can see they’ve lost six points in price recently. Since bond yields move in the opposite direction of bond prices, the yield on the 30-year US Treasury has jumped about 30 basis points from its pre-war low. It rose as high as 4.96% on Friday. Long Bonds on a Long March Lower (Source: TradingView) Several forces are at work, but surging energy prices are the most important. With prices for crude oil, gasoline, diesel, and liquefied natural gas surging, inflation fears are rising fast. And inflation is a killer for bonds, especially longer-term ones. Meanwhile, central bank expectations are shifting rapidly. Most major central banks have been cutting interest rates recently - and were expected to keep doing so at least a couple more times. But markets are now pricing in no further cuts. In some markets, they’re even pricing in the possibility of inflation-fighting rate hikes . Higher yields will filter through to the housing market, slowing buying activity. They’ll also put pressure on corporations and consumers. And if the move doesn’t slow soon, it’ll likely fuel more stock market volatility on top of what we’ve already seen. Editor's Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors. Originally published on MoneyShow.com
German rocket startup Isar Aerospace is in talks to raise €250 million ($289 million) in funding ahead of a key launch attempt planned for this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. The investment round would value the company at €2 billion, the person said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. A spokesperson for Isar Aerospace declined to comment. The Mu...
German rocket startup Isar Aerospace is in talks to raise €250 million ($289 million) in funding ahead of a key launch attempt planned for this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. The investment round would value the company at €2 billion, the person said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. A spokesperson for Isar Aerospace declined to comment. The Munich-based company has raised more money than any other European space startup as the continent races to reduce its dependence on the US for launch systems to put satellites in orbit. Fraying defense ties with Washington and backlogs from Elon Musk ’s SpaceX have added to the sense of urgency. Isar Aerospace is planning its second attempt to reach orbit on Wednesday. The launch, which was delayed in January due to an issue with a pressure valve, has been moved back twice this month because of weather conditions . The company is aware that the results of its second attempt could influence investor appetite in the startup, the person familiar said. Isar’s first launch attempt from the Andøya Spaceport in Norway a year ago flew for about 30 seconds before crashing into the sea. It marked the first effort by a commercial space company to launch an orbital rocket from continental Europe. Read More: Europe’s Rocket Race Nears Finish Line The company is among a group of firms shortlisted for the European Space Agency’s €900 million European Launcher Challenge. The program, which also includes Rocket Factory Augsburg of Germany, aims for a successful orbital launch by next year. Isar has raised more than $600 million in equity and debt since it was founded in 2018, according to PitchBook. Last June, the company announced an agreement with Eldridge Industries for a convertible bond of €150 million. It is building a factory near Munich that will be able to produce 40 of its Spectrum rockets a year. Isar’s rockets have about a 1,000 kilogram (2,200 pound) payload and are designed to f...