Key Points Meta's digital advertising business is booming. The tech giant is doubling down on its AI-driven growth strategy. 10 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms › Meta Platforms' (NASDAQ: META) artificial intelligence (AI) investments are beginning to bear fruit. Shares of Facebook's and Instagram's parent company climbed more than 7% this past week, according to data from S&P Global Mark...
Key Points Meta's digital advertising business is booming. The tech giant is doubling down on its AI-driven growth strategy. 10 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms › Meta Platforms' (NASDAQ: META) artificial intelligence (AI) investments are beginning to bear fruit. Shares of Facebook's and Instagram's parent company climbed more than 7% this past week, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, following its fourth-quarter earnings release. 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 » Image source: Getty Images. AI-fueled advertising gains The number of daily active users across Meta's family of apps grew by 7% year over year to a staggering 3.58 billion. The social media colossus also ramped up its monetization efforts, with ad impressions increasing by 18% in the fourth quarter. Despite the sharp increase in ads, Meta was able to command a 6% higher average price per ad, giving evidence of the rising value it's delivering to marketers. All told, Meta's revenue jumped 24% to $60 billion. Its earnings per share, which were impacted by the company's heavy growth investments, still grew by nearly 11% to $8.88. That topped Wall Street's estimates, which had called for per-share profits of $8.22. Ramping AI capex Meta plans to pump even more money into its AI development efforts in 2026. Chief financial officer Susan Li told investors to expect full-year capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion, up from $72 billion in 2025. Much of this spending will be on AI-related cloud computing, infrastructure, and labor costs. "I'm looking forward to advancing personal superintelligence for people around the world in 2026," CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. Should you buy stock in Meta Platforms right now? Before you buy stock in Meta Platforms, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investo...
Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives is doubling down on his bullish thesis for the “fourth industrial revolution,” identifying Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) as the two indispensable pillars of the burgeoning physical AI market. The Two Titans Of Physical AI While the tech world remains captivated by Large Language Models (LLMs) and chatbots, Ives argues that the most sign...
Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives is doubling down on his bullish thesis for the “fourth industrial revolution,” identifying Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) as the two indispensable pillars of the burgeoning physical AI market. The Two Titans Of Physical AI While the tech world remains captivated by Large Language Models (LLMs) and chatbots, Ives argues that the most significant value is shifting toward machines that interact with the physical world. For Ives, two companies stand alone at the summit of this transition. “It just comes down to like physical AI, the two best physical AI plays in the market, Tesla, and the other one, it’s the godfather of AI, Jensen, Nvidia,” Ives stated. “Those to me are the two biggest and the best physical AI plays in the world,” Ives told CNBC International. Don't Miss: Missed Nvidia and Tesla? RAD Intel Could Be the Next AI Powerhouse — Just $0.85 a Share If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it? Tesla's Software Pivot And The $800 Bull Case For Tesla, the narrative has shifted from vehicle delivery counts to high-margin software adoption. Ives believes that Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology is the primary engine that will transform Tesla's valuation, forecasting a potential leap in adoption from 12% to 50%. “I believe we talk about $600 base case, but $800 bull case, is… ….the margin story that’s going to start take hold,” Ives explained. He described 2025 as a “huge transition year” leading into a “golden year” in 2026, driven by the convergence of FSD, autonomous Cybercabs, and robotics. Trending: Blue-chip art has historically outpaced the S&P 500 since 1995, and fractional investing is now opening this institutional asset class to everyday investors. Nvidia: The Infrastructure Powering The Boom While Tesla represents the “Visionary” application of physical AI, Ives views Nvidia as the bedrock of the entire movement. He cha...
Accelerating investment in AI infrastructure will remain a strong tailwind for chip stocks -- and not just the GPU specialists. We're just one month into 2026, and it's already looking like artificial intelligence (AI) stocks are set for another year of strong gains. As the hyperscalers continue to expand their data center capacity, investors understand that semiconductor stocks in particular stan...
Accelerating investment in AI infrastructure will remain a strong tailwind for chip stocks -- and not just the GPU specialists. We're just one month into 2026, and it's already looking like artificial intelligence (AI) stocks are set for another year of strong gains. As the hyperscalers continue to expand their data center capacity, investors understand that semiconductor stocks in particular stand to benefit. The smartest investors are realizing that AI budgets are not just about buying GPUs and networking equipment anymore, though. With that in mind, Micron Technology (MU 4.87%) looks like a top AI chip stock to buy for 2026. AI's new bottleneck is memory and storage According to a forecast from Goldman Sachs, big tech will spend over $500 billion on AI capex in 2026. If you only paid attention to the headlines, you'd think every penny of that was destined for the coffers of Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Broadcom. At this point, it seems like these three chip designers are announcing new deals or strategic partnerships practically every day. Here's what most investors are overlooking: As more GPU clusters are built, AI developers are pushing their training and inference capabilities to the max. Those expanding AI workloads are facing bottlenecks when it comes to memory and storage. Micron specializes in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. Just to clarify how vital this niche of the chip realm is, consider that the company is forecasting that the total addressable market for HBM solutions will grow at a 40% compound annual rate over the next couple of years and reach $100 billion by 2028. Considering Micron's trailing-12-month revenue isn't even half the value of the expected HBM market size, I think the company could be on the cusp of an epic growth arc. Against this backdrop, and with demand for memory already well outpacing supply, Micron has plenty of leverage to raise prices for its memory and storage chips. As such, the company should be able to compleme...
Key Points Meta's digital advertising business is booming. The tech giant is doubling down on its AI-driven growth strategy. 10 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms › Meta Platforms' (NASDAQ: META) artificial intelligence (AI) investments are beginning to bear fruit. Shares of Facebook's and Instagram's parent company climbed more than 7% this past week, according to data from S&P Global Mark...
Key Points Meta's digital advertising business is booming. The tech giant is doubling down on its AI-driven growth strategy. 10 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms › Meta Platforms' (NASDAQ: META) artificial intelligence (AI) investments are beginning to bear fruit. Shares of Facebook's and Instagram's parent company climbed more than 7% this past week, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, following its fourth-quarter earnings release. 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 » AI-fueled advertising gains The number of daily active users across Meta's family of apps grew by 7% year over year to a staggering 3.58 billion. The social media colossus also ramped up its monetization efforts, with ad impressions increasing by 18% in the fourth quarter. Despite the sharp increase in ads, Meta was able to command a 6% higher average price per ad, giving evidence of the rising value it's delivering to marketers. All told, Meta's revenue jumped 24% to $60 billion. Its earnings per share, which were impacted by the company's heavy growth investments, still grew by nearly 11% to $8.88. That topped Wall Street's estimates, which had called for per-share profits of $8.22. Ramping AI capex Meta plans to pump even more money into its AI development efforts in 2026. Chief financial officer Susan Li told investors to expect full-year capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion, up from $72 billion in 2025. Much of this spending will be on AI-related cloud computing, infrastructure, and labor costs. "I'm looking forward to advancing personal superintelligence for people around the world in 2026," CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. Should you buy stock in Meta Platforms right now? Before you buy stock in Meta Platforms, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Meta Plat...
Key Points The S&P 500 has been in a bull market for more than three years, and the positive momentum continues. Investors have piled into AI stocks amid optimism about the technology’s potential to power earnings higher. 10 stocks we like better than S&P 500 Index › The S&P 500 scored yet another annual win in 2025, advancing 16%. That was after climbing more than 20% in each of the previous two ...
Key Points The S&P 500 has been in a bull market for more than three years, and the positive momentum continues. Investors have piled into AI stocks amid optimism about the technology’s potential to power earnings higher. 10 stocks we like better than S&P 500 Index › The S&P 500 scored yet another annual win in 2025, advancing 16%. That was after climbing more than 20% in each of the previous two years, amid excitement about artificial intelligence (AI) stocks and general optimism about the economy. AI has started to revolutionize the way businesses operate, and this is benefiting both the users and developers of this technology. For example, the users are streamlining processes and speeding up innovation, boosting earnings potential. And the developers of AI and sellers of AI services are already generating enormous revenue growth. And now, in the early days of 2026, the bull market that started more than three years ago continues along its path. 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 » Even in this bright market environment, however, one fact lingers: The S&P 500 at some point in the future will face a downturn as the index never climbs in one straight line forever. Will this moment, potentially a S&P 500 crash, come in 2026? History offers a strikingly clear answer. The stock market in 2025 Before diving in, however, let's take a closer look at the market's path over the past year. Though the S&P 500 advanced last year, the road was a bit rocky. The famous benchmark tumbled, led by the growth stocks that had previous pushed it higher, through March and April of last year on concerns about U.S. import tariffs. The fear was that such tariffs would weigh on the earnings of many U.S. companies -- including the biggest tech names -- as they import parts and finished goods from China and other countries. President Donald Trump's negotiations ...
New York, Jan 31, 2026, 18:07 EST — Markets have closed for the day. Advanced Micro Devices Inc shares ended Friday down 6.13%, closing at $236.73, within a range of $234.55 to $245.24 during the session. After-hours, the stock ticked up slightly by 0.01%. Trading will resume when U.S. markets open on Monday, Feb. 2. (Investing) The development came after SemiAnalysis flagged potential delays in A...
New York, Jan 31, 2026, 18:07 EST — Markets have closed for the day. Advanced Micro Devices Inc shares ended Friday down 6.13%, closing at $236.73, within a range of $234.55 to $245.24 during the session. After-hours, the stock ticked up slightly by 0.01%. Trading will resume when U.S. markets open on Monday, Feb. 2. (Investing) The development came after SemiAnalysis flagged potential delays in AMD’s MI450-series AI accelerators, the chips designed for training and running AI models in data centers. According to Investing.com, AMD had earlier projected volume production to kick off in the second half of 2026, with most shipments expected in Q4 to clients like OpenAI and Oracle. (Investing) Wells Fargo analyst Aaron Rakers dismissed the claim outright, maintaining an Overweight rating and a $345 price target. He also said he’d look to buy on any dips, The Fly reported. (TipRanks) Rakers cited checks indicating TSMC’s 2-nanometer process is advancing as planned, with major designs already “taped out”—meaning the chip design is finalized and sent to manufacturing—and initial samples have been shipped, according to TipRanks. He anticipates MI450 production will scale up in the latter half of 2026. (TipRanks) MI450 is AMD’s latest shot at grabbing a slice of the AI accelerator market, which Nvidia currently leads, according to a Motley Fool column on Nasdaq.com. The article noted that Rakers pointed fingers at SemiAnalysis for the recent selloff but insisted the chip is gaining “traction.” (Nasdaq) Growth stocks fell on a sluggish day, dragging the Nasdaq Composite down 0.94%. Investors digested President Donald Trump’s choice of Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair, according to Reuters. “Markets are calibrating” to the news, said Michael Hans of Citizens Wealth. (Reuters) Options pricing signals traders expect a sharp move around the upcoming earnings. OptionSlam.com has the implied move — a volatility gauge from option prices — pegged at roug...
Defending champion Luke Humphries hit a nine-dart finish on his way to a hard-fought win over Luke Woodhouse in the last 16 of the World Masters - after world champion Luke Littler also progressed to the quarter-finals on Saturday. Humphries, 30, delighted the Milton Keynes crowd with the perfect leg to take a 2-0 lead, but fellow Englishman Woodhouse battled back to level the tie at 3-3. The worl...
Defending champion Luke Humphries hit a nine-dart finish on his way to a hard-fought win over Luke Woodhouse in the last 16 of the World Masters - after world champion Luke Littler also progressed to the quarter-finals on Saturday. Humphries, 30, delighted the Milton Keynes crowd with the perfect leg to take a 2-0 lead, but fellow Englishman Woodhouse battled back to level the tie at 3-3. The world number two then missed three darts for the match, allowing 37-year-old Woodhouse to force a last-leg shootout. Humphries finally sealed his 4-3 victory by taking out double 10. "It was a really close game," said Humphries, who faces Dutchman Danny Noppert next. "I would rather win the game and not hit a nine-darter than hit a nine-darter and lose, so I am just glad I did both."
Key Points NASA wants to send a rocket to Mars to retrieve samples collected by the Perseverance rover. Rocket Lab offered to do the mission for $4 billion. Congress just said "no." 10 stocks we like better than Rocket Lab › It's official: Mars Sample Return (MSR) is DOA -- and Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) investors are not at all happy about it. As Science.org reported earlier in the month, the U.S....
Key Points NASA wants to send a rocket to Mars to retrieve samples collected by the Perseverance rover. Rocket Lab offered to do the mission for $4 billion. Congress just said "no." 10 stocks we like better than Rocket Lab › It's official: Mars Sample Return (MSR) is DOA -- and Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) investors are not at all happy about it. As Science.org reported earlier in the month, the U.S. House and Senate have agreed on a series of appropriation bills that will help to restrain the federal budget deficit, but at the cost of cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from the budgets of NASA, the National Science Foundation, and other science-focused agencies. 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 » Among the highest profile casualties of the cutting: MSR. What is MSR -- or what was MSR? For the past five years, ever since arriving at the Jezero Crater on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover has been tooling around, collecting air, soil, and rock samples for analysis back on Earth. It's got nearly three dozen test tubes filled so far, and the time is fast approaching when we really should be sending someone along to collect them. That's what MSR would have done. Under the Mars Sample Return project, NASA proposed sending a rocket to Mars, landing there, collecting samples, and returning them to Earth. (Hence the name.) The problem, as is so often the case with these kinds of ideas, was the cost. NASA estimates put the total cost of MSR at $8 billion to $11 billion, and predicted it would take 16 years to complete. For over a year, Rocket Lab has been trying to convince NASA that it could do the work cheaper -- and faster. At one point, it appeared the space agency might be willing to listen, and it awarded Rocket Lab a tiny contract to at least study the problem and develop a solution. Rocket Lab's solution By January 202...
Key Points Lee Financial added 55,677 shares of IJT; estimated trade size was $7.86 million based on quarterly average prices. Quarter-end value of the new IJT position was $7.86 million, reflecting the initial acquisition. The new IJT position represents 1.06% of Lee Financial Co’s 13F reportable assets under management. IJT ranks outside the fund's top five positions and now makes up 1.06% of re...
Key Points Lee Financial added 55,677 shares of IJT; estimated trade size was $7.86 million based on quarterly average prices. Quarter-end value of the new IJT position was $7.86 million, reflecting the initial acquisition. The new IJT position represents 1.06% of Lee Financial Co’s 13F reportable assets under management. IJT ranks outside the fund's top five positions and now makes up 1.06% of reportable AUM. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › What happened According to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated January 22, 2026, Lee Financial Co. initiated a new stake in iShares Trust - iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (NASDAQ:IJT), acquiring 55,677 shares. The estimated value of this trade, calculated using the average share price over the quarter, was $7.86 million.The quarter-end value of the position also stood at $7.86 million, capturing both the trade and subsequent price movement. What else to know This was a new position for Lee Financial Co, representing 1.06% of its $741.18 million in reportable U.S. equity assets as of December 31, 2025. Top holdings after the filing include: NYSEMKT: IVV: $187.02 million (25.2% of AUM) NYSEMKT: IJH: $92.10 million (12.4% of AUM) NYSEMKT: FNDX: $63.24 million (8.5% of AUM) NYSEMKT: IVW: $44.54 million (6.0% of AUM) UNK: BRK-B: $37.94 million (5.1% of AUM) As of January 21, 2026, shares of IJT were priced at $152.27. IJT delivered an 8.2% total return over the past year and underperformed the S&P 500 by 5.5 percentage points over the same period ETF overview Metric Value AUM $6.29 billion Price (as of market close 1/21/26) $152.27 Dividend yield 0.8% 1-year total return 8.18% ETF snapshot The ETF’s investment strategy seeks to track the S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth Index, focusing on U.S. small-cap growth equities. The portfolio is primarily composed of small-cap U.S. stocks exhibiting growth characteristics, with at least 80% of assets invested in index constituents and the remainder...
While people have been relying on artificial intelligence (AI) for daily tasks for years, it’s recently become much more prevalent in information-gathering. Of course, AI tools aren’t perfect, and the information they churn out isn’t always accurate. When it comes to topics like investing, you’ll want to take any advice with a grain of salt. You might also want to do your own research or consult a...
While people have been relying on artificial intelligence (AI) for daily tasks for years, it’s recently become much more prevalent in information-gathering. Of course, AI tools aren’t perfect, and the information they churn out isn’t always accurate. When it comes to topics like investing, you’ll want to take any advice with a grain of salt. You might also want to do your own research or consult a professional to see if any of AI’s proposed investing strategies are right for you. That being said, it is interesting to see how AI assistants differ in their answers — even when given the same prompt. GOBankingRates asked ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini and Meta what cryptos to invest in for 2026. Here’s what each one said. Also see the type of person who should actually invest in crypto, according to financial advisors. ChatGPT: Blue Chips and Utility Picks ChatGPT is perhaps the most popular (and certainly the most well known) chatbot. Its response to the question was that it can’t tell you which ones will make money (because nobody can). But it did provide a few options based on trends and expert forecasts, as well as outlooks. This includes major blue chip cryptos like bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH). ChatGPT also listed solana (SOL), ripple (XRP), binance coin (BNB), chainlink (LINK) and cardano (ADA) as options with “real utility and broad ecosystem support.” And for those who don’t mind higher-risk, speculative investments, ChatGPT suggested looking into sui (SUI) and AI-focused tokens like bittensor (TAO). Check Out: 13 Cheap Cryptocurrencies With the Highest Potential Upside for You Learn More: 9 Low-Effort Ways To Make Passive Income (You Can Start This Week) Grok: Notable Mentions Grok also noted how volatile and unpredictable crypto can be. But like ChatGPT, it suggested bitcoin and ethereum as top cryptos to consider for 2026. Interestingly, it also included solana in that category. The AI tool’s “notable mentions” category included ripple and chainlink, as well as b...
Key Points Annex Advisory sold 1,421,755 shares of VFLO; estimated transaction value $54.53 million based on quarterly average pricing. The transaction represented approximately 1.04% of the firm's reportable 13F AUM. VFLO remains outside the fund's top five holdings, representing 1.05% of Annex's AUM. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › What happened According to an SEC fil...
Key Points Annex Advisory sold 1,421,755 shares of VFLO; estimated transaction value $54.53 million based on quarterly average pricing. The transaction represented approximately 1.04% of the firm's reportable 13F AUM. VFLO remains outside the fund's top five holdings, representing 1.05% of Annex's AUM. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › What happened According to an SEC filing dated Jan. 23, 2026, Annex Advisory Services, LLC reduced its stake in Victory Portfolios II - VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF (NASDAQ:VFLO) by 1,421,755 shares. The estimated value of the shares sold was $54.53 million, based on the average closing price during the quarter. The fund's quarter-end position value in VFLO decreased by $50.69 million, reflecting both trading activity and stock price movements. What else to know This sale left VFLO at 1.0486% of Annex Advisory Services, LLC's 13F AUM as of Dec. 31, 2025. Top five holdings after the filing: NASDAQ: UBND: $373,537,062 (7.1% of AUM) NYSEMKT: AVUS: $275,474,732 (5.3% of AUM) NYSEMKT: SMTH: $181,835,936 (3.5% of AUM) NYSEMKT: AVEM: $162,237,486 (3.1% of AUM) NYSEMKT: IOO: $161,749,641 (3.1% of AUM) As of Jan. 31, 2026, VFLO shares were priced at $39.47, up 10.22% over the last 12 months. ETF overview Metric Value AUM $5.91 billion Price (as of market close 1/31/26) $39.47 Dividend yield 1.58% 1-year total return 10.22% ETF snapshot VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF (VFLO) provides investors with exposure to a curated basket of U.S. large- and mid-cap companies. The companies chosen for the fund are based on the largest U.S. companies by profit, selected to show strong free cash flow yields and growth metrics. What this transaction means for investors The sale of VFLO shares by Annex doesn’t seem concerning, as the ETF wasn’t even among the firm’s top five holdings before the transaction. Outside of that, there are other ETFS in those top holdings that provide exposure to large-cap stocks, so Annex isn’t losing e...
New York, Jan 31, 2026, 17:46 EST — Market closed. Shares of Broadcom closed Friday slightly higher, rising 0.17% to $331.30. Wolfe Research upgraded its rating to Outperform, with a $400 price target. Broadcom’s recent steps with VMware partners are facing renewed scrutiny in Europe. Broadcom Inc. shares edged up Friday, gaining 0.17% to close at $331.30, after Wolfe Research raised its rating on...
New York, Jan 31, 2026, 17:46 EST — Market closed. Shares of Broadcom closed Friday slightly higher, rising 0.17% to $331.30. Wolfe Research upgraded its rating to Outperform, with a $400 price target. Broadcom’s recent steps with VMware partners are facing renewed scrutiny in Europe. Broadcom Inc. shares edged up Friday, gaining 0.17% to close at $331.30, after Wolfe Research raised its rating on the chip and software company. The upgrade put Broadcom back in focus for investors as the new week approaches. (MarketWatch) Timing is key. U.S. tech has been jolted by changing rate forecasts and headline jitters, with semiconductors caught in the crossfire despite scant company updates. On Friday, stocks dropped as investors digested President Donald Trump’s nomination for the next Fed chair, ongoing inflation concerns, and a packed earnings calendar. (Reuters) Broadcom’s focus is tightening: it’s all about how much AI spending will flow into custom chips and networking equipment, and if that surge can make up for weaknesses in legacy chip sales and the VMware software shift. Wolfe analyst Chris Caso upgraded Broadcom to Outperform from Peer Perform, setting a $400 price target, according to TheFly. He highlighted that other projects were “creating optionality for numbers” and insisted Wolfe could “no longer ignore” Broadcom’s traction in Google’s tensor processing units. (TipRanks) Wolfe’s call centers on Alphabet’s TPU effort — Google’s proprietary AI accelerator — and the potential boost from opening up TPUs to external users, expanding the market beyond Google alone. The firm also raised its forecasts for Broadcom’s AI custom-chip segment (ASICs, or application-specific integrated circuits), outlining a bullish scenario driven by much stronger AI and networking sales in 2026 and 2027. (Investing) The upgrade came amid a tough session for the sector. Chip and AI infrastructure shares fell Friday, with sharp declines hitting equipment and storage names. Broadcom, howe...
Enabling students to learn in the most effective way is fundamental to any education system. Since the reunification with China in 1997, the Chinese language has officially become the medium of instruction in schools to promote learning in the mother tongue. A policy change in 2010 gave schools more flexibility to teach in English. This approach takes into account the city’s historical development...
Enabling students to learn in the most effective way is fundamental to any education system. Since the reunification with China in 1997, the Chinese language has officially become the medium of instruction in schools to promote learning in the mother tongue. A policy change in 2010 gave schools more flexibility to teach in English. This approach takes into account the city’s historical development and its goal of promoting biliteracy and trilingualism to reinforce economic competitiveness and national integration. It has served the city well. The SCMP has learned that the education authorities will review the policy on the medium of instruction in secondary schools after considering the findings of a three-year evaluation study and views from the sector. This is a positive step to ensure that schools adapt well to changing circumstances and serve Hong Kong’s evolving development needs without compromising language and education standards. The longitudinal study conducted by the University of Hong Kong collects data on the implementation of teaching in the English language over the past three school years. Subject to the findings and input from the sector, any policy adjustments will be applied between 2028-29 and 2033-34. Advertisement Under the existing arrangements, a school that has 85 per cent of its Form One intake performing in the top 40 per cent of all students citywide in the last two years of the previous planning cycle can use English as its medium of instruction. There are currently 114 government and subsidised schools teaching in English. They are seen as more prestigious and are sought after by students and parents. Schools that adopt Chinese as the language of instruction may conduct extended learning activities in English or teach at most two subjects in English. The review is timely in light of calls to allow more schools to teach subjects in English to better prepare students moving on to higher education programmes conducted in the language. This...
It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across each month. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best stories that nearly slipped through the cracks. January’s list includes a lip-syncing robot; using brewer's yeast as scaffolding for lab-grown meat; hunting for Leonardo da Vinci's DNA in his art; and new evidence t...
It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across each month. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best stories that nearly slipped through the cracks. January’s list includes a lip-syncing robot; using brewer's yeast as scaffolding for lab-grown meat; hunting for Leonardo da Vinci's DNA in his art; and new evidence that humans really did transport the stones to build Stonehenge from Wales and northern Scotland, rather than being transported by glaciers. Humans, not glaciers, moved stones to Stonehenge Credit: Timothy Darvill Stonehenge is an iconic landmark of endless fascination to tourists and researchers alike. There has been a lot of recent chemical analysis identifying where all the stones that make up the structure came from, revealing that many originated in quarries a significant distance away. So how were the stones transported to their current location? Read full article Comments
Key Points The Floridian locale is the oldest inhabited city in the country. There are dozens of historical tours for visitors and retirees. St. Augustine is on The Motley Fool's Best Places to Retire Index The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › What's special about St. Augustine, Florida? Well, in addition to sun, sand, shopping, and a diverse food scene, the East C...
Key Points The Floridian locale is the oldest inhabited city in the country. There are dozens of historical tours for visitors and retirees. St. Augustine is on The Motley Fool's Best Places to Retire Index The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › What's special about St. Augustine, Florida? Well, in addition to sun, sand, shopping, and a diverse food scene, the East Coast beach town has more of something than any other town in the U.S. That would be history. St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by Spanish conquistador Pedro Menendez de Aviles, which makes it the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the contiguous United States. Essentially, it's America's oldest city. 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 » Historical attractions in the city include the Colonial Quarter, a living museum where visitors can experience centuries of colonial Spanish and British history in an interactive, immersive historical journey (and don't skip the authentic musket drills). There's also the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum, with one of the largest collections of pirate artifacts in the country, where you can explore the Golden Age of Piracy. The city is full of historical attractions The Old Town Trolley takes visitors through downtown. The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is a Spanish stone fortress from 1696, which is now a national park. It's the oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S. Attractions include volunteers and rangers in historic costumes, lectures and demonstrations, and presentations about the fort's long history. The city offers dozens of historical tours -- by foot, by trolley, by golf cart, and by boat. They visit St. Augustine's many historical sites, including a supposedly haunted jail. Some of the trolley tours are hop-on-hop-off, so visitors can try the many res...