shaunl/iStock via Getty Images Cadence Design Systems ( CDNS ) is clearly well placed to ride the rising complexity of chip and system design in the AI age. The need for advanced electronic design automation (EDA), verification tools, and high-performance IP continues to expand. Cadence has a record backlog to show alongside very healthy margins and cash flow. The business quality and execution is...
shaunl/iStock via Getty Images Cadence Design Systems ( CDNS ) is clearly well placed to ride the rising complexity of chip and system design in the AI age. The need for advanced electronic design automation (EDA), verification tools, and high-performance IP continues to expand. Cadence has a record backlog to show alongside very healthy margins and cash flow. The business quality and execution is an easier thesis to write - it should be a Buy. The nuance in Cadence's thesis is not about the business's quality, but about the fact that most of the quality is already appreciated by the markets, and current valuations at ~40x price to forward earnings leave little room for rerating. From here on, fresh investments will have to rely on durable compounding over the next several years, proving this demand is structural and not cyclical and can be sustained at mid-teens for the foreseeable future. The odds of that compounding scenario are higher, no doubt, as the AI tailwinds appear durable. But the reward of going right is just double digit compounding, assuming Cadence grows into these lofty valuations over time. On the flip side, the magnitude of downside risks is far higher, although their odds aren't. However, in the event of any negative surprises, Cadence could get pressured by not only a pullback in earnings but also a rerating that could be more severe than the upside offers. This tension is more applicable because much of the transformative gains look like they are already embedded today in the share prices. Hence, Cadence is best rated a Hold, with a wait for fresh triggers that could open up asymmetric upside odds. The Odds of A Continued Boom The business quality and the odds of maintaining a mid-teens growth are extremely high. Verification is now an exponential task in chip design, which means even if semiconductor volumes slow down, complexity could be enough to support Cadence's EDA growth. Cadence is monetizing the AI tailwinds at multiple layers beyond E...
Getty Images Shares of Ethos Technologies ( LIFE ) have seen very soft pricing action on the first day of trading. Shares are down 15%, albeit in tough market conditions, as I am quite surprised by this very soft reaction. After all, Ethos is a rapidly growing and very profitable business, trading with a strong balance sheet at very reasonable valuations. This makes me intrigued, and while any pub...
Getty Images Shares of Ethos Technologies ( LIFE ) have seen very soft pricing action on the first day of trading. Shares are down 15%, albeit in tough market conditions, as I am quite surprised by this very soft reaction. After all, Ethos is a rapidly growing and very profitable business, trading with a strong balance sheet at very reasonable valuations. This makes me intrigued, and while any public offering and business has some real risks, I cannot understand this pricing action with the fundamentals here. Democratizing Access To Life Insurance Ethos Technologies aims to protect families by democratizing access to life insurance while empowering agents at scale. The company is based on the belief that every policy is a promise to help families when the unthinkable happens. At the same time, millions remain underinsured because of a slow, complex, and tedious process to transact in insurance. The same frustrations are seen by agents as well, having to navigate complex underwriting rules while relying on aging systems, all creating a labor-intensive experience. These and other struggles are also undergone by carriers. While working for consumers, the company has a real promise to life insurance carriers as well, with Ethos managing risks on their behalf, making strong risk management displayed upon crucial for its existence, and guaranteeing profits for these carriers. Its technology platform is accessed by consumers, agents, and carriers, providing both clarity, speed, and agility to all these stakeholders in the insurance process. The company has been disrupting the insurance process since 2018, with over half a million policies written by now. Valuation & IPO Thoughts Ethos aimed to sell 10.5 million shares in a preliminary price range between $18 and $20 per share, with pricing set at the middle of the range. Some 5.1 million of these shares were sold by the company, with the remainder of the shares sold by selling shareholders, as the company sees gross procee...
Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR will report its fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 2, after the bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the to-be-reported quarter stands at 23 cents, indicating 64.3% growth from the year-ago reported quarter. The consensus estimate for total revenues stands at $1.35 billion, indicating 62.8% year-over-year growth. There have been no changes or revision...
Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR will report its fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 2, after the bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the to-be-reported quarter stands at 23 cents, indicating 64.3% growth from the year-ago reported quarter. The consensus estimate for total revenues stands at $1.35 billion, indicating 62.8% year-over-year growth. There have been no changes or revisions to analyst estimates lately. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The company has a strong history of earnings surprises. Earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and matched once, with an earnings surprise of 16.3%, on average. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research PLTR’s Lesser Chance of Q4 Earnings Beat Our proven model doesn’t conclusively predict an earnings beat for PLTR this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy), or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. PLTR has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. PLTR’s All-Round Healthy Business Should be the Driver in Q4 We expect a significant year-over-year improvement in the company’s top line in the to-be-reported quarter, driven by healthy business from existing and new customers, strengthening both the Government and Commercial segments. The consensus estimate for Government revenues is pegged at $707.24 million, indicating 55.4% year-over-year growth. The consensus mark for Commercial revenues is pegged at $646.25 million, indicating 73.5% year-over-year growth. PLTR Stock Looking Pricey Palantir shares have surged a whopping 94% over the past year, consolidated over the past six months, and declined 19% in the past three months. This performance is a clear indication of a pullback in the stock la...
ronniechua Japan’s economy faces a mixed outlook as 2025 concludes, highlighted by an unexpected 0.9% year-on-year drop in retail sales and a second consecutive month of slight industrial production declines. Retail sales in Japan fell by 0.9% year-on-year in December 2025, marking the first drop since August and coming after a 1.1% increase in November. This decline was unexpected and reflected t...
ronniechua Japan’s economy faces a mixed outlook as 2025 concludes, highlighted by an unexpected 0.9% year-on-year drop in retail sales and a second consecutive month of slight industrial production declines. Retail sales in Japan fell by 0.9% year-on-year in December 2025, marking the first drop since August and coming after a 1.1% increase in November. This decline was unexpected and reflected that households had met year-end spending needs earlier, despite rising wages. On a monthly basis, retail sales also dropped by 2.0% in December after a 0.7% gain in November. Industrial production decreased by 0.1% month-over-month in December, a smaller drop than the previous month's 2.7% and less than the expected 0.4% decline. However, it was the second consecutive month of decline. On an annual basis, production grew by 2.6%, the strongest in three months. The unemployment rate remained steady at 2.6%, with the number of unemployed increasing by 50 thousand to a total of 1.86 million, which is the highest in 17 months. Meanwhile, employment fell by 50 thousand to 68.46 million, while the labor force dropped 50 thousand to 70.31 million. Core consumer prices in Tokyo rose by 2% year-on-year in January 2026, down from 2.3% the previous month and below expectations. The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.3% to around 53,480 on Friday, extending gains for a fourth consecutive session, while the broader Topix Index advanced 0.5% to 3,563. The Japanese yen slipped toward 154 per dollar on Friday but remained on track for its first monthly gain since August, as talks of intervention pushed the currency to four-month highs. More on Japan's economy: The Yen Carry Trade: Fears Are Blown Out Of Proportion When Bonds Break Equities: Japan's Debt, America's Refinancing Wall And Why Gold Becomes The Only Rational Hedge DXJ: Long Japanese Exporters Asia markets mixed as tech rally cools following Fed hold and mixed earnings Financial instability risks are rising – Fmr. Atlanta Fed President Lock...
Abu Dhabi’s government said it will consolidate the assets and investments of L’imad Holding Co. and wealth fund ADQ, in a bid to create what it called a sovereign investment powerhouse. L’imad, chaired by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, burst into prominence late last year when it joined established Gulf wealth funds to back Paramount Skydance Corp.’s hostile...
Abu Dhabi’s government said it will consolidate the assets and investments of L’imad Holding Co. and wealth fund ADQ, in a bid to create what it called a sovereign investment powerhouse. L’imad, chaired by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, burst into prominence late last year when it joined established Gulf wealth funds to back Paramount Skydance Corp.’s hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. It has since unveiled a board staffed with well known executives. Wealth fund ADQ’s $263 billion portfolio spans everything from a stake in auction house Sotheby’s to Abu Dhabi’s flagship airline.
Fiona Yang, Asia Ex-Japan Equities Fund Manager at Invesco, shares her views on the potential market implications if Kevin Warsh were to be confirmed as the next Federal Reserve Chair.
Fiona Yang, Asia Ex-Japan Equities Fund Manager at Invesco, shares her views on the potential market implications if Kevin Warsh were to be confirmed as the next Federal Reserve Chair.
許正宇：現階段不會推行私家車離境徵費 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】去年《財政預算案》提出研究向離境私家車收取200元邊境建設費，當局說現階段不會推行。 陳曉峰：「我聯同其他港區全國人大代表當時傳...
許正宇：現階段不會推行私家車離境徵費 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】去年《財政預算案》提出研究向離境私家車收取200元邊境建設費，當局說現階段不會推行。 陳曉峰：「我聯同其他港區全國人大代表當時傳達民意，建議『三思而不行』，就著邊境建設費方面，請問政府有否檢討結果？」 財經事務及庫務局局長許正宇：「這個方向提出後聽到多位議員和社會很多聲音，經過慎重考慮後，我們現階段不會推行有關收費。」